Mining Medicinally Relevant Bioreduction Substrates Inspired by Ligand-Based Drug Design

J Med Chem. 2024 Aug 8;67(15):13174-13186. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01129. Epub 2024 Jul 25.

Abstract

Exploring the scope of biocatalytic transformations in the absence of enzyme structures without extensive experimentation is a challenging task. To expand the limited substrate capacity of carrot-mediated bioreduction and hunt for new medicinally relevant ketones with minimum cost of labor and time, we deployed a practical method inspired by ligand-based drug design. Through analyzing collected literature data and building pharmacophore and reactivity prediction models, we screened a self-built virtual library of >8000 ketones bearing the most frequently used N,O,S-heterocycles and functional groups in drug discovery. Representative examples were validated, expanding the bioreduction substrate scope. The public availability of our models alongside the straightforward screening workflow makes it time-, labor-, and cost-saving to evaluate unknown bioreduction substrates for medicinal chemistry applications, especially for a large set of structurally differentiated ketones. Our studies also showcase the novelty of utilizing medicinal chemistry principles to solve a general biocatalysis problem.

MeSH terms

  • Biocatalysis
  • Daucus carota / chemistry
  • Daucus carota / metabolism
  • Drug Design*
  • Ketones* / chemistry
  • Ketones* / metabolism
  • Ligands
  • Oxidation-Reduction

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Ketones