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Volume 20, Issue 7
  • ISSN: 1573-4099
  • E-ISSN: 1875-6697

Abstract

Background

ICMT (isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase) is an enzyme that plays a key role in the post-translational modification of the K-Ras protein. The carboxyl methylation of this protein by ICMT is important for its proper localization and function. Cysmethynil (2-[5-(3-methylphenyl)-l-octyl-lH-indolo-3-yl] acetamide) causes K-Ras mislocalization and interrupts pathways that control cancer cell growth and division through inhibition of ICMT, but its poor water solubility makes it difficult and impractical for clinical use. This indicates that relatively high amounts of cysmethynil would be required to achieve an effective dose, which could result in significant adverse effects in patients.

Objectives

The general objective of this work was to find virtually new compounds that present high solubility in water and are similar to the pharmacological activity of cysmethynil.

Materials and Methods

Pharmacophore modeling, pharmacophore-based virtual screening, prediction of ADMET properties (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity), and water solubility were performed to recover a water-soluble molecule that shares the same chemical characteristics as cysmethynil using Discovery Studio v16.1.0 (DS16.1), SwissADME server, and pkCSM server.

Results

In this study, ten pharmacophore model hypotheses were generated by exploiting the characteristics of cysmethynil. The pharmacophore model validated by the set test method was used to screen the “Elite Library®” and “Synergy Library” databases of Asinex. Only 1533 compounds corresponding to all the characteristics of the pharmacophore were retained. Then, the aqueous solubility in water at 25°C of these 1533 compounds was predicted by the Cheng and Merz model. Among these 1533 compounds, two had the optimal water solubility. Finally, the ADMET properties and Log S water solubility by three models (ESOL, Ali, and SILICOS-IT) of the two compounds and cysmethynil were compared, resulting in compound 2 as a potential inhibitor of ICMT.

Conclusion

According to the results obtained, the identified compound presented a high solubility in water and could be similar to the pharmacological activity of cysmethynil.

© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers
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2024-06-03
2025-05-28

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/content/journals/cad/10.2174/0115734099264451231003172217
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In silico Exploration of a Novel ICMT Inhibitor with More Solubility than Cysmethynil against Membrane Localization of KRAS Mutant in Colorectal Cancer
Curr. Computeraided Drug Des. 20, 1055 (2024); https://doi.org/10.2174/0115734099264451231003172217
/content/journals/cad/10.2174/0115734099264451231003172217
/content/journals/cad/10.2174/0115734099264451231003172217
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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): ADMET; Colorectal cancer; ICMT inhibitors; KRAS; molecular docking; pharmacophore; virtual screening

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