A molecular docking-based comparative assessment of various anticholinergic drugs as antidotes to different nerve agent poisoning

Abstract

Nerve agent poisoning is still a threat to civilization. Nerve agents function by binding with the enzyme acetylcholinesterase irreversibly. Accumulation of acetylcholine in the synapse causes over-stimulation of muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors. Thus miosis, glandular hyper secretion, bronchoconstriction, vomiting, diarrhea and bradycardia occurs (by M1-M5 receptors stimulation); whereas convulsion and seizures occur due to the nicotinic receptors. Atropine is a non-selective muscarinic antagonists but no nicotinic antagonists are known. Seizures are controlled by diazepam. Enzyme aging occurs without treatment which causes the enzyme resistant to oxime therapy. Though numerous wet-lab based works has carried out, however, recent time there is an over-growing trend to make comparative assessment of drugs and toxicants. Here we made a molecular docking based comparative assessments between nerve agents toxicity and efficacy of different drugs to prevent this toxicity. Our results suggest that VX is the most harmful organophosphate nerve agents and HI-6 is the best drug followed by Obidoxime and Pralidoxime to free acetylcholinestarase. Docking results correspond the data trend of different in vivo experiments for the assessment of severity of different nerve agents and/or effectiveness of different antidote drugs. Our study reinforces the utility of pretreatment of the enzyme with a carbamic acid derivative like Pyridostigmine bromide which inhibits the enzyme reversibly to a smaller extent and thus, prevent the enzyme from aging and the nerve agent binding.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Keywords:

• Organophosphates
• nerve agents
• acetylcholinesterase
• molecular docking

Acknowledgements

Authors acknowldge Dr. Dibyendu K. Ray, Neurosurgeon at AMRI Hospital and President of the Society for Systems Biology & Translational Research for fruitful discussion on the topic.

Disclosure statement

Authors declare there is no conflict of interest.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.