Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41770783›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Cheminformatics-driven discovery of natural isoquinoline alkaloid inhibitors of Beta-secretase I for Alzheimer's management.

Iqra Ahmad, Sara Waheed, Bader S Alotaibi, Sumra Wajid Abbasi, Muhammad Umer Khan, Faiz Ur Rahman, Hanna Dib, Khaled Fahmi Fawy, Umar Nishan, Abid Ali and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Iqra AhmadDepartment of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Sara WaheedDepartment of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Bader S AlotaibiDepartment of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Al- Quwayiyah, Shaqra University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sumra Wajid AbbasiDepartment of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Muhammad Umer KhanInstitute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Faiz Ur RahmanDepartment of Zoology, University of Shangla, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Hanna DibCollege of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait.
Khaled Fahmi FawyDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Umar NishanDepartment of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0106-3068
Abid AliDepartment of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan.
Aqal ZamanDepartment of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Mohibullah ShahDepartment of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6126-7102

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the gradual deterioration of cognitive functions, speech impairment, and memory loss. It can potentially be treated by targeting the beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE1), which plays a key role in amyloid plaque formation, neurofibrillary tangles, and hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Current drugs have limitations in terms of safety, efficacy, and blood-brain barrier permeability. In view of this, this study was designed to determine the potential inhibitors of the BACE1 enzyme by virtual screening using a curated library of 415 natural products including terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids from different medicinal plants. Based on the docking score and interaction analysis, 50 compounds were selected for the downstream analysis, such as ligand binding interactions, pharmacokinetics, druglikness and physicochemical parameters. Among the lead compounds, Palmatine (compound 45) and Berberine (compound 49), demonstrated optimal drug-likeness and blood-brain barrier permeability among the top compounds. 2-[(9Z,12Z)-heptadeca-9,12-dienyl]-6-hydroxybenzoic acid (compound 4) was inactive in most toxicity parameters. Pharmacophore analysis revealed that Palmatine and Berberine share similar features with the standard, highlighting their potential as effective compounds. Furthermore, structural chemistry analysis provided insights on their shared isoquinoline alkaloid framework, illustrating their structural similarities. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stability of the Palmatine-BACE1 and Berberine-BACE1 complexes during a 50 ns production run. Overall, these findings highlighted the potential of Palmatine and Berberine as promising candidates for the experimental validation and the development of the drugs for the treatment of AD.

Indexed as

AlkaloidsAlzheimer DiseaseAmyloid Precursor Protein SecretasesAspartic Acid EndopeptidasesBiological ProductsCheminformaticsIsoquinolinesBerberineBlood-Brain BarrierDrug DiscoveryHumansMolecular Docking SimulationPharmacophoreAlkaloidsAmyloid Precursor Protein SecretasesAspartic Acid EndopeptidasesBACE1 protein, humanBerberineBiological ProductsIsoquinolines

Identifiers

PMID41770783
PMCPMC12952630

What Socratic holds

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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.