The discovery of a novel IκB kinase β inhibitor based on pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening and biological evaluation.

Background: IκB kinase β (IKKβ) plays a pivotal role in the NF-κB signaling pathway and is considered a promising therapeutic target for various diseases. Materials & methods: The authors developed and validated a 3D pharmacophore model of IKKβ inhibitors via the HypoGen algorithm in Discovery Studio 2019, then performed virtual screening, molecular docking and kinase assays to identify hit compounds from the ChemDiv database. The compound with the highest inhibitory activity was further evaluated in adjuvant-induced arthritis rat models. Results: Among the four hit compounds, Hit 4 had the highest IKKβ inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 30.4 ± 3.8), and it could significantly ameliorate joint inflammation and damage in vivo. Conclusion: The identified compound, Hit 4, can be optimized as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases.