title: Mixed-model QSAR at the glucocorticoid receptor: predicting the binding mode and affinity of psychotropic drugs.
abstract: The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that affects immune response, development, and metabolism in target tissues. Glucocorticoids are widely used to treat diverse pathophysiological conditions, but their clinical applicability is limited by side effects. A prediction of the binding affinity toward the GR would be beneficial for identifying glucocorticoid-mediated adverse effects triggered by drugs or chemicals. By identifying the binding mode to the GR using flexible docking (software Yeti) and quantifying the binding affinity through multidimensional QSAR (software Quasar), we validated a model family based on 110 compounds, representing four different chemical classes. The correlation with the experimental data (cross-validated r(2)=0.702; predictive r(2)=0.719) suggests that our approach is suited for predicting the binding affinity of related compounds toward the GR. After challenging the model by a series of scramble tests, a consensus approach (software Raptor), and a prediction set, it was incorporated into our VirtualToxLab and used to simulate and quantify the interaction of 24 psychotropic drugs with the GR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Morena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spreafico
authors.forename: Beat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lill
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smiesko
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vedani
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D003198:Computer Simulation; D015195:Drug Design; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D021281:Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012984:Software; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid