Parkinson's disease (PD) is caused by loss in nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and is ranked as the second most common
neurodegenerative disorder.
Dopamine receptor D3 is considered as a potential target in
drug development against PD because of its lesser side effects and higher degree of neuro-protection. One of the prominent
therapies currently available for PD is the use of
dopamine agonists which mimic the natural action of
dopamine in the brain and stimulate
dopamine receptors directly. Unfortunately, use of these pharmacological
therapies such as
bromocriptine,
apomorphine, and
ropinirole provides only temporary relief of the disease symptoms and is frequently linked with
insomnia, anxiety, depression, and agitation. Thus, there is a need for an alternative treatment that not only hinders neurodegeneration, but also has few or no side effects. Since the past decade, much attention has been given to exploitation of
phytochemicals and their use in
alternative medicine research. This is because plants are a cheap, indispensable, and never ending resource of active compounds that are beneficial against various diseases. In the current study, 40 active
phytochemicals against PD were selected through literature survey. These
ligands were docked with
dopamine receptor D3 using AutoDock and AutoDockVina. Binding energies were compared to docking results of drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration against PD. The compounds were further analyzed for their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion-toxicity profile. From the study it is concluded that
glycyrrhetinic acid and
E.resveratroloside are potent compounds having high binding energies which should be considered as potential lead compounds for
drug development against PD.