The identification of gyrophoric acid, a phytochemical derived from lichen, as a potent inhibitor for aggregation of amyloid beta peptide: In silico and biochemical evaluation

Author:
Yang M., Hu H., Gao J., Lai Q.W.S., Eshboev F., Leung K.W., Dong T.T., Xu Q. & Tsim K.W.K.
Year:
2025
Journal:
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Pages:
26(17): 8500 [15 p.]
Url:
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26178500
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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaque accumulation and neurodegeneration. This study identified gyrophoric acid, a lichen-derived phenolic metabolite, as a dual-action Aβ42 inhibitor preventing aggregation and disassembling of mature Aβ42 fibrils. Integrated in silico studies revealed that gyrophoric acid was a strong thermodynamic stabilizer of Aβ42 (MM–GBSA: −27.3 kcal/mol) via entropically driven hydrophobic interactions and disruption of aggregation-prone conformations (100 ns MD simulations). Through biochemical analysis of the fluorescent dye thioflavin T (ThT), gyrophoric acid induced rapid Aβ42 fibril disassembly within 5 h, with time-lapse confocal microscopy quantitatively confirming the near-complete dissolution of large aggregates by 24 h. ADMET profiling revealed favorable pharmacokinetics (moderate oral absorption: 48.5%–57.3%; low toxicity) and Lipinski’s rule compliance. These results establish gyrophoric acid as a promising natural bioactive compound for anti-AD therapeutics with a unique hydrophobic-stabilization mechanism. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; gyrophoric acid; natural bioactive compound; amyloid beta peptide; fibril disassembly; molecular dynamics; therapeutic development.
Id:
38867
Submitter:
zpalice
Post_time:
Tuesday, 02 September 2025 10:31