Potential inhibitors of VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3 developed through Deep Learning for the treatment of Cervical Cancer

Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 10;14(1):13251. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63762-w.

Abstract

Cervical cancer stands as a prevalent gynaecologic malignancy affecting women globally, often linked to persistent human papillomavirus infection. Biomarkers associated with cervical cancer, including VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and VEGF-E, show upregulation and are linked to angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. This research aims to employ in-silico methods to target tyrosine kinase receptor proteins-VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3, and identify novel inhibitors for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors receptors (VEGFRs). A comprehensive literary study was conducted which identified 26 established inhibitors for VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3 receptor proteins. Compounds with high-affinity scores, including PubChem ID-25102847, 369976, and 208908 were chosen from pre-existing compounds for creating Deep Learning-based models. RD-Kit, a Deep learning algorithm, was used to generate 43 million compounds for VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3 targets. Molecular docking studies were conducted on the top 10 molecules for each target to validate the receptor-ligand binding affinity. The results of Molecular Docking indicated that PubChem IDs-71465,645 and 11152946 exhibited strong affinity, designating them as the most efficient molecules. To further investigate their potential, a Molecular Dynamics Simulation was performed to assess conformational stability, and a pharmacophore analysis was also conducted for indoctrinating interactions.

Keywords: ADMET studies; Deep learning; Machine-learning; Molecular docking; Molecular dynamics simulation; Python; R programming; VEGFR inhibitors.

MeSH terms

  • Deep Learning*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation*
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* / virology
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1* / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2* / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3* / metabolism

Substances

  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1
  • KDR protein, human
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • FLT4 protein, human