Computational Studies of 3D-QSAR on a Highly Active Series of Naturally Occurring Nonnucleoside Inhibitors of HIV-1 RT (NNRTI)

Abstract

HIV is one of the deadliest viruses in the history of mankind, it is the root cause of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) around the world. Despite the fact that the antiviral therapy used against HIV-1 infection is effective, there is also rapidly growing cases of drug resistance in the infected patient along with different severe side effects. Therefore, it is of dire and immediate need to find novel inhibitors against HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (RT). In this study, the potential of naturally occurring compounds extracted from plants has been studied with the help of Three-Dimensional-Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationships (3D-QSAR) analysis. A total of 20 compounds, retrieved from a ZINC database, were analyzed with the help of 3D-QSAR to identify a potential inhibitor of HIV-1 RT. By evaluation of seven models generated with the help of MIF analysis and 3D-QSAR modeling, compound 3 (ZINC ID: ZINC20759448) was observed to outperform others by showing optimal results in QSAR studies. This compound has also been biologically validated by a recently reported previous study. Thus, this compound can be used as a potential drug against infection caused by HIV-1, specifically AIDS.