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Wang H, Jiao D, Feng D, Liu Q, Huang Y, Hou J, Ding D, Zhang W. Transformable Supramolecular Self-Assembled Peptides for Cascade Self-Enhanced Ferroptosis Primed Cancer Immunotherapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2311733. [PMID: 38339920 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202311733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has received widespread attention for its effective and long-term tumor-eliminating ability. However, for immunogenic "cold" tumors, such as prostate cancer (PCa), the low immunogenicity of the tumor itself is a serious obstacle to efficacy. Here, this work reports a strategy to enhance PCa immunogenicity by triggering cascade self-enhanced ferroptosis in tumor cells, turning the tumor from "cold" to "hot". This work develops a transformable self-assembled peptide TEP-FFG-CRApY with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) responsiveness and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein targeting. TEP-FFG-CRApY self-assembles into nanoparticles under aqueous conditions and transforms into nanofibers in response to ALP during endosome/lysosome uptake into tumor cells, promoting lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP). On the one hand, the released TEP-FFG-CRAY nanofibers target GPX4 and selectively degrade the GPX4 protein under the light irradiation, inducing ferroptosis; on the other hand, the large amount of leaked Fe2+ further cascade to amplify the ferroptosis through the Fenton reaction. TEP-FFG-CRApY-induced immunogenic ferroptosis improves tumor cell immunogenicity by promoting the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and increasing intratumor T-cell infiltration. More importantly, recovered T cells further enhance ferroptosis by secreting large amounts of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). This work provides a novel strategy for the molecular design of synergistic molecularly targeted therapy for immunogenic "cold" tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Wang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Di Jiao
- Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Dexiang Feng
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Urology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Yuhua Huang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Jianquan Hou
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Dan Ding
- Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education and College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221002, China
| | - Weijie Zhang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
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Hassannia M, Naderifar M, Salamy S, Akbarizadeh MR, Mohebi S, Moghadam MT. Engineered phage enzymes against drug-resistant pathogens: a review on advances and applications. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2024; 47:301-312. [PMID: 37962644 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-023-02938-6] [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: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, the expansion of multi and extensively drug-resistant (MDR and XDR) bacteria has reached an alarming rate, causing serious health concerns. Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria have been associated with morbidity and mortality, making tackling bacterial resistance an urgent and unmet challenge that needs to be addressed properly. Endolysins are phage-encoded enzymes that can specifically degrade the bacterial cell wall and lead to bacterial death. There is remarkable evidence that corroborates the unique ability of endolysins to rapidly digest the peptidoglycan particular bonds externally without the assistance of phage. Thus, their modulation in therapeutic approaches has opened new options for therapeutic applications in the fight against bacterial infections in the human and veterinary sectors, as well as within the agricultural and biotechnology areas. The use of genetically engineered phage enzymes (EPE) promises to generate endolysin variants with unique properties for prophylactic and therapeutic applications. These approaches have gained momentum to accelerate basic as well as translational phage research and the potential development of therapeutics in the near future. This review will focus on the novel knowledge into EPE and demonstrate that EPE has far better performance than natural endolysins and phages in dealing with antibiotic-resistant infections. Therefore, it provides essential information for clinical trials involving EPE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohadeseh Hassannia
- Department of Genetic, Faculty of Science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahin Naderifar
- School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
| | - Shakiba Salamy
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Samane Mohebi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Dzuvor CKO, Shen HH, Haritos VS, He L. Coassembled Multicomponent Protein Nanoparticles Elicit Enhanced Antibacterial Activity. ACS NANO 2024; 18:4478-4494. [PMID: 38266175 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c11179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The waning pipeline of the useful antibacterial arsenal has necessitated the urgent development of more effective antibacterial strategies with distinct mechanisms to rival the continuing emergence of resistant pathogens, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, due to their explicit drug-impermeable, two-membrane-sandwiched cell wall envelope. Herein, we have developed multicomponent coassembled nanoparticles with strong bactericidal activity and simultaneous bacterial cell envelope targeting using a peptide coassembly strategy. Compared to the single-component self-assembled nanoparticle counterparts or cocktail mixtures of these at a similar concentration, coassembled multicomponent nanoparticles showed higher bacterial killing efficiency against Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli by several orders of magnitude (about 100-1,000,000-fold increase). Comprehensive confocal and electron microscopy suggest that the superior antibacterial activity of the coassembled nanoparticles proceeds via multiple complementary mechanisms of action, including membrane destabilization, disruption, and cell wall hydrolysis, actions that were not observed with the single nanoparticle counterparts. To understand the fundamental working mechanisms behind the improved performance of coassembled nanoparticles, we utilized a "dilution effect" system where the antibacterial components are intermolecularly mixed and coassembled with a non-antibacterial protein in the nanoparticles. We suggest that coassembled nanoparticles mediate enhanced bacterial killing activity by attributes such as optimized local concentration, high avidity, cooperativity, and synergy. The nanoparticles showed no cytotoxic or hemolytic activity against tested eukaryotic cells and erythrocytes. Collectively, these findings reveal potential strategies for disrupting the impermeable barrier that Gram-negative pathogens leverage to restrict antibacterial access and may serve as a platform technology for potential nano-antibacterial design to strengthen the declining antibiotic arsenal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian K O Dzuvor
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Hsin-Hui Shen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Victoria S Haritos
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Lizhong He
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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Dzuvor CKO. Toward Clinical Applications: Transforming Nonantibiotic Antibacterials into Effective Next-Generation Supramolecular Therapeutics. ACS NANO 2024; 18:2564-2577. [PMID: 38227832 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c11045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a major driver of morbidity and mortality worldwide, necessitating alternatives. Due to their mechanism of action, bacteriophages, endolysins, and antimicrobial peptides (coined herein as nonantibiotic antibacterials, NAA) have risen to tackle this problem and led to paradigms in treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. However, their clinical applications remain challenging and have been seriously hampered by cytotoxicity, instability, weak bioactivity, low on-target bioavailability, high pro-inflammatory responses, shorter half-life, and circulatory properties. Hence, to transit preclinical phases and beyond, it has become imperative to radically engineer these alternatives into innovative and revolutionary therapeutics to overcome recalcitrant infections. This perspective highlights the promise of these agents, their limitations, promising designs, nanotechnology, and delivery approaches that can be harnessed to transform these agents. Finally, I provide an outlook on the remaining challenges that need to be tackled for their widespread clinical administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian K O Dzuvor
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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Boroujeni MB, Mohebi S, Malekian A, Shahraeini SS, Gharagheizi Z, Shahkolahi S, Sadeghi RV, Naderifar M, Akbarizadeh MR, Soltaninejad S, Moghadam ZT, Moghadam MT, Mirzadeh F. The therapeutic effect of engineered phage, derived protein and enzymes against superbug bacteria. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:82-99. [PMID: 37881139 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28581] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Defending against antibiotic-resistant infections is similar to fighting a war with limited ammunition. As the new century unfolded, antibiotic resistance became a significant concern. In spite of the fact that phage treatment has been used as an effective means of fighting infections for more than a century, researchers have had to overcome many challenges of superbug bacteria by manipulating phages and producing engineered enzymes. New enzymes and phages with enhanced properties have a significant impact on the ability to fight antibiotic-resistant infections, which is considered a window of hope for the future. This review, therefore, illustrates not only the challenges caused by antibiotic resistance and superbug bacteria but also the engineered enzymes and phages that are being developed to solve these issues. Our study found that engineered phages, phage proteins, and enzymes can be effective in treating superbug bacteria and destroying the biofilm caused by them. Combining these engineered compounds with other antimicrobial substances can increase their effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Therefore, engineered phages, proteins, and enzymes can be used as a substitute for antibiotics or in combination with antibiotics to treat patients with superbug infections in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samane Mohebi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Azam Malekian
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Sadegh Shahraeini
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Biotechnology Research Centre, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Gharagheizi
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shaghayegh Shahkolahi
- Department of Microbiology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rezvaneh Vahedian Sadeghi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahin Naderifar
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
| | | | | | - Zahra Taati Moghadam
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
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Dzuvor CKO, Shanbhag BK, Shen HH, Haritos VS, He L. An Ultrastable Self-Assembled Antibacterial Nanospears Made of Protein. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023:e2302409. [PMID: 37120846 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202302409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based nanomaterials have broad applications in the biomedical and bionanotechnological sectors owing to their outstanding properties such as high biocompatibility and biodegradability, structural stability, sophisticated functional versatility, and being environmentally benign. They have gained considerable attention in drug delivery, cancer therapeutics, vaccines, immunotherapies, biosensing, and biocatalysis. However, so far, in the battle against the increasing reports of antibiotic resistance and emerging drug-resistant bacteria, unique nanostructures of this kind are lacking, hindering their potential next-generation antibacterial agents. Here, the discovery of a class of supramolecular nanostructures with well-defined shapes, geometries, or architectures (termed "protein nanospears") based on engineered proteins, exhibiting exceptional broad-spectrum antibacterial activities, is reported. The protein nanospears are engineered via spontaneous cleavage-dependent or precisely tunable self-assembly routes using mild metal salt-ions (Mg2+ , Ca2+ , Na+ ) as a molecular trigger. The nanospears' dimensions collectively range from entire nano- to micrometer scale. The protein nanospears display exceptional thermal and chemical stability yet rapidly disassemble upon exposure to high concentrations of chaotropes (>1 mm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)). Using a combination of biological assays and electron microscopy imaging, it is revealed that the nanospears spontaneously induce rapid and irreparable damage to bacterial morphology via a unique action mechanism provided by their nanostructure and enzymatic action, a feat inaccessible to traditional antibiotics. These protein-based nanospears show promise as a potent tool to combat the growing threats of resistant bacteria, inspiring a new way to engineer other antibacterial protein nanomaterials with diverse structural and dimensional architectures and functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian K O Dzuvor
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Bhuvana K Shanbhag
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Hsin-Hui Shen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Victoria S Haritos
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Lizhong He
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Monash University Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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Liu H, Hu Z, Li M, Yang Y, Lu S, Rao X. Therapeutic potential of bacteriophage endolysins for infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:29. [PMID: 37101261 PMCID: PMC10131408 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00919-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Gram-positive (G+) bacterial infection is a great burden to both healthcare and community medical resources. As a result of the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant G+ bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), novel antimicrobial agents must urgently be developed for the treatment of infections caused by G+ bacteria. Endolysins are bacteriophage (phage)-encoded enzymes that can specifically hydrolyze the bacterial cell wall and quickly kill bacteria. Bacterial resistance to endolysins is low. Therefore, endolysins are considered promising alternatives for solving the mounting resistance problem. In this review, endolysins derived from phages targeting G+ bacteria were classified based on their structural characteristics. The active mechanisms, efficacy, and advantages of endolysins as antibacterial drug candidates were summarized. Moreover, the remarkable potential of phage endolysins in the treatment of G+ bacterial infections was described. In addition, the safety of endolysins, challenges, and possible solutions were addressed. Notwithstanding the limitations of endolysins, the trends in development indicate that endolysin-based drugs will be approved in the near future. Overall, this review presents crucial information of the current progress involving endolysins as potential therapeutic agents, and it provides a guideline for biomaterial researchers who are devoting themselves to fighting against bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Liu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Zhen Hu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Mengyang Li
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Shuguang Lu
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
| | - Xiancai Rao
- Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Microbial Engineering Under the Educational Committee in Chongqing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
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