Comparison of three preprocessing filters efficiency in virtual screening: identification of new putative LXRbeta regulators as a test case

J Chem Inf Model. 2010 May 24;50(5):701-15. doi: 10.1021/ci900356m.

Abstract

In silico screening methodologies are widely recognized as efficient approaches in early steps of drug discovery. However, in the virtual high-throughput screening (VHTS) context, where hit compounds are searched among millions of candidates, three-dimensional comparison techniques and knowledge discovery from databases should offer a better efficiency to finding novel drug leads than those of computationally expensive molecular dockings. Therefore, the present study aims at developing a filtering methodology to efficiently eliminate unsuitable compounds in VHTS process. Several filters are evaluated in this paper. The first two are structure-based and rely on either geometrical docking or pharmacophore depiction. The third filter is ligand-based and uses knowledge-based and fingerprint similarity techniques. These filtering methods were tested with the Liver X Receptor (LXR) as a target of therapeutic interest, as LXR is a key regulator in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis. The results show that the three considered filters are complementary so that their combination should generate consistent compound lists of potential hits.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Drug Design*
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Liver X Receptors
  • Models, Molecular
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors / chemistry
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Liver X Receptors
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors