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Abbasi Shiran J, Kaboudin B, Panahi N, Razzaghi-Asl N. Privileged small molecules against neglected tropical diseases: A perspective from structure activity relationships. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 271:116396. [PMID: 38643671 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116396] [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: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise diverse infections with more incidence in tropical/sub-tropical areas. In spite of preventive and therapeutic achievements, NTDs are yet serious threats to the public health. Epidemiological reports of world health organization (WHO) indicate that more than 1.5 billion people are afflicted with at least one NTD type. Among NTDs, leishmaniasis, chagas disease (CD) and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) result in substantial morbidity and death, particularly within impoverished countries. The statistical facts call for robust efforts to manage the NTDs. Currently, most of the anti-NTD drugs are engaged with drug resistance, lack of efficient vaccines, limited spectrum of pharmacological effect and adverse reactions. To circumvent the issue, numerous scientific efforts have been directed to the synthesis and pharmacological development of chemical compounds as anti-infectious agents. A survey of the anti-NTD agents reveals that the majority of them possess privileged nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen-based heterocyclic structures. In this review, recent achievements in anti-infective small molecules against parasitic NTDs are described, particularly from the SAR (Structure activity relationship) perspective. We also explore current advocating strategies to extend the scope of anti-NTD agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Abbasi Shiran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, PO Code: 5618953141, Iran
| | - B Kaboudin
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran
| | - N Panahi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - N Razzaghi-Asl
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, PO Code: 5618953141, Iran; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
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2
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Lin Y, Scalese G, Bulman CA, Vinck R, Blacque O, Paulino M, Ballesteros-Casallas A, Pérez Díaz L, Salinas G, Mitreva M, Weil T, Cariou K, Sakanari JA, Gambino D, Gasser G. Antifungal and Antiparasitic Activities of Metallocene-Containing Fluconazole Derivatives. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:938-950. [PMID: 38329933 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00577] [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] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The search for new anti-infectives based on metal complexes is gaining momentum. Among the different options taken by researchers, the one involving the use of organometallic complexes is probably the most successful one with a compound, namely, ferroquine, already in clinical trials against malaria. In this study, we describe the preparation and in-depth characterization of 10 new (organometallic) derivatives of the approved antifungal drug fluconazole. Our rationale is that the sterol 14α-demethylase is an enzyme part of the ergosterol biosynthesis route in Trypanosoma and is similar to the one in pathogenic fungi. To demonstrate our postulate, docking experiments to assess the binding of our compounds with the enzyme were also performed. Our compounds were then tested on a range of fungal strains and parasitic organisms, including the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) responsible for Chagas disease, an endemic disease in Latin America that ranks among some of the most prevalent parasitic diseases worldwide. Of high interest, the two most potent compounds of the study on T. cruzi that contain a ferrocene or cobaltocenium were found to be harmless for an invertebrate animal model, namely, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), without affecting motility, viability, or development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lin
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Gonzalo Scalese
- Área Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11800 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Christina A Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Robin Vinck
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Blacque
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Margot Paulino
- Área Bioinformática, Departamento DETEMA, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Andres Ballesteros-Casallas
- Área Bioinformática, Departamento DETEMA, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Leticia Pérez Díaz
- Sección Genómica Funcional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gustavo Salinas
- Worm Biology Lab, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11800 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - Tobias Weil
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Kevin Cariou
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Judy A Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Dinorah Gambino
- Área Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, 11800 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gilles Gasser
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
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3
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Voronin D, Tricoche N, Peguero R, Kaminska AM, Ghedin E, Sakanari JA, Lustigman S. Repurposed Drugs That Activate Autophagy in Filarial Worms Act as Effective Macrofilaricides. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:256. [PMID: 38399310 PMCID: PMC10891619 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16020256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis are two neglected tropical diseases caused by filarial nematodes that utilize insect vectors for transmission to their human hosts. Current control strategies are based on annual or biannual mass drug administration (MDA) of the drugs Ivermectin or Ivermectin plus Albendazole, respectively. These drug regimens kill the first-stage larvae of filarial worms (i.e., microfilariae) and interrupt the transmission of infections. MDA programs for these microfilaricidal drugs must be given over the lifetime of the filarial adult worms, which can reach 15 years in the case of Onchocerca volvulus. This is problematic because of suboptimal responses to ivermectin in various endemic regions and inefficient reduction of transmission even after decades of MDA. There is an urgent need for the development of novel alternative treatments to support the 2030 elimination goals of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. One successful approach has been to target Wolbachia, obligatory endosymbiotic bacteria on which filarial worms are dependent for their survival and reproduction within the human host. A 4-6-week antibiotic therapy with doxycycline, for example, resulted in the loss of Wolbachia that subsequently led to extensive apoptosis of somatic cells, germline, embryos, and microfilariae, as well as inhibition of fourth-stage larval development. However, this long-course regimen has limited use in MDA programs. As an alternative approach to the use of bacteriostatic antibiotics, in this study, we focused on autophagy-inducing compounds, which we hypothesized could disturb various pathways involved in the interdependency between Wolbachia and filarial worms. We demonstrated that several such compounds, including Niclosamide, an FDA-approved drug, Niclosamide ethanolamine (NEN), and Rottlerin, a natural product derived from Kamala trees, significantly reduced the levels of Wolbachia in vitro. Moreover, when these compounds were used in vivo to treat Brugia pahangi-infected gerbils, Niclosamide and NEN significantly decreased adult worm survival, reduced the release of microfilariae, and decreased embryonic development depending on the regimen and dose used. All three drugs given orally significantly reduced Wolbachia loads and induced an increase in levels of lysosome-associated membrane protein in worms from treated animals, suggesting that Niclosamide, NEN, and Rottlerin were effective in causing drug-induced autophagy in these filarial worms. These repurposed drugs provide a new avenue for the clearance of adult worms in filarial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Voronin
- Systems Genomics Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ricardo Peguero
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anna Maria Kaminska
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Elodie Ghedin
- Systems Genomics Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA;
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Ma CI, Tirtorahardjo JA, Schweizer SS, Zhang J, Fang Z, Xing L, Xu M, Herman DA, Kleinman MT, McCullough BS, Barrios AM, Andrade RM. Gold(I) ion and the phosphine ligand are necessary for the anti- Toxoplasma gondii activity of auranofin. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0296823. [PMID: 38206030 PMCID: PMC10845965 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02968-23] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Auranofin, an FDA-approved drug for rheumatoid arthritis, has emerged as a promising antiparasitic medication in recent years. The gold(I) ion in auranofin is postulated to be responsible for its antiparasitic activity. Notably, aurothiomalate and aurothioglucose also contain gold(I), and, like auranofin, they were previously used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Whether they have antiparasitic activity remains to be elucidated. Herein, we demonstrated that auranofin and similar derivatives, but not aurothiomalate and aurothioglucose, inhibited the growth of Toxoplasma gondii in vitro. We found that auranofin affected the T. gondii biological cycle (lytic cycle) by inhibiting T. gondii's invasion and triggering its egress from the host cell. However, auranofin could not prevent parasite replication once T. gondii resided within the host. Auranofin treatment induced apoptosis in T. gondii parasites, as demonstrated by its reduced size and elevated phosphatidylserine externalization (PS). Notably, the gold from auranofin enters the cytoplasm of T. gondii, as demonstrated by scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).IMPORTANCEToxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a devastating disease affecting the brain and the eyes, frequently affecting immunocompromised individuals. Approximately 60 million people in the United States are already infected with T. gondii, representing a population at-risk of developing toxoplasmosis. Recent advances in treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplants have contributed to this at-risk population's exponential growth. Paradoxically, treatments for toxoplasmosis have remained the same for more than 60 years, relying on medications well-known for their bone marrow toxicity and allergic reactions. Discovering new therapies is a priority, and repurposing FDA-approved drugs is an alternative approach to speed up drug discovery. Herein, we report the effect of auranofin, an FDA-approved drug, on the biological cycle of T. gondii and how both the phosphine ligand and the gold molecule determine the anti-parasitic activity of auranofin and other gold compounds. Our studies would contribute to the pipeline of candidate anti-T. gondii agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. I. Ma
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - J. A. Tirtorahardjo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - S. S. Schweizer
- School of Biological Sciences; University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - J. Zhang
- School of Biological Sciences; University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Z. Fang
- School of Biological Sciences; University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - L. Xing
- Irvine Materials Research Institute; University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - M. Xu
- Irvine Materials Research Institute; University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - D. A. Herman
- Department of Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - M. T. Kleinman
- Department of Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - B. S. McCullough
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - A. M. Barrios
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - R. M. Andrade
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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5
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Hamid A, Mäser P, Mahmoud AB. Drug Repurposing in the Chemotherapy of Infectious Diseases. Molecules 2024; 29:635. [PMID: 38338378 PMCID: PMC10856722 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29030635] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Repurposing is a universal mechanism for innovation, from the evolution of feathers to the invention of Velcro tape. Repurposing is particularly attractive for drug development, given that it costs more than a billion dollars and takes longer than ten years to make a new drug from scratch. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a large number of drug repurposing activities. At the same time, it has highlighted potential pitfalls, in particular when concessions are made to the target product profile. Here, we discuss the pros and cons of drug repurposing for infectious diseases and analyze different ways of repurposing. We distinguish between opportunistic and rational approaches, i.e., just saving time and money by screening compounds that are already approved versus repurposing based on a particular target that is common to different pathogens. The latter can be further distinguished into divergent and convergent: points of attack that are divergent share common ancestry (e.g., prokaryotic targets in the apicoplast of malaria parasites), whereas those that are convergent arise from a shared lifestyle (e.g., the susceptibility of bacteria, parasites, and tumor cells to antifolates due to their high rate of DNA synthesis). We illustrate how such different scenarios can be capitalized on by using examples of drugs that have been repurposed to, from, or within the field of anti-infective chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Hamid
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum 11111, Sudan;
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Abdelhalim Babiker Mahmoud
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum 11111, Sudan;
- Department of Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
- Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
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6
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Lin Y, Jung H, Bulman CA, Ng J, Vinck R, O'Beirne C, Zhong S, Moser MS, Tricoche N, Peguero R, Li RW, Urban JF, Le Pape P, Pagniez F, Moretto M, Weil T, Lustigman S, Cariou K, Mitreva M, Sakanari JA, Gasser G. Discovery of New Broad-Spectrum Anti-Infectives for Eukaryotic Pathogens Using Bioorganometallic Chemistry. J Med Chem 2023; 66:15867-15882. [PMID: 38009931 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Drug resistance observed with many anti-infectives clearly highlights the need for new broad-spectrum agents to treat especially neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by eukaryotic parasitic pathogens, including fungal infections. Herein, we show that the simple modification of one of the most well-known antifungal drugs, fluconazole, with organometallic moieties not only improves the activity of the parent drug but also broadens the scope of application of the new derivatives. These compounds were highly effective in vivo against pathogenic fungal infections and potent against parasitic worms such as Brugia, which causes lymphatic filariasis and Trichuris, one of the soil-transmitted helminths that infects millions of people globally. Notably, the identified molecular targets indicate a mechanism of action that differs greatly from that of the parental antifungal drug, including targets involved in biosynthetic pathways that are absent in humans, offering great potential to expand our armamentarium against drug-resistant fungal infections and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) targeted for elimination by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lin
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Hyeim Jung
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Christina A Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - James Ng
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Robin Vinck
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Cillian O'Beirne
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Shuai Zhong
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Matthew S Moser
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Ricardo Peguero
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Robert W Li
- United States Department of Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, United States
| | - Joseph F Urban
- United States Department of Agriculture, Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, United States
| | - Patrice Le Pape
- Nantes Université, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et Médicaments des Infections et de l'Immunité, IICiMed, UR 1155, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Fabrice Pagniez
- Nantes Université, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et Médicaments des Infections et de l'Immunité, IICiMed, UR 1155, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Marco Moretto
- Fondazione Edmund Mach Via E. Mach 1, Research and Innovation Centre, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Tobias Weil
- Fondazione Edmund Mach Via E. Mach 1, Research and Innovation Centre, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Kevin Cariou
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63108, United States
| | - Judy A Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Gilles Gasser
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, CNRS, Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences, Laboratory for Inorganic Chemical Biology, 75005 Paris, France
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Bay ÖF, Hayes KS, Schwartz JM, Grencis RK, Roberts IS. A genome-scale metabolic model of parasitic whipworm. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6937. [PMID: 37907472 PMCID: PMC10618284 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42552-4] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models are widely used to enhance our understanding of metabolic features of organisms, host-pathogen interactions and to identify therapeutics for diseases. Here we present iTMU798, the genome-scale metabolic model of the mouse whipworm Trichuris muris. The model demonstrates the metabolic features of T. muris and allows the prediction of metabolic steps essential for its survival. Specifically, that Thioredoxin Reductase (TrxR) enzyme is essential, a prediction we validate in vitro with the drug auranofin. Furthermore, our observation that the T. muris genome lacks gsr-1 encoding Glutathione Reductase (GR) but has GR activity that can be inhibited by auranofin indicates a mechanism for the reduction of glutathione by the TrxR enzyme in T. muris. In addition, iTMU798 predicts seven essential amino acids that cannot be synthesised by T. muris, a prediction we validate for the amino acid tryptophan. Overall, iTMU798 is as a powerful tool to study not only the T. muris metabolism but also other Trichuris spp. in understanding host parasite interactions and the rationale design of new intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ömer F Bay
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Bioinformatics, Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri, Türkiye
- The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kelly S Hayes
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jean-Marc Schwartz
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Richard K Grencis
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Ian S Roberts
- Division of Infection, Immunity and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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8
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Lin Y, Jung H, Bulman CA, Ng J, Vinck R, O'Beirne C, Moser MS, Tricoche N, Peguero R, Li RW, Urban JF, Pape PL, Pagniez F, Moretto M, Weil T, Lustigman S, Cariou K, Mitreva M, Sakanari JA, Gasser G. Discovery of New Broad-Spectrum Anti-Infectives for Eukaryotic Pathogens Using Bioorganometallic Chemistry. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.28.546819. [PMID: 37425761 PMCID: PMC10327022 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.28.546819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Drug resistance observed with many anti-infectives clearly highlights the need for new broad-spectrum agents to treat especially neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by eukaryotic parasitic pathogens including fungal infections. Since these diseases target the most vulnerable communities who are disadvantaged by health and socio-economic factors, new agents should be, if possible, easy-to-prepare to allow for commercialization based on their low cost. In this study, we show that simple modification of one of the most well-known antifungal drugs, fluconazole, with organometallic moieties not only improves the activity of the parent drug but also broadens the scope of application of the new derivatives. These compounds were highly effective in vivo against pathogenic fungal infections and potent against parasitic worms such as Brugia, which causes lymphatic filariasis and Trichuris, one of the soil-transmitted helminths that infects millions of people globally. Notably, the identified molecular targets indicate a mechanism of action that differs greatly from the parental antifungal drug, including targets involved in biosynthetic pathways that are absent in humans, offering great potential to expand our armamentarium against drug-resistant fungal infections and NTDs targeted for elimination by 2030. Overall, the discovery of these new compounds with broad-spectrum activity opens new avenues for the development of treatments for several current human infections, either caused by fungi or by parasites, including other NTDs, as well as newly emerging diseases. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY Simple derivatives of the well-known antifungal drug fluconazole were found to be highly effective in vivo against fungal infections, and also potent against the parasitic nematode Brugia, which causes lymphatic filariasis and against Trichuris, one of the soil-transmitted helminths that infects millions of people globally.
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9
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Petukhova VZ, Aboagye SY, Ardini M, Lullo RP, Fata F, Byrne ME, Gabriele F, Martin LM, Harding LNM, Gone V, Dangi B, Lantvit DD, Nikolic D, Ippoliti R, Effantin G, Ling WL, Johnson JJ, Thatcher GRJ, Angelucci F, Williams DL, Petukhov PA. Non-covalent inhibitors of thioredoxin glutathione reductase with schistosomicidal activity in vivo. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3737. [PMID: 37349300 PMCID: PMC10287695 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39444-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Only praziquantel is available for treating schistosomiasis, a disease affecting more than 200 million people. Praziquantel-resistant worms have been selected for in the lab and low cure rates from mass drug administration programs suggest that resistance is evolving in the field. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) is essential for schistosome survival and a validated drug target. TGR inhibitors identified to date are irreversible and/or covalent inhibitors with unacceptable off-target effects. In this work, we identify noncovalent TGR inhibitors with efficacy against schistosome infections in mice, meeting the criteria for lead progression indicated by WHO. Comparisons with previous in vivo studies with praziquantel suggests that these inhibitors outperform the drug of choice for schistosomiasis against juvenile worms.
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Grants
- R33 AI127635 NIAID NIH HHS
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID)
- Oncomelania hupensis subsp. hupensis, Chinese strain, infected with S. japonicum, Chinese strain, and Biomphalaria glabrata, strain NMRI, infected with S. mansoni, strain NMRI, were provided by the NIAID Schistosomiasis Resource Center for distribution through BEI Resources, NIAID, NIH. We are grateful to Dr. Guy Schoehn (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble, France), Prof. Beatrice Vallone (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) and Dr. Linda C. Montemiglio (IBPM, National Research Council, Italy) for helpful discussions of the cryo-EM studies. We acknowledge the Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy) for support in X-ray data collections and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for provision of microscope time on CM01. The study was funded in part by US NIH/NIAID R33AI127635 to F.A., P.A.P., G.R.T. and D.L.W. This work benefited from access to Research Resources Centre and UICentre at University of Illinois at Chicago and used the platforms of the Grenoble Instruct-ERIC center (ISBG; UAR 3518 CNRS-CEA-UGA-EMBL) within the Grenoble Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB), supported by FRISBI (ANR-10-INBS-0005-02) and GRAL, financed within the University Grenoble Alpes graduate school (Ecoles Universitaires de Recherche) CBH-EUR-GS (ANR-17-EURE-0003). The IBS Electron Microscope facility is supported by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, the Fonds Feder, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale and GIS-IBiSA. The IBS acknowledges integration into the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble (IRIG, CEA). M.A. has been supported by MIUR - Ministero dell'Istruzione Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (Ministry of Education, University and Research) under the national project FSE/FESR - PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 (N° AIM1887574, CUP: E18H19000350007). We acknowledge OpenEye/Cadence for providing us with an academic license for the software used in these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Z Petukhova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sammy Y Aboagye
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Rachel P Lullo
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francesca Fata
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Margaret E Byrne
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Federica Gabriele
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Lucy M Martin
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Luke N M Harding
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Vamshikrishna Gone
- UICentre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bikash Dangi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel D Lantvit
- UICentre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dejan Nikolic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Grégory Effantin
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Wai Li Ling
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Jeremy J Johnson
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gregory R J Thatcher
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
| | - David L Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Pavel A Petukhov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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10
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A Broad Spectrum Antiparasitic Activity of Organotin (IV) Derivatives and Its Untargeted Proteomic Profiling Using Leishmania donovani. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121424. [PMID: 36558759 PMCID: PMC9785441 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Metals have been used in medicine since ancient times for the treatment of different ailments with various elements such as iron, gold and arsenic. Metal complexes have also been reported to show antibiotic and antiparasitic activity. In this context, we tested the antiparasitic potential of 10 organotin (IV) derivatives from 4-(4-methoxyphenylamino)-4 oxobutanoic acid (MS26) against seven eukaryotic pathogens of medical importance: Leishmania donovani, Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Naegleria fowleri and Schistosoma mansoni. Among the compounds with and without antiparasitic activity, compound MS26Et3 stood out with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 0.21 and 0.19 µM against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of L. donovani, respectively, 0.24 µM against intracellular amastigotes of T. cruzi, 0.09 µM against T. brucei, 1.4 µM against N. fowleri and impaired adult S. mansoni viability at 1.25 µM. In terms of host/pathogen selectivity, MS26Et3 demonstrated relatively mild cytotoxicity toward host cells with a 50% viability concentration of 4.87 µM against B10R cells (mouse monocyte cell line), 2.79 µM against C2C12 cells (mouse myoblast cell line) and 1.24 µM against HEK923 cells (human embryonic kidney cell line). The selectivity index supports this molecule as a therapeutic starting point for a broad spectrum antiparasitic alternative. Proteomic analysis of host cells infected with L. donovani after exposure to MS26Et3 showed a reduced expression of Rab7, which may affect the fusion of the endosome with the lysosome, and, consequently, impairing the differentiation of L. donovani to the amastigote form. Future studies to investigate the molecular target(s) and mechanism of action of MS26Et3 will support its chemical optimization.
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11
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Anti-Onchocercal Properties of Extracts of Scoparia dulcis and Cylicodiscus gabunensis. J Trop Med 2022; 2022:4279689. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/4279689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction. The elimination of onchocerciasis is hampered by the absence of suitable drugs that are effective against adult filariae. This study is aimed at assessing the anti-onchocercal effects of extracts of Scoparia dulcis and Cylicodiscus gabunensis that could serve as drug leads against onchocerciasis. Methods. Different parts of the plants (Scoparia dulcis and Cylicodiscus gabunensis) were extracted with hexane, methylene chloride, and methanol. The extracts were tested in vitro against the bovine model parasite, Onchocerca ochengi. Adult female worm viability was determined biochemically by MTT/formazan colorimetry, while the adult male and microfilariae viability were determined by microscopy based on % inhibition of worm motility score. Cytotoxicity and acute toxicity of active extracts were tested on monkey kidney epithelial cells (LLC-MK2) and Balb/C mice, respectively. Results. The hexane extract of Scoparia dulcis recorded the highest activity, with IC50s of 50.78 μg/ml on both adult male and female worms and 3.91 μg/ml on microfilariae. For Cylicodiscus gabunensis extract, the highest activity was seen with the methylene chloride extract, with IC50s of 50.78 μg/ml, 62.50 μg/ml, and 16.28 μg/ml on, respectively, adult male, female, and microfilariae. The 50% cytotoxic concentration on the LLC-MK2 cells was 31.25 μg/ml for the most active extracts. No acute toxicity was recorded for the extracts. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, saponins, phenols, and glycosides. Conclusion. This study validates the traditional use of these plants in treating onchocerciasis and suggests S. dulcis and C. gabunensis as new potential sources for the isolation of anti-onchocerca lead compounds.
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12
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Gencheva R, Cheng Q, Arnér ESJ. Thioredoxin reductase selenoproteins from different organisms as potential drug targets for treatment of human diseases. Free Radic Biol Med 2022; 190:320-338. [PMID: 35987423 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Human thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) is a selenoprotein with a central role in cellular redox homeostasis, utilizing a highly reactive and solvent-exposed selenocysteine (Sec) residue in its active site. Pharmacological modulation of TrxR can be obtained with several classes of small compounds showing different mechanisms of action, but most often dependent upon interactions with its Sec residue. The clinical implications of TrxR modulation as mediated by small compounds have been studied in diverse diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis and ischemia to cancer and parasitic infections. The possible involvement of TrxR in these diseases was in some cases serendipitously discovered, by finding that existing clinically used drugs are also TrxR inhibitors. Inhibiting isoforms of human TrxR is, however, not the only strategy for human disease treatment, as some pathogenic parasites also depend upon Sec-containing TrxR variants, including S. mansoni, B. malayi or O. volvulus. Inhibiting parasite TrxR has been shown to selectively kill parasites and can thus become a promising treatment strategy, especially in the context of quickly emerging resistance towards other drugs. Here we have summarized the basis for the targeting of selenoprotein TrxR variants with small molecules for therapeutic purposes in different human disease contexts. We discuss how Sec engagement appears to be an indispensable part of treatment efficacy and how some therapeutically promising compounds have been evaluated in preclinical or clinical studies. Several research questions remain before a wider application of selenoprotein TrxR inhibition as a first-line treatment strategy might be developed. These include further mechanistic studies of downstream effects that may mediate treatment efficacy, identification of isoform-specific enzyme inhibition patterns for some given therapeutic compounds, and the further elucidation of cell-specific effects in disease contexts such as in the tumor microenvironment or in host-parasite interactions, and which of these effects may be dependent upon the specific targeting of Sec in distinct TrxR isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radosveta Gencheva
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden
| | - Qing Cheng
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden
| | - Elias S J Arnér
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden; Department of Selenoprotein Research, National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, 1122, Budapest, Hungary.
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13
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Tagboto S, Orish V. Drug development for onchocerciasis-the past, the present and the future. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.953061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Onchocerciasis affects predominantly rural communities in Africa, and with small foci in South America and the Yemen. The disease is a major cause of blindness and other significant morbidity and mortality. Control programs have achieved a major impact on the incidence and prevalence of onchocerciasis by interrupting transmission with vector control programs, and treatment with mass drug administration using the microfilaricide ivermectin. Over the last few decades, several microfilaricides have been developed. This initially included diethylcarbamazine, which had significant side effects and is no longer used as such. Ivermectin which is a safe and highly effective microfilaricide and moxidectin which is a longer acting microfilaricide are presently recognized therapies. Suramin was the first effective macrofilaricide but was prohibitively toxic. Certain antibiotics including doxycycline can help eliminate adult worms by targeting its endosymbiont bacteria, Wolbachia pipientis. However, the dosing regimens may make this difficult to use as part of a mass disease control program in endemic areas. It is now widely recognized that treatments that are able to kill or permanently sterilize adult filarial worms should help achieve the elimination of this disease. We summarize in detail the historic drug development in onchocerciasis, including prospective future candidate drugs.
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14
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Aspartyl Protease Inhibitors as Anti-Filarial Drugs. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11060707. [PMID: 35745561 PMCID: PMC9227574 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11060707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The current treatments for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis do not effectively kill the adult parasitic nematodes, allowing these chronic and debilitating diseases to persist in millions of people. Thus, the discovery of new drugs with macrofilaricidal potential to treat these filarial diseases is critical. To facilitate this need, we first investigated the effects of three aspartyl protease inhibitors (APIs) that are FDA-approved as HIV antiretroviral drugs on the adult filarial nematode, Brugia malayi and the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia. From the three hits, nelfinavir had the best potency with an IC50 value of 7.78 µM, followed by ritonavir and lopinavir with IC50 values of 14.3 µM and 16.9 µM, respectively. The three APIs have a direct effect on killing adult B. malayi after 6 days of exposure in vitro and did not affect the Wolbachia titers. Sequence conservation and stage-specific gene expression analysis identified Bm8660 as the most likely primary aspartic protease target for these drug(s). Immunolocalization using antibodies raised against the Bm8660 ortholog of Onchocerca volvulus showed it is strongly expressed in female B. malayi, especially in metabolically active tissues such as lateral and dorsal/ventral chords, hypodermis, and uterus tissue. Global transcriptional response analysis using adult female B. pahangi treated with APIs identified four additional aspartic proteases differentially regulated by the three effective drugs, as well as significant enrichment of various pathways including ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, protein kinases, and MAPK/AMPK/FoxO signaling. In vitro testing against the adult gastro-intestinal nematode Trichuris muris suggested broad-spectrum potential for these APIs. This study suggests that APIs may serve as new leads to be further explored for drug discovery to treat parasitic nematode infections.
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15
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Chiappetta G, Gamberi T, Faienza F, Limaj X, Rizza S, Messori L, Filomeni G, Modesti A, Vinh J. Redox proteome analysis of auranofin exposed ovarian cancer cells (A2780). Redox Biol 2022; 52:102294. [PMID: 35358852 PMCID: PMC8966199 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The effects of Auranofin (AF) on protein expression and protein oxidation in A2780 cancer cells were investigated through a strategy based on simultaneous expression proteomics and redox proteomics determinations. Bioinformatics analysis of the proteomics data supports the view that the most critical cellular changes elicited by AF treatment consist of thioredoxin reductase inhibition, alteration of the cell redox state, impairment of the mitochondrial functions, metabolic changes associated with conversion to a glycolytic phenotype, induction of ER stress. The occurrence of the above cellular changes was extensively validated by performing direct biochemical assays. Our data are consistent with the concept that AF produces its effects through a multitarget mechanism that mainly affects the redox metabolism and the mitochondrial functions and results into severe ER stress. Results are discussed in the context of the current mechanistic knowledge existing on AF. Redox proteomics allows to underline cell adaptation mechanisms in response to Auranofin treatment in ovarian cancer cells. BRCA1 is one of the major candidates of the ovarian cancer cell adaptation to Auranofin treatment. Auranofin alters the oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial protein import machinery. TRAP1 C501 modulates Auranofin toxicity. Auranofin induces severe stress of the endoplasmic reticulum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Chiappetta
- Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Group, SMBP, PDC CNRS UMR, 8249, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Tania Gamberi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale G.B. Morgagni 50, 50134, Florence, Italy.
| | - Fiorella Faienza
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Xhesika Limaj
- Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Group, SMBP, PDC CNRS UMR, 8249, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Salvatore Rizza
- Redox Signaling and Oxidative Stress Group, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Luigi Messori
- Metmed Lab, Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, via della lastruccia 3, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Filomeni
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Redox Signaling and Oxidative Stress Group, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alessandra Modesti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale G.B. Morgagni 50, 50134, Florence, Italy
| | - Joelle Vinh
- Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Group, SMBP, PDC CNRS UMR, 8249, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France
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16
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Ehrens A, Hoerauf A, Hübner MP. Current perspective of new anti-Wolbachial and direct-acting macrofilaricidal drugs as treatment strategies for human filariasis. GMS INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 10:Doc02. [PMID: 35463816 PMCID: PMC9006451 DOI: 10.3205/id000079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Filarial diseases like lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis belong to the Neglected Tropical Diseases and remain a public health problem in endemic countries. Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis can lead to stigmatizing pathologies and present a socio-economic burden for affected people and their endemic countries. Current treatment recommendations by the WHO include mass drug administration with ivermectin for the treatment of onchocerciasis and a combination of ivermectin, albendazole and diethylcarbamazine (DEC) for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis in areas that are not co-endemic for onchocerciasis or loiasis. Limitations of these treatment strategies are due to potential severe adverse events in onchocerciasis and loiasis patients following DEC or ivermectin treatment, respectively, the lack of a macrofilaricidal efficacy of those drugs and the risk of drug resistance development. Thus, to achieve the elimination of transmission of onchocerciasis and the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem by 2030, the WHO defined in its roadmap that new alternative treatment strategies with macrofilaricidal compounds are required. Within a collaboration of the non-profit organizations Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and partners from academia and industry, several new promising macrofilaricidal drug candidates were identified, which will be discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany,*To whom correspondence should be addressed: Marc P. Hübner, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany, Phone: +49 228 28719177, E-mail:
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17
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Biochemical and structural characterizations of thioredoxin reductase selenoproteins of the parasitic filarial nematodes Brugia malayi and Onchocerca volvulus. Redox Biol 2022; 51:102278. [PMID: 35276442 PMCID: PMC8914392 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Enzymes in the thiol redox systems of microbial pathogens are promising targets for drug development. In this study we characterized the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) selenoproteins from Brugia malayi and Onchocerca volvulus, filarial nematode parasites and causative agents of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, respectively. The two filarial enzymes showed similar turnover numbers and affinities for different thioredoxin (Trx) proteins, but with a clear preference for the autologous Trx. Human TrxR1 (hTrxR1) had a high and similar specific activity versus the human and filarial Trxs, suggesting that, in vivo, hTrxR1 could possibly be the reducing agent of parasite Trxs once they are released into the host. Both filarial TrxRs were efficiently inhibited by auranofin and by a recently described inhibitor of human TrxR1 (TRi-1), but not as efficiently by the alternative compound TRi-2. The enzyme from B. malayi was structurally characterized also in complex with NADPH and auranofin, producing the first crystallographic structure of a nematode TrxR. The protein represents an unusual fusion of a mammalian-type TrxR protein architecture with an N-terminal glutaredoxin-like (Grx) domain lacking typical Grx motifs. Unlike thioredoxin glutathione reductases (TGRs) found in platyhelminths and mammals, which are also Grx–TrxR domain fusion proteins, the TrxRs from the filarial nematodes lacked glutathione disulfide reductase and Grx activities. The structural determinations revealed that the Grx domain of TrxR from B. malayi contains a cysteine (C22), conserved in TrxRs from clade IIIc nematodes, that directly interacts with the C-terminal cysteine-selenocysteine motif of the homo-dimeric subunit. Interestingly, despite this finding we found that altering C22 by mutation to serine did not affect enzyme catalysis. Thus, although the function of the Grx domain in these filarial TrxRs remains to be determined, the results obtained provide insights on key properties of this important family of selenoprotein flavoenzymes that are potential drug targets for treatment of filariasis.
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18
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The Current Directions of Searching for Antiparasitic Drugs. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27051534. [PMID: 35268635 PMCID: PMC8912034 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic diseases are still a huge problem for mankind. They are becoming the main cause of chronic diseases in the world. Migration of the population, pollution of the natural environment, and climate changes cause the rapid spread of diseases. Additionally, a growing resistance of parasites to drugs is observed. Many research groups are looking for effective antiparasitic drugs with low side effects. In this work, we present the current trends in the search for antiparasitic drugs. We report known drugs used in other disease entities with proven antiparasitic activity and research on new chemical structures that may be potential drugs in parasitic diseases. The described investigations of antiparasitic compounds can be helpful for further drug development.
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19
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Gunderson EL, Bryant C, Bulman CA, Fischer C, Luo M, Vogel I, Lim KC, Jawahar S, Tricoche N, Voronin D, Corbo C, Ayiseh RB, Manfo FPT, Mbah GE, Cho-Ngwa F, Beerntsen B, Renslo AR, Lustigman S, Sakanari JA. Pyrvinium Pamoate and Structural Analogs Are Early Macrofilaricide Leads. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:189. [PMID: 35215301 PMCID: PMC8880385 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis are neglected tropical diseases caused by infection with filarial worms. Annual or biannual mass drug administration with microfilaricidal drugs that kill the microfilarial stages of the parasites has helped reduce infection rates and thus prevent transmission of both infections. However, success depends on high population coverage that is maintained for the duration of the adult worm's lifespan. Given that these filarial worms can live up to 14 years in their human hosts, a macrofilaricidal drug would vastly accelerate elimination efforts. Here, we have evaluated the repurposed drug pyrvinium pamoate as well as newly synthesized analogs of pyrvinium for their efficacy against filarial worms in vitro and in vivo. We found that pyrvinium pamoate, tetrahydropyrvinium and one of the analogs were highly potent in inhibiting worms in in vitro whole-worm screening assays, and that all three compounds reduced female worm fecundity and inhibited embryogenesis in the Brugia pahangi-gerbil in vivo model of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Gunderson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Clifford Bryant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Mona Luo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Ian Vogel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Kee-Chong Lim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Shabnam Jawahar
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA; (S.J.); (N.T.); (D.V.)
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA; (S.J.); (N.T.); (D.V.)
| | - Denis Voronin
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA; (S.J.); (N.T.); (D.V.)
| | - Christopher Corbo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY 10301, USA;
| | - Rene B. Ayiseh
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon; (R.B.A.); (F.P.T.M.); (G.E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
| | - Faustin P. T. Manfo
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon; (R.B.A.); (F.P.T.M.); (G.E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
| | - Glory E. Mbah
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon; (R.B.A.); (F.P.T.M.); (G.E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
- Higher Teacher Training College (HTTC), The University of Bamenda, Bamenda P.O. Box 39, Cameroon
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon; (R.B.A.); (F.P.T.M.); (G.E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
| | - Brenda Beerntsen
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;
| | - Adam R. Renslo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, New York Blood Center, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA; (S.J.); (N.T.); (D.V.)
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (E.L.G.); (C.B.); (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.L.); (I.V.); (K.-C.L.); (A.R.R.)
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Ngwewondo A, Scandale I, Specht S. Onchocerciasis drug development: from preclinical models to humans. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:3939-3964. [PMID: 34642800 PMCID: PMC8599318 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07307-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Twenty diseases are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by World Health Assembly resolutions, including human filarial diseases. The end of NTDs is embedded within the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, under target 3.3. Onchocerciasis afflicts approximately 20.9 million people worldwide with > 90% of those infected residing in Africa. Control programs have made tremendous efforts in the management of onchocerciasis by mass drug administration and aerial larviciding; however, disease elimination is not yet achieved. In the new WHO roadmap, it is recognized that new drugs or drug regimens that kill or permanently sterilize adult filarial worms would significantly improve elimination timelines and accelerate the achievement of the program goal of disease elimination. Drug development is, however, handicapped by high attrition rates, and many promising molecules fail in preclinical development or in subsequent toxicological, safety and efficacy testing; thus, research and development (R&D) costs are, in aggregate, very high. Drug discovery and development for NTDs is largely driven by unmet medical needs put forward by the global health community; the area is underfunded and since no high return on investment is possible, there is no dedicated drug development pipeline for human filariasis. Repurposing existing drugs is one approach to filling the drug development pipeline for human filariasis. The high cost and slow pace of discovery and development of new drugs has led to the repurposing of “old” drugs, as this is more cost-effective and allows development timelines to be shortened. However, even if a drug is marketed for a human or veterinary indication, the safety margin and dosing regimen will need to be re-evaluated to determine the risk in humans. Drug repurposing is a promising approach to enlarging the pool of active molecules in the drug development pipeline. Another consideration when providing new treatment options is the use of combinations, which is not addressed in this review. We here summarize recent advances in the late preclinical or early clinical stage in the search for a potent macrofilaricide, including drugs against the nematode and against its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela Ngwewondo
- Centre of Medical Research, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), P.O. Box13033, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Specht
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland.
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21
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Daley SK, Cordell GA. Alkaloids in Contemporary Drug Discovery to Meet Global Disease Needs. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26133800. [PMID: 34206470 PMCID: PMC8270272 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26133800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An overview is presented of the well-established role of alkaloids in drug discovery, the application of more sustainable chemicals, and biological approaches, and the implementation of information systems to address the current challenges faced in meeting global disease needs. The necessity for a new international paradigm for natural product discovery and development for the treatment of multidrug resistant organisms, and rare and neglected tropical diseases in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Quintuple Helix is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Geoffrey A. Cordell
- Natural Products Inc., Evanston, IL 60202, USA;
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Correspondence:
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22
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Abongwa M, Samje M, Ayimele GA, Babiaka SB, Bulman C, Sakanari J, Koszewski NJ, Verma S, Goff J, Cho-Ngwa F, Martin RJ, Robertson AP. Filaricidal activity of Daniellia oliveri and Psorospermum febrifugum extracts. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:305. [PMID: 34099047 PMCID: PMC8186089 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04759-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drugs currently used for controlling onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are mainly microfilaricidal, with minimal or no effect on the adult worms. For efficient management of these diseases, it is necessary to search for new drugs with macrofilaricidal activities that can be used singly or in combination with existing ones. Daniellia oliveri and Psorospermum febrifugum are two plants commonly used in the local management of these infections in Bambui, a township in the North West Region of Cameroon, but there is currently no documented scientific evidence to support their claimed anthelmintic efficacy and safety. The aim of this study was to provide evidence in support of the search for means to eliminate these diseases by screening extracts and chromatographic fractions isolated from these plants for efficacy against the parasitic roundworms Onchocerca ochengi and Brugia pahangi. METHODS The viability of O. ochengi adult worms was assessed using the MTT/formazan assay. Fully confluent monkey kidney epithelial cells (LLC-MK2) served as the feeder layer for the O. ochengi microfilariae (mfs) assays. Viability of the mfs was assessed by microscopic examination for mean motility scoring (relative to the negative control) every 24 h post addition of an extract. The Worminator system was used to test the effects of the extracts on adult B. pahangi motility, and mean motility units were determined for each worm. Cytotoxicity of the active extracts on N27 cells was assessed using the MTS assay. RESULTS Extracts from D. oliveri and P. febrifugum were effective against the adult roundworms O. ochengi and B. pahangi. Interestingly, extracts showing macrofilaricidal activities against O. ochengi also showed activity against O. ochengi mfs. The hexane stem bark extract of D. oliveri (DOBHEX) was more selective for adult O. ochengi than for mfs, with a half maximal and 100% inhibitory concentration (IC50 and IC100, respectively) against adult O. ochengi of 13.9 and 31.3 μg/ml, respectively. The in vitro cytotoxicity of all active extracts on N27 cells showed selective toxicity for parasites (selectivity index > 1). Bioassay-guided fractionation of the extracts yielded fractions with activity against adult B. pahangi, thus confirming the presence of bioactive principles in the plant extracts. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports the use of D. oliveri and P. febrifugum in the traditional treatment of onchocerciasis and LF. The further purification of active extracts from these plants could yield lead compounds for filarial drug discovery and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Abongwa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Moses Samje
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, South West Region, Buea, Cameroon.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon
| | - Godfred A Ayimele
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, South West Region, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Smith B Babiaka
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, South West Region, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Christina Bulman
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Judy Sakanari
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nick J Koszewski
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Saurabh Verma
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jesse Goff
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, South West Region, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Richard J Martin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Alan P Robertson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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23
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High-content approaches to anthelmintic drug screening. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:780-789. [PMID: 34092518 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Most anthelmintics were discovered through in vivo screens using animal models of infection. Developing in vitro assays for parasitic worms presents several challenges. The lack of in vitro life cycle culture protocols requires harvesting worms from vertebrate hosts or vectors, limiting assay throughput. Once worms are removed from the host environment, established anthelmintics often show no obvious phenotype - raising concerns about the predictive value of many in vitro assays. However, with recent progress in understanding how anthelmintics subvert host-parasite interactions, and breakthroughs in high-content imaging and machine learning, in vitro assays have the potential to discern subtle cryptic parasite phenotypes. These may prove better endpoints than conventional in vitro viability assays.
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24
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Abou-El-Naga IF, Gaafar MR, Gomaa MM, Khedr SI, Achy SXANXAE. Encephalitozoon intestinalis: A new target for auranofin in a mice model. Med Mycol 2021; 58:810-819. [PMID: 31868212 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myz126] [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: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that many approaches have been developed over years to find efficient and well-tolerated therapeutic regimens for microsporidiosis, the effectiveness of current drugs remains doubtful, and effective drugs against specific targets are still scarce. The present study is the first that was designed to evaluate the potency of auranofin, an anti-rheumatoid FDA approved drug, against intestinal Encephalitozoon intestinalis. Evaluation of the drug was achieved through counting of fecal and intestinal spores, studying the intestinal histopathological changes, measuring of intestinal hydrogen peroxide level, and post therapy follow-up of mice for 2 weeks for detection of relapse. Results showed that auranofin has promising anti-microsporidia potential. It showed a promising efficacy in mice experimentally infected with E. intestinalis. It has revealed an obvious reduction in fecal spore shedding and intestinal tissue spore load, amelioration of intestinal tissue pathological changes, and improvement of the local inflammatory infiltration without significant changes in hydrogen peroxide level. Interestingly, auranofin prevented the relapse of infection. Thus, considering the results of the present work, auranofin could be considered a therapeutic alternative for the gold standard drug 'albendazole' against the intestinal E. intestinalis infection especially in relapsing cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- I F Abou-El-Naga
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
| | - M R Gaafar
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
| | - M M Gomaa
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
| | - S I Khedr
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
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Ma CI, Tirtorahardjo JA, Jan S, Schweizer SS, Rosario SAC, Du Y, Zhang JJ, Morrissette NS, Andrade RM. Auranofin Resistance in Toxoplasma gondii Decreases the Accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species but Does Not Target Parasite Thioredoxin Reductase. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:618994. [PMID: 33816332 PMCID: PMC8017268 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.618994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Auranofin, a reprofiled FDA-approved drug originally designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has emerged as a promising anti-parasitic drug. It induces the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in parasites, including Toxoplasma gondii. We generated auranofin resistant T. gondii lines through chemical mutagenesis to identify the molecular target of this drug. Resistant clones were confirmed with a competition assay using wild-type T. gondii expressing yellow fluorescence protein (YFP) as a reference strain. The predicted auranofin target, thioredoxin reductase, was not mutated in any of our resistant lines. Subsequent whole genomic sequencing analysis (WGS) did not reveal a consensus resistance locus, although many have point mutations in genes encoding redox-relevant proteins such as superoxide dismutase (TgSOD2) and ribonucleotide reductase. We investigated the SOD2 L201P mutation and found that it was not sufficient to confer resistance when introduced into wild-type parasites. Resistant clones accumulated less ROS than their wild type counterparts. Our results demonstrate that resistance to auranofin in T. gondii enhances its ability to abate oxidative stress through diverse mechanisms. This evidence supports a hypothesized mechanism of auranofin anti-parasitic activity as disruption of redox homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. Ma
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - James A. Tirtorahardjo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Sharon Jan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Sakura S. Schweizer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Shawn A. C. Rosario
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Yanmiao Du
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jerry J. Zhang
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Naomi S. Morrissette
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Rosa M. Andrade
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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Bulman CA, Chappell L, Gunderson E, Vogel I, Beerntsen B, Slatko BE, Sullivan W, Sakanari JA. The Eagle effect in the Wolbachia-worm symbiosis. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:118. [PMID: 33627171 PMCID: PMC7905570 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04545-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) are two human neglected tropical diseases that cause major disabilities. Mass administration of drugs targeting the microfilarial stage has reduced transmission and eliminated these diseases in several countries but a macrofilaricidal drug that kills or sterilizes the adult worms is critically needed to eradicate the diseases. The causative agents of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis are filarial worms that harbor the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. Because filarial worms depend on Wolbachia for reproduction and survival, drugs targeting Wolbachia hold great promise as a means to eliminate these diseases. Methods To better understand the relationship between Wolbachia and its worm host, adult Brugia pahangi were exposed to varying concentrations of doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline and rifampicin in vitro and assessed for Wolbachia numbers and worm motility. Worm motility was monitored using the Worminator system, and Wolbachia titers were assessed by qPCR of the single copy gene wsp from Wolbachia and gst from Brugia to calculate IC50s and in time course experiments. Confocal microscopy was also used to quantify Wolbachia located at the distal tip region of worm ovaries to assess the effects of antibiotic treatment in this region of the worm where Wolbachia are transmitted vertically to the microfilarial stage. Results Worms treated with higher concentrations of antibiotics had higher Wolbachia titers, i.e. as antibiotic concentrations increased there was a corresponding increase in Wolbachia titers. As the concentration of antibiotic increased, worms stopped moving and never recovered despite maintaining Wolbachia titers comparable to controls. Thus, worms were rendered moribund by the higher concentrations of antibiotics but Wolbachia persisted suggesting that these antibiotics may act directly on the worms at high concentration. Surprisingly, in contrast to these results, antibiotics given at low concentrations reduced Wolbachia titers. Conclusion Wolbachia in B. pahangi display a counterintuitive dose response known as the “Eagle effect.” This effect in Wolbachia suggests a common underlying mechanism that allows diverse bacterial and fungal species to persist despite exposure to high concentrations of antimicrobial compounds. To our knowledge this is the first report of this phenomenon occurring in an intracellular endosymbiont, Wolbachia, in its filarial host.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina A Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Laura Chappell
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Emma Gunderson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ian Vogel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brenda Beerntsen
- Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Barton E Slatko
- Molecular Parasitology Division, New England Biolabs Inc, Ipswich, MA, USA
| | - William Sullivan
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Judy A Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Jawahar S, Tricoche N, Bulman CA, Sakanari J, Lustigman S. Drugs that target early stages of Onchocerca volvulus: A revisited means to facilitate the elimination goals for onchocerciasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009064. [PMID: 33600426 PMCID: PMC7891776 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Several issues have been identified with the current programs for the elimination of onchocerciasis that target only transmission by using mass drug administration (MDA) of the drug ivermectin. Alternative and/or complementary treatment regimens as part of a more comprehensive strategy to eliminate onchocerciasis are needed. We posit that the addition of “prophylactic” drugs or therapeutic drugs that can be utilized in a prophylactic strategy to the toolbox of present microfilaricidal drugs and/or future macrofilaricidal treatment regimens will not only improve the chances of meeting the elimination goals but may hasten the time to elimination and also will support achieving a sustained elimination of onchocerciasis. These “prophylactic” drugs will target the infective third- (L3) and fourth-stage (L4) larvae of Onchocerca volvulus and consequently prevent the establishment of new infections not only in uninfected individuals but also in already infected individuals and thus reduce the overall adult worm burden and transmission. Importantly, an effective prophylactic treatment regimen can utilize drugs that are already part of the onchocerciasis elimination program (ivermectin), those being considered for MDA (moxidectin), and/or the potential macrofilaricidal drugs (oxfendazole and emodepside) currently under clinical development. Prophylaxis of onchocerciasis is not a new concept. We present new data showing that these drugs can inhibit L3 molting and/or inhibit motility of L4 at IC50 and IC90 that are covered by the concentration of these drugs in plasma based on the corresponding pharmacological profiles obtained in human clinical trials when these drugs were tested using various doses for the therapeutic treatments of various helminth infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Jawahar
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsey F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsey F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Christina A Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Judy Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsey F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
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28
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Tyagi R, Bulman CA, Cho-Ngwa F, Fischer C, Marcellino C, Arkin MR, McKerrow JH, McNamara CW, Mahoney M, Tricoche N, Jawahar S, Janetka JW, Lustigman S, Sakanari J, Mitreva M. An Integrated Approach to Identify New Anti-Filarial Leads to Treat River Blindness, a Neglected Tropical Disease. Pathogens 2021; 10:71. [PMID: 33466870 PMCID: PMC7830784 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10010071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Filarial worms cause multiple debilitating diseases in millions of people worldwide, including river blindness. Currently available drugs reduce transmission by killing larvae (microfilariae), but there are no effective cures targeting the adult parasites (macrofilaricides) which survive and reproduce in the host for very long periods. To identify effective macrofilaricides, we carried out phenotypic screening of a library of 2121 approved drugs for clinical use against adult Brugia pahangi and prioritized the hits for further studies by integrating those results with a computational prioritization of drugs and associated targets. This resulted in the identification of 18 hits with anti-macrofilaricidal activity, of which two classes, azoles and aspartic protease inhibitors, were further expanded upon. Follow up screening against Onchocerca spp. (adult Onchocerca ochengi and pre-adult O. volvulus) confirmed activity for 13 drugs (the majority having IC50 < 10 μM), and a counter screen of a subset against L. loa microfilariae showed the potential to identify selective drugs that prevent adverse events when co-infected individuals are treated. Stage specific activity was also observed. Many of these drugs are amenable to structural optimization, and also have known canonical targets, making them promising candidates for further optimization that can lead to identifying and characterizing novel anti-macrofilarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Tyagi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA;
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.R.A.)
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon;
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.R.A.)
| | - Chris Marcellino
- Division of Neurocritical Care and Hospital Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
| | - Michelle R. Arkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.R.A.)
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA;
| | - Case W. McNamara
- Calibr, a Division of The Scripps Research Institute, 11119 Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA;
| | - Matthew Mahoney
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; (M.M.); (J.W.J.)
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York City, NY 10065, USA; (N.T.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
| | - Shabnam Jawahar
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York City, NY 10065, USA; (N.T.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
| | - James W. Janetka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; (M.M.); (J.W.J.)
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York City, NY 10065, USA; (N.T.); (S.J.); (S.L.)
| | - Judy Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (M.R.A.)
| | - Makedonka Mitreva
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA;
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
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Babiaka SB, Simoben CV, Abuga KO, Mbah JA, Karpoormath R, Ongarora D, Mugo H, Monya E, Cho-Ngwa F, Sippl W, Loveridge EJ, Ntie-Kang F. Alkaloids with Anti-Onchocercal Activity from Voacanga africana Stapf (Apocynaceae): Identification and Molecular Modeling. Molecules 2020; 26:E70. [PMID: 33375687 PMCID: PMC7795662 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26010070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A new iboga-vobasine-type isomeric bisindole alkaloid named voacamine A (1), along with eight known compounds-voacangine (2), voacristine (3), coronaridine (4), tabernanthine (5), iboxygaine (6), voacamine (7), voacorine (8) and conoduramine (9)-were isolated from the stem bark of Voacangaafricana. The structures of the compounds were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were found to inhibit the motility of both the microfilariae (Mf) and adult male worms of Onchocerca ochengi, in a dose-dependent manner, but were only moderately active on the adult female worms upon biochemical assessment at 30 μM drug concentrations. The IC50 values of the isolates are 2.49-5.49 µM for microfilariae and 3.45-17.87 µM for adult males. Homology modeling was used to generate a 3D model of the O. ochengi thioredoxin reductase target and docking simulation, followed by molecular dynamics and binding free energy calculations attempted to offer an explanation of the anti-onchocercal structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the isolated compounds. These alkaloids are new potential leads for the development of antifilarial drugs. The results of this study validate the traditional use of V. africana in the treatment of human onchocerciasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smith B. Babiaka
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon;
- AgroEco Health Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Abomey-Calavi BEN-00229, Benin
| | - Conrad V. Simoben
- Institute for Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany; (C.V.S.); (W.S.)
| | - Kennedy O. Abuga
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 19676–00202, Kenya; (K.O.A.); (D.O.); (H.M.)
| | - James A. Mbah
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon;
| | - Rajshekhar Karpoormath
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa;
| | - Dennis Ongarora
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 19676–00202, Kenya; (K.O.A.); (D.O.); (H.M.)
| | - Hannington Mugo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 19676–00202, Kenya; (K.O.A.); (D.O.); (H.M.)
| | - Elvis Monya
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon; (E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon; (E.M.); (F.C.-N.)
| | - Wolfgang Sippl
- Institute for Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany; (C.V.S.); (W.S.)
| | - Edric Joel Loveridge
- Department of Chemistry, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Fidele Ntie-Kang
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea CM-00237, Cameroon;
- Institute for Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany; (C.V.S.); (W.S.)
- Institute of Botany, Technical University of Dresden, 01217 Dresden, Germany
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Joardar N, Guevara-Flores A, Martínez-González JDJ, Sinha Babu SP. Thiol antioxidant thioredoxin reductase: A prospective biochemical crossroads between anticancer and antiparasitic treatments of the modern era. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 165:249-267. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Feng L, Pomel S, Latre de Late P, Taravaud A, Loiseau PM, Maes L, Cho-Ngwa F, Bulman CA, Fischer C, Sakanari JA, Ziniel PD, Williams DL, Davioud-Charvet E. Repurposing Auranofin and Evaluation of a New Gold(I) Compound for the Search of Treatment of Human and Cattle Parasitic Diseases: From Protozoa to Helminth Infections. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25215075. [PMID: 33139647 PMCID: PMC7663263 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25215075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neglected parasitic diseases remain a major public health issue worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Human parasite diversity is very large, ranging from protozoa to worms. In most cases, more effective and new drugs are urgently needed. Previous studies indicated that the gold(I) drug auranofin (Ridaura®) is effective against several parasites. Among new gold(I) complexes, the phosphole-containing gold(I) complex {1-phenyl-2,5-di(2-pyridyl)phosphole}AuCl (abbreviated as GoPI) is an irreversible inhibitor of both purified human glutathione and thioredoxin reductases. GoPI-sugar is a novel 1-thio-β-d-glucopyranose 2,3,4,6-tetraacetato-S-derivative that is a chimera of the structures of GoPI and auranofin, designed to improve stability and bioavailability of GoPI. These metal-ligand complexes are of particular interest because of their combined abilities to irreversibly target the essential dithiol/selenol catalytic pair of selenium-dependent thioredoxin reductase activity, and to kill cells from breast and brain tumors. In this work, screening of various parasites—protozoans, trematodes, and nematodes—was undertaken to determine the in vitro killing activity of GoPI-sugar compared to auranofin. GoPI-sugar was found to efficiently kill intramacrophagic Leishmania donovani amastigotes and adult filarial and trematode worms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwen Feng
- UMR 7042 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg-Université Haute-Alsace, Laboratoire d’Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Team, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Sébastien Pomel
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Perle Latre de Late
- INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Cochin Institute, Faculté de Medecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75014 Paris, France;
| | - Alexandre Taravaud
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Philippe M. Loiseau
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium;
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon;
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Peter D. Ziniel
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - David L. Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
- Correspondence: (D.L.W.); (E.D.-C.)
| | - Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet
- UMR 7042 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg-Université Haute-Alsace, Laboratoire d’Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Team, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France;
- Correspondence: (D.L.W.); (E.D.-C.)
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Tolbatov I, Cirri D, Marchetti L, Marrone A, Coletti C, Re N, La Mendola D, Messori L, Marzo T, Gabbiani C, Pratesi A. Mechanistic Insights Into the Anticancer Properties of the Auranofin Analog Au(PEt 3)I: A Theoretical and Experimental Study. Front Chem 2020; 8:812. [PMID: 33195032 PMCID: PMC7531625 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Au(PEt3)I (AF-I hereafter), the iodide analog of the FDA-approved drug auranofin (AF hereafter), is a promising anticancer agent that produces its pharmacological effects through interaction with non-genomic targets such as the thioredoxin reductase system. AF-I is endowed with a very favorable biochemical profile showing potent in vitro cytotoxic activity against several cancer types including ovarian and colorectal cancer. Remarkably, in a recent publication, some of us reported that AF-I induces an almost complete and rapid remission in an orthotopic in vivo mouse model of ovarian cancer. The cytotoxic potency does not bring about highly severe side effects, making AF-I very well-tolerated even for higher doses, even more so than the pharmacologically active ones. All these promising features led us to expand our studies on the mechanistic aspects underlying the antitumor activity of AF-I. We report here on an integrated experimental and theoretical study on the reactivity of AF-I, in comparison with auranofin, toward relevant aminoacidic residues or their molecular models. Results point out that the replacement of the thiosugar moiety with iodide significantly affects the overall reactivity toward the amino acid residues histidine, cysteine, methionine, and selenocysteine. Altogether, the obtained results contribute to shed light into the enhanced antitumoral activity of AF-I compared with AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iogann Tolbatov
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Damiano Cirri
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorella Marchetti
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Marrone
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Cecilia Coletti
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Nazzareno Re
- Department of Pharmacy, University "G. D'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Luigi Messori
- Laboratory of Metals in Medicine (MetMed), Department of Chemistry "U. Schiff", University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Tiziano Marzo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,CISUP-Centro per l'Integrazione della Strumentazione Scientifica dell'Università di Pisa, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Gabbiani
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pratesi
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Gunderson E, Bulman C, Luo M, Sakanari J. In vitro screening methods for parasites: the wMicroTracker & the WormAssay. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2020; 2020. [PMID: 32705078 PMCID: PMC7371462 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mona Luo
- University of California, San Francisco
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Oxfendazole mediates macrofilaricidal efficacy against the filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis in vivo and inhibits Onchocerca spec. motility in vitro. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008427. [PMID: 32628671 PMCID: PMC7365463 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A major impediment to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis is the lack of effective short-course macrofilaricidal drugs or regimens that are proven to be safe for both infections. In this study we tested oxfendazole, an anthelmintic shown to be well tolerated in phase 1 clinical trials. In vitro, oxfendazole exhibited modest to marginal motility inhibition of adult worms of Onchocerca gutturosa, pre-adult worms of Onchocerca volvulus and Onchocerca lienalis microfilariae. In vivo, five days of oral treatments provided sterile cure with up to 100% macrofilaricidal efficacy in the murine Litomosoides sigmodontis model of filariasis. In addition, 10 days of oral treatments with oxfendazole inhibited filarial embryogenesis in patent L. sigmodontis-infected jirds and subsequently led to a protracted but complete clearance of microfilaremia. The macrofilaricidal effect observed in vivo was selective, as treatment with oxfendazole of microfilariae-injected naïve mice was ineffective. Based on pharmacokinetic analysis, the driver of efficacy is the maintenance of a minimal efficacious concentration of approximately 100 ng/ml (based on subcutaneous treatment at 25 mg/kg in mice). From animal models, the human efficacious dose is predicted to range from 1.5 to 4.1 mg/kg. Such a dose has already been proven to be safe in phase 1 clinical trials. Oxfendazole therefore has potential to be efficacious for treatment of human filariasis without causing adverse reactions due to drug-induced microfilariae killing. Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis represent two debilitating filarial diseases that belong to the neglected tropical diseases. The current efforts to eliminate those diseases is hampered by the lack of short-course macrofilaricidal drugs, i.e. drugs that kill the adult worms, or regimens that are proven to be safe for both diseases. In the present study we demonstrate that the anthelmintic drug oxfendazole, currently used in veterinary medicine against intestinal helminths, has excellent efficacy in the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model of filariasis. Oxfendazole caused complete clearance of adult filariae after a short oral regimen in vivo. Oxfendazole was not directly active against the circulating filarial progeny, the microfilariae, suggesting that drug-induced serious adverse events due to the clearance of microfilariae are unlikely. Human dose was predicted based on the efficacy in the rodent model, the calculation estimated a low efficacious dose, which has already been shown to be safe in phase 1 clinical trials. Thus, oxfendazole represents a promising drug candidate for the treatment of human filarial diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.
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Partridge FA, Forman R, Bataille CJR, Wynne GM, Nick M, Russell AJ, Else KJ, Sattelle DB. Anthelmintic drug discovery: target identification, screening methods and the role of open science. Beilstein J Org Chem 2020; 16:1203-1224. [PMID: 32550933 PMCID: PMC7277699 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.16.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminths, including cestodes, nematodes and trematodes, are a huge global health burden, infecting hundreds of millions of people. In many cases, existing drugs such as benzimidazoles, diethylcarbamazine, ivermectin and praziquantel are insufficiently efficacious, contraindicated in some populations, or at risk of the development of resistance, thereby impeding progress towards World Health Organization goals to control or eliminate these neglected tropical diseases. However, there has been limited recent progress in developing new drugs for these diseases due to lack of commercial attractiveness, leading to the introduction of novel, more efficient models for drug innovation that attempt to reduce the cost of research and development. Open science aims to achieve this by encouraging collaboration and the sharing of data and resources between organisations. In this review we discuss how open science has been applied to anthelmintic drug discovery. Open resources, including genomic information from many parasites, are enabling the identification of targets for new antiparasitic agents. Phenotypic screening remains important, and there has been much progress in open-source systems for compound screening with parasites, including motility assays but also high content assays with more detailed investigation of helminth physiology. Distributed open science compound screening programs, such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box, have been successful at facilitating screening in diverse assays against many different parasite pathogens and models. Of the compounds identified so far in these screens, tolfenpyrad, a repurposed insecticide, shows significant promise and there has been much progress in creating more potent and selective derivatives. This work exemplifies how open science approaches can catalyse drug discovery against neglected diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick A Partridge
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Forman
- The Lydia Becker Institute for Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Carole J R Bataille
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA United Kingdom
| | - Graham M Wynne
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA United Kingdom
| | - Marina Nick
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Angela J Russell
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3QT, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn J Else
- The Lydia Becker Institute for Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - David B Sattelle
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, Division of Medicine, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Tunes LG, Morato RE, Garcia A, Schmitz V, Steindel M, Corrêa-Junior JD, Dos Santos HF, Frézard F, de Almeida MV, Silva H, Moretti NS, de Barros ALB, do Monte-Neto RL. Preclinical Gold Complexes as Oral Drug Candidates to Treat Leishmaniasis Are Potent Trypanothione Reductase Inhibitors. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:1121-1139. [PMID: 32283915 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The drugs currently used to treat leishmaniases have limitations concerning cost, efficacy, and safety, making the search for new therapeutic approaches urgent. We found that the gold(I)-derived complexes were active against L. infantum and L. braziliensis intracellular amastigotes with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 5.5 μM. All gold(I) complexes were potent inhibitors of trypanothione reductase (TR), with enzyme IC50 values ranging from 1 to 7.8 μM. Triethylphosphine-derived complexes enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased mitochondrial respiration after 2 h of exposure, indicating that gold(I) complexes cause oxidative stress by direct ROS production, by causing mitochondrial damage or by impairing TR activity and thus accumulating ROS. There was no cross-resistance to antimony; in fact, SbR (antimony-resistant mutants) strains were hypersensitive to some of the complexes. BALB/c mice infected with luciferase-expressing L. braziliensis or L. amazonensis and treated orally with 12.5 mg/kg/day of AdT Et (3) or AdO Et (4) presented reduced lesion size and parasite burden, as revealed by bioimaging. The combination of (3) and miltefosine allowed for a 50% reduction in miltefosine treatment time. Complexes 3 and 4 presented favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles that encourage further drug development studies. Gold(I) complexes are promising antileishmanial agents, with a potential for therapeutic use, including in leishmaniasis caused by antimony-resistant parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiza G. Tunes
- Instituto René Rachou/Fiocruz Minas−Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, Brasil
| | - Roberta E. Morato
- Instituto René Rachou/Fiocruz Minas−Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, Brasil
| | - Adriana Garcia
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, Brasil
| | - Vinicius Schmitz
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, Brasil
| | - Mario Steindel
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-900, Brasil
| | - José D. Corrêa-Junior
- Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brasil
| | - Hélio F. Dos Santos
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, Brasil
| | - Frédéric Frézard
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brasil
| | - Mauro V. de Almeida
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-900, Brasil
| | - Heveline Silva
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brasil
| | - Nilmar S. Moretti
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brasil
| | - André L. B. de Barros
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brasil
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Abstract
Neglected parasitic helminth diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis affect an estimated 145 million people worldwide, creating a serious health burden in endemic areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and India. Although these diseases are not usually lethal, these filarial nematodes, transmitted by blood-feeding insect vectors, cause severe debilitation and cause chronic disability to infected individuals. The adult worms can reproduce from 5 to up to 14 years, releasing millions of microfilariae, juvenile worms, over an infected individual's lifetime. The current treatments for controlling human filarial infections is focused on killing microfilariae, the earliest larval stage. Currently, there is an unmet medical need for treatments consisting of a macrofilaricidal regimen, one that targets the adult stage of the parasite, to increase the rate of elimination, allow for safe use in coendemic regions of Onchocerca volvulus and Loa loa, and to provide a rapid method to resolve reinfections. Herein, recent approaches for targeting human filarial diseases are discussed, including direct acting agents to target parasitic nematodes and antibacterial approaches to target the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A. Hawryluk
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, Global Health, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, California 92121, United States
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Akama T, Freund YR, Berry PW, Carter DS, Easom EE, Jarnagin K, Lunde CS, Plattner JJ, Rock F, Stefanakis R, Fischer C, Bulman CA, Lim KC, Suzuki BM, Tricoche N, Mansour A, DiCosty U, McCall S, Carson B, McCall JW, McKerrow J, Hübner MP, Specht S, Hoerauf A, Lustigman S, Sakanari JA, Jacobs RT. Macrofilaricidal Benzimidazole-Benzoxaborole Hybrids as an Approach to the Treatment of River Blindness: Part 1. Amide Linked Analogs. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:173-179. [PMID: 31876154 PMCID: PMC7026885 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
A series of benzimidazole–benzoxaborole
hybrid molecules
linked via an amide linker are described that exhibit good in vitro activity against Onchocerca volvulus, a filarial nematode responsible for the disease onchocerciasis,
also known as river blindness. The lead identified in this series, 8a (AN8799), was found to have acceptable pharmacokinetic
properties to enable evaluation in animal models of human filariasis.
Compound 8a was effective in killing Brugia malayi, B. pahangi, and Litomosoides sigmodontis worms present in Mongolian gerbils when dosed subcutaneously as
a suspension at 100 mg/kg/day for 14 days but not when dosed orally
at 100 mg/kg/day for 28 days. The measurement of plasma levels of 8a at the end of the dosing period and at the time of sacrifice
revealed an interesting dependence of activity on the extended exposure
for both 8a and the positive control, flubendazole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Akama
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Yvonne R. Freund
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Pamela W. Berry
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - David S. Carter
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Eric E. Easom
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Kurt Jarnagin
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Christopher S. Lunde
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Jacob J. Plattner
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Fernando Rock
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Rianna Stefanakis
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Kee Chong Lim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Brian M. Suzuki
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th Street, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Abdelmoneim Mansour
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Utami DiCosty
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Scott McCall
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Ben Carson
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - John W. McCall
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - James McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, 15 Chemin Louis-Dunant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th Street, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Robert T. Jacobs
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
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A review on the druggability of a thiol-based enzymatic antioxidant thioredoxin reductase for treating filariasis and other parasitic infections. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 142:125-141. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Cho-Ngwa F, Mbah GE, Ayiseh RB, Ndi EM, Monya E, Tumanjong IM, Mainsah EN, Sakanari J, Lustigman S. Development and validation of an Onchocerca ochengi adult male worm gerbil model for macrofilaricidal drug screening. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007556. [PMID: 31260456 PMCID: PMC6625737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007556] [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: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Onchocerciasis currently afflicts an estimated 15 million people and is the second leading infectious cause of blindness world-wide. The development of a macrofilaricide to cure the disease has been hindered by the lack of appropriate small laboratory animal models. This study therefore, was aimed at developing and validating the Mongolian gerbil, as an Onchocerca ochengi (the closest in phylogeny to O. volvulus) adult male worm model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were each implanted with 20 O. ochengi male worms (collected from infected cattle), in the peritoneum. Following drug or placebo treatments, the implanted worms were recovered from the animals and analyzed for burden, motility and viability. Worm recovery in control gerbils was on average 35%, with 89% of the worms being 100% motile. Treatment of the gerbils implanted with male worms with flubendazole (FBZ) resulted in a significant reduction (p = 0.0021) in worm burden (6.0% versus 27.8% in the control animals); all recovered worms from the treated group had 0% worm motility versus 91.1% motility in control animals. FBZ treatment had similar results even after four different experiments. Using this model, we tested a related drug, oxfendazole (OFZ), and found it to also significantly (p = 0.0097) affect worm motility (22.7% versus 95.0% in the control group). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We have developed and validated a novel gerbil O. ochengi adult male worm model for testing new macrofilaricidal drugs in vivo. It was also used to determine the efficacy of oxfendazole in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Glory Enjong Mbah
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Rene Bilingwe Ayiseh
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Emmanuel Menang Ndi
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Elvis Monya
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Irene Memeh Tumanjong
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Evans Ngandung Mainsah
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Judy Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York City, New York, United States of America
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Abhishek S, Sivadas S, Satish M, Deeksha W, Rajakumara E. Dynamic Basis for Auranofin Drug Recognition by Thiol-Reductases of Human Pathogens and Intermediate Coordinated Adduct Formation with Catalytic Cysteine Residues. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:9593-9602. [PMID: 31460050 PMCID: PMC6649031 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In all the living systems, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism provides resistance against internal and external oxidative stresses. Auranofin (AF), an FDA-approved gold [Au(I)]-conjugated drug, is known to selectively target thiol-reductases, key enzymes involved in ROS metabolism. AF has been successfully tested for its inhibitory activity through biochemical studies, both in vitro and in vivo, against a diverse range of pathogens including protozoa, nematodes, bacteria, and so forth. Cocrystal structures of thiol-reductases complexed with AF revealed that Au(I) was coordinately linked to catalytic cysteines, but the mechanism of transfer of Au(I) from AF to catalytic cysteines still remains unknown. In this study, we have employed computational approaches to understand the interaction of AF with thiol-reductases of selected human pathogens. A similar network of interactions of AF was observed in all the studied enzymes. Also, we have shown that tailor-made analogues of AF can be designed against selective thiol-reductases for targeted inhibition. Molecular dynamics studies show that the AF-intermediates, tetraacetylthioglucose (TAG)-gold, and triethylphosphine (TP)-gold, coordinately linked to one of catalytic cysteines, remain stable in the binding pocket of thiol-reductases for Leishmania infantum and Plasmodium falciparum (PfTrxR). This suggests that the TP and TAG moieties of AF may be sequentially eliminated during the transfer of Au(I) to catalytic cysteines of the receptor.
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Ngwewondo A, Tsague Manfo FP, Samje M, Monya E, Cho-Ngwa F. Macro and microfilaricidal activities of extracts of Annona senegalensis and Milletia comosa against Onchocerca ochengi and Loa loa. Exp Parasitol 2019; 198:71-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Voronin D, Tricoche N, Jawahar S, Shlossman M, Bulman CA, Fischer C, Suderman MT, Sakanari JA, Lustigman S. Development of a preliminary in vitro drug screening assay based on a newly established culturing system for pre-adult fifth-stage Onchocerca volvulus worms. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007108. [PMID: 30653499 PMCID: PMC6353222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus is the causative agent of onchocerciasis (river blindness). It causes blindness in 270,000 individuals with an additional 6.5 million suffering from severe skin pathologies. Current international control programs focus on the reduction of microfilaridermia by annually administering ivermectin for more than 20 years with the ultimate goal of blocking of transmission. The adult worms of O. volvulus can live within nodules for over 15 years and actively release microfilariae for the majority of their lifespan. Therefore, protracted treatment courses of ivermectin are required to block transmission and eventually eliminate the disease. To shorten the time to elimination of this disease, drugs that successfully target macrofilariae (adult parasites) are needed. Unfortunately, there is no small animal model for the infection that could be used for discovery and screening of drugs against adult O. volvulus parasites. Here, we present an in vitro culturing system that supports the growth and development of O. volvulus young adult worms from the third-stage (L3) infective stage. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study we optimized the culturing system by testing several monolayer cell lines to support worm growth and development. We have shown that the optimized culturing system allows for the growth of the L3 worms to L5 and that the L5 mature into young adult worms. Moreover, these young O. volvulus worms were used in preliminary assays to test putative macrofilaricidal drugs and FDA-approved repurposed drugs. CONCLUSION The culture system we have established for O. volvulus young adult worms offers a promising new platform to advance drug discovery against the human filarial parasite, O. volvulus and thus supports the continuous pursuit for effective macrofilaricidal drugs. However, this in vitro culturing system will have to be further validated for reproducibility before it can be rolled out as a drug screen for decision making in macrofilaricide drug development programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Voronin
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shabnam Jawahar
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael Shlossman
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | | | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
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Akongwi M, Tih AE, Nyongbela KD, Samje M, Ghogomu RT, Bodo B. Brevipedicelones D and E, Two C-O-C Flavonoid Dimmers from the Leaves of Garcinia brevipedicellata and Anti-onchocercal Activity. NATURAL PRODUCTS AND BIOPROSPECTING 2019; 9:61-68. [PMID: 30511136 PMCID: PMC6328427 DOI: 10.1007/s13659-018-0191-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A novel isoflavone-chromone flavonoid C-O-C dimmer, brevipedicelone D (1), along with one new C-O-C biflavonoid derivative, brevipedicelone E (2), were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Garcinia brevipedicellata, a medicinal plant used in folk medicine in parts of Cameroon. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic techniques, including 1D- and 2D- NMR, MS experiments, as well as comparing their spectral data with those of known analogues. Anti-onchocercal screening of 1 showed moderate inhibition of adult worm motility of Onchocerca ochengi by 60% at the highest concentration (20 µg/mL) and inhibited motility of both the juvenile worms of O. ochengi and Loa loa by 90% at this same concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirabel Akongwi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde 1, P. O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon.
- Pharmacochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon.
| | - Anastasie E Tih
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde 1, P. O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Kennedy D Nyongbela
- Pharmacochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon
| | - Moses Samje
- Faculty of Science, ANDI Centre of Excellence on Onchocerciasis Research, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon
| | - Raphael T Ghogomu
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde 1, P. O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Bernard Bodo
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 63 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
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Abstract
Benzimidazole anthelmintics have long been employed for the control of soil-transmitted helminth infections. Flubendazole (FBZ) was approved in 1980 for the treatment of gastrointestinal nematode infections in both veterinary and human medicine. It has also long been known that parenteral administration of FBZ can lead to high macrofilaricidal efficacy in a variety of preclinical models and in humans. As part of an effort to stimulate the discovery and development of new macrofilaricides, particularly for onchocerciasis, research has recently been devoted to the development of new formulations that would afford high oral bioavailability of FBZ, paving the way for potential clinical development of this repurposed drug for the treatment of human filariases. This review summarizes the background information that led to this program and summarizes some of the lessons learned from it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy G. Geary
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
| | - Charles D. Mackenzie
- NTDSC/MDP, Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Steven A. Silber
- Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health, Janssen Research and Development, LLC., New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
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Hernandez HW, Soeung M, Zorn KM, Ashoura N, Mottin M, Andrade CH, Caffrey CR, de Siqueira-Neto JL, Ekins S. High Throughput and Computational Repurposing for Neglected Diseases. Pharm Res 2018; 36:27. [PMID: 30560386 PMCID: PMC6792295 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-018-2558-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent are a heterogeneous group of communicable diseases that are found within the poorest populations of the world. There are 23 NTDs that have been prioritized by the World Health Organization, which are endemic in 149 countries and affect more than 1.4 billion people, costing these developing economies billions of dollars annually. The NTDs result from four different causative pathogens: protozoa, bacteria, helminth and virus. The majority of the diseases lack effective treatments. Therefore, new therapeutics for NTDs are desperately needed. Methods We describe various high throughput screening and computational approaches that have been performed in recent years. We have collated the molecules identified in these studies and calculated molecular properties. Results Numerous global repurposing efforts have yielded some promising compounds for various neglected tropical diseases. These compounds when analyzed as one would expect appear drug-like. Several large datasets are also now in the public domain and this enables machine learning models to be constructed that then facilitate the discovery of new molecules for these pathogens. Conclusions In the space of a few years many groups have either performed experimental or computational repurposing high throughput screens against neglected diseases. These have identified compounds which in many cases are already approved drugs. Such approaches perhaps offer a more efficient way to develop treatments which are generally not a focus for global pharmaceutical companies because of the economics or the lack of a viable market. Other diseases could perhaps benefit from these repurposing approaches. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11095-018-2558-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melinda Soeung
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kimberley M Zorn
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27606, USA
| | | | - Melina Mottin
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Faculdade de Farmacia, Universidade Federal de Goias - UFG, Goiânia, GO, 74605-170, Brazil
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Faculdade de Farmacia, Universidade Federal de Goias - UFG, Goiânia, GO, 74605-170, Brazil
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, 92093, USA
| | - Jair Lage de Siqueira-Neto
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, 92093, USA
| | - Sean Ekins
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27606, USA.
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Weeks JC, Robinson KJ, Lockery SR, Roberts WM. Anthelmintic drug actions in resistant and susceptible C. elegans revealed by electrophysiological recordings in a multichannel microfluidic device. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2018; 8:607-628. [PMID: 30503202 PMCID: PMC6287544 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many anthelmintic drugs used to treat parasitic nematode infections target proteins that regulate electrical activity of neurons and muscles: ion channels (ICs) and neurotransmitter receptors (NTRs). Perturbation of IC/NTR function disrupts worm behavior and can lead to paralysis, starvation, immune attack and expulsion. Limitations of current anthelmintics include a limited spectrum of activity across species and the threat of drug resistance, highlighting the need for new drugs for human and veterinary medicine. Although ICs/NTRs are valuable anthelmintic targets, electrophysiological recordings are not commonly included in drug development pipelines. We designed a medium-throughput platform for recording electropharyngeograms (EPGs)-the electrical signals emitted by muscles and neurons of the pharynx during pharyngeal pumping (feeding)-in Caenorhabditis elegans and parasitic nematodes. The current study in C. elegans expands previous work in several ways. Detecting anthelmintic bioactivity in drugs, compounds or natural products requires robust, sustained pharyngeal pumping under baseline conditions. We generated concentration-response curves for stimulating pumping by perfusing 8-channel microfluidic devices (chips) with the neuromodulator serotonin, or with E. coli bacteria (C. elegans' food in the laboratory). Worm orientation in the chip (head-first vs. tail-first) affected the response to E. coli but not to serotonin. Using a panel of anthelmintics-ivermectin, levamisole and piperazine-targeting different ICs/NTRs, we determined the effects of concentration and treatment duration on EPG activity, and successfully distinguished control (N2) and drug-resistant worms (avr-14; avr-15; glc-1, unc-38 and unc-49). EPG recordings detected anthelmintic activity of drugs that target ICs/NTRs located in the pharynx as well as at extra-pharyngeal sites. A bus-8 mutant with enhanced permeability was more sensitive than controls to drug treatment. These results provide a useful framework for investigators who would like to more easily incorporate electrophysiology as a routine component of their anthelmintic research workflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janis C Weeks
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1254, USA.
| | - Kristin J Robinson
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1254, USA.
| | - Shawn R Lockery
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1254, USA.
| | - William M Roberts
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1254, USA.
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Ngwewondo A, Wang M, Manfo FPT, Samje M, Ganin’s JN, Ndi E, Andersen RJ, Cho-Ngwa F. Filaricidal properties of Lantana camara and Tamarindus indica extracts, and Lantadene A from L. camara against Onchocerca ochengi and Loa loa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006565. [PMID: 29897908 PMCID: PMC6016949 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ivermectin is the only drug currently recommended for the treatment of onchocerciasis, the second leading infectious cause of blindness in the world. This drug kills only the first stage larvae-microfilariae (mf) of Onchocerca volvulus and is to be used cautiously in areas where Loa loa is prevalent because of severe adverse events observed with coinfected patients. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS This study investigated the anti-filarial activities of two Cameroonian medicinal plants, Lantana camara and Tamarindus indica locally used to treat onchocerciasis. Twelve (12) extracts were prepared and tested in vitro on the bovine model parasite, O. ochengi as well as L. loa mf. Both mf and adult male worm viabilities were assessed by motility scoring, while adult female worm viability was determined biochemically by standard MTT/formazan colorimetry. Cytotoxicity and acute toxicity were determined respectively, in monkey kidney epithelial cells and in BALB/c mice. Pure compounds were isolated by LC/MS using a bio-assay guided strategy. All the extracts showed 100% activity at 500 μg/mL against O. ochengi adult worms and mf. The highest activity against O. ochengi was observed with the hexane extract of L. camara leaves (LCLhex), with IC50 of 35.1 μg/mL for adult females and 3.8 μg/mL for the mf. Interestingly, this extract was more active against O. ochengi mf than L. loa mf. Further studies on the extracts led to the isolation of lantadene A from the methylene chloride extract of L. camara leaves, with IC50s of 7.85 μg/mL for adult males, 10.38 μg/mL for adult females, 10.84 μg/mL for O. ochengi mf and 20.13 μg/mL for L. loa mf. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We report for the first time the anti-onchocercal activities of these locally consumed medicinal plants and lantadene A, a potential lead for further development as an onchocerciasis cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela Ngwewondo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Colombia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - Faustin Pascal T. Manfo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Moses Samje
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
| | - Jessie N’kam Ganin’s
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Emmanuel Ndi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Raymond J. Andersen
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Colombia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
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Markossian S, Ang KK, Wilson CG, Arkin MR. Small-Molecule Screening for Genetic Diseases. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2018; 19:263-288. [PMID: 29799800 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-083117-021452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The genetic determinants of many diseases, including monogenic diseases and cancers, have been identified; nevertheless, targeted therapy remains elusive for most. High-throughput screening (HTS) of small molecules, including high-content analysis (HCA), has been an important technology for the discovery of molecular tools and new therapeutics. HTS can be based on modulation of a known disease target (called reverse chemical genetics) or modulation of a disease-associated mechanism or phenotype (forward chemical genetics). Prominent target-based successes include modulators of transthyretin, used to treat transthyretin amyloidoses, and the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor Gleevec, used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia. Phenotypic screening successes include modulators of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, splicing correctors for spinal muscular atrophy, and histone deacetylase inhibitors for cancer. Synthetic lethal screening, in which chemotherapeutics are screened for efficacy against specific genetic backgrounds, is a promising approach that merges phenotype and target. In this article, we introduce HTS technology and highlight its contributions to the discovery of drugs and probes for monogenic diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarine Markossian
- Small Molecule Discovery Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA; , , ,
| | - Kenny K Ang
- Small Molecule Discovery Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA; , , ,
| | - Christopher G Wilson
- Small Molecule Discovery Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA; , , ,
| | - Michelle R Arkin
- Small Molecule Discovery Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA; , , ,
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Boussinesq M, Fobi G, Kuesel AC. Alternative treatment strategies to accelerate the elimination of onchocerciasis. Int Health 2018; 10:i40-i48. [PMID: 29471342 PMCID: PMC5881258 DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of alternative (or complementary) treatment strategies (ATSs) i.e. differing from annual community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) is required in some African foci to eliminate onchocerciasis by 2025. ATSs include vector control, biannual or pluriannual CDTI, better timing of CDTI, community-directed treatment with combinations of currently available anthelminthics or new drugs, and 'test-and-treat' (TNT) strategies requiring diagnosis of infection and/or contraindications to treatment for decisions on who to treat with what regimen. Two TNT strategies can be considered. Loa-first TNT, designed for loiasis-endemic areas and currently being evaluated using a rapid test (LoaScope), consists of identifying individuals with levels of Loa microfilaremia associated with a risk of post-ivermectin severe adverse events to exclude them from ivermectin treatment and in treating the rest (usually >97%) of the population safely. Oncho-first TNT consists of testing community members for onchocerciasis before giving treatment (currently ivermectin or doxycycline) to those who are infected. The choice of the ATS depends on the prevalences and intensities of infection with Onchocerca volvulus and Loa loa and on the relative cost-effectiveness of the strategies for the given epidemiological situation. Modelling can help select the optimal strategies, but field evaluations to determine the relative cost-effectiveness are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Boussinesq
- IRD UMI 233-INSERM U1175-Montpellier University, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Grace Fobi
- African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Annette C Kuesel
- UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Geneva, Switzerland
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