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Mushroom Natural Products in Neurodegenerative Disease Drug Discovery. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233938. [PMID: 36497196 PMCID: PMC9740391 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The variety of drugs available to treat neurodegenerative diseases is limited. Most of these drug's efficacy is restricted by individual genetics and disease stages and usually do not prevent neurodegeneration acting long after irreversible damage has already occurred. Thus, drugs targeting the molecular mechanisms underlying subsequent neurodegeneration have the potential to negate symptom manifestation and subsequent neurodegeneration. Neuroinflammation is a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis, and is associated with the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which in turn leads to neurodegeneration. Inflammasome activation and oligomerisation is suggested to be a major driver of disease progression occurring in microglia. With several natural products and natural product derivatives currently in clinical trials, mushrooms have been highlighted as a rich and largely untapped source of biologically active compounds in both in vitro and in vivo neurodegenerative disease models, partially supported by successful clinical trial evaluations. Additionally, novel high-throughput methods for the screening of natural product compound libraries are being developed to help accelerate the neurodegenerative disease drug discovery process, targeting neuroinflammation. However, the breadth of research relating to mushroom natural product high-throughput screening is limited, providing an exciting opportunity for further detailed investigations.
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Wang C, Zhang Y, Zhao D, Huo Y, Xie J, Zhang X, Luo H, Xu H, Zhang YW. Phenazopyridine promotes RPS23RG1/Rps23rg1 transcription and ameliorates Alzheimer-associated phenotypes in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2042-2050. [PMID: 35821069 PMCID: PMC9556769 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01373-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia with no effective treatment options. A complete elucidation of its underlying molecular mechanisms, including the transcription regulation of genes critically involved in AD, may shed light on new therapeutic development. RPS23RG1 is a newly identified AD-associated gene, whose expression is decreased in AD and restoration can attenuate AD-like phenotypes in animal models. However, the transcription regulation of RPS23RG1 remains unknown. In this study, we explored the promoter of RPS23RG1 and identified its transcription initiation site (TSS) at 1525 bp upstream of the ATG translation start codon. Progressive deletion analysis determined the presence of a negative regulatory region and a positive regulatory region within nucleotide positions +1127 to +1187 and +732 to +1127 relative to the TSS (+1), respectively. We conducted a reporter system to screen for compounds that increase RPS23RG1 expression through antagonizing its negative regulatory elements and identified phenazopyridine. Importantly, we demonstrated that phenazopyridine not only promoted RPS23RG1/Rps23rg1 expression, but also reduced AD-like pathologies and cognitive impairments in the APP/PS1 AD model mice. We also determined a critical negative regulatory domain of RPS23RG1 within nucleotide positions +1177 to +1187 and found that the transcription factor SMAD3 bound to this domain. Inhibition of SMAD3 promoted RPS23RG1 expression. Moreover, phenazopyridine reduced SMAD3 binding to the RPS23RG1 promoter without affecting SMAD3 phosphorylation and nuclear localization. Taken together, our results determine the transcription regulation mechanism of RPS23RG1 and show that phenazopyridine has potential for AD treatment through regulating RPS23RG1 transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Wang
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China.
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Dongdong Zhao
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Yuanhui Huo
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Jieru Xie
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Xian Zhang
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Hong Luo
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Huaxi Xu
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China
| | - Yun-Wu Zhang
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging Research, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, PR China.
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Chiu W, Verschueren L, Van den Eynde C, Buyck C, De Meyer S, Jochmans D, Bojkova D, Ciesek S, Cinatl J, De Jonghe S, Leyssen P, Neyts J, Van Loock M, Van Damme E. Development and optimization of a high-throughput screening assay for in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity: Evaluation of 5676 Phase 1 Passed Structures. J Med Virol 2022; 94:3101-3111. [PMID: 35229317 PMCID: PMC9088669 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Although vaccines are currently used to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, treatment options are urgently needed for those who cannot be vaccinated and for future outbreaks involving new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains or coronaviruses not covered by current vaccines. Thus far, few existing antivirals are known to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 and clinically successful against COVID-19. As part of an immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a high-throughput, high content imaging-based SARS-CoV-2 infection assay was developed in VeroE6 African green monkey kidney epithelial cells expressing a stable enhanced green fluorescent protein (VeroE6-eGFP cells) and was used to screen a library of 5676 compounds that passed Phase 1 clinical trials. Eight drugs (nelfinavir, RG-12915, itraconazole, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, sematilide, remdesivir, and doxorubicin) were identified as inhibitors of in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in VeroE6-eGFP and/or Caco-2 cell lines. However, apart from remdesivir, toxicity and pharmacokinetic data did not support further clinical development of these compounds for COVID-19 treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winston Chiu
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyLeuvenBelgium
| | | | | | | | | | - Dirk Jochmans
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyLeuvenBelgium
| | - Denisa Bojkova
- Institute of Medical VirologyUniversity Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe UniversityFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Sandra Ciesek
- Institute of Medical VirologyUniversity Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe UniversityFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jindrich Cinatl
- Institute of Medical VirologyUniversity Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe UniversityFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Steven De Jonghe
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyLeuvenBelgium
| | - Pieter Leyssen
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyLeuvenBelgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and TransplantationRega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyLeuvenBelgium
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Whitmore CA, Boules MI, Behof WJ, Haynes JR, Koktysh D, Rosenberg AJ, Tantawy MN, Pham W. Design, Synthesis, and Validation of a Novel [ 11C]Promethazine PET Probe for Imaging Abeta Using Autoradiography. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26082182. [PMID: 33920113 PMCID: PMC8070574 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26082182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Promethazine, an antihistamine drug used in the clinical treatment of nausea, has been demonstrated the ability to bind Abeta in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. However, so far, all of the studies were performed in vitro using extracted tissues. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of a novel [11C]promethazine PET radioligand for future in vivo studies. The [11C]promethazine was isolated by RP-HPLC with radiochemical purity >95% and molar activity of 48 TBq/mmol. The specificity of the probe was demonstrated using human hippocampal tissues via autoradiography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clayton A. Whitmore
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mariam I. Boules
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - William J. Behof
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Justin R. Haynes
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Dmitry Koktysh
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, VU Station, Nashville, TN 37235, USA;
- Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Adam J. Rosenberg
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mohammed N. Tantawy
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Wellington Pham
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; (C.A.W.); (M.I.B.); (W.J.B.); (J.R.H.); (A.J.R.); (M.N.T.)
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, 1161, 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(615)-936-7621
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Abu-Hussien M, Viswanathan GK, Borisover L, Mimouni M, Engel H, Zayit-Soudry S, Gazit E, Segal D. Inhibition of amyloid fibrillation of γD-crystallin model peptide by the cochineal Carmine. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 169:342-351. [PMID: 33347930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.12.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
γD-crystallin is among the most abundant γ-crystallins in the human eye lens which are essential for preserving its transparency. Aging, and environmental changes, cause crystallins to lose their native soluble structure and aggregate, resulting in the formation of cataract. Current treatment of cataract is surgical removal which is costly. Pharmaceutical therapeutics of cataract is an unmet need. We report a screen for small molecules capable of inhibiting aggregation of human γD-crystallin. Using a highly amyloidogenic hexapeptide model 41GCWMLY46 derived from the full-length protein, we screened a library of 68 anthraquinone molecules using ThT fluorescence assay. A leading hit, the cochineal Carmine, effectively reduced aggregation of the model GDC6 peptide in dose dependent manner. Similar effect was observed toward aggregation of the full-length γD-crystallin. Transmission electron microscopy, intrinsic Tryptophan fluorescence and ANS fluorescence assays corroborated these results. Insights obtained from molecular docking suggested that Carmine interaction with monomeric GDC6 involved hydrogen bonding with Ace group, Cys, Met residues and hydrophobic contact with Trp residue. Carmine was non-toxic toward retinal cells in culture. It also reduced ex vivo the turbidity of human extracted cataract material. Collectively, our results indicate that Carmine could be used for developing new therapeutics to treat cataract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak Abu-Hussien
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Guru Krishnakumar Viswanathan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lia Borisover
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michael Mimouni
- Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel; The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hamutal Engel
- Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shiri Zayit-Soudry
- Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel; The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daniel Segal
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel; The Interdisciplinary Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
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