Pharmacoinformatics-based identification of phytochemicals from Solanum torvum Swartz. fruits as potential inhibitors for MAPK14 protein

Abstract

Plants and phytocompounds gained more attention because of their unrivalled variety of chemical diversity. In this view, the present study was executed to predict the anticancer potential of Solanum torvum Swartz. fruits derived phytocompounds against one of the breast cancer target proteins (MAPK14, PDB ID: 5ETA, resolution: 2.80 Å) through pharmacoinformatics-based screening and molecular dynamics simulation tools. Initially, a graph theoretical network approach was used to visualize the genes, enzymes, and proteins involved in the signalling pathway of breast cancer and identify the significant target protein (MAPK14). A total of thirty-three active compounds were selected from S. torvum sw. through the IMPPAT database, and their structures were drawn by Chemsketch software. The drug-like behaviours of the compounds were assessed through pharmacokinetics and physicochemical characterization studies. Five compounds, namely chlorogenin (−10.90 kcal × mol⁻¹), corosolic acid (−10.80 kcal × mol⁻¹), solaspigenin (−10.80 kcal × mol⁻¹), paniculogenin (−10.70 kcal × mol⁻¹), spirostane-3,6-dione (−10.70 kcal × mol⁻¹) exhibited top binding score against MAPK14, these are higher than that of the standard drug (Doxorubicin) (−8.60 kcal × mol⁻¹). Additionally, the five top-binding compounds revealed better drug-likeness traits and the lowest toxicity profiles. MD simulation studies confirmed the stability of the top five scored compounds with the MAPK14 binding pockets. According to these findings, the selected five compounds might be used as significant MAPK14 inhibitors and can be used as new medicines for the treatment of breast cancer.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Keywords:

• Solanum torvum Swartz
• MAPK14
• MD simulation
• breast cancer
• pharmacoinformatics

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the management of Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education for the research fellowships and utilisation of the research facilities. The authors availed the facility established from the DBT-NER project (BT/PR45283/NER/95/1919/2022).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

K.S. and S.K. gratefully acknowledge the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for its financial support (BT/PR36633/TRM/120/277/2020).