Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition that encompasses ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Targeting both inflammation and the epithelial barrier simultaneously can significantly improve symptom management in IBD, as a promising strategy. In...

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Main Authors: Pardis Mansouri, Pegah Mansouri, Sohrab Najafipour, Seyed Amin Kouhpayeh, Akbar Farjadfar, Esmaeil Behmard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98771-w
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author Pardis Mansouri
Pegah Mansouri
Sohrab Najafipour
Seyed Amin Kouhpayeh
Akbar Farjadfar
Esmaeil Behmard
author_facet Pardis Mansouri
Pegah Mansouri
Sohrab Najafipour
Seyed Amin Kouhpayeh
Akbar Farjadfar
Esmaeil Behmard
author_sort Pardis Mansouri
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition that encompasses ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Targeting both inflammation and the epithelial barrier simultaneously can significantly improve symptom management in IBD, as a promising strategy. In this study, we focused on addressing both inflammation and the epithelial barrier. Until now, each therapeutic target including phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) and prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes 1 and 2 (PHD1/2) have been studied separately. PDE4 plays a key role in the inflammatory process by converting cyclic AMP (cAMP) to AMP and its inhibition can suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines. Research has shown that inhibiting PHD1 and PHD2 increases levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α), which in turn strengthens the epithelial barrier by promoting the expression of protective factors such as mucins and β-defensins. Through virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, we identified five compounds—Cassiamin C, Ginkgetin, Hinokiflavone, Sciadopitysin, and Sojagol—as promising new drug candidates for IBD treatment. All compounds demonstrated superior free binding energy for the three targets compared to reference ligands, except Sojagol concerning PDE4B. Among these compounds, Ginkgetin was the best compound with potential ability of targeting multiple drug target proteins. Future experimental studies are warranted to validate these findings.
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spelling doaj-art-0da4eb8b7d5c41a585f858937293000b2025-08-20T02:55:35ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-98771-wComprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compoundsPardis Mansouri0Pegah Mansouri1Sohrab Najafipour2Seyed Amin Kouhpayeh3Akbar Farjadfar4Esmaeil Behmard5Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical SciencesStudent Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical SciencesSchool of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Fasa University of Medical SciencesSchool of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical SciencesAbstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition that encompasses ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Targeting both inflammation and the epithelial barrier simultaneously can significantly improve symptom management in IBD, as a promising strategy. In this study, we focused on addressing both inflammation and the epithelial barrier. Until now, each therapeutic target including phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) and prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes 1 and 2 (PHD1/2) have been studied separately. PDE4 plays a key role in the inflammatory process by converting cyclic AMP (cAMP) to AMP and its inhibition can suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines. Research has shown that inhibiting PHD1 and PHD2 increases levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α), which in turn strengthens the epithelial barrier by promoting the expression of protective factors such as mucins and β-defensins. Through virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, we identified five compounds—Cassiamin C, Ginkgetin, Hinokiflavone, Sciadopitysin, and Sojagol—as promising new drug candidates for IBD treatment. All compounds demonstrated superior free binding energy for the three targets compared to reference ligands, except Sojagol concerning PDE4B. Among these compounds, Ginkgetin was the best compound with potential ability of targeting multiple drug target proteins. Future experimental studies are warranted to validate these findings.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98771-wInflammatory bowel diseaseMD simulationBioactive compoundsGinkgetinMulti-target drugs
spellingShingle Pardis Mansouri
Pegah Mansouri
Sohrab Najafipour
Seyed Amin Kouhpayeh
Akbar Farjadfar
Esmaeil Behmard
Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
Scientific Reports
Inflammatory bowel disease
MD simulation
Bioactive compounds
Ginkgetin
Multi-target drugs
title Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
title_full Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
title_fullStr Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
title_short Comprehensive computational strategies for multi-target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
title_sort comprehensive computational strategies for multi target drug discovery in inflammatory bowel disease utilizing bioactive compounds
topic Inflammatory bowel disease
MD simulation
Bioactive compounds
Ginkgetin
Multi-target drugs
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98771-w
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