Identification of novel PPAR-γ agonist ameliorating triple negative breast cancer by in silico methods

Abstract

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still considered a medical challenge as it is an aggressive cancer characterized by poor prognosis, frequent metastasis, distinct clinical and pathological features and lack of proper treatment options. In TNBC, estrogen, progesterone and Her2 neu receptors are absent, which are usually present in otherwise breast cancers. So, hormonal therapy cannot be given in case of TNBC, leaving chemotherapy as the mainstay for treatment. However, chemotherapy is an infamous therapeutic option due to several aweful side effects like loss of appetite, extreme weight loss, hair loss, vomiting, fatigue etc. Several reports have highlighted role of Peroxisome Proliferated Activated Receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in ameliorating breast cancer, but it is still less explored receptor for TNBC. Moreover, synthetic PPAR gamma agonists like thiazolidinediones, have good capability of activating PPAR-γ receptor, but these are also gloomy therapeutic agent due to their dreadful side effects like hepatotoxicity, bladder cancer, congestive heart failure etc. So, there is serious urge among researchers to find safer therapeutic option for TNBC. Phytochemicals are nowadays grabbing attention worldwide to treat several diseases due to their fewer or no side effects. This in silico study was performed after thorough review to select a natural, potent PPAR-γ agonist Gallotanin, as a query compound for ligand based similarity searching in PubChem database with 80% filter. Top 10 obtained compounds having highest similarity index were chosen for molecular docking in AutoDock Vina, with PPAR-γ receptor (3V9T) to know their binding patterns. Further, top 5 compounds having highest dock scores underwent ADME studies in SwissADME to assess pharmacokinetic profile of these compounds. Finally, this in silico study resulted in discovery of compound called Chamuvaritin which is still not known as a PPAR-γ agonist, efficient enough to act as potent therapeutic agent against TNBC.