In silico and in vitro Study of the Inhibitory Effect of Anti-inflammatory Drug Betamethasone on Two Lipases

BACKGROUND: For the first time, the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone is investigated for its inhibitory activity against lipase. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to demonstrate the in vitro and in silico inhibitory effect of the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone on the enzymatic activity of two lipases. METHODS: In vitro study using p-nitrophenyllaurate as lipase substrate is used to determine inhibition potency. Molecular Docking is performed using the Autodock Vina for drug molecule and two enzymes Candida rugosa lipase and human pancreatic lipase. RESULTS: Betamethasone represents a moderate inhibition effect with a value of IC50 of 0.36±0.01 mg/ml. Molecular docking allowed us to understand inhibitory – enzyme interactions and to confirm in vitro obtained results. CONCLUSION: These experiments showed that betamethasone can be used in the treatment of diseases related to lipase activity.