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Zhao BQ, Chen J, Chen JX, Cheng Y, Zhou JF, Bai JS, Mao DY, Zhou B. Classical swine fever virus non-structural protein 4A recruits dihydroorotate dehydrogenase to facilitate viral replication. J Virol 2024:e0049424. [PMID: 38757985 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00494-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are energy producers in cells, which can affect viral replication by regulating the host innate immune signaling pathways, and the changes in their biological functions are inextricably linked the viral life cycle. In this study, we screened a library of 382 mitochondria-targeted compounds and identified the antiviral inhibitors of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), the rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo synthesis pathway of pyrimidine ribonucleotides, against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Our data showed that the inhibitors interfered with viral RNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner, with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50) ranging from 0.975 to 26.635 nM. Remarkably, DHODH inhibitors obstructed CSFV replication by enhancing the innate immune response including the TBK1-IRF3-STAT1 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, the data from a series of compound addition and supplementation trials indicated that DHODH inhibitors also inhibited CSFV replication by blocking the de novo pyrimidine synthesis. Remarkably, DHODH knockdown demonstrated that it was essential for CSFV replication. Mechanistically, confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation assays showed that the non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) recruited and interacted with DHODH in the perinuclear. Notably, NS4A enhanced the DHODH activity and promoted the generation of UMP for efficient viral replication. Structurally, the amino acids 65-229 of DHODH and the amino acids 25-40 of NS4A were pivotal for this interaction. Taken together, our findings highlight the critical role of DHODH in the CSFV life cycle and offer a potential antiviral target for the development of novel therapeutics against CSF. IMPORTANCE Classical swine fever remains one of the most economically important viral diseases of domestic pigs and wild boar worldwide. dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors have been shown to suppress the replication of several viruses in vitro and in vivo, but the effects on Pestivirus remain unknown. In this study, three specific DHODH inhibitors, including DHODH-IN-16, BAY-2402234, and Brequinar were found to strongly suppress classical swine fever virus (CSFV) replication. These inhibitors target the host DHODH, depleting the pyrimidine nucleotide pool to exert their antiviral effects. Intriguingly, we observed that the non-structural protein 4A of CSFV induced DHODH to accumulate around the nucleus in conjunction with mitochondria. Moreover, NS4A exhibited a strong interaction with DHODH, enhancing its activity to promote efficient CSFV replication. In conclusion, our findings enhance the understanding of the pyrimidine synthesis in CSFV infection and expand the novel functions of CSFV NS4A in viral replication, providing a reference for further exploration of antiviral targets against CSFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Qian Zhao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jin-Xia Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Cheng
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiang-Fei Zhou
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ji-Shan Bai
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ding-Yi Mao
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Bacteriology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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Attreed SE, Silva C, Rodriguez-Calzada M, Mogulothu A, Abbott S, Azzinaro P, Canning P, Skidmore L, Nelson J, Knudsen N, Medina GN, de los Santos T, Díaz-San Segundo F. Prophylactic treatment with PEGylated bovine IFNλ3 effectively bridges the gap in vaccine-induced immunity against FMD in cattle. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1360397. [PMID: 38638908 PMCID: PMC11024232 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1360397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals with devastating economic implications. The current FMD vaccine, routinely used in enzootic countries, requires at least 7 days to induce protection. However, FMD vaccination is typically not recommended for use in non-enzootic areas, underscoring the need to develop new fast-acting therapies for FMD control during outbreaks. Interferons (IFNs) are among the immune system's first line of defense against viral infections. Bovine type III IFN delivered by a replication defective adenovirus (Ad) vector has effectively blocked FMD in cattle. However, the limited duration of protection-usually only 1-3 days post-treatment (dpt)-diminishes its utility as a field therapeutic. Here, we test whether polyethylene glycosylation (PEGylation) of recombinant bovine IFNλ3 (PEGboIFNλ3) can extend the duration of IFN-induced prevention of FMDV infection in both vaccinated and unvaccinated cattle. We treated groups of heifers with PEGboIFNλ3 alone or in combination with an adenovirus-based FMD O1Manisa vaccine (Adt-O1M) at either 3 or 5 days prior to challenge with homologous wild type FMDV. We found that pre-treatment with PEGboIFNλ3 was highly effective at preventing clinical FMD when administered at either time point, with or without co-administration of Adt-O1M vaccine. PEGboIFNλ3 protein was detectable systemically for >10 days and antiviral activity for 4 days following administration. Furthermore, in combination with Adt-O1M vaccine, we observed a strong induction of FMDV-specific IFNγ+ T cell response, demonstrating its adjuvanticity when co-administered with a vaccine. Our results demonstrate the promise of this modified IFN as a pre-exposure prophylactic therapy for use in emergency outbreak scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Attreed
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
| | - Christina Silva
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
| | - Monica Rodriguez-Calzada
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Plum Island Animal Disease Center Research Participation Program, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Aishwarya Mogulothu
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Sophia Abbott
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
- Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory, Northeast Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Paul Azzinaro
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
| | | | | | - Jay Nelson
- Ambrx Biopharma, Inc., La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nick Knudsen
- Ambrx Biopharma, Inc., La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Gisselle N. Medina
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
- National Bio-and Agro-Defense Facility, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Teresa de los Santos
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
| | - Fayna Díaz-San Segundo
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plains Area, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY, United States
- Office of Biodefense, Research Resources and Translational Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Rockville, MD, United States
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3
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Sake SM, Zhang X, Rajak MK, Urbanek-Quaing M, Carpentier A, Gunesch AP, Grethe C, Matthaei A, Rückert J, Galloux M, Larcher T, Le Goffic R, Hontonnou F, Chatterjee AK, Johnson K, Morwood K, Rox K, Elgaher WAM, Huang J, Wetzke M, Hansen G, Fischer N, Eléouët JF, Rameix-Welti MA, Hirsch AKH, Herold E, Empting M, Lauber C, Schulz TF, Krey T, Haid S, Pietschmann T. Drug repurposing screen identifies lonafarnib as respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein inhibitor. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1173. [PMID: 38332002 PMCID: PMC10853176 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45241-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants, older adults and the immunocompromised. Effective directly acting antivirals are not yet available for clinical use. To address this, we screen the ReFRAME drug-repurposing library consisting of 12,000 small molecules against RSV. We identify 21 primary candidates including RSV F and N protein inhibitors, five HSP90 and four IMPDH inhibitors. We select lonafarnib, a licensed farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and phase III candidate for hepatitis delta virus (HDV) therapy, for further follow-up. Dose-response analyses and plaque assays confirm the antiviral activity (IC50: 10-118 nM). Passaging of RSV with lonafarnib selects for phenotypic resistance and fixation of mutations in the RSV fusion protein (T335I and T400A). Lentiviral pseudotypes programmed with variant RSV fusion proteins confirm that lonafarnib inhibits RSV cell entry and that these mutations confer lonafarnib resistance. Surface plasmon resonance reveals RSV fusion protein binding of lonafarnib and co-crystallography identifies the lonafarnib binding site within RSV F. Oral administration of lonafarnib dose-dependently reduces RSV virus load in a murine infection model using female mice. Collectively, this work provides an overview of RSV drug repurposing candidates and establishes lonafarnib as a bona fide fusion protein inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja M Sake
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Manoj Kumar Rajak
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Center of Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Melanie Urbanek-Quaing
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Arnaud Carpentier
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Antonia P Gunesch
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christina Grethe
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alina Matthaei
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jessica Rückert
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Marie Galloux
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UVSQ, VIM, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Ronan Le Goffic
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, UVSQ, VIM, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Katharina Rox
- Department of Chemical Biology, Helmholtz Center of Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research, Partner site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Walid A M Elgaher
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)-HZI, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jiabin Huang
- Insitute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Wetzke
- Department for Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research, Partner Site Hannover, BREATH, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gesine Hansen
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Department for Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research, Partner Site Hannover, BREATH, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nicole Fischer
- Insitute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Marie-Anne Rameix-Welti
- Université Paris-Saclay, Université de Versailles St. Quentin; UMR 1173 (2I), INSERM; Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, DMU15, Versailles, France
| | - Anna K H Hirsch
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)-HZI, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, HZI, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Herold
- Center of Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Martin Empting
- German Centre for Infection Research, Partner site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)-HZI, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Chris Lauber
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas F Schulz
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research, Partner site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Krey
- Institute of Virology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Center of Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Riems, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Sibylle Haid
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Thomas Pietschmann
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
- German Centre for Infection Research, Partner site Braunschweig-Hannover, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, HZI, Braunschweig, Germany.
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Priyanka M, Ranjitha HB, Karikalan M, Chandramohan S, Behera S, Gnanavel V, Ramasamy Periyasamy TS, Umapathi V, Dechamma HJ, Krishnaswamy N. Experimental infection of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) upregulates the expression of Coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) in the myocardium of suckling mice. Microb Pathog 2023; 184:106383. [PMID: 37806501 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The relative overexpression of Coxsackie and adenoviral receptor (CAR) predisposes children to viral myocarditis. As the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes fatal myocarditis in calves, lambs, and piglets and belongs to the same family as the Coxsackie virus, we investigated the role of CAR in FMDV induced myocarditis in the suckling mice model. Swiss albino suckling mice of 5 days (n = 24) were divided into two equal groups. One group was inoculated with suckling mice adapted FMDV serotype O at 10 LD50, while the other group served as uninfected control. In addition, adult mice (n = 12) served as the control for age related CAR expression and lack of pathogenicity to FMDV. The establishment of myocarditis was confirmed by histopathological changes typical of myocarditis along with immunolocalization of FMDV antigens in the heart of suckling mice. The FMDV inoculated suckling mice group showed a significant upregulation of CAR transcripts by 2.5 folds, overexpression of CAR protein by densitometric analysis of immunoblots, and intense immunolocalization of CAR in the sarcolemma and intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes as compared to the uninfected suckling mice group and adult mice. It was concluded that FMDV infection induced overexpression of CAR in the myocardium of suckling mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahadappa Priyanka
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
| | - H B Ranjitha
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - M Karikalan
- Centre for Wildlife Conservation, Management and Disease Surveillance, Deemed University, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, 243122, India
| | - S Chandramohan
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Subhasmitha Behera
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - V Gnanavel
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - V Umapathi
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - H J Dechamma
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Narayanan Krishnaswamy
- ICAR - Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Regional campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
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Domínguez-Mozo MI, González-Suárez I, Villar LM, Costa-Frossard L, Villarrubia N, Aladro Y, Pilo B, Montalbán X, Comabella M, Casanova-Peño I, Martínez-Ginés ML, García-Domínguez JM, García-Martínez MÁ, Arroyo R, Álvarez-Lafuente R. Teriflunomide and Epstein-Barr virus in a Spanish multiple sclerosis cohort: in vivo antiviral activity and clinical response. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1248182. [PMID: 37841253 PMCID: PMC10570817 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1248182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) have been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Teriflunomide is an oral disease-modifying therapy approved for treatment of relapsing forms of MS. In the preclinical Theiler's murine encephalitis virus model of MS, the drug demonstrated an increased rate of viral clearance versus the vehicle placebo. Furthermore, teriflunomide inhibits lytic EBV infection in vitro. Objective 1. To evaluate the humoral response against EBV and HHV-6 prior to teriflunomide treatment and 6 months later. 2. To correlate the variation in the humoral response against EBV and HHV-6 with the clinical and radiological response after 24 months of treatment with teriflunomide. 3. To analyze the utility of different demographic, clinical, radiological, and environmental data to identify early biomarkers of response to teriflunomide. Methods A total of 101 MS patients (62 women; mean age: 43.4 years) with one serum prior to teriflunomide onset and another serum sample 6 months later were recruited. A total of 80 had been treated for at least 24 months, 13 had stopped teriflunomide before 24 months, and 8 were currently under teriflunomide therapy but with less than 24 months of follow-up. We analyzed the levels of the viral antibodies titers abovementioned in serum samples with ELISA commercial kits, and the levels of serum neurofilament light chain (Nf-L). Results Antiviral antibody titers decreased for EBNA-1 IgG (74.3%), VCA IgG (69%), HHV-6 IgG (60.4%), and HHV-6 IgM (73.3%) after 6 months of teriflunomide. VCA IgG titers at baseline correlated with Nf-L levels measured at the same time (r = 0.221; p = 0.028) and 6 months later (r = 0.240; p = 0.017). We found that higher EBNA-1 titers (p = 0.001) and a higher age (p = 0.04) at baseline were associated with NEDA-3 conditions. Thus, 77.8% of patients with EBNA-1 >23.0 AU and >42.8 years (P50 values) were NEDA-3. Conclusion Treatment with teriflunomide was associated with a reduction of the levels of IgG antibody titers against EBV and HHV-6. Furthermore, higher EBNA-1 IgG titers prior to teriflunomide initiation were associated with a better clinical response.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Inmaculada Domínguez-Mozo
- Grupo de Investigación de Factores ambientales en enfermedades degenerativas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés González-Suárez
- Unidad de Enfermedades Desmielinizantes, Hospital Álvaro Cunqueiro, Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Vigo, Spain
| | - Luisa María Villar
- Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucienne Costa-Frossard
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Noelia Villarrubia
- Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yolanda Aladro
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Getafe, Spain
| | - Belén Pilo
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Getafe, Spain
| | - Xavier Montalbán
- Servei de Neurologia-Neuroimmunologia, Centre d’Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (Cemcat), Institut de Recerca Vall d’Hebron (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Comabella
- Servei de Neurologia-Neuroimmunologia, Centre d’Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (Cemcat), Institut de Recerca Vall d’Hebron (VHIR), Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Casanova-Peño
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
| | - María Luisa Martínez-Ginés
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón/Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Manuel García-Domínguez
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón/Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Ángel García-Martínez
- Grupo de Investigación de Factores ambientales en enfermedades degenerativas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Arroyo
- Departamento de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Quironsalud Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Álvarez-Lafuente
- Grupo de Investigación de Factores ambientales en enfermedades degenerativas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Red de Enfermedades Inflamatorias (REI), Madrid, Spain
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6
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Chilingaryan G, Izmailyan R, Grigoryan R, Shavina A, Arabyan E, Khachatryan H, Abelyan N, Matevosyan M, Harutyunyan V, Manukyan G, Hietel B, Shtro A, Danilenko D, Zakaryan H. Advanced virtual screening enables the discovery of a host-targeting and broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Antiviral Res 2023; 217:105681. [PMID: 37499699 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
We employed an advanced virtual screening (AVS) approach to identify potential inhibitors of human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a validated target for development of broad-spectrum antivirals. We screened a library of 495118 compounds and identified 495 compounds that exhibited better binding scores than the reference ligands involved in the screening. From the top 100 compounds, we selected 28 based on their consensus docking scores and structural novelty. Then, we conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the antiviral activity of selected compounds on HSV-1 infection, which is susceptible to DHODH inhibitors. Among the tested compounds, seven displayed statistically significant antiviral effects, with Comp 19 being the most potent inhibitor. We found that Comp 19 exerted its antiviral effect in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 1.1 μM) and exhibited the most significant antiviral effect when added before viral infection. In the biochemical assay, Comp 19 inhibited human DHODH in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 value of 7.3 μM. Long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations (1000 ns) revealed that Comp 19 formed a very stable complex with human DHODH. Comp 19 also displayed broad-spectrum antiviral activity and suppressed cytokine production in THP-1 cells. Overall, our study provides evidence that AVS could be successfully implemented to discover novel DHODH inhibitors with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garri Chilingaryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Biocentric.AI, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Roza Izmailyan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Rafayela Grigoryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Anastasiya Shavina
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Erik Arabyan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Hamlet Khachatryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Narek Abelyan
- Biocentric.AI, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia; Institute of Biomedicine and Pharmacy, Russian-Armenian University, 0051, Yerevan, Armenia
| | | | | | - Gayane Manukyan
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Immunology, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Benjamin Hietel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI Department of Drug Design and Target Validation MWT Biocenter, Weinbergweg 22, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anna Shtro
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, 197376, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Daria Danilenko
- Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza, 197376, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Hovakim Zakaryan
- Laboratory of Antiviral Drug Discovery, Institute of Molecular Biology of NAS, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia; Denovo Sciences Inc., Yerevan, Armenia.
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7
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Pan Z, Wan Z, Wang Y, Zha S, Zhang J, Chen H, Hu K. An open-label randomized controlled trial of leflunomide in patients with acute SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant infection. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1218102. [PMID: 37534317 PMCID: PMC10392126 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1218102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of leflunomide for the treatment of acute, symptomatic COVID-19. Methods A single-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial was performed during an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in December 2022. Symptomatic patients within 5 days of COVID-19 onset were randomly allocated to receive 5 days of either symptomatic treatment with leflunomide or symptomatic treatment alone. The primary endpoint was time to sustained clinical recovery. Results Fifty-seven participants were randomized into two groups: 27 received leflunomide plus symptomatic treatment and 30 were assigned to symptomatic treatment alone. Participants treated with leflunomide had a shorter fever duration [3.0 interquartile range (IQR, 2.0-4.0) days and 4.0 (IQR, 3.0-6.0) days, respectively (p = 0.027)] and reduced viral shedding [7 (IQR, 6-9.5) days and 9.0 (IQR, 7.5-12.0) days, respectively (p = 0.044)] compared with individuals treated with symptomatic treatment alone. However, there were no significant differences in time to sustained clinical recovery between the two groups [hazard ratio, 1.329 (95% confidence interval, 0.878-2.529); p = 0.207]. Conclusion In acute adult COVID-19 patients presenting within 5 days of symptom onset, leflunomide combined with symptomatic treatment reduced fever duration and viral shedding time. Clinical Trial Registration https://www.chictr.org.cn/about.html, ChiCTR2100051684.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Pan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhihui Wan
- East Campus, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shiqian Zha
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingyi Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ke Hu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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8
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Zheng K, Chen Y, Liu S, He C, Yang Y, Wu D, Wang L, Li M, Zeng X, Zhang F. Leflunomide: Traditional immunosuppressant with concurrent antiviral effects. Int J Rheum Dis 2023; 26:195-209. [PMID: 36371788 DOI: 10.1111/1756-185x.14491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Leflunomide is a classic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that is widely used to treat autoimmune diseases. Studies also show its antiviral effects in in vitro and/or in vivo experiments. Considering glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants and newly emerged antibodies commonly used in autoimmune diseases and autoinflammatory disorders bring risk of infection such as viral infection, leflunomide with combination of anti-viral and immunosuppressive features to maintain the balance between infection and anti-inflammation are attractive. Here we summarize the actions and mechanisms of leflunomide in immunoregulatory and antiviral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunyu Zheng
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Yiran Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Suying Liu
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Chengmei He
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Yunjiao Yang
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Mengtao Li
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zeng
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
| | - Fengchun Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology; State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Beijing, China
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9
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de Mariz E Miranda LS. The synergy between nucleotide biosynthesis inhibitors and antiviral nucleosides: New opportunities against viral infections? Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2200217. [PMID: 36122181 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
5'-Phosphorylated nucleoside derivatives are molecules that can be found in all living organisms and viruses. Over the last century, the development of structural analogs that could disrupt the transcription and translation of genetic information culminated in the development of clinically relevant anticancer and antiviral drugs. However, clinically effective broad-spectrum antiviral compounds or treatments are lacking. This viewpoint proposes that molecules that inhibit nucleotide biosynthesis may sensitize virus-infected cells toward direct-acting antiviral nucleosides. Such potentially synergistic combinations might allow the repurposing of drugs, leading to the development of new combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro S de Mariz E Miranda
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Institute, Biocatalysis and Organic Synthesis Group, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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10
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Gold J, Holden D, Parratt J, Yiannikas C, Ahmad R, Sedhom M, Giovannoni G. Effect of teriflunomide on Epstein-Barr virus shedding in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients: Outcomes from a real-world pilot cohort study. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022; 68:104377. [PMID: 36544305 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given its potential antiviral activity, we investigated the effect of teriflunomide on EBV in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). METHODS Saliva samples were collected at home and analysed for EBV DNA presence in patients with RRMS treated with teriflunomide for ≥3 months. RESULTS The proportion of patients with detectable EBV in the teriflunomide cohort was lower than in the reference cohorts. The proportion of samples with EBV DNA or shedding from teriflunomide-treated patients was reduced relative to each reference cohort (P<0.0001; >5.8 virus copies/µL cut-off). CONCLUSION This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of at-home saliva sample collection and revealed a possible effect of teriflunomide on EBV shedding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Gold
- Queen Mary University of London, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK; The Albion Centre, The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - David Holden
- Queen Mary University of London, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
| | - John Parratt
- The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Con Yiannikas
- The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Raghib Ahmad
- Australian Digital Health Agency, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Mamdouh Sedhom
- Sanofi Australia Pty Ltd, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia.
| | - Gavin Giovannoni
- Queen Mary University of London, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.
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11
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Zheng Y, Li S, Song K, Ye J, Li W, Zhong Y, Feng Z, Liang S, Cai Z, Xu K. A Broad Antiviral Strategy: Inhibitors of Human DHODH Pave the Way for Host-Targeting Antivirals against Emerging and Re-Emerging Viruses. Viruses 2022; 14:v14050928. [PMID: 35632670 PMCID: PMC9146014 DOI: 10.3390/v14050928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
New strategies to rapidly develop broad-spectrum antiviral therapies are urgently required for emerging and re-emerging viruses. Host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) that target the universal host factors necessary for viral replication are the most promising approach, with broad-spectrum, foresighted function, and low resistance. We and others recently identified that host dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is one of the universal host factors essential for the replication of many acute-infectious viruses. DHODH is a rate-limiting enzyme catalyzing the fourth step in de novo pyrimidine synthesis. Therefore, it has also been developed as a therapeutic target for many diseases relying on cellular pyrimidine resources, such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, and viral or bacterial infections. Significantly, the successful use of DHODH inhibitors (DHODHi) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection further supports the application prospects. This review focuses on the advantages of HTAs and the antiviral effects of DHODHi with clinical applications. The multiple functions of DHODHi in inhibiting viral replication, stimulating ISGs expression, and suppressing cytokine storms make DHODHi a potent strategy against viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Shiliang Li
- State Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (S.L.); (Z.F.)
| | - Kun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Jiajie Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Wenkang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Yifan Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Ziyan Feng
- State Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (S.L.); (Z.F.)
| | - Simeng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
| | - Zeng Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
- Institute for Vaccine Research, Animal Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory at Center for Animal Experiments, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (K.S.); (J.Y.); (W.L.); (Y.Z.); (S.L.); (Z.C.)
- Institute for Vaccine Research, Animal Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory at Center for Animal Experiments, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-27-68756997; Fax: +86-27-68754592
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12
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Rabie AM. Teriflunomide: A possible effective drug for the comprehensive treatment of COVID-19. Curr Res Pharmacol Drug Discov 2021; 2:100055. [PMID: 34870153 DOI: 10.1016/j.crphar.2021.100055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has undoubtedly become a global crisis. Consequently, discovery and identification of new or known potential drug candidates to solve the health problems caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have become an urgent necessity. This current research study sheds light on the possible direct repurposing of the antirheumatic drug teriflunomide to act as an effective and potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent. Herein, an interesting computational molecular docking study of teriflunomide, to investigate and evaluate its potential inhibitory activities on the novel coronaviral-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nCoV-RdRp) protein, was reported. The docking procedures were accurately carried out on nCoV-RdRp (with/without RNA) using the COVID-19 Docking Server, through adjusting it on the small molecule docking mode. Remdesivir and its active metabolite (GS-441524) were used as the active references for the comparison and evaluation purpose. Interestingly, the computational docking analysis of the best inhibitory binding mode of teriflunomide in the binding pocket of the active site of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp revealed that teriflunomide may exhibit significantly stronger inhibitory binding interactions and better inhibitory binding affinities (teriflunomide has considerably lower binding energies of -9.70 and -7.80 kcal/mol with RdRp-RNA and RdRp alone, respectively) than both references. It was previously reported that teriflunomide strongly inhibits the viral replication and reproduction through two mechanisms of action, thus the results obtained in the present study surprisingly support the double mode of antiviral action of this antirheumatic ligand. In conclusion, the current research paved the way to practically prove the hypothetical theory of the promising abilities of teriflunomide to successfully attack the SARS-CoV-2 particles and inhibit their replication in a triple mode of action through integrating the newly-discovered nCoV-RdRp-inhibiting properties with the previously-known two anticoronaviral mechanisms of action. Based on the previous interesting facts and results, the triple SARS-CoV-2/sextet COVID-19 attacker teriflunomide can further undergo in vitro/in vivo anti-COVID-19 assays together with preclinical/clinical studies and trials in an attempt to evaluate and prove its comprehensive pharmacological activities against the different SARS-CoV-2 strains to be effectively used in COVID-19 therapy in the very near future.
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13
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Kaur H, Sarma P, Bhattacharyya A, Sharma S, Chhimpa N, Prajapat M, Prakash A, Kumar S, Singh A, Singh R, Avti P, Thota P, Medhi B. Efficacy and safety of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors "leflunomide" and "teriflunomide" in Covid-19: A narrative review. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 906:174233. [PMID: 34111397 PMCID: PMC8180448 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is rate-limiting enzyme in biosynthesis of pyrimidone which catalyzes the oxidation of dihydro-orotate to orotate. Orotate is utilized in the biosynthesis of uridine-monophosphate. DHODH inhibitors have shown promise as antiviral agent against Cytomegalovirus, Ebola, Influenza, Epstein Barr and Picornavirus. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 action of DHODH inhibitors are also coming up. In this review, we have reviewed the safety and efficacy of approved DHODH inhibitors (leflunomide and teriflunomide) against COVID-19. In target-centered in silico studies, leflunomide showed favorable binding to active site of MPro and spike: ACE2 interface. In artificial-intelligence/machine-learning based studies, leflunomide was among the top 50 ligands targeting spike: ACE2 interaction. Leflunomide is also found to interact with differentially regulated pathways [identified by KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and reactome pathway analysis of host transcriptome data] in cogena based drug-repurposing studies. Based on GSEA (gene set enrichment analysis), leflunomide was found to target pathways enriched in COVID-19. In vitro, both leflunomide (EC50 41.49 ± 8.8 μmol/L) and teriflunomide (EC50 26 μmol/L) showed SARS-CoV-2 inhibition. In clinical studies, leflunomide showed significant benefit in terms of decreasing the duration of viral shredding, duration of hospital stay and severity of infection. However, no advantage was seen while combining leflunomide and IFN alpha-2a among patients with prolonged post symptomatic viral shredding. Common adverse effects of leflunomide were hyperlipidemia, leucopenia, neutropenia and liver-function alteration. Leflunomide/teriflunomide may serve as an agent of importance to achieve faster virological clearance in COVID-19, however, findings needs to be validated in bigger sized placebo controlled studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hardeep Kaur
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Phulen Sarma
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | | | | | | | | | - Ajay Prakash
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Subodh Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Rahul Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pramod Avti
- Department of Biophysics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Prasad Thota
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Bikash Medhi
- Department of Pharmacology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.
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14
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Jin L, Li Y, Pu F, Wang H, Zhang D, Bai J, Shang Y, Ma Z, Ma XX. Inhibiting pyrimidine biosynthesis impairs Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus replication through depletion of nucleoside pools and activation of cellular immunity. Vet Microbiol 2021; 260:109186. [PMID: 34333402 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2021.109186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Replication of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) strongly depends on the cellular environment and resources of host cells including nucleoside pool. Thus, enzymes involved in nucleoside biosynthesis (such as pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway) are regarded as attractive targets for antiviral drug development. Here, we demonstrate that brequinar (BQR) and leflunomide (LFM) which are two specific inhibitors of DHODH enzyme and 6-azauracil (6-AU) which is an ODase enzyme inhibitor robustly inhibit PPRV replication in HEK293T cell line as well as in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from goat. We further demonstrate that these agents exert anti-PPRV activity via the depletion of purimidine nucleotide. Interestingly, these inhibitors can trigger the transcription of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). However, the induction of ISGs is largely independent of the classical JAK-STAT pathway. Combination of BQR with interferons (IFNs) exerts enhanced ISG induction and anti-PPRV activity. Taken together, this study reveals an unconventional novel mechanism of crosstalk between nucleotide biosynthesis pathways and cellular antiviral immunity in inhibiting PPRV replication. In conclusion, targeting pyrimidine biosynthesis represents a potential strategy for developing antiviral strategies against PPRV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Jin
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yicong Li
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Feiyang Pu
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huihui Wang
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Derong Zhang
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jialin Bai
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Youjun Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zhongren Ma
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Xia Ma
- Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
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15
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Zhou Y, Tao L, Zhou X, Zuo Z, Gong J, Liu X, Zhou Y, Liu C, Sang N, Liu H, Zou J, Gou K, Yang X, Zhao Y. DHODH and cancer: promising prospects to be explored. Cancer Metab 2021; 9:22. [PMID: 33971967 PMCID: PMC8107416 DOI: 10.1186/s40170-021-00250-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a flavin-dependent mitochondrial enzyme catalyzing the fourth step in the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway. It is originally a target for the treatment of the non-neoplastic diseases involving in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and is re-emerging as a validated therapeutic target for cancer therapy. In this review, we mainly unravel the biological function of DHODH in tumor progression, including its crucial role in de novo pyrimidine synthesis and mitochondrial respiratory chain in cancer cells. Moreover, various DHODH inhibitors developing in the past decades are also been displayed, and the specific mechanism between DHODH and its additional effects are illustrated. Collectively, we detailly discuss the association between DHODH and tumors in recent years here, and believe it will provide significant evidences and potential strategies for utilizing DHODH as a potential target in preclinical and clinical cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lei Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xia Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zeping Zuo
- The Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Translational Neuroscience Center, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Jin Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaocong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Chunqi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Na Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Huan Liu
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jiao Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Kun Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xiaowei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yinglan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, 610041, China. .,West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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16
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Berber B, Doluca O. A comprehensive drug repurposing study for COVID19 treatment: novel putative dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors show association to serotonin-dopamine receptors. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:1023-1037. [PMID: 33406218 PMCID: PMC7929379 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a key enzyme required for de novo pyrimidine synthesis and it is suggested as a target for COVID19 treatment due to high pyrimidine demand by the virus replication in the infected host cells as well as its proven effect of blocking of cytokine release by the immune cells to prevent inflammation leading to acute respiratory distress. There are a number of clinical trials underway for COVID19 treatment using DHODH inhibitors; however, there are only a small number of known DHODH antagonists available for testing. Here, we have applied a methodology to identify DHODH antagonist candidates, and compared them using in silico target prediction tools. A large set of 7900 FDA-approved and clinical stage drugs obtained from DrugBank were docked against 20 different structures DHODH available in PDB. Drugs were eliminated according to their predicted affinities by Autodock Vina. About 28 FDA-approved and 79 clinical trial ongoing drugs remained. The mode of interaction of these molecules was analyzed by repeating docking using Autodock 4 and DS Visualiser. Finally, the target region predictions of 28 FDA-approved drugs were determined through PASS and SwissTargetPrediction tools. Interestingly, the analysis of in silico target predictions revealed that serotonin-dopamine receptor antagonists could also be potential DHODH inhibitors. Our candidates shared a common attribute, a possible interaction with serotonin-dopamine receptors as well as other oxidoreductases, like DHODH. Moreover, the Bruton Tyrosine Kinase-inhibitor acalabrutunib and serotonin-dopamine receptor inhibitor drugs on our list have been found in the literature that have shown to be effective against Sars-CoV-2, while the path of activity is yet to be identified. Identifying an effective drug that can suppress both inflammation and virus proliferation will play a crucial role in the treatment of COVID. Therefore, we suggest experimental investigation of the 28 FDA-approved drugs on DHODH activity and Sars-CoV-2 virus proliferation. Those who are found experimentally effective can play an important role in COVID19 treatment. Moreover, we suggest investigating COVID19 case conditions in patients using schizophrenia and depression drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Berber
- Eskisehir Technical University, Department of Biology
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17
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Tian D, Liu Y, Liang C, Xin L, Xie X, Zhang D, Wan M, Li H, Fu X, Liu H, Cao W. An update review of emerging small-molecule therapeutic options for COVID-19. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 137:111313. [PMID: 33556871 PMCID: PMC7857046 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and pandemic that began near the end of 2019 has posed a challenge to global health. At present, many candidate small-molecule therapeutics have been developed that can inhibit both the infection and replication of SARS-CoV-2 and even potentially relieve cytokine storms and other related complications. Meanwhile, host-targeted drugs that inhibit cellular transmembrane serine protease (TMPRSS2) can prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering cells, and its combination with chloroquine and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors can limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients with COVID-19. The present article provides an overview of these small-molecule therapeutics based on insights from medicinal chemistry research and focuses on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors, such as the nucleoside analogues remdesivir, favipiravir and ribavirin. This review also covers inhibitors of 3C-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro) and other potentially innovative active ingredient molecules, describing their potential targets, activities, clinical status and side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengke Tian
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, PR China
| | - Yuzhi Liu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, 710021, PR China
| | - Chengyuan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, PR China; Faculty of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, 710021, PR China.
| | - Liang Xin
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, 710021, PR China
| | - Xiaolin Xie
- Shaanxi Panlong Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Xi'an, 710025, PR China
| | - Dezhu Zhang
- Shaanxi Panlong Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Xi'an, 710025, PR China
| | - Minge Wan
- School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Business & Commerce, Xi'an 712046, PR China
| | - Han Li
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an, 710021, PR China
| | - Xueqi Fu
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, PR China
| | - Hong Liu
- Zhuhai Jinan Selenium Source Nanotechnology Co., Ltd., Hengqin New Area, Zhuhai, 519030, PR China.
| | - Wenqiang Cao
- Zhuhai Jinan Selenium Source Nanotechnology Co., Ltd., Hengqin New Area, Zhuhai, 519030, PR China.
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18
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Abstract
Zoonotic spillover, i.e. pathogen transmission from animal to human, has repeatedly introduced RNA viruses into the human population. In some cases, where these viruses were then efficiently transmitted between humans, they caused large disease outbreaks such as the 1918 flu pandemic or, more recently, outbreaks of Ebola and Coronavirus disease. These examples demonstrate that RNA viruses pose an immense burden on individual and public health with outbreaks threatening the economy and social cohesion within and across borders. And while emerging RNA viruses are introduced more frequently as human activities increasingly disrupt wild-life eco-systems, therapeutic or preventative medicines satisfying the “one drug-multiple bugs”-aim are unavailable. As one central aspect of preparedness efforts, this review digs into the development of broadly acting antivirals via targeting viral genome synthesis with host- or virus-directed drugs centering around nucleotides, the genomes’ universal building blocks. Following the first strategy, selected examples of host de novo nucleotide synthesis inhibitors are presented that ultimately interfere with viral nucleic acid synthesis, with ribavirin being the most prominent and widely used example. For directly targeting the viral polymerase, nucleoside and nucleotide analogues (NNAs) have long been at the core of antiviral drug development and this review illustrates different molecular strategies by which NNAs inhibit viral infection. Highlighting well-known as well as recent, clinically promising compounds, structural features and mechanistic details that may confer broad-spectrum activity are discussed. The final part addresses limitations of NNAs for clinical development such as low efficacy or mitochondrial toxicity and illustrates strategies to overcome these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Huchting
- Chemistry Department, Institute for Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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19
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Coelho AR, Oliveira PJ. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eur J Clin Invest 2020; 50:e13366. [PMID: 32735689 PMCID: PMC7435507 DOI: 10.1111/eci.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Coelho
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UC-Biotech, University of Coimbra, Cantanhede, Portugal
| | - Paulo J Oliveira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UC-Biotech, University of Coimbra, Cantanhede, Portugal
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20
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Xiong R, Zhang L, Li S, Sun Y, Ding M, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Shang W, Jiang X, Shan J, Shen Z, Tong Y, Xu L, Chen Y, Liu Y, Zou G, Lavillete D, Zhao Z, Wang R, Zhu L, Xiao G, Lan K, Li H, Xu K. Novel and potent inhibitors targeting DHODH are broad-spectrum antivirals against RNA viruses including newly-emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Protein Cell 2020; 11:723-739. [PMID: 32754890 DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.11.983056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses occasionally cause epidemics and pandemics worldwide, such as the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we identified two potent inhibitors of human DHODH, S312 and S416, with favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic profiles, which all showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against various RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Notably, S416 is reported to be the most potent inhibitor so far with an EC50 of 17 nmol/L and an SI value of 10,505.88 in infected cells. Our results are the first to validate that DHODH is an attractive host target through high antiviral efficacy in vivo and low virus replication in DHODH knock-out cells. This work demonstrates that both S312/S416 and old drugs (Leflunomide/Teriflunomide) with dual actions of antiviral and immuno-regulation may have clinical potentials to cure SARS-CoV-2 or other RNA viruses circulating worldwide, no matter such viruses are mutated or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Shiliang Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Minyi Ding
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yongliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Weijuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xiaming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jiwei Shan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zihao Shen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yi Tong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Liuxin Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yingle Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Gang Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Dimitri Lavillete
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ke Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Ke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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21
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Morales Vasquez D, Park JG, Ávila-Pérez G, Nogales A, de la Torre JC, Almazan F, Martinez-Sobrido L. Identification of Inhibitors of ZIKV Replication. Viruses 2020; 12:E1041. [PMID: 32961956 DOI: 10.3390/v12091041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) was identified in 1947 in the Zika forest of Uganda and it has emerged recently as a global health threat, with recurring outbreaks and its associations with congenital microcephaly through maternal fetal transmission and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Currently, there are no United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccines or antivirals to treat ZIKV infections, which underscores an urgent medical need for the development of disease intervention strategies to treat ZIKV infection and associated disease. Drug repurposing offers various advantages over developing an entirely new drug by significantly reducing the timeline and resources required to advance a candidate antiviral into the clinic. Screening the ReFRAME library, we identified ten compounds with antiviral activity against the prototypic mammarenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Moreover, we showed the ability of these ten compounds to inhibit influenza A and B virus infections, supporting their broad-spectrum antiviral activity. In this study, we further evaluated the broad-spectrum antiviral activity of the ten identified compounds by testing their activity against ZIKV. Among the ten compounds, Azaribine (SI-MTT = 146.29), AVN-944 (SI-MTT = 278.16), and Brequinar (SI-MTT = 157.42) showed potent anti-ZIKV activity in post-treatment therapeutic conditions. We also observed potent anti-ZIKV activity for Mycophenolate mofetil (SI-MTT = 20.51), Mycophenolic acid (SI-MTT = 36.33), and AVN-944 (SI-MTT = 24.51) in pre-treatment prophylactic conditions and potent co-treatment inhibitory activity for Obatoclax (SI-MTT = 60.58), Azaribine (SI-MTT = 91.51), and Mycophenolate mofetil (SI-MTT = 73.26) in co-treatment conditions. Importantly, the inhibitory effect of these compounds was strain independent, as they similarly inhibited ZIKV strains from both African and Asian/American lineages. Our results support the broad-spectrum antiviral activity of these ten compounds and suggest their use for the development of antiviral treatment options of ZIKV infection.
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22
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Abstract
Diaryl ether (DE) is a functional scaffold existing widely both in natural products (NPs) and synthetic organic compounds. Statistically, DE is the second most popular and enduring scaffold within the numerous medicinal chemistry and agrochemical reports. Given its unique physicochemical properties and potential biological activities, DE nucleus is recognized as a fundamental element of medicinal and agrochemical agents aimed at different biological targets. Its drug-like derivatives have been extensively synthesized with interesting biological features including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antimalarial, herbicidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, and so on. In this review, we highlight the medicinal and agrochemical versatility of the DE motif according to the published information in the past decade and comprehensively give a summary of the target recognition, structure-activity relationship (SAR), and mechanism of action of its analogues. It is expected that this profile may provide valuable guidance for the discovery of new active ingredients both in drug and pesticide research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
| | - Hao Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
| | - Jing-Fang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Lei Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
| | - Ren-Yu Qu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
| | - Guang-Fu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensor Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, P. R. China
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23
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Xiong R, Zhang L, Li S, Sun Y, Ding M, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Wu Y, Shang W, Jiang X, Shan J, Shen Z, Tong Y, Xu L, Chen Y, Liu Y, Zou G, Lavillete D, Zhao Z, Wang R, Zhu L, Xiao G, Lan K, Li H, Xu K. Novel and potent inhibitors targeting DHODH are broad-spectrum antivirals against RNA viruses including newly-emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Protein Cell 2020; 11:723-739. [PMID: 32754890 PMCID: PMC7402641 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-020-00768-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses occasionally cause epidemics and pandemics worldwide, such as the on-going outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we identified two potent inhibitors of human DHODH, S312 and S416, with favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic profiles, which all showed broad-spectrum antiviral effects against various RNA viruses, including influenza A virus, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and particularly against SARS-CoV-2. Notably, S416 is reported to be the most potent inhibitor so far with an EC50 of 17 nmol/L and an SI value of 10,505.88 in infected cells. Our results are the first to validate that DHODH is an attractive host target through high antiviral efficacy in vivo and low virus replication in DHODH knock-out cells. This work demonstrates that both S312/S416 and old drugs (Leflunomide/Teriflunomide) with dual actions of antiviral and immuno-regulation may have clinical potentials to cure SARS-CoV-2 or other RNA viruses circulating worldwide, no matter such viruses are mutated or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Leike Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Shiliang Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Minyi Ding
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yongliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Weijuan Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xiaming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Jiwei Shan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zihao Shen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yi Tong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Liuxin Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yingle Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Gang Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Dimitri Lavillete
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Gengfu Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Ke Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Ke Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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24
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Perricone C, Triggianese P, Bartoloni E, Cafaro G, Bonifacio AF, Bursi R, Perricone R, Gerli R. The anti-viral facet of anti-rheumatic drugs: Lessons from COVID-19. J Autoimmun 2020; 111:102468. [PMID: 32317220 PMCID: PMC7164894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has posed the world at a pandemic risk. Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which causes pneumonia, requires intensive care unit hospitalization in about 10% of cases and can lead to a fatal outcome. Several efforts are currently made to find a treatment for COVID-19 patients. So far, several anti-viral and immunosuppressive or immunomodulating drugs have demonstrated some efficacy on COVID-19 both in vitro and in animal models as well as in cases series. In COVID-19 patients a pro-inflammatory status with high levels of interleukin (IL)-1B, IL-1 receptor (R)A and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α has been demonstrated. Moreover, high levels of IL-6 and TNF-α have been observed in patients requiring intensive-care-unit hospitalization. This provided rationale for the use of anti-rheumatic drugs as potential treatments for this severe viral infection. Other agents, such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine might have a direct anti-viral effect. The anti-viral aspect of immunosuppressants towards a variety of viruses has been known since long time and it is herein discussed in the view of searching for a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Perricone
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Paola Triggianese
- Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of "Medicina dei Sistemi", University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Bartoloni
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Cafaro
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Angelo F Bonifacio
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Roberto Bursi
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Roberto Perricone
- Rheumatology, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of "Medicina dei Sistemi", University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Gerli
- Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy.
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Maghzi AH, Houtchens MK, Preziosa P, Ionete C, Beretich BD, Stankiewicz JM, Tauhid S, Cabot A, Berriosmorales I, Schwartz THW, Sloane JA, Freedman MS, Filippi M, Weiner HL, Bakshi R. COVID-19 in teriflunomide-treated patients with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol 2020; 267:2790-2796. [PMID: 32494856 PMCID: PMC7268971 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-020-09944-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has raised health concerns for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are commonly on long-term immunotherapies. Managing MS during the pandemic remains challenging with little published experience and no evidence-based guidelines. We present five teriflunomide-treated patients with MS who subsequently developed active COVID-19 infection. The patients continued teriflunomide therapy and had self-limiting infection, without relapse of their MS. These observations have implications for the management of MS in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Hadi Maghzi
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Maria K Houtchens
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Paolo Preziosa
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Carolina Ionete
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA
| | | | - James M Stankiewicz
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Shahamat Tauhid
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ann Cabot
- Department of Neurology, Concord Hospital, Concord, NH, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob A Sloane
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark S Freedman
- University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Howard L Weiner
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rohit Bakshi
- Department of Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 60 Fenwood Road, Mailbox 9002L, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Löffler M, Carrey EA, Knecht W. The pathway to pyrimidines: The essential focus on dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, the mitochondrial enzyme coupled to the respiratory chain. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2020; 39:1281-1305. [PMID: 32043431 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2020.1723625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This paper is based on the Anne Simmonds Memorial Lecture, given by Monika Löffler at the International Symposium on Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Man, Lyon 2019. It is dedicated to H. Anne Simmonds (died 2010) - a founding member of the ESSPPMM, since 2003 Purine and Pyrimidine Society - and her outstanding contributions to the identification and study of inborn errors of purine and pyrimidine metabolism. The distinctive intracellular arrangement of pyrimidine de novo synthesis in higher eukaryotes is important to cells with a high demand for nucleic acid synthesis. The proximity of the enzyme active sites and the resulting channeling in CAD and UMP synthase is of kinetic benefit. The intervening enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is located in the mitochondrion with access to the ubiquinone pool, thus ensuring efficient removal of redox equivalents through the constitutive activity of the respiratory chain, also a mechanism through which the input of 2 ATP for carbamylphosphate synthesis is balanced by Oxphos. The obligatory contribution of O2 to de novo UMP synthesis means that DHODH has a pivotal role in adapting the proliferative capacity of cells to different conditions of oxygenation, such as hypoxia in growing tumors. DHODH also is a validated drug target in inflammatory diseases. This survey of selected topics of personal interest and reflection spans some 40 years of our studies from tumor cell cultures under hypoxia to in vitro assays including purification from mitochondria, localization, cloning, expression, biochemical characterization, crystallisation, kinetics and inhibition patterns of eukaryotic DHODH enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Löffler
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Wolfgang Knecht
- Department of Biology & Lund Protein Production Platform, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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