Relationship between the results of in silico and in vivo studies of hypoglycemic, hypolypidemic and hepatoprotective properties of a new 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative

Objective: to identify the relationship between the results of in silico and in vivo studies of hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and hepatoprotective properties expressed by a new 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative with the laboratory code AZ-383. Material and Methods. Virtual biological screening of the AZ-383 compound was conducted using SwissTargetPrediction online tool. The identified biotargets were promising for pharmacological correction of multiple metabolic disorders, which was confirmed in an in vivo experiment conducted on male Wistar rats: the levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin in the blood were examined; the microarchitecture of the rat liver was assessed after pharmacological correction (using the AZ-383 compound) of the modeled metabolic disorders. Results. The presence of hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective properties in the compound AZ-383, along with its favorable effect on body weight, was revealed. The glucose level reached values of 7.9±0.4 mmol/L. The body weight of rats after the use of AZ-383 was 378±12 g. Under the influence of AZ-383, we observed an increase in the number of hepatocytes by 17.8%, a reduction in the size of hepatocytes by 7%, and a decrease in the area of the cytoplasm and nuclei of hepatocytes by 5.2% and 18.7%, respectively, vs. the control group of animals. Conclusion. Our in vivo experimental study confirmed the presence of hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective properties in the AZ-383 compound, which corresponds to the biotargets determined in silico for this 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative.