Out‐compute drug side effects: Focus on cytochrome P450 2D6 modeling

Effect of Lipid Bilayer Anchoring on the Conformational Properties of the Cytochrome P450 2D6 Binding Site

Human cytochrome P450 (CYP) proteins metabolize 75% of small-molecule pharmaceuticals, which makes structure-based modeling of CYP metabolism and inhibition, bolstered by the current availability of X-ray crystal structures of CYP globular catalytic domains, an attractive prospect. Accounting for this broad metabolic capacity is a combination of the existence of multiple different CYP proteins and the capacity of a single CYP protein to metabolize multiple different small molecules. It is thought that structural plasticity and flexibility contribute to this latter property; therefore, incorporating diverse conformational states of a particular CYP is likely an important consideration in structure-based CYP metabolism and inhibition modeling. While all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations can be used to generate conformational ensembles under biologically relevant conditions, existing CYP crystal structures are of the globular domain only, whereas human CYPs contain N-terminal transmembrane and linker peptides that anchor the globular catalytic domain to the endoplasmic reticulum. To determine whether this can cause significant differences in the sampled binding site conformations, microsecond scale all-atom explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations of the CYP2D6 globular domain in an aqueous environment were compared with those of the full-length protein anchored in a POPC lipid bilayer. While bilayer-anchoring damped some structural fluctuations in the globular domain relative to the aqueous simulations, none of the affected residues included binding site pocket residues. Furthermore, clustering of molecular dynamics snapshots based on either pairwise binding site pocket RMSD or volume differences demonstrated a lack of separation of snapshots from the two simulation conditions into different clusters. These results suggest the substantially simpler and computationally cheaper aqueous simulation approach can be used to generate a relevant conformational ensemble of the CYP2D6 binding site for structure-based metabolism and inhibition modeling.

Inhibition Effect of Okanin Toward Human Cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2D6 with Multi-spectroscopic Studies and Molecular Docking

Okanin, a major flavonoid of a popular herb tea, Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt., showed strong inhibition on CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. The strong interaction between okanin and CYPs were determined by enzyme kinetics, multispectral technique and molecular docking. The inhibition type of two enzymes, CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, by okanin are mixed and non-competitive inhibition type, respectively. The IC50 values and the binding constant of okanin to CYP3A4 can be deduced that the interaction was stronger than that of CYP2D6. The Conformations of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 were changed by okanin. The evidence from fluorescence measurement along with molecular docking verified that these two CYPs were bound with okanin by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces. Our investigation suggested that okanin may lead to interactions between herb and drug by inhibiting CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 activities, thus its consumption should be taken with caution.

A Computational Understanding of Inter-Individual Variability in CYP2D6 Activity to Investigate the Impact of Missense Mutations on Ochratoxin A Metabolism

Cytochrome P-450 (CYP) enzymes have a key role in the metabolism of xenobiotics of food origin, and their highly polymorphic nature concurs with the diverse inter-individual variability in the toxicokinetics (TK) and toxicodynamics (TD) of food chemicals. Ochratoxin A is a well-known mycotoxin which contaminates a large variety of food and is associated with food safety concerns. It is a minor substrate of CYP2D6, although the effects of CYP2D6 polymorphisms on its metabolism may be overlooked. Insights on this aspect would provide a useful mechanistic basis for a more science-based hazard assessment, particularly to integrate inter-individual differences in CYP2D6 metabolism. This work presents a molecular modelling approach for the analysis of mechanistic features with regard to the metabolic capacity of CYP2D6 variants to oxidise a number of substrates. The outcomes highlighted that a low-frequency CYP2D6 variant (CYP2D6*110) is likely to enhance ochratoxin A oxidation with possible consequences on TK and TD. It is therefore recommended to further analyse such TK and TD consequences. Generally speaking, we propose the identification of mechanistic features and parameters that could provide a semi-quantitative means to discriminate ligands based on the likelihood to undergo transformation by CYP2D6 variants. This would support the development of a fit-for-purpose pipeline which can be extended to a tool allowing for the bulk analysis of a large number of compounds. Such a tool would ultimately include inter-phenotypic differences of polymorphic xenobiotic-metabolising enzymes in the hazard assessment and risk characterisation of food chemicals.

Deciphering Reaction Determinants of Altered-Activity CYP2D6 Variants by Well-Tempered Metadynamics Simulation and QM/MM Calculations

The xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme CYP2D6 is the P450 cytochrome family member with the highest rate of polymorphism. This causes changes in the enzyme activity and specificity, which can ultimately lead to adverse reactions during drug treatment. To avoid or lower CYP-related toxicity risks, prediction of the most likely positions within a molecule where a metabolic reaction might occur is paramount. In order to obtain accurate predictions, it is crucial to understand all phenomena within the active site of the enzyme that contribute to an efficient substrate recognition and the subsequent catalytic reaction together with their relative weight within the overall thermodynamic context. This study aims to define the weight of the driving forces upon the C-H bond activation within CYP2D6 wild-type and a clinically relevant allelic variant with increased activity (CYP2D6*53) featuring two amino acid mutations in close vicinity of the heme. First, we investigated the steric and electrostatic complementarity of the substrate bufuralol using well-tempered metadynamics simulations with the aim to obtain the free energy profiles for each site of metabolism (SoM) within the different active sites. Second, the stereoelectronic complementarity was determined for each SoM within the two different active-site environments. Relying on the well-tempered metadynamics simulation energy profiles of each SoM, we identified the binding mode that was closest to the preferred transition-state geometry for efficient C-H bond activation. The binding modes were then used as starting structures for the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations performed to quantify the corresponding activation barriers. Our results show the relevance of the steric component in orienting the SoM in an energetically accessible position toward the heme. However, the corresponding intrinsic reactivity and electronic complementarity within the active site must be accurately evaluated in order to obtain a meaningful reaction prediction, from which the predominant SoM can be determined. The F120I mutation lowered the activation barrier for the major site and one of the minor SoMs. However, it had an impact neither on the CYP2D6 enantioselectivity preference of the oxidation reaction nor on the stereoselectivity from the substrate point of view.

In Silico Pharmacogenetics CYP2D6 Study Focused on the Pharmacovigilance of Herbal Antidepressants

The annual increase in depression worldwide together with an upward trend in the use of alternative medicine as treatment asks for developing reliable safety profiles of herbal based medicine. A considerable risk on adverse reactions exists when herbal remedies are combined with prescription medication. Around 25% of the drugs, including many antidepressants, depend on the activity of CYP2D6 for their metabolism and corresponding efficacy. Therefore, probing CYP2D6 inhibition by the active substances in herbal based medicine within the wild-type enzyme and clinically relevant allelic variants is crucial to avoid toxicity issues. In this in silico study several compounds with herbal origin suggested to have antidepressant activity were analyzed on their CYP2D6 wild-type and CYP2D6*53 inhibition potential using molecular docking. In addition, several pharmacokinetic properties were evaluated to assess their probability to cross the blood brain barrier and subsequently reach sufficient brain bioavailability for the modulation of central nervous system targets as well as characteristics which may hint toward potential safety issues.

Spontaneous Ligand Access Events to Membrane-Bound Cytochrome P450 2D6 Sampled at Atomic Resolution

The membrane-anchored enzyme Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is involved in the metabolism of around 25% of marketed drugs and its metabolic performance shows a high interindividual variation. While it was suggested that ligands access the buried active site of the enzyme from the membrane, no proof from unbiased simulations has been provided to support this hypothesis. Laboratory experiments fail to capture the access process which is suspected to influence binding kinetics. Here, we applied unbiased molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the access of ligands to wild-type CYP2D6, as well as the allelic variant CYP2D6*53. In multiple simulations, substrates accessed the active site of the enzyme from the protein-membrane interface to ultimately adopt a conformation that would allow a metabolic reaction. We propose the necessary steps for ligand access and the results suggest that the increased metabolic activity of CYP2D6*53 might be caused by a facilitated ligand uptake.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Reveal Structural Differences among Allelic Variants of Membrane-Anchored Cytochrome P450 2D6

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is an enzyme that is involved in the metabolism of roughly 25% of all marketed drugs and therefore belongs to the most important enzymes in drug metabolism. CYP2D6 features a high degree of genetic polymorphism that can significantly affect the metabolic activity of an individual. In extreme cases, structural changes at the level of single amino acids can either increase its enzymatic activity abolishing the drug therapeutic effect or completely disable the enzyme and elevate drug plasma level potentially leading to adverse effects. In this study, starting from the crystal structure, we built a full-length membrane-anchored all-atom model of the wild-type CYP2D6 as well as five of its variants differing in the enzymatic activity. We validated our models with available experimental data and compared their structural properties with molecular dynamics simulations. The main focus of this study was to identify differences that could mechanistically explain the altered activity of the variants and improve our understanding of their functioning. We observed differences in the opening frequencies and minimal diameters of tunnels that connect the buried active site to the surrounding solvent environment. The variants CYP2D6*4 and CYP2D6*10 associated with missing or decreased activity showed less frequent opening of the tunnels compared to the wild-type. Both CYP2D6*10 and CYP2D6*17 showed a deprivation of an important ligand tunnel suggesting a feasible reason for their altered substrate specificity. Next, the altered fold at the N-terminal anchor region and the decreased active site volume caused by the amino acid mutations of the CYP2D6*4 variant offer an explanation for the absence of its metabolic activity. The mutations in CYP2D6*53 contributed to a significant enlargement of an important ligand tunnel and an extension of the active site cavity. This could explain the altered metabolic profile as well as the enhanced metabolic rates of this particular variant supporting its designation as a possible cause for the ultrarapid metabolizer phenotype. We believe these novel structural insights could advance the fields of personalized medicine and enzyme engineering. Furthermore, they could aid in guiding laboratory as well as computational experiments in the future.