The Role of Fluorine Atoms in a Fluorinated Prostaglandin Agonist

The role of covalently bound fluorine atoms in fluorinated prostaglandin agonist–receptor binding was studied using molecular dynamics and the fragment molecular orbital method. In agreement with experimental data, the simulated geometries of the fluorine and surrounding amino acid residues suggest that CF⋅⋅⋅H and F⋅⋅⋅CO interactions positively contribute to the receptor binding affinity of these ligands. The pair interaction energy profile of the fluorinated agonist confirmed these interactions. A similar profile obtained for the parent agonist suggested that the ω‐chains play equivalent roles.