Virtual screening based on covalent docking and MM-PBSA calculations predict the drugs neratinib, sacubitril, alprostadil, trandolapril, and florbetapir as promising cruzain inhibitors useful against Chagas disease.

Abstract

Graphical Abstract: Abstract. This work aimed to perform a virtual screening using a covalent docking and MM-PBSA protocol in an FDA-approved drugs library dataset to search for new compounds useful against this cruzain. Initially, 1615 FDA-approved compounds were visually inspected for the presence of chemical groups reactive against cruzain reactive cysteine (Cys 25 ), followed by the choice of the most suitable 3D structure for the virtual protocols. Thus, 241 compounds were selected and the covalent docking assays and the drugs with a fit score covalent greater than 100, were selected to the MM-PBSA calculations. Finally, the drugs neratinib, sacubitril, alprostadil, trandolapril, and florbetapir showed a covalent fit score between 102.14 and 116.59; ΔG binding values between -72.851 and -148,811 Kcal/mol calculated by MM-PBSA; and interactions with the key residues of the cruzain (Cys 25 , His 159 , Gly 23 , and Gly 65 ), showing best values than other cruzain inhibitors experimentally assayed. Our findings suggest that these drugs may be possible cruzain inhibitors, and biological assays