芳香羧酸衍生物驱避剂的非线性定量构效关系

【目的】驱避剂可使害虫不敢接近受用者从而保护受用者免遭其害。建立高精度、可解释性强的非线性定量构效关系(quantitative structure activity relationship, QSAR)模型对设计合成新的高效昆虫驱避剂有重要意义。【方法】基于37个芳香羧酸类化合物对家蝇Musca domestica的驱避活性,以量子化学计算软件PCLIENT获取每一化合物初始描述符,以二元矩阵重排过滤器、多轮末尾淘汰实施特征非线性筛选,以支持向量回归(support vector regression, SVR)建立非线性QSAR模型,以SVR非线性解释体系分析各保留描述符对驱避活性的影响。【结果】1 542个初始描述符的SVR模型F=1.2,特征筛选后6个保留描述符的SVR模型F=184.6,特征筛选对QSAR模型精度有重要影响。6个保留分子描述符的重要性依次为p4BCD>GATS7v>T(O..O)> JGI8>SssO>nArCONR2。【结论】保留描述符与芳香羧酸类化合物对家蝇驱避活性的非线性关系明显,获得了高精度、普适性强的非线性SVR-QSAR模型。     

Discovery of molecular mechanism of a clinical herbal formula upregulating serum HDL-c levels in treatment of metabolic syndrome by in vivo and computational studies

Decreased HDL cholesterol (HDL-c) is considered as an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease in metabolic syndrome (Mets). Wendan decoction (WDD), a famous clinical traditional Chinese medicine formula in Mets in China, which can obviously up-regulate serum HDL-c levels in Mets. However, till now, the molecular mechanism of up-regulation still remained unclear. In this study, an integrated approach that combined serum ABCA1 in vivo assay, QSAR modeling and molecular docking was developed to explore the molecular mechanism and chemical substance basis of WDD upregulating HDL-c levels. Compared with Mets model group, serum ABCA1 and HDL-c levels intervened by two different doses of WDD for two weeks were significantly up-regulated. Then, kohonen and LDA were applied to develop QSAR models for ABCA1 up-regulators based flavonoids. The derived QSAR model produced the overall accuracy of 100%, a very powerful tool for screening ABCA1 up-regulators. The QSAR model prediction revealed 67 flavonoids in WDD were ABCA1 up-regulators. Finally, they were subjected to the molecular docking to understand their roles in up-regulating ABCA1 expression, which led to discovery of 23 ABCA1 up-regulators targeting LXR beta. Overall, QSAR modeling and docking studies well accounted for the observed in vivo activities of ABCA1 affected by WDD.