Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development

Abstract Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal structures essential for cell architecture, cellular transport, cell motility, and cell division. Due to their dynamic nature, known as dynamic instability, microtubules can spontaneously switch between phases of growth and shortening. Disruptions in mi...

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Main Authors: Pawan Kumar, Rajni Khan, Basant Narain Singh, Anisha Kumari, Ankit Rai, Anil Kumar Singh, Amresh Prakash, Shashikant Ray
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82823-8
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author Pawan Kumar
Rajni Khan
Basant Narain Singh
Anisha Kumari
Ankit Rai
Anil Kumar Singh
Amresh Prakash
Shashikant Ray
author_facet Pawan Kumar
Rajni Khan
Basant Narain Singh
Anisha Kumari
Ankit Rai
Anil Kumar Singh
Amresh Prakash
Shashikant Ray
author_sort Pawan Kumar
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal structures essential for cell architecture, cellular transport, cell motility, and cell division. Due to their dynamic nature, known as dynamic instability, microtubules can spontaneously switch between phases of growth and shortening. Disruptions in microtubule functions have been implicated in several diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and birth defects. The role of microtubules during various phases of the cell cycle, particularly in cell division, makes them attractive targets for drug development against cancer. Several successful drugs currently on the market are designed to target microtubules. However, the presence of cellular toxicity and the development of multidrug resistance necessitate the search for new microtubule-targeting drugs.Here, a library of 106 biologically active compounds were screened to identify potent microtubule assembly inhibitors. Out of all the screened compounds, the hydroxyethylamine (HEA) analogues are found to be the best hit.We identified three inhibitors, BKS3031A, BKS3045A and BKS3046A, that bind at the same site as the well-known microtubule targeting agent colchicine. These inhibitors were simulated for 100 ns with tubulin complexes, and the results indicated that they remain stable within the binding pocket of α-β tubulin complexes. In addition, we estimated the binding free energy of BKS3031A, BKS3045A and BKS3046A by using molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculations, and it was found to be -32.67 ± 6.01, -21.77 ± 5.12 and − 22.92 ± 5.09 kcal/mol, respectively. Our findings suggest that these novel inhibitors have potential to bind and perturb the microtubule network, positioning them as promising microtubule-targeting agents.
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spelling doaj-art-4fd83c595d8a422780af20b7d77f8dfa2025-08-20T02:43:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111210.1038/s41598-024-82823-8Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug developmentPawan Kumar0Rajni Khan1Basant Narain Singh2Anisha Kumari3Ankit Rai4Anil Kumar Singh5Amresh Prakash6Shashikant Ray7School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and ResearchDepartment of Botany, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati UniversityDepartment of Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi Central UniversityDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Gujrat Biotechnology UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Mahatma Gandhi Central UniversityAmity Institute of Integrative Sciences and Health, Amity University HaryanaDepartment of Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi Central UniversityAbstract Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal structures essential for cell architecture, cellular transport, cell motility, and cell division. Due to their dynamic nature, known as dynamic instability, microtubules can spontaneously switch between phases of growth and shortening. Disruptions in microtubule functions have been implicated in several diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and birth defects. The role of microtubules during various phases of the cell cycle, particularly in cell division, makes them attractive targets for drug development against cancer. Several successful drugs currently on the market are designed to target microtubules. However, the presence of cellular toxicity and the development of multidrug resistance necessitate the search for new microtubule-targeting drugs.Here, a library of 106 biologically active compounds were screened to identify potent microtubule assembly inhibitors. Out of all the screened compounds, the hydroxyethylamine (HEA) analogues are found to be the best hit.We identified three inhibitors, BKS3031A, BKS3045A and BKS3046A, that bind at the same site as the well-known microtubule targeting agent colchicine. These inhibitors were simulated for 100 ns with tubulin complexes, and the results indicated that they remain stable within the binding pocket of α-β tubulin complexes. In addition, we estimated the binding free energy of BKS3031A, BKS3045A and BKS3046A by using molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculations, and it was found to be -32.67 ± 6.01, -21.77 ± 5.12 and − 22.92 ± 5.09 kcal/mol, respectively. Our findings suggest that these novel inhibitors have potential to bind and perturb the microtubule network, positioning them as promising microtubule-targeting agents.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82823-8Αβ-tubulinMD simulationMM-GBSA
spellingShingle Pawan Kumar
Rajni Khan
Basant Narain Singh
Anisha Kumari
Ankit Rai
Anil Kumar Singh
Amresh Prakash
Shashikant Ray
Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
Scientific Reports
Αβ-tubulin
MD simulation
MM-GBSA
title Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
title_full Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
title_fullStr Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
title_full_unstemmed Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
title_short Hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly: an in silico study for anti-cancerous drug development
title_sort hydroxyethylamine based analog targets microtubule assembly an in silico study for anti cancerous drug development
topic Αβ-tubulin
MD simulation
MM-GBSA
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82823-8
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