Molecular Docking and 3D-Pharmacophore Modeling to Study the Interactions of Chalcone Derivatives with Estrogen Receptor Alpha

Tamoxifen is the most frequently used anti-estrogen adjuvant treatment for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. However, it is associated with an increased risk of several serious side-effects, such as uterine cancer, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. The 2',4'-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3,5-dimethylchalcone (ChalcEA) from plant leaves of Eugenia aquea, has been found to inhibit the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 74.5 μg/mL (250 μM). The aim of this work was to study the molecular interactions of new ChalcEA derivatives formed with the Estrogen Receptor α (ERα) using computer aided drug design approaches. Molecular docking using Autodock 4.2 was employed to explore the modes of binding of ChalcEA derivatives with ERα. The 3D structure-based pharmacophore model was derived using LigandScout 4.1 Advanced to investigate the important chemical interactions of the ERα-tamoxifen complex structure. The binding energy and the tamoxifen-pharmacophore fit score of the best ChalcEA derivative (HNS10) were -12.33 kcal/mol and 67.07 kcal/mol, respectively. The HNS10 interacted with Leu346, Thr347, Leu349, Ala350, Glu353, Leu387, Met388, Leu391, Arg394, Met421, and Leu525. These results suggest that the new ChalcEA derivatives could serve as the lead compound for potent ERα inhibitor in the fight against breast cancer.