In-Silico Screening of Seahorse-Derived Compounds Targeting Kisspeptin, GnRH, FSH, and LH Receptors for Reproductive Health Applications
Main Article Content
Abstract
Natural ingredients derived from plants and animals, such as those associated with seahorses (Hippocampus sp.), exhibit numerous benefits, including overcoming health problems. The seahorse is a marine teleost fish with many reproductive health benefits, according to the literature, 20 active substances in seahorses are thought to be beneficial in the reproductive system. In silico studies are necessary as an initial step in determining how the bioactivity of active substances in seahorses affects the reproductive system, via investigations of kisspeptin (KISS1), gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors. In this study, target protein structures ware obtained from the Protein Data Bank (https://www.rcsb.org/), molecular docking analysis was carried out using MOE.2022.02 software, and a drug-likeness test was performed using Lipinski’s rule of five via the server at https://www.scfbio-iitd.res.in/. Additionally, a toxicity test was conducted using the pKCSM server at https://biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/pkcsm/. The analytical results show that oleic acid is the most effective compound, with good bioavailability, non-toxicity, and the ability to bind to KISS1, GnRH, FSH, and LH receptors. The study reveals the potential of seahorses in the isolation of natural products with medicinal value.
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
1.Carson SA, Kallen AN. Diagnosis and management of infertility: A Review. J the Am Med Assoc. 2021; 326(1):65-67.
2.Braverman AM, Davoudian T, Levin IK, Bocage A, Wodoslawsky S. Depression, anxiety, quality of life, and infertility: a global lens on the last decade of research. Fertil Steril. 2024; 121(3):379-383.
3.Bai CF, Sun JW, Li J, Jing WH, Zhang XK, Zhang X, Ma LL, Yue R, Cao FL. Gender differences in factors associated with depression in infertility patients. J Adv Nurs. 2019; 75(12):3515-3524.
4.Glazer CH, Eisenberg ML, Tøttenborg SS, Giwercman A, Flachs EM, Bräuner EV, Vassard D, Pinbong A, Schmidt L, Bonde JP. Male factor infertility and risk of death: A nationwide record-linkage study. Human Reprod. 2019; 34(11):2266-2273.
5.Sari EM, Nurilmala M, Abdullah A. Amino acid profile and bioactive compound in seahorse (Hippocampus comes). J Trop Mar and Sci Technol. 2017; 9(2):605-617.
6.Safryna DA. 2020. Characteristics of the Seahorse (Hippocampus comes) and Hidrolyzate. Thesis. Bogor Agricultural Institute. Bogor.
7.Sun J, Xia S, Xie S, Yang Y, Cui P, Shao P, Xu Y, Shuang L.Biochemical composition of wild and cultured seahorses (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker). Aqua Res. 2020; 51(4):1-9.
8.Scobell SK, Mackenzie DS. Reproductive endocrinology of Syngnathidae. J Fish Biol. 2011; 78:1662-1680.
9.Mundijo T, Suyatna FD, Wibowo AE, Supriyono A, Midoen YH. Characterization of seahorse (Hippocampus comes L.) extracts originating from culture and nature in Pesawaran, Lampung, Indonesia. J Adv Vet Anim Res. 2022; 9(4):610–616.
10.Mundijo T, Suyatna FD, Wibowo AE, Lestari SW, Yusra Y, Midoen YH. The seahorse (Hippocampus comes L.) extract ameliorates sperm qualities, testosterone level, and serum biochemistry in rats induced by depo medroxyprogesterone acetate. J Adv Vet Anim Res. 2023; 10(1):126-131.
11.Dianty RS, Midoen YH, Lestari SW, Mundijo T, Kusmardi K. Effect of seahorse (Hippocampus comes L.) extract on population and apoptotic of spermatogenic and leydig cells in rats after depot medroxyprogesterone acetate induction. Trop J Nat Prod Res. 2024; 8(2):6272-6278.
12.Kumaravela KS, Balasubramaniana RT, Sonneschein L. Review Article: Seahorses – A source of traditional medicine. Nat Prod Res. 2012; 26(24):2330-2334.
13.Chen L, Wang X, Huang B. The genus Hippocampus-a review on traditional medicinal uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological properties. J Ethnopharm. 2014; 13(162):104-111.
14.Kim MY, Jeon YJ, Huh JS, Kim SD, Park KK, Cho M. Effect of enzymatic hydrolysate from seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis) on testosterone secretion from TM3 leydig cells and in male mice. Appl Biol Chem. 2016; 59(6):869-879.
15.Martos SG, Nuez MZ, Pérez JAC, Blanco TM, Pérez-Pé R, Casao A. Involvement of progesterone and estrogen receptors in the ram sperm acrosome reaction. Domest and Endocrinol. 2021; 74:106527.
16.Mundijo T, Midoen YH, Suyatna FD, Wibowo AE, Kusmardi K. Effect of seahorse extract (Hippocampus comes L.) on caspase-3 and TUNEL assay in rats after depot medroxyprogesterone acetate induction. Pharmacogn J. 2022; 14(4):253–258.
17.Mundijo T, Suyatna FD, Wibowo AE, Yusra Y, Midoen YH. Safety and effectiveness of seahorse extract (Hippocampus comes L.) on the hematological profile and body weight of male rats induced by depo medroxyprogesterone acetate. J Adv Vet Anim Res. 2024; 11(3):717-721.
18.Wu X, Zhang Q, Hu J. QSAR study of the acute toxicity to fathead minnow based on a large dataset. SAR and QSAR in Environmental Research. 2016; 27(2):147–164.
19.Li K, Yan L, Zhang Y, Yang Z, Zhang C, Li Y, Kalueff AV, Li W, Song C. Seahorse treatment improves depression-like behavior in mice exposed to CUMS through reducing inflammation/Oxidants and restoring neurotransmitter and neurotrophic function. J Ethnopharm. 2020; 250:112487.
20.Abbara A, Ufer M, Voors-Pette C, Berman L, Ezzati M, Wu R, Lee TY, Ferreira JCA, Migoya E, Dhillo WS. Endocrine profile of the kisspeptin receptor agonist MVT-602 in healthy premenopausal women with and without ovarian stimulation: results from 2 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Fertil Steril. 2024; 121(1):95-106.
21.Parker KL, Schimmer BP. Chapter: Buserelin. In: Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences. Elsevier. 2001.
22.National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 2012; Goserelin.
23.Sidhu G, Tripp J. Leuprolide. StatPearls Publishing; 2025.
24.DrugBank. Buserelin: Targets. 2025; https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB06719
25.Sriraman V, Denis D, De Matos D, Yu H, Palmer S, Nataraja S. Investigation of a thiazolidinone derivative as an allosteric modulator of follicle stimulating hormone receptor: Evidence for its ability to support follicular development and ovulation. Biochem Pharmacol. 2014; 89(2):266-275.
26.Kharisma VD, Agatha A, Ansori ANM, Widyananda MH, Rizky WC, Dings TGA, Derkho M, Lykasova I, Antonius Y, Rosadi I, Zainul R. Herbal combination from Moringa oleifera Lam. and Curcuma longa L. as SARS-CoV-2 antiviral via dual inhibitor pathway: A bioinformatics approach. J Pharm and Pharmacog Res. 2022; 10(1):138–146.
27.Benet LZ, Hosey CM, Ursu O, Oprea TI. BDDCS, the Rule of 5 and Drugability. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2016; 101:89.
28.Ahmad L, Kuznetsov AE, Pirzada AS, Alsharif KF, Daglia M, Khan H. Computational pharmacology and computational chemistry of 4-hydroxyisoleucine: Physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and DFT-based approaches. Front Chem. 2023; 11:1145974.
29.Onguéné PA, Simoben CV, Fotso GW, Andrae-Marobela K, Khalid SA, Ngadjui BT, Mbaze LM, Ntie-Kang F. In silico toxicity profiling of natural product compound libraries from African flora with anti-malarial and anti-HIV properties. Comput Biol Chem. 2018; 72:136–149.
30.Kumar R, Rani R, Narang SK, Rai S, Hajam YA. Hepatotoxicity: Its physiological pathways and control measures using phyto-polyphenols. Phytomedicine: A Treasure of pharm active prod from plants. 2021:621–653.
31.Wu J, Liu Z, Su J, Lu H, Liao D, Song Q. Chemical constituents of the seahorse Hippocampus trimaculatus from the east China Sea. Chem Nat Comp. 2017; 53(5):982-983.
32.Erickson RJ, Mount DR, Highland TL, Hockett JR, Hoff DJ, Jenson CT, Norberg-King TJ, Forsman B. Acute toxicity of major geochemical ions to fat head minnows (Pimephales promelas). Part A: Observed relationships for individual salts and salt mixtures. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2022; 41(9):2078.
33.Agu PC, Afiukwa CA, Orji OU, Ezeh EM, Ofoke IH, Ogbu CO, Ugwuja EI, Aja PM. Molecular docking as a tool for the discovery of molecular targets of nutraceuticals in disease management. Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):1–18.
34.Rahman AT, Rafia, Jethro A, Santoso P, Kharisma VD, Murtadlo AAA, Purnamasari D, Soekamto NH, Ansori, ANM, Kuswati, Mandeli RS, Aledresi KAMS, Yusof NFM, Jakhmola V, Rebezov M, Zainul R, Dobhal K, Parashar T, Ghifari MA, Sari DAP. In silico study of the potential of endemic sumatra wild turmeric rhizomes (Curcuma sumatrana: Zingiberaceae) As anti-cancer. Pharmacog J. 2022; 14(6):806–812.
35.Bhattacharjee B, Pal PK, & Chattopadhyay A, Bandyopadhyay D. Oleic Acid protects against cadmium induced cardiac and hepatic tissue injury in male wistar rats: A Mechanistic study. Life Sci. 2020; 1(244):117324.
36.Oh YT, Lee JY, Lee J, Kim H, Yoon KS, Choe W, Kang I. Oleic acid reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of inos and COX-2 in BV2 murine microglial cells: possible involvement of reactive oxygen species, p38 MAPK, and IKK/NF-KappaB signaling pathways. Neurosci. Lett. 2009; 466(2):93–97.
37.Harvey KA, Walker CL, Xu Z, Whitley P, Pavlina TM, Hise M, Zaloga GP, Siddiqui RA. Oleic acid inhibits stearic acid-induced inhibition of cell growth and pro-inflammatory responses in human aortic endothelial cells. J Lip Res. 2010; 51(12):3470–3480.
38.Speizer LA, Watson MJ, Brunton LL. Differential effects of omega-3 fish oils on protein kinase activities in vitro. Am J Physiol. 1991; 261(1 Pt 1): E109–114.
39.Ponnappan S, Ponnappan U. Aging and immune function: Molecular mechanisms to interventions. Antioxid Redox Sig. 2011; 14(8):1551–1585.
40.Hu KL, Zhao H, Chang HM, Yu Y, Qiao J. Kisspeptin/kisspeptin receptor system in the ovary. Front Endocrinol. 2018; 8:331073.
41.Yan W, Cheng L, Wang W, Wu C, Yang X, Du X, Ma L, Qi S, Wei Y, Lu Z, Yang S, Shao Z. Structure of the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor GnRH1R reveals an unusual ligand binding mode. Nat Comm. 2020; 11(1):1–10.
42.Blumenfeld Z. Fertility preservation using GNRH agonists: rationale, possible mechanisms, and explanation of controversy. Clin med insights. Reprod Health. 2019; 13:1-13.
43.Merkison J, Malcom C, Decherney A. Use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist trigger in fertility preservation for patients with inherited genetic disorders. Front Endocrinol 2022; 13:826419.
44.Narayan P. Genetic models for the study of Luteinizing hormone receptor function. Front Endocrinol 2015; 6: 162212.
45.Casarini L, Crépieux P. Molecular mechanisms of action of FSH. Front Endocrinol 2019; 10:305.
46.Hunzicker-Dunn ME, Lopez-Biladeau B, Law NC, Fiedler SE, Carr DW, Maizels ET. PKA and GAB2 play central roles in the FSH signaling pathway to PI3K and AKT in ovarian granulosa cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012; 109(44):2979-2988.


