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Guo J, Chang A, Xu B. Autocleaving Bonds for Better Drugs. ChemMedChem 2024:e202400130. [PMID: 38553420 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202400130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024]
Abstract
While bond formation has historically been the mainstay of medicinal chemistry, the phenomenon of bond cleavage has received less focus. However, the success of numerous oral medications demonstrates the importance of controlled cleavage in prodrugs to achieve desired therapeutic outcomes. Nevertheless, effective strategies to control this cleavage remain limited. This concept article introduces a novel approach: employing peptides as conjugates to drugs to modulate the hydrolysis of these conjugates and enhance drug efficacy. The article begins by briefly outlining common prodrug strategies, followed by a few representative examples of how peptides can be leveraged to control the autohydrolysis of peptide-conjugated prodrugs for bacterial and cancer cell inhibition. Finally, it provides a brief outlook on the future potential of this promising new research direction in molecular medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA, 02454, USA
| | - Annabelle Chang
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA, 02454, USA
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA, 02454, USA
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Ge W, Li Z, Yang Y, Liu X, Zhu Z, Bai L, Qin Z, Xu X, Li J, Li S. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of FST and its effects on inflammatory response and intestinal barrier function in mice infected with Escherichia coli O78. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 127:111386. [PMID: 38109839 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) can cause intestinal diseases in humans and livestock, damage the intestinal barrier, increase systemic inflammation, and seriously threaten human health and the development of animal husbandry. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel conjugate florfenicol sulfathiazole (FST) based on drug combination principles, and investigated its antibacterial activity in vitro and its protective effect on inflammatory response and intestinal barrier function in E. coli O78-infected mice in vivo. The results showed that FST had superior antibacterial properties and minimal cytotoxicity compared with its prodrugs as florfenicol and sulfathiazole. FST protected mice from lethal E. coli infection, reduced clinical signs of inflammation, reduced weight loss, alleviated intestinal structural damage. FST decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and increased the expression of claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1 in the jejunum, improved the intestinal barrier function, and promoted the absorption of nutrients. FST also inhibited the expression of TLR4, MyD88, p-p65, and p-p38 in the jejunum. The study may lay the foundation for the development of FST as new drugs for intestinal inflammation and injury in enteric pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Ge
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhun Li
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yajun Yang
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiwang Liu
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhaohan Zhu
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lixia Bai
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhe Qin
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jianyong Li
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Shihong Li
- Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project of Gansu Province, Key Lab of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China.
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Li T, He X, Tao W, Zhang R, He Q, Gong H, Liu Y, Luo D, Zhang M, Zou C, Zhang SL, He Y. Development of membrane-targeting TPP +-chloramphenicol conjugates to combat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:115973. [PMID: 38096652 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria have become a new challenge in infection treatment, gravely endangering public health. Chloramphenicol (CL) is a well-known antibiotic which has lost its efficacy due to bacterial resistance. To address this issue, herein we report the design, synthesis and biological evaluations of novel triphenylphosphonium chloramphenicol conjugates (TPP+-CL). Study results indicated that compounds 39 and 42 possessed remarkable antibacterial effects against clinically isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with MIC values ranging from 1 to 2 μg/mL, while CL was inactive to the tested MRSA strains. In addition, these conjugates exhibited rapid bactericidal properties and low toxicity, and did not readily induced bacterial resistance, obviously outperforming the parent drug CL. In a mouse model infected with a clinically isolated MRSA strain, compound 39 at a dose of 20 mg/kg exhibited a comparable or even better in vivo anti-MRSA efficacy than the golden standard drug vancomycin, while no toxicity was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Xiaoli He
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266 Fangzheng Ave, Shuitu Technology Development Zone, Beibei, Chongqing, 400714, PR China
| | - Wenlan Tao
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266 Fangzheng Ave, Shuitu Technology Development Zone, Beibei, Chongqing, 400714, PR China
| | - Ruixue Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Qiaolin He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Hongzhi Gong
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Ye Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Dong Luo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Maojie Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Cheng Zou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China
| | - Shao-Lin Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, PR China.
| | - Yun He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Chongqing University, No. 55 Daxuecheng South Rd., Shapingba, Chongqing, 401331, PR China; Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266 Fangzheng Ave, Shuitu Technology Development Zone, Beibei, Chongqing, 400714, PR China.
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Guo J, Tan W, He H, Xu B. Autohydrolysis of Diglycine-Activated Succinic Esters Boosts Cellular Uptake. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202308022. [PMID: 37468437 PMCID: PMC10529148 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202308022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Rapid cellular uptake of synthetic molecules remains a challenge, and the motif frequently employed to generate prodrugs, succinic ester, unfortunately lowers the efficacy of the desired drugs due to their slow ester hydrolysis and low cell entry. Here we show that succinic ester-containing diglycine drastically boosts the cellular uptake of supramolecular assemblies or prodrugs. Specifically, autohydrolysis of the diglycine-activated succinic esters turns the nanofibers of the conjugates of succinic ester and self-assembling motif into nanoparticles for fast cellular uptake. The autohydrolysis of diglycine-activated succinic esters and drug conjugates also restores the efficacy of the drugs. 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) suggests that a "U-turn" of diglycine favors intramolecular hydrolysis of diglycine-activated succinic esters to promote autohydrolysis. As an example of rapid autohydrolysis of diglycine-activated succinic esters for instant cellular uptake, this work illustrates a nonenzymatic bond cleavage approach to develop effective therapeutics for intracellular targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University 415, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Weiyi Tan
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University 415, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Hongjian He
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University 415, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University 415, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
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Yi M, Tan W, Guo J, Xu B. Enzymatic noncovalent synthesis of peptide assemblies generates multimolecular crowding in cells for biomedical applications. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:12870-12879. [PMID: 34817487 PMCID: PMC8711086 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc05565h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Enzymatic noncovalent synthesis enables the spatiotemporal control of multimolecular crowding in cells, thus offering a unique opportunity for modulating cellular functions. This article introduces some representative enzymes and molecular building blocks for generating peptide assemblies as multimolecular crowding in cells, highlights the relevant biomedical applications, such as anticancer therapy, molecular imaging, trafficking proteins, genetic engineering, artificial intracellular filaments, cell morphogenesis, and antibacterial, and briefly discusses the promises of ENS as a multistep molecular process in biology and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meihui Yi
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
| | - Weiyi Tan
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
| | - Jiaqi Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
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Recent Trends in Synthesis of Chloramphenicol New Derivatives. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10040370. [PMID: 33807439 PMCID: PMC8066525 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10040370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloramphenicol (CAM), the bacteriostatic broad-spectrum antibiotic, isolated from Streptomyces venezuelae during the “golden era” of antibiotic discovery, nowadays has limited clinical potential due to adverse side effects and frequent antimicrobial resistance. Numerous CAM analogs were synthesized in order to find the derivatives with improved pharmacological properties and activity on resistant bacterial strains. This work aims to summarize the most recent achievements in obtaining new CAM analogs reported during the last five years. Current investigations are mainly focused on elucidating the molecular basis of the mode of CAM action and determining the mechanisms of resistance to this class of antibiotics or on studies of the possible use of the CAM scaffold to search for therapeutic agents with different CAM modes of action—such as selective antiproliferative agents or bacterial cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors. Hopefully, a deeper understanding of the CAM interactions with the target and its specificity will generate research ideas for developing new effective drugs.
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Liu Z, Tang X, Feng F, Xu J, Wu C, Dai G, Yue W, Zhong W, Xu K. Molecular design of peptide amphiphiles for controlled self-assembly and drug release. J Mater Chem B 2021; 9:3326-3334. [PMID: 33881438 DOI: 10.1039/d1tb00173f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Peptide amphiphile-based supramolecular hydrogels hold great promise in drug delivery applications. To cater for a specific drug dose in a demanding biomedical scenario, sophisticated design of peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules is required to tune their self-assembling behaviours as well as drug releasing profiles. Herein, we designed a series of PAs with various capping groups and C-terminal amino acids to systematically optimize their self-assembling capabilities for controlled drug release. First, we evaluated the influence of N-terminal capping groups to find that the 2-naphthylacetyl moiety (Nap) greatly assisted hydrogelation of PAs. Next, self-assembling behaviours of Nap-capped PAs were compared among three candidates that bore varying hydrophilic moieties at the C-terminus (Nap-C12-VVAAG, Nap-C12-VVAAD and Nap-C12-VVAADD, denoted as 1-G, 1-D, and 1-DD). It was found that 1-G and 1-D co-assembled with doxorubicin (DOX) and calcium ions (Ca2+) at a higher efficiency than 1-DD, for 1-G/Ca2+/DOX and 1-D/Ca2+/DOX hydrogels displayed a dense nanofibrillar network, with lower minimal gelation concentrations and greater storage modulus values. Interestingly, these PA/Ca2+/DOX hydrogels exhibited tunable release rates of DOX in vitro, with fast release of DOX found in 1-DD/Ca2+/DOX and slow release in 1-G/Ca2+/DOX and 1-D/Ca2+/DOX. Further cell experiments demonstrated that 1-G/Ca2+/DOX and 1-D/Ca2+/DOX exhibited higher inhibitory efficacy against HeLa cells, as compared to DOX solution and 1-DD/Ca2+/DOX. Finally, PA/Ca2+/DOX hydrogels displayed a longer retention time of DOX than aqueous DOX solution in animal experiments, and sustained release of DOX from hydrogels was also evidenced by slow and persisting accumulation of DOX in the major organs of hydrogel-treated mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqi Liu
- Department of Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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