Identification of New Potent Human Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) Agonists Using Virtual Screening and in vitro Approaches.

Recent studies suggested that activation of Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) has become an appealing therapeutic strategy against obesity and diabetes. In our research, the 3D structure of UCP1 was constructed through homology modelling, refined through molecular dynamics simulation, and evaluated by Ramachandran plot, the molecular docking of UCP1 activators brought about the proposal of an interaction mode inside the UCP1 active site. Remarkably, Reside Lys126 formed hydrogen bond; residues Pro121, Val125, Tyr146, Tyr149 and Arg150 formed hydrophobic interaction, which are key amino acids within UCP1 site. Then a pharmacophore model was generated consisting of three hydrophobic groups, a negative center and an additional hydrophobic group. Pharmacophore-based virutal screening of Specs database yield 5 hits. In vitro assay indicated ZINC 04660290 significantly increased the protein expression of UCP1 and decreased the fat droplet in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, pharmacokinetic properties were predicted for those five compounds through ADME/T prediction. All of these will guide us to design new UCP1 activators for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.