Computational assessment of targeting angiotensinconverting enzyme for hypertension management: A structure-based virtual screening approach.

Background: Hypertension is a growing public health concern globally. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is an enzyme that cleaves the carboxy-terminal His-Leu dipeptide from angiotensin I, yielding the potent vasopressor octapeptide, angiotensin II. ACE inhibitors are a primary treatment option for hypertension, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. However, the use of synthetic ACE inhibitors has been linked to a number of side effects. Therefore, the development of novel and safe ACE inhibitors is a need of time. Methods: This study used a computational screening of a library of known compounds with anti-inflammatory activities against the active site of ACE using the PyRx-Python 0.8 tool to find more potent ACE inhibitors with less or no side effects. The physicochemical properties of the anti-inflammatory compounds were obtained from the Life Chemicals website. Result: The five hits, specifically F3398-2114, F0193-0245, F0163-0089, F0193-0237, and F0302-0060, exhibited notable interactions within the ACE binding pocket and demonstrated greater binding energy compared to the control compound, Lisinopril. All of these compounds displayed favorable physicochemical characteristics and aligned to Lipinski's rule. Conclusion: The compounds F3398-2114, F0193-0245, F0163-0089, F0193-0237, and F0302-0060 have the potential to be used as ACE inhibitors; however, further experimental validation is required to optimize them as ACE inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]