Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), overexpressed in many types of cancer, has been proved as a high potential target for targeted cancer therapy due to its role in regulating proliferation and survival of cancer cells. In the present study, a series of designed vinyl sulfone derivatives was screened against EGFR tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) using in silico and in vitro studies. The molecular docking results suggested that, among 78 vinyl sulfones, there were eight compounds that could interact well with the EGFR-TK at the ATP-binding site. Afterwards, these screened compounds were tested for the inhibitory activity towards EGFR-TK using ADP-Glo™ kinase assay, and we found that only VF16 compound exhibited promising inhibitory activity against EGFR-TK with the IC₅₀ value of 7.85 ± 0.88 nM. In addition, VF16 showed a high cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values of 33.52 ± 2.57, 54.63 ± 0.09, and 30.38 ± 1.37 µM against the A431, A549, and H1975 cancer cell lines, respectively. From 500-ns MD simulation, the structural stability of VF16 in complex with EGFR-TK was quite stable, suggesting that this compound could be a novel small molecule inhibitor targeting EGFR-TK.

Targeting L858R/T790M and L858R/T790M/C797S mutant EGFR is a critical challenge in developing EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors to overcome drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The discovery of next-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is therefore necessary. To this end, a series of furopyridine derivatives were evaluated for their EGFR-based inhibition and antiproliferative activities using computational and biological approaches. We found that several compounds derived from virtual screening based on a molecular docking and solvated interaction energy (SIE) method showed the potential to suppress wild-type and mutant EGFR. The most promising PD13 displayed strong inhibitory activity against wild-type (IC₅₀ of 11.64 ± 1.30 nM), L858R/T790M (IC₅₀ of 10.51 ± 0.71 nM), which are more significant than known drugs. In addition, PD13 revealed a potent cytotoxic effect on A549 and H1975 cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 18.09 ± 1.57 and 33.87 ± 0.86 µM, respectively. The 500-ns MD simulations indicated that PD13 formed a hydrogen bond with Met793 at the hinge region, thus creating excellent EGFR inhibitory activity. Moreover, the binding of PD13 in the hinge region of EGFR was the major determining factor in stabilizing the interactions via hydrogen bonds and van der Waals (vdW). Altogether, PD13 is a promising novel EGFR inhibitor that could be further clinically developed as fourth-generation EGFR-TKIs.

The COVID-19 pandemic affects all parameters, especially healthcare professionals, drugs and medical supplies. The KERRA is a mixed medicinal plant capsule that is used for the treatment of patients with high fever, with food and drug administration approved by FDA Thailand. Recently, KERRA showed induced quicker recovery for COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it is possible that some ingredients in KERRA could inhibit SARS-CoV-2. In this study, two important replication-related enzymes in SARS-CoV-2, a main protease and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), were used to study the effect of KERRA. The results showed that KERRA inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 main protease and SARS-CoV-2 RdRp with IC₅₀ values of 49.91 ± 1.75 ng/mL and 36.23 ± 5.23 µg/mL, respectively. KERRA displayed no cytotoxic activity on macrophage cells at concentrations lower than 1 mg/mL and exhibited anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, KERRA was used against a feline coronavirus (feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)) infection with an EC₅₀ value of 134.3 μg/mL. This study supports the potential use of KERRA as a candidate drug for COVID-19.

Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are flaviviruses transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes, causing a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild fevers and joint pain to severe damage to vital organs, including the kidneys, brain, and liver. Unfortunately, there are currently no specific treatments for these viruses. The NS2B/NS3 serine protease has been recognized as a crucial therapeutic target due to its pivotal role in viral replication. Herein, several molecular modeling techniques were employed to search for novel allosteric inhibitors against DENV and ZIKV NS2B/NS3 proteases from a set of 545 in-house compounds. Virtual screening based on molecular docking and MM/GBSA-based free energy calculations indicated that, among 545 derivatives, four compounds demonstrated high binding affinity against both targets, including two sulfonamide-vinyl sulfone hybrids (cpd48_e and cpd50_e), one sulfonamide-chalcone analog (cpd48), and one berberine-cinnamic acid derivative (DN071_f). Their molecular complexation was driven mainly by van der Waals forces rather than electrostatic attraction. Several residues at the enzyme allosteric site, particularly K74, L149, and N152 (DENV) and L76, I123, N152, and V155 (ZIKV), were identified as binding hotspots for the screened compounds. Drug-likeness predictions based on Lipinski’s rule of five further supported their potential as drug candidates. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for the future design and development of novel antiviral drugs targeting the DENV and ZIKV NS2B/NS3 proteases.

Kumsiri N, et al. J Vet Sci. 2025 Jul;26:e49. https://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.25044