Discovery of Potential Anthelmintic Agents Against Gyrodactylus kobayashii Through Computer-Aided Drug Design and In Vivo Evaluation

Abstract

Monogeneans are ectoparasitic flatworms causing significant economic losses in aquaculture. This study aimed to identify potential anthelmintic agents against these parasites by integrating computer-aided drug design (CADD) and in vivo evaluation. The β-tubulin gene, a well-established anthelmintic target, was cloned from Gyrodactylus kobayashii and its three-dimensional structure was generated using homology modelling. Virtual screening of 2319 FDA-approved drugs and nine common benzimidazoles against the modelled β-tubulin identified several promising compounds with low binding energy. Subsequent in vivo anthelmintic efficacy and acute toxicity assays in goldfish revealed etravirine as a potent candidate with an EC₅₀ value of 0.55 mg/L and a therapeutic index (TI) greater than 18.18. This favourable safety profile highlights etravirine's potential for controlling monogenean infections in aquaculture. Flubendazole and mebendazole also demonstrated potent anthelmintic activity, with EC₅₀ values of 0.022 and 0.023 mg/L and therapeutic indices exceeding 45.45 and 43.48, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed stable binding modes for flubendazole and mebendazole with β-tubulin, providing mechanistic insights into their anthelmintic activity. Overall, this study demonstrated the utility of CADD in identifying potential therapeutic agents against monogenean and underscored the importance of β-tubulin as a key target for anthelmintic therapy, contributing to the development of sustainable aquaculture practices.