Identification studies of possible targets for azomethinic or oxadiazolinic nitrocompounds with antifungal and anti-T. cruzi activity / Estudos de identificação de possíveis alvos para nitro-compostos azometínicos ou oxadiazolínicos com atividade antifúngica e anti-T. cruzi

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

This study had as objective the study of Tridimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships, 3D QSAR, and the identification of potential targets for 5-nitro-heterocyclic compounds with azomethynic or oxadiazolynic structures presenting dual antifungal and anti-T. cruzi bioactivity, aiming the discovery of new compounds to be used as possible drug candidates or lead compounds. The studied compounds belong to four closely related series: AzoO series: 4-substituted 5-nitro-2-furfurylidene benzhydrazides; AzoS Series: 4-substituted 5-nitro-2-thiophylidene benzhydrazides; OxaO Series: 4-substituted 3-acetyl-oxadiazolyne 2,5-furfurylidene benzhydrazides; and OxaS Series: 4-substituted 3-acetyl-oxadiazolyne 2,5-thiophilydene benzhydrazides. The integrated use of tools belonging to the areas of medicinal chemistry, chemoinformatics, and bioinformatics allow for the characterization of catalytic cavities of proteins and the identification of physicochemical properties considered essential for the adequate interaction between ligand and target biomacromolecule. In addition to this, they also make possible the identification of targets through the comparison of chemical structures, with their associated physicochemical properties, of known ligands and their possible targets; this approach, known as virtual profiling, is based on the principle that molecules similar to known ligands of proteins can potentially interact with this same protein, with the similarity degree being determined not only by chemical structure but also through the distribution of physicochemical characteristics. The tools used in studies in silico also include the analysis of topological descriptors that can be used to analyse physicochemical characteristics considering their spacial distribution in relation to the chemical structure of a given molecule. The use of these descriptors makes possible the determination of the similarity degree between molecules or part of molecules (molecular fragments), and is the basis for methodologies of screening and characterization of the catalytic sites or proteins. Considering the proposed objective, studies were carried involving virtual profiling, analysis of molecular fragments based on physicochemical descriptors able to characterize the surface of ligands and proteins, characterization of the catalytic site of a possible target, and docking of the compounds to putative targets. The antifungal activity of compounds was determined and 3D QSAR results analysed, leading to the formulation of a hypothesis for the possible biological target for the azomethynic and oxadiazolynic compounds. Virtual profiling results pointed as possible targets the P450 enzymes CYP19A (aromatase), CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7. Although these enzymes are not directly involved with the currently tested biological activities for these compounds, there are studies reporting the interaction of azole antifungal compounds, whose target is CYP51 (14α-demethylase), with CYP19A and CYP3A4. Taken together with the analysis of physicochemical characteristics based on topological descriptors, and considering the duality of determined biological activities, it was concluded that the interaction of the studied compounds with CYP51 was possible since this enzyme is the target nor only for azole antifungals, but also for anti-T. cruzi compounds. Characterization studies of CYP51 catalytic cavity considering not only physicochemical properties descriptors but also stereochemical characteristics, associated to the results of 3D QSAR, confirmed the possibility of interaction of compounds from the oxadiazolynic series with CYP51, in an orientation similar to azole antifungals. The azomethynic series, that also presents the same dual biological activity though with different potency, does not present an adequate conformation for the ineraction proposed for the oxadiazolynic series; however, there are reports indicating the possibility of interaction of compounds in the catalytic site of the enzyme in a different way from that of antifungal azoles and the proposed interaction of oxadiazolynic compounds.

ASSUNTO(S)

atividade anti-t. cruzi topological descriptors antifungal activity structure-activity relationships cadd cadd atividade antifúngica fármacos (planejamento) descritores topológicos nitro-compostos anti-t. cruzi activity relações estrutura-atividade drug (design) nitrocompounds

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