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Lynch C, Sakamuru S, Ooka M, Huang R, Klumpp-Thomas C, Shinn P, Gerhold D, Rossoshek A, Michael S, Casey W, Santillo MF, Fitzpatrick S, Thomas RS, Simeonov A, Xia M. High-Throughput Screening to Advance In Vitro Toxicology: Accomplishments, Challenges, and Future Directions. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2024; 64:191-209. [PMID: 37506331 PMCID: PMC10822017 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-112122-104310] [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: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, chemical toxicity is determined by in vivo animal studies, which are low throughput, expensive, and sometimes fail to predict compound toxicity in humans. Due to the increasing number of chemicals in use and the high rate of drug candidate failure due to toxicity, it is imperative to develop in vitro, high-throughput screening methods to determine toxicity. The Tox21 program, a unique research consortium of federal public health agencies, was established to address and identify toxicity concerns in a high-throughput, concentration-responsive manner using a battery of in vitro assays. In this article, we review the advancements in high-throughput robotic screening methodology and informatics processes to enable the generation of toxicological data, and their impact on the field; further, we discuss the future of assessing environmental toxicity utilizing efficient and scalable methods that better represent the corresponding biological and toxicodynamic processes in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Lynch
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Srilatha Sakamuru
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Masato Ooka
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Ruili Huang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Carleen Klumpp-Thomas
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - David Gerhold
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Anna Rossoshek
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Sam Michael
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Warren Casey
- Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael F Santillo
- Division of Toxicology, Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Suzanne Fitzpatrick
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Russell S Thomas
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anton Simeonov
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
| | - Menghang Xia
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ,
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Borba JRBDM, de Araújo LP, Veloso MP, da Silveira NJF. Applying the bioisosterism strategy to obtain lead compounds against SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases: An in-silico approach. J Comput Chem 2024; 45:35-46. [PMID: 37641955 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27217] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases are essential nonstructural proteins due to their role in the formation of the virus multiple enzyme replication-transcription complex. As a result, those functional proteins are extremely relevant targets in the development of a new drug candidate to fight COVID-19. Based on this fact and guided by the bioisosterism strategy, the present work has selected 126 out of 1050 ligands from DrugBank website. Subsequently, 831 chemical analogs containing bioisosteres, some of which became structurally simplified, were created using the MB-Isoster software, and molecular docking simulations were performed using AutoDock Vina. Finally, a study of physicochemical properties, along with pharmacokinetic profiles, was carried out through SwissADME and ADMETlab 2.0 platforms. The promising results obtained with the molecules encoded as DB00549_BI_005, DB04868_BI_003, DB11984_BI_002, DB12364_BI_006 and DB12805_BI_004 must be confirmed by molecular dynamics studies, followed by in vitro and in vivo empirical tests that ratify the advocated in-silico results.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Ricardo Bueno de Morais Borba
- João Ricardo Bueno de Morais Borba, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Pereira de Araújo
- Leonardo Pereira de Araújo, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Marcia Paranho Veloso
- Marcia Paranho Veloso, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
| | - Nelson José Freitas da Silveira
- Nelson José Freitas da Silveira, Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Computer Simulation - MolMod-CS, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Alfenas - UNIFAL-MG, Alfenas, Brazil
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Nair MS, Huang Y, Wang M, Weathers PJ. SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants are susceptible in vitro to Artemisia annua hot water extracts. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 308:116291. [PMID: 36804200 PMCID: PMC9937997 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Artemisia annua L. has >2000 yr of history in treating fever a symptom common to many infectious diseases including viruses. The plant is widely used as a tea infusion in many areas of the globe to thwart many infectious diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus continues to infect millions while rapidly evolving new variants that are more transmissible and evade vaccine-elicited antibodies, e.g., omicron and its subvariants. Having shown potency against all previously tested variants, A. annua L. extracts were further tested against highly infectious omicron and its recent subvariants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using Vero E6 cells, we measured the in vitro efficacy (IC50) of stored (frozen) dried-leaf hot-water A. annua L. extracts of four cultivars (A3, BUR, MED, and SAM) against SARS-CoV-2 variants: original WA1 (WT), BA.1 (omicron), BA.2, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4. End point virus titers of infectivity in cv. BUR-treated human lung A459 cells overexpressing hu-ACE2 were determined for both WA1 and BA.4 viruses. RESULTS When normalized to the artemisinin (ART) or leaf dry weight (DW) equivalent of the extract, the IC50 values ranged from 0.5 to 16.5 μM ART and from 20 to 106 μg DW. IC50 values were within limits of assay variation of our earlier studies. End-point titers confirmed a dose-response inhibition in ACE2 overexpressing human lung cells to the BUR cultivar. Cell viability losses were not measurable at leaf dry weights ≤50 μg for any cultivar extract. CONCLUSIONS A. annua hot-water extracts (tea infusions) continue to show efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and its rapidly evolving variants and deserve greater attention as a possible cost-effective therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Nair
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Y Huang
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - M Wang
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - P J Weathers
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 01609, USA.
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Nair M, Huang Y, Weathers P. SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants succumb in vitro to Artemisia annua hot water extracts. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2022:2022.07.22.501141. [PMID: 35923322 PMCID: PMC9347282 DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.22.501141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) global pandemic continuous to infect and kill millions while rapidly evolving new variants that are more transmissible and evading vaccine-elicited antibodies. Artemisia annua L. extracts have shown potency against all previously tested variants. Here we further queried extract efficacy against omicron and its recent subvariants. Using Vero E6 cells, we measured the in vitro efficacy (IC 50 ) of stored (frozen) dried-leaf hot-water A. annua L. extracts of four cultivars (A3, BUR, MED, and SAM) against SARS-CoV-2 variants: original WA1 (WT), BA.1.1.529+R346K (omicron), BA.2, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4. IC 50 values normalized to the extract artemisinin (ART) content ranged from 0.5-16.5 µM ART. When normalized to dry mass of the extracted A. annua leaves, values ranged from 20-106 µg. Although IC 50 values for these new variants are slightly higher than those reported for previously tested variants, they were within limits of assay variation. There was no measurable loss of cell viability at leaf dry weights ≤50 µg of any cultivar extract. Results continue to indicate that oral consumption of A. annua hot-water extracts (tea infusions) could potentially provide a cost-effective approach to help stave off this pandemic virus and its rapidly evolving variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.S. Nair
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Y. Huang
- Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - P.J. Weathers
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
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