Objective Bouchardatine (1) is a β-indoloquinazoline alkaloid isolated from the plant Bouchardatia neurococca, acting as a modulator of adipogenesis and lipogenesis, and as an anticancer agent. The natural product functions as an activator of proteins adenosine 5’-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). We used molecular modeling to investigate the SIRT1-binding capacity of compound 1 and various structural analogues, such as orirenierine A (2) and orirenierine B (3) isolated from the medicinal plant Oricia renieri.

Methods We investigated the binding to human SIRT1 (hSIRT1) of 25 natural products including the β-indoloquinazoline alkaloids 1 − 3 and analogues, in comparison with the reference product sirtinol (R and S isomers). A sirtinol binding model was elaborated starting from the closed and open state conformations of the catalytic domain of hSIRT1 (PDB structures 4KXQ and 4IG9). For each compound bound to SIRT1, the empirical energy of interaction (ΔE) was calculated and compared to that of sirtinol.

Results In our model, compound 1 was found to bind modestly to the sirtinol site of SIRT1. In contrast, the presence of a phenolic OH group at position 7 on the quinazolinone moiety conferred a much higher binding capacity. Compound 2 provided SIRT1 protein complexes as stable as those observed with sirtinol. The replacement of the hydroxy substituent (2) with a methoxy group (3) reduced the SIRT1 binding capacity. Other SIRT1-binding natural products were identified, such as the alkaloids orisuaveolines A and B. Structure-binding relationships were discussed.

Conclusion The study underlines the capacity of β-indoloquinazoline alkaloids to interact with SIRT1. This deacetylase enzyme could represent a molecular target for the alkaloid 2. This compound merits further attention for the design of drugs active against SIRT1-dependent pathologies.