In vitro and in silico studies of 8(17),12E,14-labdatrien-18-oic acid in airways smooth muscle relaxation: new molecular insights about its mechanism of action

In the field of experimental pharmacology, researchers continuously investigate new relaxant agents of the airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs), since the pathophysiology of respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, involves hyperresponsiveness and changes in ASMC homeostasis. In this scenario, labdane-type diterpenes, like forskolin (FSK), are a class of compounds known for their relaxing action on smooth muscle cells (SMCs), being this phenomenon related to the direct activation of AC-cAMP-PKA pathway. Considering the continuous effort of our group to study the mechanism of action and prospecting for compounds isolated from natural sources, in this paper, we presented how the diterpene 8(17),12E,14-labdatrien-18-oic acid (LBD) promotes relaxant effect on ASMC, performing in vitro experiments using isolated guinea pig trachea and in silico molecular docking/dynamics simulations. In vitro experiments showed that in the presence of aminophylline, FSK and LBD had their relaxant effect potentiated (EC 50 from 1.4 ± 0.2 × 10 −5 M to 1.5 ± 0.3 × 10 −6 M for LBD and from 2.0 ± 0.2 × 10 −7 M to 6.4 ± 0.4 × 10 −8 M for FSK) while in the presence of Rp-cAMPS this effect was attenuated (EC 50 from 1.4 ± 0.2 × 10 −5 M to 3 × 10 −4 M for LBD and from 2.0 ± 0.2 × 10 −7 to 3.1 ± 1.0 × 10 −6 M for FSK). Additionally, in silico simulations evidenced that the lipophilic character of LBD is probably responsible for its stability on AC binding site. LBD presented two preferential orientations, where the double bonds of the isoprene moiety as well as the unique polar group (carboxylic acid) in this compound form important anchoring points. In this sense, we consider that the LBD can interact stabilizing the catalytic dimmer of AC as the FSK, although less efficiently.