Cancer, more specifically, has a strong connection to aberrant kinase activity. Thereby, kinases serve as vital targets for the development of anti-cancer drugs. The ERK2 is a promising therapeutic option for advanced colon cancer treatment. This study seeks to evaluate the experimentally identified phytochemicals from Tamarix articulata for their inhibitory activity on colon cancer. The study employed molecular docking investigation to screen 222 derivatives against ERK2. The findings shortlisted 10 compounds based on the binding affinity score. 3/10 were further selected as the top 3 hits. The top 3 hits are Dicumarol (−9.7 kcal/mol), 2, 3, 9, 10-Tetrahydroxyberbine (−8.8 kcal/mol), and Nafenopin (−8.3 kcal/mol). The AZD0364 (−9.8 kcal/mol) was used as a reference/control in the present study. The compounds were further assessed for pharmacokinetics feature prediction; hence, all the compounds met the Lipinski Rule 5 parameters with no violations observed. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation trajectory for the ERK2-ligand complexes yielded satisfactory results, characterized by a strong interaction and intermolecular conformational stability. The mean root mean square deviation (RMSD) noted for the top 3 complexes was <2 Å. The post-MD simulation analysis was performed to enhance and validate the efficacy of the complexes. The principal component analysis (PCA) analysis and hydrogen bonding assessment depicted 2, 3, 9, 10-Tetrahydroxyberbine as the most stable with no greater conformational variations, while the same complex created the most strong and stable bond with a total no-of frames 954, surpassing Dicumarol and Nefenopin. The unique salt bridges were observed in the novel ERK2-ligand complexes as per the comparative analysis with the control (Glu64-Lys147 and Glu43-Lys82, Glu297-Lys268, Glu203-Lys100, and Asp266-Lys268). The secondary structure studies plot depicted that all the ERK2-ligand complexes were stable. The MM-GBSA and MM-PBSA scores ranked Dicumarol as the top-notch compound (−67.44 kcal/mol and −68.66 kcal/mol). The WaterSwap considerably polishes our comprehensive simulation findings. Therefore, these findings offer a possible foundation for the exploration of inhibitors that target the ERK2 gene in vitro and in vivo, which might contribute to a landmark in cancer research.
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