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Meiers J, Rox K, Titz A. Lectin-Targeted Prodrugs Activated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa for Self-Destructive Antibiotic Release. J Med Chem 2022; 65:13988-14014. [PMID: 36201248 PMCID: PMC9619409 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections
are characterized by biofilm formation, a major virulence factor of P. aeruginosa and cause of extensive drug resistance.
Fluoroquinolones are effective antibiotics but are linked to severe
side effects. The two extracellular P. aeruginosa-specific lectins LecA and LecB are key structural biofilm components
and can be exploited for targeted drug delivery. In this work, several
fluoroquinolones were conjugated to lectin probes by cleavable peptide
linkers to yield lectin-targeted prodrugs. Mechanistically, these
conjugates therefore remain non-toxic in the systemic distribution
and will be activated to kill only once they have accumulated at the
infection site. The synthesized prodrugs proved stable in the presence
of host blood plasma and liver metabolism but rapidly released the
antibiotic cargo in the presence of P. aeruginosa in a self-destructive manner in vitro. Furthermore, the prodrugs
showed good absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
(ADME) properties and reduced toxicity in vitro, thus establishing
the first lectin-targeted antibiotic prodrugs against P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joscha Meiers
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates (CBCH), Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Standort Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Katharina Rox
- Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Standort Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany.,Chemical Biology (CBIO), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alexander Titz
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates (CBCH), Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Standort Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, D-66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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2
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O'Leary MK, Sundaram V, LiPuma JJ, Dörr T, Westblade LF, Alabi CA. Mechanism of Action and Resistance Evasion of an Antimicrobial Oligomer against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:1159-1168. [PMID: 35167257 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c01217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The last resort for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other MDR Gram-negative bacteria is a class of antibiotics called the polymyxins; however, polymyxin-resistant isolates have emerged. In response, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic mimetics have been investigated as alternative therapeutic options. Oligothioetheramides (oligoTEAs) are a class of synthetic, sequence-defined oligomers composed of N-allylacrylamide monomers and an abiotic dithiol backbone that is resistant to serum degradation. Characteristic of other AMP mimetics, the precise balance between charge and hydrophobicity has afforded cationic oligoTEAs potent antimicrobial activity, particularly for the compound BDT-4G, which consists of a 1,4-butanedithiol backbone and guanidine pendant groups, the latter of which provides a cationic charge at physiological pH. However, the activity and mechanism of cationic oligoTEAs against MDR Gram-negative isolates have yet to be fully investigated. Herein, we demonstrated the potent antimicrobial activity of BDT-4G against clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa with a range of susceptibility profiles, assessed the kinetics of bactericidal activity, and further elucidated its mechanism of action. Activity was also evaluated against a panel of polymyxin-resistant isolates, including intrinsically-resistant species. We demonstrate that BDT-4G can evade some of the mechanisms conferring resistance to polymyxin B and thus may have therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan K O'Leary
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Vishal Sundaram
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - John J LiPuma
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Lars F Westblade
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Christopher A Alabi
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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3
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Drayton M, Alford MA, Pletzer D, Haney EF, Machado Y, Luo HD, Overall CM, Kizhakkedathu JN, Hancock REW, Straus SK. Enzymatically releasable polyethylene glycol - host defense peptide conjugates with improved activity and biocompatibility. J Control Release 2021; 339:220-231. [PMID: 34597746 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Host defense peptides (HDPs) have been the subject of great interest for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections due to their multimodal activity and low induction of resistance. However, aggregation, toxicity, and short biological half-life have limited their applicability for clinical treatment. Many methods have been explored to alleviate these issues, such as polymer (e.g., polyethylene glycol (PEG)) conjugation, but these are often accompanied by reductions in the activity of the HDP. Here, we detail the design of a novel PEG-HDP conjugate incorporating an enzymatic cleavage sequence targeting matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that accumulate at sites of inflammation and infection. Addition of the cleavage sequence onto either the N- or the C-terminal region of the parent peptide (peptide 73, a derivative of the HDP aurein 2.2) was explored to determine the location for optimal antimicrobial activity following MMP cleavage; furthermore, the susceptibility of the peptide to MMP cleavage after conjugation to 2 kDa or 5 kDa PEG was examined. The top candidate, L73, utilized an N-terminal cleavage site that was subsequently conjugated to a 2 kDa PEG polymer. Both L73 and the conjugate exhibited no antimicrobial activity in vitro until cleaved by purified MMP, which liberated a peptide fragment with 16- or 63-fold improved activity, respectively, corresponding to a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 μg/mL, comparable to that of peptide 73 (4 μg/mL). Furthermore, PEG conjugation improved the blood compatibility and reduced the aggregation tendency of the HDP in vitro, indicating enhanced biocompatibility. When administered as a single subcutaneous dose (~3.6 mg, or a peptide concentration of 142 mg/kg) in a mouse abscess model of high-density methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, the conjugate displayed strong activity, reducing abscess size and bacterial load by 73.3% and 58-fold, respectively. This activity was completely lost when the cleavage site was rendered resistant to MMPs by the substitution of two d-amino acids, supporting the hypothesis that antimicrobial activity was dependent on cleavage by MMPs, which were shown here to increasingly accumulate at the abscess site up to 18 h post infection. Finally, the conjugate displayed biocompatibility in vivo, with no identifiable toxicity or aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Drayton
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada; Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Morgan A Alford
- Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Daniel Pletzer
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, 720 Cumberland St, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Evan F Haney
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Yoan Machado
- Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Haiming D Luo
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada; Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Christopher M Overall
- Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jayachandran N Kizhakkedathu
- Centre for Blood Research, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z3, Canada; The School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2222 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Robert E W Hancock
- Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Suzana K Straus
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
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Frederiksen N, Louka S, Mudaliar C, Domraceva I, Kreicberga A, Pugovics O, Żabicka D, Tomczak M, Wygoda W, Björkling F, Franzyk H. Peptide/β-Peptoid Hybrids with Ultrashort PEG-Like Moieties: Effects on Hydrophobicity, Antibacterial Activity and Hemolytic Properties. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137041. [PMID: 34208826 PMCID: PMC8268887 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
PEGylation of antimicrobial peptides as a shielding tool that increases stability toward proteolytic degradation typically leads to concomitant loss of activity, whereas incorporation of ultrashort PEG-like amino acids (sPEGs) remains essentially unexplored. Here, modification of a peptide/β-peptoid hybrid with sPEGs was examined with respect to influence on hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity and effect on viability of mammalian cells for a set of 18 oligomers. Intriguingly, the degree of sPEG modification did not significantly affect hydrophobicity as measured by retention in reverse-phase HPLC. Antibacterial activity against both wild-type and drug-resistant strains of Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii (both Gram-negative pathogens) was retained or slightly improved (MICs in the range 2–16 µg/mL equal to 0.7–5.2 µM). All compounds in the series exhibited less than 10% hemolysis at 400 µg/mL. While the number of sPEG moieties appeared not to be clearly correlated with hemolytic activity, a trend toward slightly increased hemolytic activity was observed for analogues displaying the longest sPEGs. In contrast, within a subseries the viability of HepG2 liver cells was least affected by analogues displaying the longer sPEGs (with IC50 values of ~1280 µg/mL) as compared to most other analogues and the parent peptidomimetic (IC50 values in the range 330–800 µg/mL).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicki Frederiksen
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (N.F.); (S.L.); (C.M.); (F.B.)
| | - Stavroula Louka
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (N.F.); (S.L.); (C.M.); (F.B.)
| | - Chirag Mudaliar
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (N.F.); (S.L.); (C.M.); (F.B.)
| | - Ilona Domraceva
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, 1006 Riga, Latvia; (I.D.); (A.K.); (O.P.)
| | - Agrita Kreicberga
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, 1006 Riga, Latvia; (I.D.); (A.K.); (O.P.)
| | - Osvalds Pugovics
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, 1006 Riga, Latvia; (I.D.); (A.K.); (O.P.)
| | - Dorota Żabicka
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (D.Ż.); (M.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Magdalena Tomczak
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (D.Ż.); (M.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Weronika Wygoda
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (D.Ż.); (M.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Fredrik Björkling
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (N.F.); (S.L.); (C.M.); (F.B.)
| | - Henrik Franzyk
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; (N.F.); (S.L.); (C.M.); (F.B.)
- Correspondence:
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5
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Wang T, Zou C, Wen N, Liu X, Meng Z, Feng S, Zheng Z, Meng Q, Wang C. The effect of structural modification of antimicrobial peptides on their antimicrobial activity, hemolytic activity, and plasma stability. J Pept Sci 2021; 27:e3306. [PMID: 33554385 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In this article, a series of modifications were made on an antimicrobial peptide F2,5,12 W, including altering the amino acid sequence, introducing cysteine and other typical amino acids, developing peptide dimers via disulfide bonds, and conjugating with mPEG, in order to enhance the antimicrobial activity, plasma stability, and reduce the hemolytic activity of peptides. The results showed that mPEG conjugation could significantly improve the plasma stability and reduce the hemolytic activity of peptides, while the antimicrobial activity decreased meanwhile. However, altering the sequence of the peptide without changing its amino acid composition had little impact on its antimicrobial activity and plasma stability. The introduction of cysteine enhanced the plasma stability of peptides conspicuously, but at the same time, the increased hydrophobicity of peptides increased their hemolysis. The antimicrobial mechanism and cytotoxicity of the peptides with relatively high antimicrobial activity were also studied. In general, this study provided some ideas for the rational design and structure optimization of antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taoran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Cunbin Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Na Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Xingdong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhao Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Siliang Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibing Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Qingbin Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, China
| | - Chenhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
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