Improved QSAR modeling of anti-HIV-1 acivities by means of the optimized correlation weights of local graph invariants

We report the results derived from the use of molecular descriptors calculated with the correlation weights (CWs) of local graph invariants for modeling of anti-HIV-1 potencies of two groups of reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The presence of different chemical elements in the molecular structure of the inhibitors and the Morgan extended connectivity values of zeroth-, first-, and second order have been examined as local graph invariants in the labeled hydrogen-filled graphs. We have computed via Monte Carlo optimization procedure the values of CWs which produce the largest possible correlation coefficient between the numerical data on the anti-HIV-1 potencies and those values of the descriptors on the training set. The model of the anti-HIV-1 activity obtained with compounds of training set by means of optimization of correlation weights of chemical elements present together with Morgan extended connectivity of first order makes up a sensible model for a satisfactory prediction of the endpoints of the compounds belonging to the test set.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasCentro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambient

Improved QSAR modeling of anti-HIV-1 acivities by means of the optimized correlation weights of local graph invariants

We report the results derived from the use of molecular descriptors calculated with the correlation weights (CWs) of local graph invariants for modeling of anti-HIV-1 potencies of two groups of reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The presence of different chemical elements in the molecular structure of the inhibitors and the Morgan extended connectivity values of zeroth-, first-, and second order have been examined as local graph invariants in the labeled hydrogen-filled graphs. We have computed via Monte Carlo optimization procedure the values of CWs which produce the largest possible correlation coefficient between the numerical data on the anti-HIV-1 potencies and those values of the descriptors on the training set. The model of the anti-HIV-1 activity obtained with compounds of training set by means of optimization of correlation weights of chemical elements present together with Morgan extended connectivity of first order makes up a sensible model for a satisfactory prediction of the endpoints of the compounds belonging to the test set.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y AplicadasCentro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambient

(Q)SAR Modelling of Nanomaterial Toxicity - A Critical Review

There is an increasing recognition that nanomaterials pose a risk to human health, and that the novel engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the nanotechnology industry and their increasing industrial usage poses the most immediate problem for hazard assessment, as many of them remain untested. The large number of materials and their variants (different sizes and coatings for instance) that require testing and ethical pressure towards non-animal testing means that expensive animal bioassay is precluded, and the use of (quantitative) structure activity relationships ((Q)SAR) models as an alternative source of hazard information should be explored. (Q)SAR modelling can be applied to fill the critical knowledge gaps by making the best use of existing data, prioritize physicochemical parameters driving toxicity, and provide practical solutions to the risk assessment problems caused by the diversity of ENMs. This paper covers the core components required for successful application of (Q)SAR technologies to ENMs toxicity prediction, and summarizes the published nano-(Q)SAR studies and outlines the challenges ahead for nano-(Q)SAR modelling. It provides a critical review of (1) the present status of the availability of ENMs characterization/toxicity data, (2) the characterization of nanostructures that meets the need of (Q)SAR analysis, (3) the summary of published nano-(Q)SAR studies and their limitations, (4) the in silico tools for (Q)SAR screening of nanotoxicity and (5) the prospective directions for the development of nano-(Q)SAR models

NanoSAR: In Silico Modelling of Nanomaterial Toxicity

The number of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) being exploited commercially is growing rapidly, due to the novel properties of ENMs. Clearly, it is important to understand and ameliorate any risks to health or the environment posed by the presence of ENMs. However, there still exists a critical gap in the literature on the (eco)toxicological properties of ENMs and the particular characteristics that influence their toxic effects. Given their increasing industrial and technological use, it is important to assess their potential health and environmental impacts in a time and cost effective manner. One strategy to alleviate the problem of a large number and variety of ENMs is through the development of data-driven models that decode the relationships between the biological activities of ENMs and their physicochemical characteristics. Although such structure-activity relationship (SAR) methods have proven to be effective in predicting the toxicity of substances in bulk form, their practical application to ENMs requires more research and further development. This study aimed to address this research need by investigating the application of data-driven toxicity modelling approaches (e.g. SAR) that are beneficial over animal testing from a cost, time and ethical perspective to ENMs. A large amount of data on ENM toxicity and properties was collected and analysed using quantitative methods to explore and explain the relationship between ENM properties and their toxic outcomes, as a part of this study. More specifically, multi-dimensional data visualisation techniques including heat maps combined with hierarchical clustering and parallel co-ordinate plots, were used for data exploration purposes while classification and regression based modelling tools, a genetic algorithm based decision tree construction algorithm and partial least squares, were successfully applied to explain and predict ENMs’ toxicity based on physicochemical characteristics. As a next step, the implementation of risk reduction measures for risks that are outside the range of tolerable limits was investigated. Overall, the results showed that computational methods hold considerable promise in their ability to identify and model the relationship between physicochemical properties and biological effects of ENMs, to make it possible to reach a decision more quickly and hence, to provide practical solutions for the risk assessment problems caused by the diversity of ENMs