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Vanzolini T, Magnani M. Old and new strategies in therapy and diagnosis against fungal infections. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:147. [PMID: 38240822 PMCID: PMC10799149 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12884-8] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Fungal infections represent a serious global health threat. The new emerging pathogens and the spread of different forms of resistance are now hardly challenging the tools available in therapy and diagnostics. With the commonly used diagnoses, fungal identification is often slow and inaccurate, and, on the other hand, some drugs currently used as treatments are significantly affected by the decrease in susceptibility. Herein, the antifungal arsenal is critically summarized. Besides describing the old approaches and their mechanisms, advantages, and limitations, the focus is dedicated to innovative strategies which are designed, identified, and developed to take advantage of the discrepancies between fungal and host cells. Relevant pathways and their role in survival and virulence are discussed as their suitability as sources of antifungal targets. In a similar way, molecules with antifungal activity are reported as potential agents/precursors of the next generation of antimycotics. Particular attention was devoted to biotechnological entities, to their novelty and reliability, to drug repurposing and restoration, and to combinatorial applications yielding significant improvements in efficacy. KEY POINTS: • New antifungal agents and targets are needed to limit fungal morbidity and mortality. • Therapeutics and diagnostics suffer of delays in innovation and lack of targets. • Biologics, drug repurposing and combinations are the future of antifungal treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Vanzolini
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029, Urbino, PU, Italy.
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029, Urbino, PU, Italy
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2
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Carvalho JL, Malo ME, Allen KJ, Frank C, Xiao Z, Jiao R, Dadachova E. Radioimmunotherapy as a pathogen-agnostic treatment method for opportunistic mucormycosis infections. Access Microbiol 2023; 5:000671.v4. [PMID: 38188245 PMCID: PMC10765049 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000671.v4] [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: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) such as mucormycosis are causing devastating morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients as anti-fungal agents do not work in the setting of a suppressed immune system. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a novel landscape for IFIs in post-pandemic patients, resulting from severe immune suppression caused by COVID-19 infection, comorbidities (diabetes, obesity) and immunosuppressive treatments such as steroids. The antigen-antibody interaction has been employed in radioimmunotherapy (RIT) to deliver lethal doses of ionizing radiation emitted by radionuclides to targeted cells and has demonstrated efficacy in several cancers. One of the advantages of RIT is its independence of the immune status of a host, which is crucial for immunosuppressed post-COVID-19 patients. In the present work we targeted the fungal pan-antigens 1,3-beta-glucan and melanin pigment, which are present in the majority of pathogenic fungi, with RIT, thus making such targeting pathogen-agnostic. We demonstrated in experimental murine mucormycosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice that lutetium-177 (177Lu)-labelled antibodies to these two antigens effectively decreased the fungal burden in major organs, including the brain. These results are encouraging because they show the effectiveness of pathogen-agnostic RIT in significantly decreasing fungal burden in vivo, while they can also potentially be applied to treat the broad range of invasive fungal infections that express the pan-antigens 1,3-beta-glucan or melanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge L.C. Carvalho
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Mackenzie E. Malo
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Kevin J.H. Allen
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Connor Frank
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Zhiwen Xiao
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Rubin Jiao
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Ekaterina Dadachova
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada
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3
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Gillmann KM, Temme JS, Marglous S, Brown CE, Gildersleeve JC. Anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies: Basic research and clinical applications. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 74:102281. [PMID: 36905763 PMCID: PMC10732169 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102281] [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: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies have important applications in human health and basic research. Therapeutic antibodies that recognize cancer- or pathogen-associated glycans have been investigated in numerous clinical trials, resulting in two FDA-approved biopharmaceuticals. Anti-glycan antibodies are also utilized to diagnose, prognosticate, and monitor disease progression, as well as to study the biological roles and expression of glycans. High-quality anti-glycan mAbs are still in limited supply, highlighting the need for new technologies for anti-glycan antibody discovery. This review discusses anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies with applications to basic research, diagnostics, and therapeutics, focusing on recent advances in mAbs targeting cancer- and infectious disease-associated glycans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara M Gillmann
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - J Sebastian Temme
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Samantha Marglous
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Claire E Brown
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Gildersleeve
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
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Roe K. Treatment alternatives for multidrug-resistant fungal pathogens. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103596. [PMID: 37086779 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103596] [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: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
Several fungal pathogens are becoming resistant to conventional fungal infection treatments, and some fungal pathogens have become multidrug resistant. Alternative treatments include fungal vaccines, natural or synthetic monoclonal antibody (mAb) injections, or potentially natural or synthetic mAbs produced in vivo by packaged mRNA. Specifically synthesized proteins can mask distinctive pathogenic fungal surface proteins and target pathogenic fungal proteins to stop fungal infections. Treatments could use direct injections or injections of packaged mRNA with instructions for patient synthesis of either the natural or synthetic mAbs. These alternative treatments offer potentially significant advantages compared with existing treatments for fungal pathogens. Teaser: New fungal pathogen treatment approaches can use natural or synthetic monoclonal antibodies to activate immune cells and treat specific fungal infections that are now multidrug resistant to conventional antifungal drugs.
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Vanzolini T, Di Mambro T, Magnani M, Menotta M. AFM evaluation of a humanized recombinant antibody affecting C. auris cell wall and stability. RSC Adv 2023; 13:6130-6142. [PMID: 36814881 PMCID: PMC9940460 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra07217c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal infections are increasingly impacting on the health of the population and particularly on subjects with a compromised immune system. The resistance phenomenon and the rise of new species carrying sometimes intrinsic and multi-drug resistance to the most commonly used antifungal drugs are greatly concerning healthcare organizations. As a result of this situation, there is growing interest in the development of therapeutic agents against pathogenic fungi. In particular, the Candida genus is responsible for severe life-threatening infections and among its species, C. auris is considered an urgent threat by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and is one of the three leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. H5K1 is a humanized monoclonal antibody (hmAb) that selectively binds to β-1,3-glucans, vital components of the fungal cell wall. It has been previously demonstrated that it is active against Candida species, especially against C. auris, reaching its greatest potential when combined with commercially available antifungal drugs. Here we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to assess the effects of H5K1, alone and in combination with fluconazole, caspofungin and amphotericin B, on C. auris cells. Through an extensive exploration we found that H5K1 has a significant role in the perturbation and remodeling of the fungal cell wall that is reflected in the loss of whole cell integrity. Moreover, it contributes substantially to the alterations in terms of chemical composition, stiffness and roughness induced specifically by caspofungin and amphotericin B. In addition to this, we demonstrated that AFM is a valuable technique to evaluate drug-microorganism interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Vanzolini
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo Via Saffi 2 61029 Urbino Italy
| | | | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo Via Saffi 2 61029 Urbino Italy
| | - Michele Menotta
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo Via Saffi 2 61029 Urbino Italy
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Singh S, Barbarino A, Youssef EG, Coleman D, Gebremariam T, Ibrahim AS. Protective Efficacy of Anti-Hyr1p Monoclonal Antibody against Systemic Candidiasis Due to Multi-Drug-Resistant Candida auris. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:103. [PMID: 36675924 PMCID: PMC9860579 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010103] [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: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida auris is a multi-drug-resistant fungal pathogen that can survive outside the host and can easily spread and colonize the healthcare environment, medical devices, and human skin. C. auris causes serious life-threatening infections (up to 60% mortality) in immunosuppressed patients staying in such contaminated healthcare facilities. Some isolates of C. auris are resistant to virtually all clinically available antifungal drugs. Therefore, alternative therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Using in silico protein modeling and analysis, we identified a highly immunogenic and surface-exposed epitope that is conserved between C. albicans hyphal-regulated protein (Cal-Hyr1p) and Hyr1p/Iff-like proteins in C. auris (Cau-HILp). We generated monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against this Cal-Hyr1p epitope, which recognized several clinical isolates of C. auris representing all four clades. An anti-Hyr1p MAb prevented biofilm formation and enhanced opsonophagocytic killing of C. auris by macrophages. When tested for in vivo efficacy, anti-Hyr1p MAb protected 55% of mice against lethal systemic C. auris infection and showed significantly less fungal burden. Our study is highly clinically relevant and provides an effective alternative therapeutic option to treat infections due to MDR C. auris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakti Singh
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ashley Barbarino
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
| | - Eman G. Youssef
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
| | - Declan Coleman
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
- Biology Department, Pomona College, Pomona, CA 91711, USA
| | - Teclegiorgis Gebremariam
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
| | - Ashraf S. Ibrahim
- Division of Infectious Diseases, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Valand N, Brunt E, Gazioglu O, Yesilkaya H, Mitchell D, Horley N, Arroo R, Kishore U, Wallis R, Girija UV. Inactivation of the Complement Lectin Pathway by Candida tropicalis Secreted Aspartyl Protease-1. Immunobiology 2022; 227:152263. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2022.152263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Di Mambro T, Vanzolini T, Bianchi M, Crinelli R, Canonico B, Tasini F, Menotta M, Magnani M. Development and in vitro characterization of a humanized scFv against fungal infections. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276786. [PMID: 36315567 PMCID: PMC9621433 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The resistance and the birth of new intrinsic and multidrug-resistant pathogenic species like C. auris is creating great concern in the antifungal world. Given the limited drug arsenal and the lack of effectiveness of the available compounds, there is an urgent need for innovative approaches. The murine mAb 2G8 was humanized and engineered in silico to develop a single-chain fragment variable (hscFv) antibody against β-1,3-glucans which was then expressed in E. coli. Among the recombinant proteins developed, a soluble candidate with high stability and affinity was obtained. This selected protein is VL-linker-VH oriented, and it is characterized by the presence of two ubiquitin monomers at the N-terminus and a His tag at the C-terminus. This construct, Ub2-hscFv-His, guaranteed stability, solubility, efficient purification and satisfactory recovery of the recombinant product. HscFv can bind β-1,3-glucans both as coated antigens and on C. auris and C. albicans cells similarly to its murine parental and showed long stability and retention of binding ability when stored at 4°, -20° and -80° C. Furthermore, it was efficient in enhancing the antifungal activity of drugs caspofungin and amphotericin B against C. auris. The use of biological drugs as antifungals is limited; here we present a promising hscFv which has the potential to be useful in combination with currently available antifungal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tania Vanzolini
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Marzia Bianchi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Rita Crinelli
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Barbara Canonico
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Filippo Tasini
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Michele Menotta
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Mauro Magnani
- Diatheva s.r.l., Cartoceto, Italy
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
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Fernandes L, Ribeiro R, Henriques M, Rodrigues ME. Candida auris, a singular emergent pathogenic yeast: its resistance and new therapeutic alternatives. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2022. [PMID: 36198878 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-022-04497-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, fungal infections affect millions of people across the world. Candida auris, a new emergent yeast, is a worrisome pathogen because it associates with a high rate of incidence and prevalence, including in the nosocomial environment. The hard identification, the phenotypic plasticity, and the easy adaptation to stressful conditions are some of the C. auris traits that render this latest yeast singular challenging. C. auris infections have already been reported from more than 30 countries and are associated with high mortality rates. This is the result from rapid transmission and the difficulty of prevention, control, and eradication. There are several factors related to the high virulence of C. auris, such as the multidrug resistance, biofilm development, and the ability to escape the response of the innate immune system. So, C. auris infections are a serious and alarming problem, not only because of the high pathogenicity of the fungal agent but also because of the low effectiveness of the treatments available. Although new formulations have been developed against C. auris strains, a better understanding is essential to efficiently treat, prevent, and control C. auris infections.
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Hoenigl M, Seidel D, Sprute R, Cunha C, Oliverio M, Goldman GH, Ibrahim AS, Carvalho A. COVID-19-associated fungal infections. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1127-40. [PMID: 35918423 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01172-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 78.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated invasive fungal infections are an important complication in a substantial number of critically ill, hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Three groups of fungal pathogens cause co-infections in COVID-19: Aspergillus, Mucorales and Candida species, including Candida auris. Here we review the incidence of COVID-19-associated invasive fungal infections caused by these fungi in low-, middle- and high-income countries. By evaluating the epidemiology, clinical risk factors, predisposing features of the host environment and immunological mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of these co-infections, we set the scene for future research and development of clinical guidance. Hoenigl and colleagues review the epidemiology, immunology and clinical risk factors contributing to COVID-19-associated fungal infections.
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Kim JH, Cheng LW, Land KM. Advances in Antifungal Development: Discovery of New Drugs and Drug Repurposing. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:787. [PMID: 35890086 PMCID: PMC9318969 DOI: 10.3390/ph15070787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This Special Issue of Pharmaceuticals describes recent advances accomplished in the field of antifungal development, especially the discovery of new drugs and drug repurposing [...]
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Häring M, Amann V, Kissmann AK, Herberger T, Synatschke C, Kirsch-Pietz N, Perez-Erviti JA, Otero-Gonzalez AJ, Morales-Vicente F, Andersson J, Weil T, Stenger S, Rodríguez A, Ständker L, Rosenau F. Combination of Six Individual Derivatives of the Pom-1 Antibiofilm Peptide Doubles Their Efficacy against Invasive and Multi-Resistant Clinical Isolates of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida albicans. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14071332. [PMID: 35890228 PMCID: PMC9319270 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071332] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous studies, derivatives of the peptide Pom-1, which was originally extracted from the freshwater mollusk Pomacea poeyana, showed an exceptional ability to specifically inhibit biofilm formation of the laboratory strain ATCC 90028 as a model strain of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. In follow-up, here, we demonstrate that the derivatives Pom-1A to Pom-1F are also active against biofilms of invasive clinical C. albicans isolates, including strains resistant against fluconazole and/or amphotericin B. However, efficacy varied strongly between the isolates, as indicated by large deviations in the experiments. This lack of robustness could be efficiently bypassed by using mixtures of all peptides. These mixed peptide preparations were active against biofilm formation of all the isolates with uniform efficacies, and the total peptide concentration could be halved compared to the original MIC of the individual peptides (2.5 µg/mL). Moreover, mixing the individual peptides restored the antifungal effect of fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant isolates even at 50% of the standard therapeutic concentration. Without having elucidated the reason for these synergistic effects of the peptides yet, both the gain of efficacy and the considerable increase in efficiency by combining the peptides indicate that Pom-1 and its derivatives in suitable formulations may play an important role as new antibiofilm antimycotics in the fight against invasive clinical infections with (multi-) resistant C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Häring
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (M.H.); (V.A.)
| | - Valerie Amann
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (M.H.); (V.A.)
| | - Ann-Kathrin Kissmann
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (M.H.); (V.A.)
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
- Correspondence: (A.-K.K.); (F.R.)
| | - Tilmann Herberger
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
| | - Christopher Synatschke
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
| | - Nicole Kirsch-Pietz
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
| | - Julio A. Perez-Erviti
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 25 Street, Havana 10400, Cuba; (J.A.P.-E.); (A.J.O.-G.)
| | - Anselmo J. Otero-Gonzalez
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, 25 Street, Havana 10400, Cuba; (J.A.P.-E.); (A.J.O.-G.)
| | - Fidel Morales-Vicente
- Synthetic Peptides Group, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana 10600, Cuba;
| | - Jakob Andersson
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Giefinggasse 4, 1210 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Tanja Weil
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
| | - Steffen Stenger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany;
| | - Armando Rodríguez
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (A.R.); (L.S.)
- Core Unit of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ludger Ständker
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (A.R.); (L.S.)
| | - Frank Rosenau
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (M.H.); (V.A.)
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (T.H.); (C.S.); (N.K.-P.); (T.W.)
- Correspondence: (A.-K.K.); (F.R.)
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Bouz G, Doležal M. Advances in Antifungal Drug Development: An Up-To-Date Mini Review. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:1312. [PMID: 34959712 DOI: 10.3390/ph14121312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The utility of clinically available antifungals is limited by their narrow spectrum of activity, high toxicity, and emerging resistance. Antifungal drug discovery has always been a challenging area, since fungi and their human host are eukaryotes, making it difficult to identify unique targets for antifungals. Novel antifungals in clinical development include first-in-class agents, new structures for an established target, and formulation modifications to marketed antifungals, in addition to repurposed agents. Membrane interacting peptides and aromatherapy are gaining increased attention in the field. Immunotherapy is another promising treatment option, with antifungal antibodies advancing into clinical trials. Novel targets for antifungal therapy are also being discovered, allowing the design of new promising agents that may overcome the resistance issue. In this mini review, we will summarize the current status of antifungal drug pipelines in clinical stages, and the most recent advancements in preclinical antifungal drug development, with special focus on their chemistry.
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