TeroACT: A terpenoid bioactivity landscape and discovery platform
XiaoJuan Shen, Shijia Yan, Xu Kang, Kangwei Xu, Yongxing Jian, Tao Zeng, Guohui Wan, Ruibo Wu · Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B · 2025
Terpenoids exhibit diverse biological activities and thus have a wide range of pharmacological applications. In modern drug discovery, data-driven deep models play a crucial role in facilitating efficient feature representation and knowledge inference. To explore the uncharted bioactivity space of terpenoids, the construction of a multi-dimensional relational terpenoid database is essential for mapping terpenoid-bioactivity profiles. In this study, we first constructed a large-scale biological knowledge graph by integrating various data types, including terpenoid compounds, protein targets, cellular targets, genes, diseases, and their interrelationships. Subsequently, we developed a network-based disease prediction model, as well as optimized multiple compound-protein interaction prediction tools to extend the framework for activity research. These resources have been deployed on a user-friendly web platform (TeroACT) accessible at: http://terokit.qmclab.com/teroact/. Using in silico models within the TeroACT platform, we screened multiple terpenoid molecules for anti-melanoma activity. In vitro and in vivo animal models further validated the anti-migration and anti-proliferative effects of mollugin and columbianadin in melanoma. Additionally, integrated computational screening and experimental approaches identified numerous terpenoids with anti-inflammatory properties. In this sense, TeroACT fills the gap in terpenoid bioactivity study by providing a comprehensive data resource and AI-driven drug discovery tools. TeroACT, a terpenoid bioactivity discovery platform, was established to host the first comprehensive terpenoid-centric knowledge graph and AI-powered tools for bioactivity identification for terpenoids.