Discovery of small-molecule HIV-1 fusion and integrase inhibitors oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol: Part II. Integrase inhibition

We report molecular modeling and functional confirmation of Ole and HT binding to HIV-1 integrase. Docking simulations identified two binding regions for Ole within the integrase active site. Region I encompasses the conserved D64-D116-E152 motif, while region II involves the flexible loop region formed by amino acid residues 140-149. HT, on the other hand, binds to region II. Both Ole and HT exhibit favorable interactions with important amino acid residues through strong H-bonding and van der Waals contacts, predicting integrase inhibition. To test and confirm modeling predictions, we examined the effect of Ole and HT on HIV-1 integrase activities including 3′-processing, strand transfer, and disintegration. Ole and HT exhibit dose-dependent inhibition on all three activities, with EC₅₀ s in the nanomolar range. These studies demonstrate that molecular modeling of target-ligand interaction coupled with structural-activity analysis should facilitate the design and identification of innovative integrase inhibitors and other therapeutics.