In Silico Effects of Steviol on Depression, Inflammation and Cancer Biomarkers

Steviol (ST1), a known natural product, and methylated models (ST2-ST4) were investigated in this in silico work to see their effects were examined on each of depression, inflammation, and cancer biomarkers by participating in interactions with each of monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), methyltransferase (MTN) enzymes, respectably. The stabilized structures of ST1-ST4 were achieved by performing optimization calculations. Subsequently, formations of interacting ligand-target complexes were examined by molecular docking (MD) simulations. The evaluated molecular orbital features showed a different tendency of ST1-ST4 models for contributing to electron transfer processes. Accordingly, the interacting ligand-target complexes showed differential interactions of each ligand towards each target, making ST1-ST4 as appropriate compounds for the detection of targets. The methylated ST2-ST4 models worked even better than the original ST1 model to affirm the benefit of steviol modification to achieve desired results. Meaningful interactions of ST1-ST4 with the targets also showed the possible application of steviol for the medication of each of depression, inflammation, and cancer cases.