Gamma-linolenic acid interacts with human voltage-gated calcium channel
aspects in the treatment of mastalgia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56102/afmo.2025.388Keywords:
Gamma-linolenic acid, Mastalgia, Analgesic, Drug modeling, Voltage-gated calcium channelAbstract
Objectives: To assess the correlation between gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) and the voltage-gated calcium channel CaV3.2 and compare it with pregabalin (PGB) to elucidate the potential analgesic mechanism of GLA in cases of mastalgia. Methods: This quantitative, experimental, in silico study employed GLA and PGB as ligand molecules and the CaV3.2 channel as the protein target. Molecular docking experiments were performed using the Dockthor platform and analyzed with the Chimera 1.14 software. The results of ligand simulations with CaV3.2 were organized based on binding affinity (BA) and compared using the t-test; p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results and discussion: After one million simulations of GLA and PGB with CaV3.2, the three best docking poses were selected. No significant differences were observed between BA values of GLA and PGB (p = 0.15). Both ligands docked within the pore of the channel, forming hydrogen bonds with the same amino acid residues; PBG established one additional interaction. Conclusion: GLA binds to the CaV3.2 channel in a manner similar to the reference blocker PGB. The identified chemical interactions suggest a potential channel blockade, which may explain the analgesic effect of gamma-linolenic acid in the management of mastalgia.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Gidelson José da Silva Júnior, Gisele Evelin de Jesus Arruda, Ana Carolina de Oliveira Aguiar, Lais Cristhinne Sabino Gondim, Lise Reis Melo, Joelmir Lucena Veiga da Silva
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