Novel Natural Inhibitors for Glioblastoma by Targeting Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIM: Glioblastoma is an extensively malignant neoplasm of the brain that predominantly impacts the human population. To address the challenge of glioblastoma, herein, we have searched for new drug-like candidates by extensive computational and biochemical investigations. METHODS: Approximately 950 compounds were virtually screened against the two most promising targets of glioblastoma, i.e., epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). Based on highly negative docking scores, excellent binding capabilities and good pharmacokinetic properties, eight and seven compounds were selected for EGFR and PI3K, respectively. RESULTS: Among those hits, four natural products (SBEH-40, QUER, QTME-12, and HCFR) exerted dual inhibitory effects on EGFR and PI3K in our in-silico analysis; therefore, their capacity to suppress the cell proliferation was assessed in U87 cell line (type of glioma cell line). The compounds SBEH-40, QUER, and QTME-12 exhibited significant anti-proliferative capability with IC50 values of 11.97 ± 0.73 µM, 28.27 ± 1.52 µM, and 22.93 ± 1.63 µM respectively, while HCFR displayed weak inhibitory potency (IC50 = 74.97 ± 2.30 µM). CONCLUSION: This study has identified novel natural products that inhibit the progression of glioblastoma; however, further examinations of these molecules are required in animal and tissue models to better understand their downstream targeting mechanisms.