1
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Ginex T, Vázquez J, Estarellas C, Luque FJ. Quantum mechanical-based strategies in drug discovery: Finding the pace to new challenges in drug design. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 87:102870. [PMID: 38914031 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
The expansion of the chemical space to tangible libraries containing billions of synthesizable molecules opens exciting opportunities for drug discovery, but also challenges the power of computer-aided drug design to prioritize the best candidates. This directly hits quantum mechanics (QM) methods, which provide chemically accurate properties, but subject to small-sized systems. Preserving accuracy while optimizing the computational cost is at the heart of many efforts to develop high-quality, efficient QM-based strategies, reflected in refined algorithms and computational approaches. The design of QM-tailored physics-based force fields and the coupling of QM with machine learning, in conjunction with the computing performance of supercomputing resources, will enhance the ability to use these methods in drug discovery. The challenge is formidable, but we will undoubtedly see impressive advances that will define a new era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Ginex
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Vázquez
- Pharmacelera, Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB), Baldiri Reixac 4-8, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
| | - Carolina Estarellas
- Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain; Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain
| | - F Javier Luque
- Departament de Nutrició, Ciències de l'Alimentació i Gastronomia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain; Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), 08921 Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain.
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2
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Lv X, Li W, Zhang M, Wang R, Chang J. Investigation of steric hindrance effect on the interactions between four alkaloids and HSA by isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular docking. J Mol Recognit 2024; 37:e3075. [PMID: 38191989 DOI: 10.1002/jmr.3075] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The binding of four alkaloids with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), spectroscopy and molecular docking techniques. The findings demonstrated that theophylline or caffeine can bind to HAS, respectively. The number of binding sites and binding constants are obtained. The binding mode is a static quenching process. The effects of steric hindrance, temperature, salt concentration and buffer solution on the binding indicated that theophylline and HSA have higher binding affinity than caffeine. The fluorescence and ITC results showed that the interaction between HSA and theophylline or caffeine is an entropy-driven spontaneous exothermic process. The hydrophobic force was the primary driving factor. The experimental results were consistent with the molecular docking data. Based on the molecular structures of the four alkaloids, steric hindrance might be a major factor in the binding between HSA and these four alkaloids. This study elucidates the mechanism of interactions between four alkaloids and HSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinluan Lv
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Pingyuan Laboratory (Zhengzhou University), Zhengzho, China
| | - Wenjin Li
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Pingyuan Laboratory (Zhengzhou University), Zhengzho, China
| | - Miao Zhang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Pingyuan Laboratory (Zhengzhou University), Zhengzho, China
| | - Ruiyong Wang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Pingyuan Laboratory (Zhengzhou University), Zhengzho, China
| | - Junbiao Chang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Pingyuan Laboratory (Zhengzhou University), Zhengzho, China
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3
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Prates JLB, Lopes JR, Chin CM, Ferreira EI, Dos Santos JL, Scarim CB. Discovery of Novel Inhibitors of Cruzain Cysteine Protease of Trypanosoma cruzi. Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2285-2308. [PMID: 37888814 DOI: 10.2174/0109298673254864230921090519] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is a parasitic disease endemic in several developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 6-8 million people worldwide are inflicted by CD. The scarcity of new drugs, mainly for the chronic phase, is the main reason for treatment limitation in CD. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover new targets for which new therapeutical agents could be developed. Cruzain cysteine protease (CCP) is a promising alternative because this enzyme exhibits pleiotropic effects by acting as a virulence factor, modulating host immune cells, and interacting with host cells. This systematic review was conducted to discover new compounds that act as cruzain inhibitors, and their effects in vitro were studied through enzymatic assays and molecular docking. Additionally, the advances and perspectives of these inhibitors are discussed. These findings are expected to contribute to medicinal chemistry in view of the design of new, safe, and efficacious inhibitors against Trypanosoma cruzi CCP detected in the last decade (2013-2022) to provide scaffolds for further optimization, aiming toward the discovery of new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Lucas Bruno Prates
- Department of Drugs and Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Chemistry Institute Araraquara, São Paulo State University (UNESP), SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana Romano Lopes
- Department of Drugs and Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Chung Man Chin
- Department of Drugs and Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Union of the Colleges of the Great Lakes (UNILAGO), School of Medicine, Advanced Research Center in Medicine, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Igne Ferreira
- LAPEN-Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Chemotherapeutic Agents Potentially Active on Neglected Diseases, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jean Leandro Dos Santos
- Department of Drugs and Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
- Chemistry Institute Araraquara, São Paulo State University (UNESP), SP, Brazil
| | - Cauê Benito Scarim
- Department of Drugs and Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
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4
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dos Santos Nascimento IJ, Santana Gomes JN, de Oliveira Viana J, de Medeiros e Silva YMS, Barbosa EG, de Moura RO. The Power of Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Their Applications to Discover Cysteine Protease Inhibitors. Mini Rev Med Chem 2024; 24:1125-1146. [PMID: 37680157 PMCID: PMC11337241 DOI: 10.2174/1389557523666230901152257] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
A large family of enzymes with the function of hydrolyzing peptide bonds, called peptidases or cysteine proteases (CPs), are divided into three categories according to the peptide chain involved. CPs catalyze the hydrolysis of amide, ester, thiol ester, and thioester peptide bonds. They can be divided into several groups, such as papain-like (CA), viral chymotrypsin-like CPs (CB), papainlike endopeptidases of RNA viruses (CC), legumain-type caspases (CD), and showing active residues of His, Glu/Asp, Gln, Cys (CE). The catalytic mechanism of CPs is the essential cysteine residue present in the active site. These mechanisms are often studied through computational methods that provide new information about the catalytic mechanism and identify inhibitors. The role of computational methods during drug design and development stages is increasing. Methods in Computer-Aided Drug Design (CADD) accelerate the discovery process, increase the chances of selecting more promising molecules for experimental studies, and can identify critical mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology and molecular pathways of action. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are essential in any drug discovery program due to their high capacity for simulating a physiological environment capable of unveiling significant inhibition mechanisms of new compounds against target proteins, especially CPs. Here, a brief approach will be shown on MD simulations and how the studies were applied to identify inhibitors or critical information against cysteine protease from several microorganisms, such as Trypanosoma cruzi (cruzain), Trypanosoma brucei (rhodesain), Plasmodium spp. (falcipain), and SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro). We hope the readers will gain new insights and use our study as a guide for potential compound identifications using MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor José dos Santos Nascimento
- Department of Pharmacy, Cesmac University Center, Maceió, 57051-160, Brazil
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
- Post-graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
| | - Joilly Nilce Santana Gomes
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
| | - Jéssika de Oliveira Viana
- Post-graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Yvnni Maria Sales de Medeiros e Silva
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
- Post-graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
| | - Euzébio Guimarães Barbosa
- Post-graduate Program in Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Post-graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Olimpio de Moura
- Department of Pharmacy, Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
- Post-graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
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5
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Hasan MN, Ray M, Saha A. Landscape of In Silico Tools for Modeling Covalent Modification of Proteins: A Review on Computational Covalent Drug Discovery. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:9663-9684. [PMID: 37921534 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Covalent drug discovery has been a challenging research area given the struggle of finding a sweet balance between selectivity and reactivity for these drugs, the lack of which often leads to off-target activities and hence undesirable side effects. However, there has been a resurgence in covalent drug design following the success of several covalent drugs such as boceprevir (2011), ibrutinib (2013), neratinib (2017), dacomitinib (2018), zanubrutinib (2019), and many others. Design of covalent drugs includes many crucial factors, where "evaluation of the binding affinity" and "a detailed mechanistic understanding on covalent inhibition" are at the top of the list. Well-defined experimental techniques are available to elucidate these factors; however, often they are expensive and/or time-consuming and hence not suitable for high throughput screens. Recent developments in in silico methods provide promise in this direction. In this report, we review a set of recent publications that focused on developing and/or implementing novel in silico techniques in "Computational Covalent Drug Discovery (CCDD)". We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches along with what improvements are required to make it a great tool in medicinal chemistry in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Nazmul Hasan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin─Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Manisha Ray
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, United States
| | - Arjun Saha
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin─Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
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6
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Alves ETM, Pernichelle FG, Nascimento LA, Ferreira GM, Ferreira EI. Covalent Inhibitors for Neglected Diseases: An Exploration of Novel Therapeutic Options. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1028. [PMID: 37513939 PMCID: PMC10385647 DOI: 10.3390/ph16071028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Neglected diseases, primarily found in tropical regions of the world, present a significant challenge for impoverished populations. Currently, there are 20 diseases considered neglected, which greatly impact the health of affected populations and result in difficult-to-control social and economic consequences. Unfortunately, for the majority of these diseases, there are few or no drugs available for patient treatment, and the few drugs that do exist often lack adequate safety and efficacy. As a result, there is a pressing need to discover and design new drugs to address these neglected diseases. This requires the identification of different targets and interactions to be studied. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on studying enzyme covalent inhibitors as a potential treatment for neglected diseases. In this review, we will explore examples of how these inhibitors have been used to target Human African Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and Malaria, highlighting some of the most promising results so far. Ultimately, this review aims to inspire medicinal chemists to pursue the development of new drug candidates for these neglected diseases, and to encourage greater investment in research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick Tavares Marcelino Alves
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580, Butantã, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Filipe Gomes Pernichelle
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580, Butantã, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Lucas Adriano Nascimento
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580, Butantã, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Glaucio Monteiro Ferreira
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580, Butantã, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Igne Ferreira
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580, Butantã, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
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7
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Grigorenko BL, Polyakov IV, Khrenova MG, Giudetti G, Faraji S, Krylov AI, Nemukhin AV. Multiscale Simulations of the Covalent Inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: Four Compounds and Three Reaction Mechanisms. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:13204-13214. [PMID: 37294056 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c02229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report the results of computational modeling of the reactions of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro) with four potential covalent inhibitors. Two of them, carmofur and nirmatrelvir, have shown experimentally the ability to inhibit MPro. Two other compounds, X77A and X77C, were designed computationally in this work. They were derived from the structure of X77, a non-covalent inhibitor forming a tight surface complex with MPro. We modified the X77 structure by introducing warheads capable of reacting with the catalytic cysteine residue in the MPro active site. The reaction mechanisms of the four molecules with MPro were investigated by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. The results show that all four compounds form covalent adducts with the catalytic cysteine Cys 145 of MPro. From the chemical perspective, the reactions of these four molecules with MPro follow three distinct mechanisms. The reactions are initiated by a nucleophilic attack of the thiolate group of the deprotonated cysteine residue from the catalytic dyad Cys145-His41 of MPro. In the case of carmofur and X77A, the covalent binding of the thiolate to the ligand is accompanied by the formation of the fluoro-uracil leaving group. The reaction with X77C follows the nucleophilic aromatic substitution SNAr mechanism. The reaction of MPro with nirmatrelvir (which has a reactive nitrile group) leads to the formation of a covalent thioimidate adduct with the thiolate of the Cys145 residue in the enzyme active site. Our results contribute to the ongoing search for efficient inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bella L Grigorenko
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Igor V Polyakov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Maria G Khrenova
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Goran Giudetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0482, United States
| | - Shirin Faraji
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Anna I Krylov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0482, United States
| | - Alexander V Nemukhin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
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8
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Arafet K, Royo S, Schirmeister T, Barthels F, González FV, Moliner V. Impact of the Recognition Part of Dipeptidyl Nitroalkene Compounds on the Inhibition Mechanism of Cysteine Proteases Cruzain and Cathepsin L. ACS Catal 2023; 13:6289-6300. [PMID: 37180968 PMCID: PMC10167892 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c01035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine proteases (CPs) are an important class of enzymes, many of which are responsible for several human diseases. For instance, cruzain of protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is responsible for the Chagas disease, while the role of human cathepsin L is associated with some cancers or is a potential target for the treatment of COVID-19. However, despite paramount work carried out during the past years, the compounds that have been proposed so far show limited inhibitory action against these enzymes. We present a study of proposed covalent inhibitors of these two CPs, cruzain and cathepsin L, based on the design, synthesis, kinetic measurements, and QM/MM computational simulations on dipeptidyl nitroalkene compounds. The experimentally determined inhibition data, together with the analysis and the predicted inhibition constants derived from the free energy landscape of the full inhibition process, allowed describing the impact of the recognition part of these compounds and, in particular, the modifications on the P2 site. The designed compounds and, in particular, the one with a bulky group (Trp) at the P2 site show promising in vitro inhibition activities against cruzain and cathepsin L for use as a starting lead compound in the development of drugs with medical applications for the treatment of human diseases and future designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kemel Arafet
- Dipartimento
di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
- BioComp
Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM),
Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Santiago Royo
- Departament
de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Fabian Barthels
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Florenci V. González
- Departament
de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Vicent Moliner
- BioComp
Group, Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM),
Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castelló, Spain
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9
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Martins LC, de Oliveira RB, Lameira J, Ferreira RS. Experimental and Computational Study of Aryl-thiosemicarbazones Inhibiting Cruzain Reveals Reversible Inhibition and a Stepwise Mechanism. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:1506-1520. [PMID: 36802548 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasite that infects about 6-7 million people worldwide, mostly in Latin America, causing Chagas disease. Cruzain, the main cysteine protease of T. cruzi, is a validated target for developing drug candidates for Chagas disease. Thiosemicarbazones are one of the most relevant warheads used in covalent inhibitors targeting cruzain. Despite its relevance, the mechanism of inhibition of cruzain by thiosemicarbazones is unknown. Here, we combined experiments and simulations to unveil the covalent inhibition mechanism of cruzain by a thiosemicarbazone-based inhibitor (compound 1). Additionally, we studied a semicarbazone (compound 2), which is structurally similar to compound 1 but does not inhibit cruzain. Assays confirmed the reversibility of inhibition by compound 1 and suggested a two-step mechanism of inhibition. The Ki was estimated to be 36.3 μM and Ki* to be 11.5 μM, suggesting the pre-covalent complex to be relevant for inhibition. Molecular dynamics simulations of compounds 1 and 2 with cruzain were used to propose putative binding modes for the ligands. One-dimensional (1D) quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potential of mean force (PMF) and gas-phase energies showed that the attack of Cys25-S- on the C═S or C═O bond yields a more stable intermediate than the attack on the C═N bond of the thiosemicarbazone/semicarbazone. Two-dimensional (2D) QM/MM PMF revealed a putative reaction mechanism for compound 1, involving the proton transfer to the ligand, followed by the Cys25-S- attack at C═S. The ΔG and energy barrier were estimated to be -1.4 and 11.7 kcal/mol, respectively. Overall, our results shed light on the inhibition mechanism of cruzain by thiosemicarbazones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luan Carvalho Martins
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Laboratory, Institute for Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, 6627, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Renata Barbosa de Oliveira
- Pharmaceutical Products Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, 6627, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Rafaela Salgado Ferreira
- Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Laboratory, Institute for Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, 6627, Antônio Carlos Avenue, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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10
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Bonatto V, Lameiro RF, Rocho FR, Lameira J, Leitão A, Montanari CA. Nitriles: an attractive approach to the development of covalent inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:201-217. [PMID: 36846367 PMCID: PMC9945868 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00204c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitriles have broad applications in medicinal chemistry, with more than 60 small molecule drugs on the market containing the cyano functional group. In addition to the well-known noncovalent interactions that nitriles can perform with macromolecular targets, they are also known to improve drug candidates' pharmacokinetic profiles. Moreover, the cyano group can be used as an electrophilic warhead to covalently bind an inhibitor to a target of interest, forming a covalent adduct, a strategy that can present benefits over noncovalent inhibitors. This approach has gained much notoriety in recent years, mainly with diabetes and COVID-19-approved drugs. Nevertheless, the application of nitriles in covalent ligands is not restricted to it being the reactive center, as it can also be employed to convert irreversible inhibitors into reversible ones, a promising strategy for kinase inhibition and protein degradation. In this review, we introduce and discuss the roles of the cyano group in covalent inhibitors, how to tune its reactivity and the possibility of achieving selectivity only by replacing the warhead. Finally, we provide an overview of nitrile-based covalent compounds in approved drugs and inhibitors recently described in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonatto
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Rafael F Lameiro
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Fernanda R Rocho
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
- Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Pará Rua Augusto Correa S/N Belém PA Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 13566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
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11
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Yan X, Yu B, Zhang H, Huang H. Copper-Catalyzed Claisen Rearrangement with AIBN and Allylic Alcohols. J Org Chem 2022; 87:16918-16927. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c02298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xuyang Yan
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis of CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Bangkui Yu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis of CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Haocheng Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis of CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Hanmin Huang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis of CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
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12
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Dos Santos AM, Oliveira ARS, da Costa CHS, Kenny PW, Montanari CA, Varela JDJG, Lameira J. Assessment of Reversibility for Covalent Cysteine Protease Inhibitors Using Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Free Energy Surfaces. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:4083-4094. [PMID: 36044342 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) potentials to investigate the reaction mechanism for covalent inhibition of cathepsin K and assess the reversibility of inhibition. The computed free energy profiles suggest that a nucleophilic attack by the catalytic cysteine on the inhibitor warhead and proton transfer from the catalytic histidine occur in a concerted manner. The results indicate that the reaction is more strongly exergonic for the alkyne-based inhibitors, which bind irreversibly to cathepsin K, than for the nitrile-based inhibitor odanacatib, which binds reversibly. Gas-phase energies were also calculated for the addition of methanethiol to structural prototypes for a number of warheads of interest in cysteine protease inhibitor design in order to assess electrophilicity. The approaches presented in this study are particularly applicable to assessment of novel warheads, and computed transition state geometries can be incorporated into molecular models for covalent docking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto M Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil.,Laboratório de Química Quântica Computacional, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65080 401 São Luis, MA, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ruslana Santana Oliveira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Clauber H S da Costa
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Peter W Kenny
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 13566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 13566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Jaldyr de Jesus G Varela
- Laboratório de Química Quântica Computacional, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65080 401 São Luis, MA, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brazil
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13
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Bitam S, Hamadache M, Hanini S. 2D-QSAR, docking, molecular dynamics, studies of PF-07321332 analogues to identify alternative inhibitors against 3CL pro enzyme in SARS-CoV disease. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022:1-10. [PMID: 35983623 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2113822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Given the results of the Pfizer-developed inhibitor PF-07321332 in the treatment of the SARS-Covid-19 epidemic, we aimed to identify potential alternatives to this compound by utilizing various methods; we developed 2 D-QSAR models to predict the therapeutic activity of 78 analogues of PF-07321332, three statistical learning techniques including (MLP-ANN), (SVR), and (MLR) were exploited. Various validation approaches were applied to the three models developed following the use of five most relevant descriptors. The study of the characteristics of these descriptors proved that the inhibitory activity of PF-07321332 analogues is specifically affected by the structure of the molecule, its polarizability, and by the hydrogen bonds. The best model, named MLP-ANN (with a 5-3-1 architecture), was selected on the basis of the following statistical parameters: r2 = 0.922, Q2 = 0.921. In addition, we performed a molecular docking and a molecular dynamics analysis of these compounds. The obtained results confirm that compound 8 can be a good alternative for compound PF-07321332.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Said Bitam
- Faculté de Technologie, Département du Génie des Procédés et Environnement, Laboratoire des Biomatériaux et Phénomènes de Transport (LBMPT), Université de Médéa, Médéa, Algérie
| | - Mabrouk Hamadache
- Faculté de Technologie, Département du Génie des Procédés et Environnement, Laboratoire des Biomatériaux et Phénomènes de Transport (LBMPT), Université de Médéa, Médéa, Algérie
| | - Salah Hanini
- Faculté de Technologie, Département du Génie des Procédés et Environnement, Laboratoire des Biomatériaux et Phénomènes de Transport (LBMPT), Université de Médéa, Médéa, Algérie
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14
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Nawarathne SR, Kim DM, Cho HM, Hong J, Kim Y, Yu M, Yi YJ, Lee H, Wan V, Ng NKJ, Tan CH, Heo JM. Combinatorial Effect of Dietary Oregano Extracts and 3,4,5-Trihydroxy Benzoic Acid on Growth Performance and Elimination of Coccidiosis in Broiler Chickens. J Poult Sci 2022; 59:233-246. [PMID: 35989693 PMCID: PMC9346594 DOI: 10.2141/jpsa.0210116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to compare the combinatorial effect of 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (THB) and oregano extracts (OE) with THB alone on the growth performance and elimination of deleterious effects in coccidiosis-infected broilers. A total of 210 one-day-old broilers were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatments, with six replicates each, for 35 days. Dietary treatments were: 1) non-challenged, non-treated (NC); 2) challenged, non-treated (PC); 3) PC+ Salinomycin (0.05 g/kg; AB); 4) PC+THB (0.1 g/kg; THB); and 5) PC+THB+OE (0.1 g/kg; COM). On day 14, all groups except for NC were challenged with a 10-fold dose of Livacox® T anticoccidial vaccine to induce mild coccidiosis. All treatments significantly improved (P<0.05) body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake, compared to PC, on days 21, 28, and 35. However, all treatments significantly reduced (P<0.05) the feed conversion ratio of PC by more than 14.60% on day 35, 11.76% during growing period, and 10.36% through the entire period. Broilers receiving anticoccidial treatments had 54.23% and 51.86% lower lesion scores (P<0.05) at 4 and 7 days post-infection, respectively, compared to PC. Additionally, the villus height of COM was significantly longer (P < 0.05) than that of THB. Although the molecular action of COM remains unclear, OE addition to THB reduced the shedding of oocysts better than THB alone (P<0.05, 9-11 days post-infection). Most importantly, COM effectively minimized the mortality of challenged birds from as high as 11.90% (PC) to 0%, a level similar to NC and AB, while THB maintained a mortality of 2.38%. In conclusion, the anticoccidial effect of THB can be enhanced by the addition of OE for better animal performance and the elimination of deleterious effects from coccidiosis-infected broilers for 35 days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Randima Nawarathne
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Myung Kim
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Min Cho
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Junseon Hong
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Yubin Kim
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Myunghwan Yu
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Joo Yi
- Department of Agricultural Education, College of Education, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea
| | - Hans Lee
- Kemin Industries, Inc., 758200, Singapore
| | - Vannie Wan
- Kemin Industries, Inc., 758200, Singapore
| | | | | | - Jung-Min Heo
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
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15
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Galvani F, Scalvini L, Rivara S, Lodola A, Mor M. Mechanistic Modeling of Monoglyceride Lipase Covalent Modification Elucidates the Role of Leaving Group Expulsion and Discriminates Inhibitors with High and Low Potency. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:2771-2787. [PMID: 35580195 PMCID: PMC9198976 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Inhibition of monoglyceride
lipase (MGL), also known as monoacylglycerol
lipase (MAGL), has emerged as a promising approach for treating neurological
diseases. To gain useful insights in the design of agents with balanced
potency and reactivity, we investigated the mechanism of MGL carbamoylation
by the reference triazole urea SAR629 (IC50 = 0.2 nM) and
two recently described inhibitors featuring a pyrazole (IC50 = 1800 nM) or a 4-cyanopyrazole (IC50 = 8 nM) leaving
group (LG), using a hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM)
approach. Opposite to what was found for substrate 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG), covalent modification of MGL by azole
ureas is controlled by LG expulsion. Simulations indicated that changes
in the electronic structure of the LG greatly affect reaction energetics
with triazole and 4-cyanopyrazole inhibitors following a more accessible
carbamoylation path compared to the unsubstituted pyrazole derivative.
The computational protocol provided reaction barriers able to discriminate
between MGL inhibitors with different potencies. These results highlight
how QM/MM simulations can contribute to elucidating structure–activity
relationships and provide insights for the design of covalent inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Galvani
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Laura Scalvini
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Silvia Rivara
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Alessio Lodola
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
| | - Marco Mor
- Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy.,Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, I-43124 Parma, Italy
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16
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Brogi S, Ibba R, Rossi S, Butini S, Calderone V, Gemma S, Campiani G. Covalent Reversible Inhibitors of Cysteine Proteases Containing the Nitrile Warhead: Recent Advancement in the Field of Viral and Parasitic Diseases. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27082561. [PMID: 35458759 PMCID: PMC9029279 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27082561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In the field of drug discovery, the nitrile group is well represented among drugs and biologically active compounds. It can form both non-covalent and covalent interactions with diverse biological targets, and it is amenable as an electrophilic warhead for covalent inhibition. The main advantage of the nitrile group as a warhead is mainly due to its milder electrophilic character relative to other more reactive groups (e.g., -CHO), reducing the possibility of unwanted reactions that would hinder the development of safe drugs, coupled to the ease of installation through different synthetic approaches. The covalent inhibition is a well-assessed design approach for serine, threonine, and cysteine protease inhibitors. The mechanism of hydrolysis of these enzymes involves the formation of a covalent acyl intermediate, and this mechanism can be exploited by introducing electrophilic warheads in order to mimic this covalent intermediate. Due to the relevant role played by the cysteine protease in the survival and replication of infective agents, spanning from viruses to protozoan parasites, we will review the most relevant and recent examples of protease inhibitors presenting a nitrile group that have been introduced to form or to facilitate the formation of a covalent bond with the catalytic cysteine active site residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Brogi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.B.); (V.C.)
| | - Roberta Ibba
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, DoE Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.I.); (S.R.); (S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Sara Rossi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, DoE Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.I.); (S.R.); (S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Stefania Butini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, DoE Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.I.); (S.R.); (S.B.); (G.C.)
| | - Vincenzo Calderone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (S.B.); (V.C.)
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, DoE Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.I.); (S.R.); (S.B.); (G.C.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, DoE Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.I.); (S.R.); (S.B.); (G.C.)
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17
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Examination of multiple Trypanosoma cruzi targets in a new drug discovery approach for Chagas disease. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 58:116577. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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18
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Characterization of the non-covalent interaction between the PF-07321332 inhibitor and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease. J Mol Graph Model 2021; 110:108042. [PMID: 34653812 PMCID: PMC8491126 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2021.108042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We have studied the non-covalent interaction between PF-07321332 and SARS-CoV-2 main protease at the atomic level using a computational approach based on extensive molecular dynamics simulations with explicit solvent. PF-07321332, whose chemical structure has been recently disclosed, is a promising oral antiviral clinical candidate with well-established anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro. The drug, currently in phase III clinical trials in combination with ritonavir, relies on the electrophilic attack of a nitrile warhead to the catalytic cysteine of the protease. Nonbonded interaction between the inhibitor and the residues of the binding pocket, as well as with water molecules on the protein surface, have been characterized using two different force fields and the two possible protonation states of the main protease catalytic dyad HIS41-CYS145. When the catalytic dyad is in the neutral state, the non-covalent binding is likely to be stronger. Molecular dynamics simulations seems to lend support for an inhibitory mechanism in two steps: a first non-covalent addition with the dyad in neutral form and then the formation of the thiolate-imidazolium ion pair and the ligand relocation for finalising the electrophilic attack.
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19
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Bonatto V, Shamim A, Rocho FDR, Leitão A, Luque FJ, Lameira J, Montanari CA. Predicting the Relative Binding Affinity for Reversible Covalent Inhibitors by Free Energy Perturbation Calculations. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4733-4744. [PMID: 34460252 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Covalent inhibitors are assuming central importance in drug discovery projects, especially in this pandemic scenario. Many research groups have focused their attention on inhibiting viral proteases or human proteases such as cathepsin L (hCatL). The inhibition of these critical enzymes may impair viral replication. However, molecular modeling of covalent ligands is challenging since covalent and noncovalent ligand-bound states must be considered in the binding process. In this work, we evaluated the suitability of free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations as a tool for predicting the binding affinity of reversible covalent inhibitors of hCatL. Our strategy relies on the relative free energy calculated for both covalent and noncovalent complexes and the free energy changes have been compared with experimental data for eight nitrile-based inhibitors, including three new inhibitors of hCatL. Our results demonstrate that the covalent complex can be employed to properly rank the inhibitors. Nevertheless, a comparison of the free energy changes in both noncovalent and covalent states is valuable to interpret the effect triggered by the formation of the covalent bond on the interactions played by functional groups distant from the warhead. Overall, FEP can be employed as a powerful predictor tool in developing and understanding the activity of reversible covalent inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Bonatto
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Anwar Shamim
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Dos R Rocho
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - F Javier Luque
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB) and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTCUB), University of Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet 08921, Spain
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.,Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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20
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AboulWafa OM, Daabees HMG, Hammad A, Badawi WA. New functionalized 6-thienylpyrimidine-5-carbonitriles as antiproliferative agents against human breast cancer cells. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2021; 354:e2100177. [PMID: 34347303 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202100177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
6-Thienylpyrimidine-5-carbonitrile derivatives were synthesized and screened for their in vitro antiproliferative activities against two human breast cancer cell lines in comparison to 5-fluorouracil as a reference. Compounds 2, 3a-c, and 6b evolved as the most active congeners against both cell lines, while others showed selectivity for only one cell line. Compound 2 exerted its effect through inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), while 6b showed less aromatase inhibitory activity than letrozole. The rest of the tested compounds did not show significant inhibition, and it can be assumed that they exert their antiproliferative activity through different target mechanisms. In addition, caspase-9 protein activation assays, cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry, and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate-propidium iodide (FITC/PI) dual staining assays were performed for the most active compounds. All the tested compounds were found to be potent pyrimidine derivatives able to initiate apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omaima M AboulWafa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Hoda M G Daabees
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Ali Hammad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Waleed A Badawi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
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21
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Kadota T, Sawa M, Kondo Y, Morimoto H, Ohshima T. Catalytic Enantioselective Strecker Reaction of Isatin-Derived N-Unsubstituted Ketimines. Org Lett 2021; 23:4553-4558. [PMID: 34029103 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c01194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of isatin-derived N-unsubstituted ketimines directly afforded the N-unprotected α-aminonitriles with a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter in up to 99% ee without requiring protection/deprotection steps. One-pot Strecker reactions from the parent carbonyl compounds were also realized with comparable yields and enantioselectivities. Direct transformations of the N-unprotected α-aminonitrile products streamlined the synthesis of unnatural amino acid derivatives and achieved the shortest one-pot stereoselective routes to a biologically active compound reported to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Kadota
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Masanao Sawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yuta Kondo
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Morimoto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohshima
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1 Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
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22
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Elsässer B, Goettig P. Mechanisms of Proteolytic Enzymes and Their Inhibition in QM/MM Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3232. [PMID: 33810118 PMCID: PMC8004986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental evidence for enzymatic mechanisms is often scarce, and in many cases inadvertently biased by the employed methods. Thus, apparently contradictory model mechanisms can result in decade long discussions about the correct interpretation of data and the true theory behind it. However, often such opposing views turn out to be special cases of a more comprehensive and superior concept. Molecular dynamics (MD) and the more advanced molecular mechanical and quantum mechanical approach (QM/MM) provide a relatively consistent framework to treat enzymatic mechanisms, in particular, the activity of proteolytic enzymes. In line with this, computational chemistry based on experimental structures came up with studies on all major protease classes in recent years; examples of aspartic, metallo-, cysteine, serine, and threonine protease mechanisms are well founded on corresponding standards. In addition, experimental evidence from enzyme kinetics, structural research, and various other methods supports the described calculated mechanisms. One step beyond is the application of this information to the design of new and powerful inhibitors of disease-related enzymes, such as the HIV protease. In this overview, a few examples demonstrate the high potential of the QM/MM approach for sophisticated pharmaceutical compound design and supporting functions in the analysis of biomolecular structures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Goettig
- Structural Biology Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Billrothstrasse 11, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
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23
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Kleandrova VV, Scotti L, Bezerra Mendonça Junior FJ, Muratov E, Scotti MT, Speck-Planche A. QSAR Modeling for Multi-Target Drug Discovery: Designing Simultaneous Inhibitors of Proteins in Diverse Pathogenic Parasites. Front Chem 2021; 9:634663. [PMID: 33777898 PMCID: PMC7987820 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.634663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic diseases remain as unresolved health issues worldwide. While for some parasites the treatments involve drug combinations with serious side effects, for others, chemical therapies are inefficient due to the emergence of drug resistance. This urges the search for novel antiparasitic agents able to act through multiple mechanisms of action. Here, we report the first multi-target model based on quantitative structure-activity relationships and a multilayer perceptron neural network (mt-QSAR-MLP) to virtually design and predict versatile inhibitors of proteins involved in the survival and/or infectivity of different pathogenic parasites. The mt-QSAR-MLP model exhibited high accuracy (>80%) in both training and test sets for the classification/prediction of protein inhibitors. Several fragments were directly extracted from the physicochemical and structural interpretations of the molecular descriptors in the mt-QSAR-MLP model. Such interpretations enabled the generation of four molecules that were predicted as multi-target inhibitors against at least three of the five parasitic proteins reported here with two of the molecules being predicted to inhibit all the proteins. Docking calculations converged with the mt-QSAR-MLP model regarding the multi-target profile of the designed molecules. The designed molecules exhibited drug-like properties, complying with Lipinski’s rule of five, as well as Ghose’s filter and Veber’s guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria V Kleandrova
- Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research of Quality and Technology of Food Production, Moscow State University of Food Production, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Luciana Scotti
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | - Eugene Muratov
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Marcus T Scotti
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Speck-Planche
- Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
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24
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Li X, Gao S, Zhang N, Zhang M, Wang R, Chang J. Identification of tectoridin as the inhibitor of FTO by isothermal titration calorimetric and spectroscopic methods. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1nj00117e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The characteristics of binding between tectoridin and the fat mass and obesity-associated protein were investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xitong Li
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
| | - Shuting Gao
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
| | - Miao Zhang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
| | - Ruiyong Wang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
| | - Junbiao Chang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
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25
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Design, synthesis and stepwise optimization of nitrile-based inhibitors of cathepsins B and L. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 29:115827. [PMID: 33254069 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Human cathepsin B (CatB) is an important biological target in cancer therapy. In this work, we performed a knowledge-based design approach and the synthesis of a new set of 19 peptide-like nitrile-based cathepsin inhibitors. Reported compounds were assayed against a panel of human cysteine proteases: CatB, CatL, CatK, and CatS. Three compounds (7h, 7i, and 7j) displayed nanomolar inhibition of CatB and selectivity over CatK and CatL. The selectivity was achieved by using the combination of a para biphenyl ring at P3, halogenated phenylalanine in P2 and Thr-O-Bz group at P1. Likewise, compounds 7i and 7j showed selective CatB inhibition among the panel of enzymes studied. We have also described a successful example of bioisosteric replacement of the amide bond for a sulfonamide one [7e → 6b], where we observed an increase in affinity and selectivity for CatB while lowering the compound lipophilicity (ilogP). Our knowledge-based design approach and the respective structure-activity relationships provide insights into the specific ligand-target interactions for therapeutically relevant cathepsins.
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26
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Update on relevant trypanosome peptidases: Validated targets and future challenges. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1869:140577. [PMID: 33271348 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of the American Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, the agents of Sleeping sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis, HAT), as well as Trypanosoma brucei brucei, the agent of the cattle disease nagana, contain cysteine, serine, threonine, aspartyl and metallo peptidases. The most abundant among these enzymes are the cysteine proteases from the Clan CA, the Cathepsin L-like cruzipain and rhodesain, and the Cathepsin B-like enzymes, which have essential roles in the parasites and thus are potential targets for chemotherapy. In addition, several other proteases, present in one or both parasites, have been characterized, and some of them are also promising candidates for the developing of new drugs. Recently, new inhibitors, with good selectivity for the parasite proteasomes, have been described and are very promising as lead compounds for the development of new therapies for these neglected diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: "Play and interplay of proteases in health and disease".
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27
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Ribeiro JFR, Cianni L, Li C, Warwick TG, de Vita D, Rosini F, Dos Reis Rocho F, Martins FCP, Kenny PW, Lameira J, Leitão A, Emsley J, Montanari CA. Crystal structure of Leishmania mexicana cysteine protease B in complex with a high-affinity azadipeptide nitrile inhibitor. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115743. [PMID: 33038787 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2020.115743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania mexicana is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis affecting South America and Mexico. The cysteine protease LmCPB is essential for the virulence of the parasite and therefore, it is an appealing target for antiparasitic therapy. A library of nitrile-based cysteine protease inhibitors was screened against LmCPB to develop a treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Several compounds are sufficiently high-affinity LmCPB inhibitors to serve both as starting points for drug discovery projects and as probes for target validation. A 1.4 Å X ray crystal structure, the first to be reported for LmCPB, was determined for the complex of this enzyme covalently bound to an azadipeptide nitrile ligand. Mapping the structure-activity relationships for LmCPB inhibition revealed superadditive effects for two pairs of structural transformations. Therefore, this work advances our understanding of azadipeptidyl and dipeptidyl nitrile structure-activity relationships for LmCPB structure-based inhibitor design. We also tested the same series of inhibitors on related cysteine proteases cathepsin L and Trypanosoma cruzi cruzain. The modulation of these mammalian and protozoan proteases represents a new framework for targeting papain-like cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean F R Ribeiro
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Lorenzo Cianni
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Chan Li
- School of Pharmacy, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Thomas G Warwick
- School of Pharmacy, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Daniela de Vita
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Rosini
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Dos Reis Rocho
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Felipe C P Martins
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Peter W Kenny
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Jeronimo Lameira
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil; Laboratory of Design and Development of Pharmaceuticals, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Jonas Emsley
- School of Pharmacy, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil.
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28
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Nasser AA, Eissa IH, Oun MR, El-Zahabi MA, Taghour MS, Belal A, Saleh AM, Mehany ABM, Luesch H, Mostafa AE, Afifi WM, Rocca JR, Mahdy HA. Discovery of new pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile derivatives as anticancer agents targeting EGFR WT and EGFR T790M. Org Biomol Chem 2020; 18:7608-7634. [PMID: 32959865 DOI: 10.1039/d0ob01557a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
A new series of pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile derivatives has been designed as ATP mimicking tyrosine kinase inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). These compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against a panel of four human tumor cell lines, namely colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116), hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2), breast cancer (MCF-7), and non-small cell lung cancer cells (A549). Five of the synthesized compounds, 11a, 11b, 12b, 15b and 16a, were found to exhibit moderate antiproliferative activity against the tested cell lines and were more active than the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. In particular, compound 11b showed 4.5- to 8.4-fold erlotinib activity against HCT-116, HepG-2, MCF-7, and A549 cells with IC50 values of 3.37, 3.04, 4.14, and 2.4 μM respectively. Moreover, the most cytotoxic compounds that showed promising IC50 values against the four cancer cell lines were subjected to further investigation for their kinase inhibitory activities against EGFRWT and EGFRT790M using homogeneous time resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay. Compound 11b was also found to be the most active compound against both EGFRWT and mutant EGFRT790M, exhibiting IC50 values of 0.09 and 4.03 μM, respectively. The cell cycle and apoptosis analyses revealed that compound 11b can arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and induce significant apoptotic effects in HCT-116, HepG-2, and MCF-7 cells. Additionally, compound 11b upregulated the level of caspase-3 by 6.5 fold in HepG-2 when compared with the control. Finally, molecular docking studies were carried out to examine the binding mode of the synthesized compounds against the proposed targets; EGFRWT and EGFRT790M. Additional in silico ADMET studies were performed to explore drug-likeness properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A Nasser
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
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29
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Matos TKB, Batista PHJ, Dos Reis Rocho F, de Vita D, Pearce N, Kellam B, Montanari CA, Leitão A. Synthesis and matched molecular pair analysis of covalent reversible inhibitors of the cysteine protease CPB. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:127439. [PMID: 32717373 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine protease B (CPB) can be targeted by reversible covalent inhibitors that could serve as antileishmanial compounds. Here, sixteen dipeptidyl nitrile derivatives were synthesized, tested against CPB, and analyzed using matched molecular pairs to determine the effects of stereochemistry and p-phenyl substitution on enzyme inhibition. The compound (S)-2-(((S)-1-(4-bromophenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)amino)-N-(1-cyanocyclopropyl)-3-phenylpropanamide (5) was the most potent CPB inhibitor (pKi = 6.82), which was also selective for human cathepsin B (pKi < 5). The inversion of the stereochemistry from S to R was more detrimental to potency when placed at the P2 position than at P3. The p-Br derivatives were more potent than the p-CH3 and p-OCH3 derivatives, probably due to intermolecular interactions with the S3 subsite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Kelvin Brito Matos
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique Jatai Batista
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Dos Reis Rocho
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniela de Vita
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Nicholas Pearce
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Barrie Kellam
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Carlos Alberto Montanari
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal & Biological Chemistry Group (NEQUIMED), São Carlos Institute of Chemistry-University of São Paulo (IQSC-USP), São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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30
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Bonatto V, Batista PHJ, Cianni L, De Vita D, Silva DG, Cedron R, Tezuka DY, de Albuquerque S, Moraes CB, Franco CH, Lameira J, Leitão A, Montanari CA. On the intrinsic reactivity of highly potent trypanocidal cruzain inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:1275-1284. [PMID: 34095840 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00097c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The cysteine protease cruzipain is considered to be a validated target for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of Chagas disease. Hence, peptidomimetic cruzipain inhibitors having a reactive group (known as warhead) are subject to continuous studies to discover novel antichagasic compounds. Here, we evaluated how different warheads for a set of structurally similar related compounds could inhibit the activity of cruzipain and, ultimately, their trypanocidal effect. We first investigated in silico the intrinsic reactivity of these compounds by applying the Fukui index to correlate it with the enzymatic affinity. Then, we evaluated their potency against T. cruzi (Y and Tulahuen strains), which revealed the reversible cruzain inhibitor Neq0656 as a better trypanocidal agent (ECY.strain 50 = 0.1 μM; SI = 58.4) than the current drug benznidazole (ECY.strain 50 = 5.1 μM; SI > 19.6). We also measured the half-life time by HPLC analysis of three lead compounds in the presence of glutathione and cysteine to experimentally assess their intrinsic reactivity. Results clearly illustrated the reactivity trend for the warheads (azanitrile > aldehyde > nitrile), where the aldehyde displayed an intermediate intrinsic reactivity. Therefore, the aldehyde bearing peptidomimetic compounds should be subject for in-depth evaluation in the drug discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius Bonatto
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique Jatai Batista
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Lorenzo Cianni
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Daniela De Vita
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Daniel G Silva
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Cedron
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Daiane Y Tezuka
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil .,Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil
| | - Sérgio de Albuquerque
- Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto São Paulo Brazil
| | - Carolina Borsoi Moraes
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Caio Haddad Franco
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil .,Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará Rua Augusto Corrêa 01 CP 66075-110 Belém-PA Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400 23566-590 São Carlos/SP Brazil
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31
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Optimization strategy of single-digit nanomolar cross-class inhibitors of mammalian and protozoa cysteine proteases. Bioorg Chem 2020; 101:104039. [PMID: 32629285 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cysteine proteases (CPs) are involved in a myriad of actions that include not only protein degradation, but also play an essential biological role in infectious and systemic diseases such as cancer. CPs also act as biomarkers and can be reached by active-based probes for diagnostic and mechanistic purposes that are critical in health and disease. In this paper, we present the modulation of a CP panel of parasites and mammals (Trypanosoma cruzi cruzain, LmCPB, CatK, CatL and CatS), whose inhibition by nitrile peptidomimetics allowed the identification of specificity and selectivity for a given CP. The activity cliffs identified at the CP inhibition level are useful for retrieving trends through multiple structure-activity relationships. For two of the cruzain inhibitors (10g and 4e), both enthalpy and entropy are favourable to Gibbs binding energy, thus overcoming enthalpy-entropy compensation (EEC). Group contribution of individual molecular modification through changes in enthalpy and entropy results in a separate partition on the relative differences of Gibbs binding energy (ΔΔG). Overall, this study highlights the role of CPs in polypharmacology and multi-target screening, which represents an imperative trend in the actual drug discovery effort.
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32
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Silva JRA, Cianni L, Araujo D, Batista PHJ, de Vita D, Rosini F, Leitão A, Lameira J, Montanari CA. Assessment of the Cruzain Cysteine Protease Reversible and Irreversible Covalent Inhibition Mechanism. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:1666-1677. [PMID: 32126170 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b01138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Reversible and irreversible covalent ligands are advanced cysteine protease inhibitors in the drug development pipeline. K777 is an irreversible inhibitor of cruzain, a necessary enzyme for the survival of the Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) parasite, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Despite their importance, irreversible covalent inhibitors are still often avoided due to the risk of adverse effects. Herein, we replaced the K777 vinyl sulfone group with a nitrile moiety to obtain a reversible covalent inhibitor (Neq0682) of cysteine protease. Then, we used advanced experimental and computational techniques to explore details of the inhibition mechanism of cruzain by reversible and irreversible inhibitors. The isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis shows that inhibition of cruzain by an irreversible inhibitor is thermodynamically more favorable than by a reversible one. The hybrid Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were used to explore the mechanism of the reaction inhibition of cruzain by K777 and Neq0682. The calculated free energy profiles show that the Cys25 nucleophilic attack and His162 proton transfer occur in a single step for a reversible inhibitor and two steps for an irreversible covalent inhibitor. The hybrid QM/MM calculated free energies for the inhibition reaction correspond to -26.7 and -5.9 kcal mol-1 for K777 and Neq0682 at the MP2/MM level, respectively. These results indicate that the ΔG of the reaction is very negative for the process involving K777, consequently, the covalent adduct cannot revert to a noncovalent protein-ligand complex, and its binding tends to be irreversible. Overall, the present study provides insights into a covalent inhibition mechanism of cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Rogério A Silva
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Lorenzo Cianni
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Deborah Araujo
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique Jatai Batista
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniela de Vita
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Rosini
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense 400, 23566-590, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
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33
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da Costa CHS, Bonatto V, Dos Santos AM, Lameira J, Leitão A, Montanari CA. Evaluating QM/MM Free Energy Surfaces for Ranking Cysteine Protease Covalent Inhibitors. J Chem Inf Model 2020; 60:880-889. [PMID: 31944110 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
One tactic for cysteine protease inhibition is to form a covalent bond between an electrophilic atom of the inhibitor and the thiol of the catalytic cysteine. In this study, we evaluate the reaction free energy obtained from a hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) free energy profile as a predictor of affinity for reversible, covalent inhibitors of rhodesain. We demonstrate that the reaction free energy calculated with the PM6/MM potential is in agreement with the experimental data and suggest that the free energy profile for covalent bond formation in a protein environment may be a useful tool for the inhibitor design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clauber H S da Costa
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil
| | - Vinícius Bonatto
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Alberto M Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos , Universidade Federal do Pará , Rua Augusto Correa S/N , 66075-110 Belém , PA , Brazil.,Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
| | - Carlos A Montanari
- Grupo de Quı́mica Medicinal do Instituto de Quı́mica de São Carlos da , Universidade de São Paulo, NEQUIMED/IQSC/USP , 13566-590 São Carlos , SP , Brazil
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34
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Arafet K, González FV, Moliner V. Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Studies of the Mechanism of Cysteine Proteases Inhibition by Dipeptidyl Nitroalkenes. Chemistry 2020; 26:2002-2012. [PMID: 31692123 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201904513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In this work a computational study of the mechanism of inhibition of cruzain, rhodesain, and cathepsin L cysteine proteases by the dipeptidyl nitroalkene Cbz-Phe-Ala-CH=CH-NO2 has been carried out by means of molecular dynamics simulations with hybrid QM/MM potentials. The free-energy surfaces confirmed that the inhibition takes place by the formation of a covalent bond between the protein and the β-carbon atom of the inhibitor. According to the results, the tested inhibitor should be a much more efficient inhibitor of cruzain than of rhodesain, and little activity would be expected against cathepsin L, in total correspondence with the available experimental data. The origin of these differences may lie in the different stabilizing electrostatic interactions established between the inhibitor and the residues of the active site and S2 pocket of these enzymes. These results may be useful for the rational design of new dipeptidyl nitroalkenes with higher and more selective inhibitory activity against cysteine proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kemel Arafet
- Departament de Química Física i Analítica, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castelló, Spain
| | - Florenci V González
- Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castelló, Spain
| | - Vicent Moliner
- Departament de Química Física i Analítica, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castelló, Spain
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35
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Lameira J, Bonatto V, Cianni L, Dos Reis Rocho F, Leitão A, Montanari CA. Predicting the affinity of halogenated reversible covalent inhibitors through relative binding free energy. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:24723-24730. [PMID: 31680132 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04820k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Nitrile reversible covalent inhibitors of human cathepsin L (hCatL) bind covalently to the side chain of the catalytic Cys25 residue in the S1 pocket to form thioimidates. Predicting the binding of reversible covalent inhibitors is essential for their practical application in drug design. In this report, five nitrile-based inhibitors coded Neq0570, Neq0710, Neq0802, Neq0803 and Neq0804 had their hCatL inhibition constants, Ki, determined. These analogs of the prototypical Neq0570 are halogenated reversible covalent inhibitors of hCatL, which bear a halogen atom in the meta position of the P3 benzyl ring that can form a halogen bond with the Gly61 of the hCatL. To describe halogen bonding interaction in an inhibitor-hCatL complex, we applied an extra point (EP) of charge to represent the anisotropic distribution of charge on the iodine, bromine and chlorine atoms. Besides, we have used alchemical free energy calculations for evaluating the overall relative binding free energies of these inhibitors using a two-state binding model: noncovalent and covalent bond states. Our results show that free energy perturbation (FEP) can predict the hCatL binding affinities of halogenated reversible covalent inhibitors in close agreement with experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerônimo Lameira
- On leave from Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Correa S/N, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil.
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Cianni L, Feldmann CW, Gilberg E, Gütschow M, Juliano L, Leitão A, Bajorath J, Montanari CA. Can Cysteine Protease Cross-Class Inhibitors Achieve Selectivity? J Med Chem 2019; 62:10497-10525. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Cianni
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Life Science Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Endenicher Allee 19c, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Wolfgang Feldmann
- Department of Life Science Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Endenicher Allee 19c, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Erik Gilberg
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Life Science Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Endenicher Allee 19c, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Gütschow
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - Luiz Juliano
- A. C. Camargo Cancer Center and São Paulo Medical School of Federal University of São Paulo, Rua Professor Antônio Prudente, 211, 01509-010 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Jürgen Bajorath
- Department of Life Science Informatics, B-IT, LIMES Program Unit Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Endenicher Allee 19c, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Carlos A. Montanari
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Avenue Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, 23566-590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Sartori GR, Leitão A, Montanari CA, Laughton CA. Ligand-induced conformational selection predicts the selectivity of cysteine protease inhibitors. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222055. [PMID: 31856175 PMCID: PMC6922342 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cruzain, a cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, is a validated target for the treatment of Chagas disease. Due to its high similarity in three-dimensional structure with human cathepsins and their sequence identity above 70% in the active site regions, identifying potent but selective cruzain inhibitors with low side effects on the host organism represents a significant challenge. Here a panel of nitrile ligands with varying potencies against cathepsin K, cathepsin L and cruzain, are studied by molecular dynamics simulations as both non-covalent and covalent complexes. Principal component analysis (PCA), identifies and quantifies patterns of ligand-induced conformational selection that enable the construction of a decision tree which can predict with high confidence a low-nanomolar inhibitor of each of three proteins, and determine the selectivity for one against others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldo Rodrigues Sartori
- Grupo de Química Medicinal do IQSC/USP, Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrei Leitão
- Grupo de Química Medicinal do IQSC/USP, Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Montanari
- Grupo de Química Medicinal do IQSC/USP, Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Charles A. Laughton
- School of Pharmacy and Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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