Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40916728›Full record

ArticleChemical biology & drug design2025

Investigation of Potential Inhibitors of N-Myristoyltransferase in Leishmania amazonensis: A Computational and Experimental Study.

Mariana Sant'Anna Pereira Nicolau, Millena Almeida Resende, Cintia de Campos Chaves, Renata Santos Rodrigues, Veridiana de Melo Rodrigues, Nilson Nicolau-Junior, Kelly Aparecida Geraldo Yoneyama

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Chemical biology & drug design, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Mariana Sant'Anna Pereira NicolauLaboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
Millena Almeida ResendeLaboratory of Molecular Modeling, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
Cintia de Campos ChavesLaboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
Renata Santos RodriguesLaboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
Veridiana de Melo RodriguesLaboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.
Nilson Nicolau-JuniorLaboratory of Molecular Modeling, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7148-5813
Kelly Aparecida Geraldo YoneyamaLaboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil.

Funding

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Leishmaniasis, a disease caused by Leishmania parasites, poses a significant health threat globally, particularly in Latin America and Brazil. Leishmania amazonensis is an important species because it is associated with both cutaneous leishmaniasis and an atypical visceral form. Current treatments are hindered by toxicity, resistance, and high cost, driving the need for new therapeutic targets and drugs. N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) is an important anti-leishmanial target. N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) is an important target in Leishmania parasites, as it plays a crucial role in the process of myristoylation, a lipid modification that involves the attachment of myristate, a 14-carbon saturated fatty acid, to the N-terminus of specific proteins. In this work, a shape-based modeling approach was employed to identify potential NMT inhibitors in Leishmania amazonensis. Using a pyrazole sulphonamide as a reference ligand, a five-feature shape-based model was developed and validated. Virtual screening of the DIVERSet EXP and CL libraries (~1 million compounds) prioritized the top 500 ranked molecules per subset based on the TanimotoCombo score. Molecular docking studies identified the three highest-ranking compounds from each subset based on ChemPLP scores and docking pose consistency. Among the selected ligands, CL 54016012, EXP 6689657, and EXP 9226834 exhibited the most favorable binding interactions, with CL 54016012 forming stable hydrogen bonds with Tyr80, Tyr217, and Tyr345. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that ligand binding did not significantly alter NMT structural stability, although variations in binding energy and hydrogen bond were observed. CL 54016012 demonstrated the highest docking score, optimal RMSD stability, and the lowest predicted IC50 value (19.81 μM), suggesting its potential as a lead compound. In vitro cytotoxicity assays revealed that CL 54016012, CL 74995016, and EXP 6689657 reduced L. amazonensis viability in a dose-dependent manner, placing them as promising candidates for further investigation in anti-leishmanial drug development.

Indexed as

AcyltransferasesAntiprotozoal AgentsEnzyme InhibitorsLeishmaniaMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationAcyltransferasesAntiprotozoal AgentsEnzyme Inhibitorsglycylpeptide N-tetradecanoyltransferasecomputer‐aided drug designdrug discoveryenzyme inhibitionLeishmania amazonensisLeishmaniasisN‐myristoyltransferase (NMT)

Identifiers

PMID40916728
PMCPMC12415673

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.