In Silico Drug Screening for Hepatitis C Virus Using QSAR-ML and Molecular Docking with Rho-Associated Protein Kinase 1 (ROCK1) Inhibitors

The enzyme ROCK1 plays a pivotal role in the disruption of the tight junction protein CLDN1, a downstream effector influencing various cellular functions such as cell migration, adhesion, and polarity. Elevated levels of ROCK1 pose challenges in HCV, where CLDN1 serves as a crucial entry factor for viral infections. This study integrates a drug screening protocol, employing a combination of quantitative structure–activity relationship machine learning (QSAR-ML) techniques; absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) predictions; and molecular docking. This integrated approach allows for the effective screening of specific compounds, using their calculated features and properties as guidelines for selecting drug-like candidates targeting ROCK1 inhibition in HCV treatment. The QSAR-ML model, validated with scores of 0.54 (R2), 0.15 (RMSE), and 0.71 (CCC), demonstrates its predictive capabilities. The ADME-Docking study’s final results highlight notable compounds from ZINC15, specifically ZINC000071318464, ZINC000073170040, ZINC000058568630, ZINC000058591055, and ZINC000058574949. These compounds exhibit the best ranking Vina scores for protein–ligand binding with the crystal structure of ROCK1 at the C2 pocket site. The generated features and calculated pIC50 bioactivity of these compounds provide valuable insights, facilitating the identification of structurally similar candidates in the ongoing exploration of drugs for ROCK1 inhibition.