In Vitro and In Silico Characterization of G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Targets of Phlorofucofuroeckol-A and Dieckol

Phlorotannins are polyphenolic compounds in marine alga, especially the brown algae. Among numerous phlorotannins, dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol-A (PFF-A) are the major ones and despite a wider biological activity profile, knowledge of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets of these phlorotannins is lacking. This study explores prime GPCR targets of the two phlorotannins. In silico proteocheminformatics modeling predicted twenty major protein targets and in vitro functional assays showed a good agonist effect at the α2C adrenergic receptor (α_2CAR) and an antagonist effect at the adenosine 2A receptor (A_2AR), δ-opioid receptor (δ-OPR), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), and 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor (5-TH_1AR) of both phlorotannins. Besides, dieckol showed an antagonist effect at the vasopressin 1A receptor (V_1AR) and PFF-A showed a promising agonist effect at the cannabinoid 1 receptor and an antagonist effect at V_1AR. In silico molecular docking simulation enabled us to investigate and identify distinct binding features of these phlorotannins to the target proteins. The docking results suggested that dieckol and PFF-A bind to the crystal structures of the proteins with good affinity involving key interacting amino acid residues comparable to reference ligands. Overall, the present study suggests α_2CAR, A_2AR, δ-OPR, GLP-1R, 5-TH_1AR, CB₁R, and V_1AR as prime receptor targets of dieckol and PFF-A.