Computational-guided approach for identification of PI3K alpha inhibitor in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by virtual screening and water map analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly disorders, with a relative survival rate of 36% in the last 5 years. After an extensive literature survey and pathophysiology analysis, PI3Kα was found to be a promising biological target as PIK3CA gene upregulation was observed in HCC, resulting in the loss of apoptosis of cells, which leads to uncontrollable growth and proliferation. Due to superior selectivity and promising therapeutic activity, the PI3K-targeted molecule library was selected, and the ligand preparation was executed. The study mainly focused on e-pharmacophore development, virtual screening and receptor–ligand docking analysis. Then, MMGBSA and ADME prediction analysis was performed with the top 10 molecules; for further analysis of ligand–receptor binding affinity at the catalytic binding site, induced fit docking was performed with the top two molecules. The analysis of quantum chemical stability descriptors, i.e., frontier molecular orbital analysis, was performed followed by molecular dynamics simulation of 100 ns to better understand the ligand-receptor binding. In this study, water map analysis played a significant role in the hit optimization and analysis of the thermodynamic properties of the receptor–ligand complex. The two hit molecules K894-1435 and K894-1045 represented superior docking scores, enhanced stability, and inhibitory action targeting Valine 851 amino acid residue at the catalytic binding site. Hence, the study has significance for the quest for selective PI3Kα inhibitors through the process of hit-to-lead optimization.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma