In Silico Evaluation of Novel 2-Pyrazoline Carboxamide Derivatives as Potential Protease Inhibitors Against Plasmodium Parasites

Malaria, a devastating disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, continues to pose a significant threat to global health, with increasing resistance to current antimalarial drugs. In this study, we employed an in silico approach to design and evaluate novel 2-pyrazoline carboxamide derivatives as potential protease inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum. Our results show that all designed ligands exhibit good drug-like properties, satisfying Lipinski's rule of five, and demonstrate low toxicity profiles. Molecular docking studies revealed that five newly designed ligands (P5, P6, P7, P11, and P13) exhibit promising binding affinities and interactions with key protease enzymes involved in the hemoglobin degradation pathway, including Falcipain-2, Falcipain-3, and Plasmepsin-2 with PDB (Protein Data Bank) codes, 6JW9, 3BWK and 1LF3 respectively. Notably, ligand P13 showed the strongest binding affinity with Falcipain-2, forming an additional hydrogen bond with CYS42, a residue essential for the enzyme's catalytic activity. The interactions between the ligands and the enzymes suggest a competitive inhibition mechanism, with the potential to disrupt the hemoglobin degradation pathway and halt the parasite's lifecycle. The biological implications of these findings are significant, as they suggest that these novel ligands could be effective against Plasmodium parasites, particularly in the context of increasing resistance to current antimalarial drugs. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the potential of novel 2-pyrazoline carboxamide derivatives as protease inhibitors against Plasmodium parasites and highlights their potential as a promising strategy for antimalarial drug development and the importance of in silico approaches in the discovery of novel therapeutics.