Structure-guided discovery of food-derived GABA-T inhibitors as hunters for anti-anxiety compounds

Food Funct. 2022 Dec 13;13(24):12674-12685. doi: 10.1039/d2fo01315k.

Abstract

With the acceleration of the pace of life, people may face all kinds of pressure, and anxiety has become a common mental issue that is seriously affecting human life. Safe and effective food-derived compounds may be used as anti-anxiety compounds. In this study, anti-anxiety compounds were collected and curated for database construction. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models were developed using a combination of various machine-learning approaches and chemical descriptors to predict natural compounds in food with anti-anxiety effects. High-throughput molecular docking was used to screen out compounds that could function as anti-anxiety molecules by inhibiting γ-aminobutyrate transaminase (GABA-T) enzyme, and 7 compounds were screened for in vitro activity verification. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed three compounds (quercetin, lithocholic acid, and ferulic acid) that met Lipinski's Rule of Five and inhibited the GABA-T enzyme to alleviate anxiety in vitro. The established QSAR model combined with molecular docking and molecular dynamics was proved by the synthesis and discovery of novel food-derived anti-anxiety compounds.

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation*
  • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship*
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid

Substances

  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid