Targeting tau hyperphosphorylation-mediated neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease via ABL1 kinase inhibition: Insights from microsecond MD simulation and MM/PBSA analyses

The abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins serves as the pathological driver in tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The tyrosine-protein kinase ABL1 is among the kinases responsible for tau phosphorylation, and its overexpression significantly contributes to AD development. Neuroinflammation resulting from tau hyperphosphorylation can be prevented by developing therapeutic strategies that inhibit ABL1 activity. We employed cutting-edge computational methods to identify potential ABL1 inhibitors from the ZINC database. The top 1000 hits were selected after virtual screening and underwent numerous drug-likeness filters. Finally, ZINC08623207 and ZINC08790347 were selected as the potential ABL1 inhibitors based on strong affinity and interactions to catalytically important residues of the binding pocket with favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Further DFT analysis of the selected molecules was performed, and the stability of the protein-ligand complexes was examined through all-atom MD simulations of 1 μs. MM/PBSA analyses and per-residue binding energy contribution analysis were performed on the MD trajectories. The results indicated the stable complex formation of ABL1 with these selected molecules, thereby preventing tau hyperphosphorylation and subsequently implicating them in developing potential therapeutic approaches for neuroinflammatory diseases.