title: Anti-androgen activity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers determined by comparative molecular similarity indices and molecular docking.
abstract: Some polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) may have endocrine-disrupting (ED) potencies. In this study, molecular docking and three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) were performed to explore the possible anti-androgenicity of PBDEs. Based on the alignment generated by docking conformations, a highly predictive comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) model was developed with q(2) value of 0.642 and r(2) value of 0.973. The contributions of the steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic fields to the CoMSIA model are 13.1%, 61.0% and 25.9%, respectively. Br substitutions which are at meta and para positions of PBDEs will be unfavorable for androgen receptor (AR) antagonism and ortho Br substitutions for PBDEs are favorable for anti-androgen activity. Mapping the 3D-QSAR models to the active site of the AR provides new insight into the AR-PBDEs interaction. CoMSIA field contributions showed good consistency with structural features of the AR binding site and can be used to predict anti-androgen activities of other PBDE congeners.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yunsong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Giesy
authors.forename: Aiqian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu