Modulation of Amyloid-β42 Conformation by Small Molecules Through Non-Specific Binding.

Aggregation of amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides is a crucial step in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Identifying aggregation inhibitors against AD has been a great challenge. We report an atomistic simulation study of the inhibition mechanism of two small molecules, homotaurine and scyllo-inositol, which are AD drug candidates currently under investigation. We show that both small molecules promote a conformational change of the A beta 42 monomer toward a more collapsed phase through a nonspecific binding mechanism. This finding provides atomistic-level insights into designing potential drug candidates for future AD treatments.