THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTION OF THE OLEANOLIC AND URSOLIC ACIDS ON CYCLOOXYGENASE ISOFORMS BY DOCKING AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS

THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTION OF THE OLEANOLIC AND URSOLIC ACIDS ON CYCLOOXYGENASE ISOFORMS BY DOCKING AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS. The triterpenoids oleanolic (OA) and ursolic (UA) acids show non-selective antiinflamatory activity in vitro for cyclooxygenase (COX) isoforms. 3D conformations of OA and UA, with three possible orientations (1, 1' and 2) in the active site of isoforms COX, obtained by docking, were submitted to molecular dynamics. The results show that orientation 2 of the OA in COX-2 is more favorable because orientation I moved away from the active site. The carboxylate group of OA interact by hydrogen bonds with Ser353 and with Phe357 and Leu359, mediated by water, while hydroxyl in C-3 interact by hydrogen bond, mediated by water, with Tyr385.