Targeting of AMP-activated protein kinase: prospects for computer-aided drug design

Introduction: Dysregulation of energy homeostasis has been implicated in a number of human chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and inflammation. Given the functional attributes as a central regulator of energy homeostasis, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is emerging as a therapeutic target for these diseases, and lines of evidence have highlighted the need for rational and robust screening systems for identifying specific AMPK modulators with a therapeutic potential for preventing and/or curing these diseases.

Areas covered: Here, the authors review the recent advances in the understanding of three-dimensional structures of AMPK in relationship with the regulatory mechanisms, potentials of AMPK as a therapeutic target in human chronic diseases, and prospects of computer-based drug design for AMPK.

Expert opinion: Accumulating information of AMPK structure has provided us with deep insight into the molecular basis underlying the regulatory mechanisms, and further discloses several structural domains, which can be served for a target site for computer-based drug design. Molecular docking and simulations provides useful information about the binding sites between potent drugs and AMPK as well as a rational screening format to discover isoform-specific AMPK modulators. For these reasons, the authors suggest that computer-aided virtual screening methods hold promise as a rational approach for discovering more specific AMPK modulators.