Journal: ACS Omega

Article Title: Receptor-Selective Modulation of Cannabinoid Signaling by Cardamonin: Integrating Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy Calculations, and Behavioral Validation

doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c10026

Figure Lengend Snippet: Schematic overview of the study design combining computational and behavioral approaches. Cardamonin, a chalcone derivative, was evaluated for its interaction with cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 using molecular dynamics simulations and MM/PBSA analyses. Parallel in vivo behavioral assaysVon Frey and Hargreaves testswere conducted in mice to assess mechanical and thermal antinociception, respectively.

Article Snippet: Cardamonin (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists SR141716 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], Tween 20 and diluted with saline at a ratio of 5:5:90 for intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration.

Techniques: In Vivo

Journal: ACS Omega

Article Title: Receptor-Selective Modulation of Cannabinoid Signaling by Cardamonin: Integrating Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy Calculations, and Behavioral Validation

doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c10026

Figure Lengend Snippet: Docking poses of cardamonin with CB1 (A) and CB2 (B) receptors. (A) Cardamonin binds to CB1 with −8.7 kcal/mol, forming hydrogen bonds (SER 505 , ILE 267 ), hydrophobic contacts (PHE 170 , VAL 196 , LEU 193 , PHE 200 ), and a π-cation interaction (HIS 178 ). (B) In CB2 (−8.0 kcal/mol), cardamonin engages in hydrophobic interactions and a π-stacking (PHE117). Interaction types: hydrogen bonds (blue), hydrophobic (gray dashed), π-cation (orange dashed), π-stacking (green dashed).

Article Snippet: Cardamonin (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists SR141716 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], Tween 20 and diluted with saline at a ratio of 5:5:90 for intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration.

Techniques:

Journal: ACS Omega

Article Title: Receptor-Selective Modulation of Cannabinoid Signaling by Cardamonin: Integrating Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy Calculations, and Behavioral Validation

doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c10026

Figure Lengend Snippet: Hydrogen bond interaction snapshots between cardamonin and cannabinoid receptors CB1 (A) and CB2 (B) at selected time points from molecular dynamics simulations. Each frame corresponds to a representative structure at 100, 250, 500, and 750 ns. Hydrogen bonds are depicted as red dashed lines with annotated distances (Å). In CB1, dynamic repositioning of the ligand allows alternating interactions with residues such as HSD 178 , ILE 267 , PHE 189 , ASP 184 , SER 173 , and LEU 193 . In contrast, the CB2 complex demonstrates a more consistent hydrogen bonding profile, particularly with SER 285 and GLY 284 . These interactions reflect the temporal stability and flexibility of ligand–receptor engagement during the simulation trajectory.

Article Snippet: Cardamonin (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists SR141716 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], Tween 20 and diluted with saline at a ratio of 5:5:90 for intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration.

Techniques:

Journal: ACS Omega

Article Title: Receptor-Selective Modulation of Cannabinoid Signaling by Cardamonin: Integrating Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy Calculations, and Behavioral Validation

doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c10026

Figure Lengend Snippet: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of CB1 and CB2 receptor complexes. (A) PCA projection of CB1 control (black) and cardamonin-bound complex (red) onto the first two principal components. Cardamonin binding induces broader conformational sampling. (B) PCA projection of CB2 control (black) and cardamonin-bound complex (red), showing overlapping conformational space and reduced ligand impact.

Article Snippet: Cardamonin (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists SR141716 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], Tween 20 and diluted with saline at a ratio of 5:5:90 for intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration.

Techniques: Control, Binding Assay, Sampling

Journal: ACS Omega

Article Title: Receptor-Selective Modulation of Cannabinoid Signaling by Cardamonin: Integrating Molecular Dynamics, Free Energy Calculations, and Behavioral Validation

doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c10026

Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (mean ± SEM) in the Von Frey test. SHM and CDM groups displayed high thresholds (normal sensitivity), while VHC, CB1 – , and CB2 – groups exhibited mechanical allodynia. Co-treatment with cardamonin (CDM+CB1 – and CDM+CB2 – ) partially restored pain thresholds. (B) Thermal paw withdrawal latency (mean ± SEM) in the Hargreaves test. SHM group showed normal latency. CB1 – , CB2 – , and VHC groups exhibited thermal hyperalgesia. Cardamonin (CDM) increased latency significantly, and cotreatment with CB1 – or CB2 – partially restored thermal sensitivity.

Article Snippet: Cardamonin (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) antagonists SR141716 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) and selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) antagonist SR144528 (MedChemExpress LLC, USA) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], Tween 20 and diluted with saline at a ratio of 5:5:90 for intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration.

Techniques:

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: Schemes of the workflow used in this study. (A) Main steps employed in the screening along with the number of compounds left after each step. (B) A scheme showing the detailed order of utilized techniques, especially docking to CB2 structures from PDB IDs 5ZTY and 6KPC and to the CB2 model based on MD of PDB ID 6PT0 .

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques:

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: CB2–ligand complexes. (A–C) Binding sites with ligands (green) and amino acids (gray) important for ligand binding depicted in stick representation. PDB IDs 5ZTY , 6KPC , and 6PT0 , respectively. (D–F) 2D interaction schemes generated using Schrödinger Maestro. Additionally, we marked with gray, dashed circles the amino acids that are too far away from the ligand to create protein–ligand interactions in deposited structures but probably do so alternately, for limited periods of time in natural, nonstatic complexes.

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Binding Assay, Ligand Binding Assay, Generated

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Radioligand displacement curves for two screened compounds with the lowest K i values toward human CB2—AS-5 and AS-7. WIN 55,212-2 was issued as the reference compound. Both identified CB2 ligands exhibit desired nanomolar K i and structural distinctiveness compared to the other known compounds with high affinity for CB2. (B) Inhibition of CP-55,940-stimulated [ 35 S]GTPγS at the CB2 receptor by the compounds at 10 μM. Results were expressed as mean percent of basal [ 35 S]GTPγS binding in the presence of 100 nM CP-55,940 as stimulating ligand. AM-630 served as a reference CB2 antagonist. Basal binding was set to 100% and is represented by the dotted line. Data was collected from three separate experiments and analyzed with the two-tailed t test. Statistical significance was depicted as follows: ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Inhibition, Binding Assay, Two Tailed Test

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: Best identified compound—AS-7 (green) docked to CB2 models based on PDB IDs 5ZTY (A), 6KPC (B) and 6PT0 MD-derived structure (C). Yellow dashed line, H-bond; teal dashed line, π–π interaction. (D) CB2–WIN 55,212-2 (magenta) complex from the largest 6PT0 MD cluster with AS-7 (green) docked to this model. The superposition shows, that despite the different chemotypes, the binding modes of both ligands exhibit similarities, mainly in the placement of the morpholine moieties and carbonyl oxygen atoms and to a lesser extent in the location of two AS-7 benzene rings in similar positions to WIN 55,212-2 central tricyclic moiety and naphthyl group.

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Derivative Assay, Binding Assay

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: AS-5 (green) docked to CB2 models based on PDB IDs 5ZTY (A) and 6PT0 MD-derived structure (B). Yellow dashed line, H-bond; teal dashed line, π–π interaction.

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Derivative Assay

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: CB2 Structures Deposited in PDB a

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Activity Assay

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: Selected Results of the K i Determination with [ 3 H]CP-55,940 Displacement Assay

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: Activity Assay

Journal: Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling

Article Title: Identification of Novel CB2 Ligands through Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation

doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01503

Figure Lengend Snippet: Docking and MM–GBSA Results for the Four Most Potent Compounds from the In Vitro Assay and Three Already Known CB2 Ligands for Comparison

Article Snippet: Ten micromolar concentrations of each compound were incubated in triplicate with membrane preparations from CHO-K1 cells expressing the human CB2 receptor (0.5 μg per well) (PerkinElmer, Cat. No. ES-111-M400UA) in an assay buffer containing 50 mM Tris–HCl, pH = 7.4, 0.2 mM EGTA, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 100 mM NaCl, 30 μM GDP and 1 mg/mL BSA) in the presence of 0.08 nM [ 35 S] guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTPγS) (specific activity: 1250 Ci/mmole, PerkinElmer).

Techniques: In Vitro, Comparison