The current treatment of depression involves antidepressant synthetic drugs that have a variety of side effects. In searching for alternatives, natural compounds could represent a solution, as many studies reported that such compounds modulate the nervous system and exhibit antidepressant effects. We used bioinformatics methods to predict the antidepressant effect of ten natural compounds with neuroleptic activity, reported in the literature. For all compounds we computed their drug-likeness, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME), and toxicity profiles. Their antidepressant and neuroleptic activities were predicted by 3D-ALMOND-QSAR models built by considering three important targets, namely serotonin transporter (SERT), 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1A (5-HT1A), and dopamine D2 receptor. For our QSAR models we have used the following molecular descriptors: hydrophobicity, electrostatic, and hydrogen bond donor/acceptor. Our results showed that all compounds present drug-likeness features as well as promising ADME features and no toxicity. Most compounds appear to modulate SERT, and fewer appear as ligands for 5-HT1A and D2 receptors. From our prediction, linalyl acetate appears as the only ligand for all three targets, neryl acetate appears as a ligand for SERT and D2 receptors, while 1,8-cineole appears as a ligand for 5-HT1A and D2 receptors.
Keywords: QSAR; antidepressant; molecular docking; natural compounds.