Abstract

Signal Transduction Inhibitors from C. rotundus

Lydia Charles, Student, Bharathiar University

In cancer, it is apparent that the signal transduction pathways have been deregulated in such a way that each cancer case presents itself with new challenges. Some of the most attractive targets for the treatment of cancer include the family of receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases (TKs), growth factors and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway, thephosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt/PTEN pathway and endothelial cell and angiogenesis-associated factors such as the vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF). Current evidence also suggests that targeting of these signaling molecules is a promising new approach to treatment of breast cancer. In the current study, 10 alkaloids of the grass, C. rotundus were screened in silico against hedgehog signaling pathway, EGFR and Receptor tyrosine kinase. All these ligands had exceptionally good ADME properties, and those with outstanding binding affinity were compared to a standard, FDA approved signal transduction inhibitor. The excellent docking scores of these alkaloids substantiate the fact that these compounds should be studied further to establish the earlier findings pertaining to the anticancerous property of the extracts of C. rotundus.