In silico strategies on prion pathogenic conversion and inhibition from PrPC -PrPSc

ABSTRACTIntroduction: To date, various therapeutic strategies identified numerous anti-prion compounds and antibodies that stabilize PrPC, block the conversion of PrPC-PrPSc and increased effect on PrPSc clearance. However, no suitable drug has been identified clinically so far due to the poor oral absorption, low blood–brain-barrier [BBB] penetration, and high toxicity. Although some of the drugs were proven to be effective in prion-infected cell culture and whole animal models, none of them increased the rate of survival compared to placebo.Areas covered: In this review, the authors highlight the importance of in silico approaches like molecular docking, virtual screening, pharmacophore analysis, molecular dynamics, QSAR, CoMFA and CoMSIA applied to detect molecular mechanisms of prion inhibition and conversion from PrPC-PrPSc.Expert opinion: Several in silico approaches combined with experimental studies have provided many structural and functional clues on the stability and physiological activity of p...