Investigating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Cannabinoids and Their Derivatives Against Neisseria Gonorrhoeae by Computational Analysis

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative diplococcus that causes gonorrhea through sexual contact. This ancient STD remains a major public health concern due to reproductive health impacts, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and lack of a vaccine. Cannabis sativa contains antibacterial cannabinoids, though its role in combating antibiotic resistance is underexplored. The 2Fe-2S iron–sulfur cluster protein is a potential antibiotic target, as these clusters are vital for bacterial proteins involved in electron transport, enzyme activity, and gene regulation. Disrupting them may impair bacterial survival and function. In this investigation, the 2Fe–2S iron sulfur cluster binding domain-containing protein (NGFG_RS03485), identified as a potential therapeutic target from the core proteome of 12 Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains, was selected for this study. Potential antimicrobial agents were explored through molecular docking studies involving 16 cannabinoid analogs—9 obtained from literature sources and 7 identified via fingerprint similarity searches. The study revealed that four cannabinoids form favorable bonds with active regions against our targeted protein; with a high binding affinity formed from the molecular docking; 1,3-Benzenediol, 2-[3-methyl-6-(1-methylethenyl)-2-cyclohexen-1-yl]-5-pentyl-, (1R-trans). Dronabinol, Cannabinolic acid A (CBNA), Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), and Ferruginene C are derivatives identified. Drug-likeness assessments were conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and toxicity properties of the cannabinoids and compared against the antibiotics.