Discovery of Lithospermate B as a Potential Ligand for the Malarial E2 Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme via Multiplexed Native Mass Spectrometry

There is an urgent need for novel therapeutics to combat <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>, especially in light of increasing drug resistance. Here, we present a multiplexed native mass spectrometry (MS) platform capable of simultaneously screening multiple protein targets against chemically...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jianying Han, Wesley C. Van Voorhis, Ronald J. Quinn, Miaomiao Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Chemosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/13/5/166
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Summary:There is an urgent need for novel therapeutics to combat <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>, especially in light of increasing drug resistance. Here, we present a multiplexed native mass spectrometry (MS) platform capable of simultaneously screening multiple protein targets against chemically diverse crude extracts with minimal sample preparation. A mixture of seven malarial proteins was analyzed under optimized native MS conditions, enabling the detection of specific ligand binding events. Using this platform, lithospermate B from <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i> (Danshen) was identified as a novel ligand for a malarial ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme with moderate affinity (Kd = 30.5 ± 2.5 μM). This is the first report linking lithospermate B to a malarial protein target, highlighting the potential of native MS to uncover new bioactivities of known natural products. This approach significantly enhances the throughput of protein–ligand screening and offers a powerful tool for early-stage natural product-based drug discovery.
ISSN:2227-9040