Bioactive Metabolites of Edible Mushrooms Efficacious Against Androgenic Alopecia: Targeting SRD5A2 Using Computational Approach
March 2022
in “
Research Square (Research Square)
”
TLDR Mushroom compounds may help treat hair loss better than Finasteride.
The study investigated the potential of bioactive metabolites from edible mushrooms to inhibit steroid 5α-reductase2 (SRD5A2), a key enzyme in androgenic alopecia (AGA). Using computational methods, 156 mushroom metabolites were screened, and three compounds—Zhankuic acid A, Sterenin M, and Melleolide K—showed promising inhibitory properties with binding energies of -11.5, -10.4, and -10.2 kcal/mol, respectively, compared to Finasteride's -4.3 kcal/mol. These findings suggest that these mushroom-derived compounds could be effective alternatives to Finasteride for treating AGA, warranting further experimental validation.
