Computational model for lipid binding regions in phospholipase (Ves a 1) from Vespa venom

Abstract

Abstract The Thai banded tiger wasp (Vespa affinis) is a dangerous vespid species found in Southeast Asia, and its stings often result in fatalities due to the presence of lethal phospholipase A $$_{1}$$ 1 , known as Vespapase or Ves a 1. Developing anti-venoms for Ves a 1 using chemical drugs, such as chemical drug guide, remains a challenging task. In this study, we screened 2056 drugs against the opening conformation of the venom using the ZINC 15 and e-Drug 3D databases. The binding free energy of the top five drug candidates complexed with Ves a 1 was calculated using 300-ns-MD trajectories. Our results revealed that voxilaprevir had a higher binding free energy at the catalytic sites than other drug candidates. Furthermore, the MD simulation results indicated that voxilaprevir formed stable conformations within the catalytic pocket. Consequently, voxilaprevir could act as a potent inhibitor, opening up avenues for the development of more effective anti-venom therapeutics for Ves a 1.