Virtual Screening Approaches to Identify Promising Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bibliographic Details
Title: Virtual Screening Approaches to Identify Promising Multitarget-Directed Ligands for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Jakub Jończyk, Klaudia Przybylska, Marek Staszewski, Justyna Godyń, Tobias Werner, Monika Stefaniak-Napieralska, Holger Stark, Krzysztof Walczyński, Marek Bajda
Source: Molecules, Vol 29, Iss 22, p 5271 (2024)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Organic chemistry
Subject Terms: autism spectrum disorder, virtual screening, histamine H3 receptor, multitarget-directed ligands, dopamine receptors, cholinesterases, Organic chemistry, QD241-441
More Details: Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. The available medical treatment options for autism spectrum disorder are very limited. While the etiology and pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder are still not fully understood, recent studies have suggested that wide alterations in the GABAergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic systems play a key role in its development and progression. Histamine neurotransmission is known to have complex interactions with other neurotransmitters that fit perfectly into the complex etiology of this disease. Multitarget-directed compounds with an affinity for the histamine H3 receptor indicate an interesting profile of activity against autism spectrum disorder in animal models. Here, we present the results of our research on the properties of (4-piperazin-1-ylbutyl)guanidine derivatives acting on histamine H3 receptors as potential multitarget ligands. Through the virtual screening approach, we identified promising ligands among 32 non-imidazole histamine H3 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists with potential additional activity against the dopamine D2 receptor and/or cholinesterases. The virtual screening protocol integrated predictions from SwissTargetPrediction, SEA, and PPB2 tools, along with molecular docking simulations conducted using GOLD 5.3 and Glide 7.5 software. Among the selected ligands, compounds 25 and 30 blocked radioligand binding to the D2 receptor at over 50% at a screening concentration of 1 µM. Further experiments allowed us to determine the pKi value at the D2 receptor of 6.22 and 6.12 for compounds 25 and 30, respectively. Our findings suggest that some of the tested compounds could be promising multitarget-directed ligands for the further research and development of more effective treatments for autism spectrum disorder.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1420-3049
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/22/5271; https://doaj.org/toc/1420-3049
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29225271
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/d7f9d3125f3f4764b73b77f3027329fb
Accession Number: edsdoj.7f9d3125f3f4764b73b77f3027329fb
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
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More Details
ISSN:14203049
DOI:10.3390/molecules29225271
Published in:Molecules
Language:English