Identification of Cadmium (CD) metal binding sites in _Eudrilus eugeniae using Insilico protocols

Abstract

The application of Eudrilus eugeniae earthworm species in bioremediation of contaminated soil results in a decrease in the concentration of pollutants by way of a mechanism known as bioaccumulation. Eudrilus eugeniae's body accumulation of cadmium metal is the subject of the current insilico study. The Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (COX1) protein of Eudrilus eugeniae accumulates cadmium metal. This study's technique includes molecular drug docking and H-bond interaction research using sophisticated automated drug docking platforms. The findings unequivocally demonstrate that Eudrilus eugeniae contains a significant amount of cysteine residues, which bind to a variety of heavy metals, most notably cadmium. Our findings align with the previously validated wet lab results as well. Ultimately, it was determined that cadmium metal directly binds to cysteine-rich amino acid locations. Based on the expression of the Cytochrome Oxidase 1 protein, these results have demonstrated that Eudrilus eugeniae is capable of collecting Chromium metal in its body. The complete Insilico study describes in detail how metals build up in a specific species of earthworm.