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Jacobs LMC, Consol P, Chen Y. Drug Discovery in the Field of β-Lactams: An Academic Perspective. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:59. [PMID: 38247618 PMCID: PMC10812508 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13010059] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
β-Lactams are the most widely prescribed class of antibiotics that inhibit penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), particularly transpeptidases that function in peptidoglycan synthesis. A major mechanism of antibiotic resistance is the production of β-lactamase enzymes, which are capable of hydrolyzing β-lactam antibiotics. There have been many efforts to counter increasing bacterial resistance against β-lactams. These studies have mainly focused on three areas: discovering novel inhibitors against β-lactamases, developing new β-lactams less susceptible to existing resistance mechanisms, and identifying non-β-lactam inhibitors against cell wall transpeptidases. Drug discovery in the β-lactam field has afforded a range of research opportunities for academia. In this review, we summarize the recent new findings on both β-lactamases and cell wall transpeptidases because these two groups of enzymes are evolutionarily and functionally connected. Many efforts to develop new β-lactams have aimed to inhibit both transpeptidases and β-lactamases, while several promising novel β-lactamase inhibitors have shown the potential to be further developed into transpeptidase inhibitors. In addition, the drug discovery progress against each group of enzymes is presented in three aspects: understanding the targets, screening methodology, and new inhibitor chemotypes. This is to offer insights into not only the advancement in this field but also the challenges, opportunities, and resources for future research. In particular, cyclic boronate compounds are now capable of inhibiting all classes of β-lactamases, while the diazabicyclooctane (DBO) series of small molecules has led to not only new β-lactamase inhibitors but potentially a new class of antibiotics by directly targeting PBPs. With the cautiously optimistic successes of a number of new β-lactamase inhibitor chemotypes and many questions remaining to be answered about the structure and function of cell wall transpeptidases, non-β-lactam transpeptidase inhibitors may usher in the next exciting phase of drug discovery in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (L.M.C.J.); (P.C.)
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Hujer AM, Marshall SH, Mack AR, Hujer KM, Bakthavatchalam YD, Umarkar K, Palwe SR, Takalkar S, Joshi PR, Shrivastava R, Periasamy H, Bhagwat SS, Patel MV, Veeraraghavan B, Bonomo RA. Transcending the challenge of evolving resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa through β-lactam-enhancer-mechanism-based cefepime/zidebactam. mBio 2023; 14:e0111823. [PMID: 37889005 PMCID: PMC10746216 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01118-23] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa harbor a complex array of β-lactamases and non-enzymatic resistance mechanisms. In this study, the activity of a β-lactam/β-lactam-enhancer, cefepime/zidebactam, and novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations was determined against an MDR phenotype-enriched, challenge panel of P. aeruginosa (n = 108). Isolates were multi-clonal as they belonged to at least 29 distinct sequence types (STs) and harbored metallo-β-lactamases, serine β-lactamases, penicillin binding protein (PBP) mutations, and other non-enzymatic resistance mechanisms. Ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam, imipenem/relebactam, and cefepime/taniborbactam demonstrated MIC90s of >128 mg/L, while cefepime/zidebactam MIC90 was 16 mg/L. In a neutropenic-murine lung infection model, a cefepime/zidebactam human epithelial-lining fluid-simulated regimen achieved or exceeded a translational end point of 1-log10 kill for the isolates with elevated cefepime/zidebactam MICs (16-32 mg/L), harboring VIM-2 or KPC-2 and alterations in PBP2 and PBP3. In the same model, to assess the impact of zidebactam on the pharmacodynamic (PD) requirement of cefepime, dose-fractionation studies were undertaken employing cefepime-susceptible P. aeruginosa isolates. Administered alone, cefepime required 47%-68% fT >MIC for stasis to ~1 log10 kill effect, while cefepime in the presence of zidebactam required just 8%-16% for >2 log10 kill effect, thus, providing the pharmacokinetic/PD basis for in vivo efficacy of cefepime/zidebactam against isolates with MICs up to 32 mg/L. Unlike β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors, β-lactam enhancer mechanism-based cefepime/zidebactam shows a potential to transcend the challenge of ever-evolving resistance mechanisms by targeting multiple PBPs and overcoming diverse β-lactamases including carbapenemases in P. aeruginosa.IMPORTANCECompared to other genera of Gram-negative pathogens, Pseudomonas is adept in acquiring complex non-enzymatic and enzymatic resistance mechanisms thus remaining a challenge to even novel antibiotics including recently developed β-lactam and β-lactamase inhibitor combinations. This study shows that the novel β-lactam enhancer approach enables cefepime/zidebactam to overcome both non-enzymatic and enzymatic resistance mechanisms associated with a challenging panel of P. aeruginosa. This study highlights that the β-lactam enhancer mechanism is a promising alternative to the conventional β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor approach in combating ever-evolving MDR P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M. Hujer
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Steven H. Marshall
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Andrew R. Mack
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Kristine M. Hujer
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Kushal Umarkar
- Wockhardt Research Centre, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Balaji Veeraraghavan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Robert A. Bonomo
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Departments of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the CWRU-Cleveland VAMC Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology (Case VA CARES), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Ayipo YO, Chong CF, Mordi MN. Small-molecule inhibitors of bacterial-producing metallo-β-lactamases: insights into their resistance mechanisms and biochemical analyses of their activities. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:1012-1048. [PMID: 37360393 PMCID: PMC10285742 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00036b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance (AR) remains one of the major threats to the global healthcare system, which is associated with alarming morbidity and mortality rates. The defence mechanisms of Enterobacteriaceae to antibiotics occur through several pathways including the production of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). The carbapenemases, notably, New Delhi MBL (NDM), imipenemase (IMP), and Verona integron-encoded MBL (VIM), represent the critical MBLs implicated in AR pathogenesis and are responsible for the worst AR-related clinical conditions, but there are no approved inhibitors to date, which needs to be urgently addressed. Presently, the available antibiotics including the most active β-lactam-types are subjected to deactivation and degradation by the notorious superbug-produced enzymes. Progressively, scientists have devoted their efforts to curbing this global menace, and consequently a systematic overview on this topic can aid the timely development of effective therapeutics. In this review, diagnostic strategies for MBL strains and biochemical analyses of potent small-molecule inhibitors from experimental reports (2020-date) are overviewed. Notably, N1 and N2 from natural sources, S3-S7, S9 and S10 and S13-S16 from synthetic routes displayed the most potent broad-spectrum inhibition with ideal safety profiles. Their mechanisms of action include metal sequestration from and multi-dimensional binding to the MBL active pockets. Presently, some β-lactamase (BL)/MBL inhibitors have reached the clinical trial stage. This synopsis represents a model for future translational studies towards the discovery of effective therapeutics to overcome the challenges of AR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Oloruntoyin Ayipo
- Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia USM 11800 Pulau Pinang Malaysia
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Kwara State University P. M. B., 1530, Malete Ilorin Nigeria
| | - Chien Fung Chong
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman 31900 Kampar Perak Malaysia
| | - Mohd Nizam Mordi
- Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia USM 11800 Pulau Pinang Malaysia
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Wen LL, Kuo PY, Thuy TTD, Duong TTT, Huang YT, Hsueh PR, Chen YC, Kao CY. Genome-based characterization of conjugative IncHI1B plasmid carrying carbapenemase genes bla VIM-1, bla IMP-23, and truncated bla OXA-256in Klebsiella pneumoniae NTU107224. Infect Genet Evol 2023; 110:105420. [PMID: 36868443 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105420] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
The wide dissemination of plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance determinants among bacteria is a severe threat to global public health. Here, we characterized an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae NTU107224 by whole genome sequencing (WGS) in combination with phenotypic tests. Broth dilution method was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of NTU107224 to 24 antibiotics. The whole genome sequence of NTU107224 was determined by Nanopore/Illumina hybrid genome sequencing. Conjugation assay was performed to determine the transferability of plasmids in NTU107224 to recipient K. pneumoniae 1706. Larvae infection model was used to determine the effect(s) of conjugative plasmid pNTU107224-1 on bacterial virulence. Among the 24 antibiotics tested, XDR K. pneumoniae NTU107224 had low MICs only for amikacin (≤1 μg/mL), polymyxin B (0.25 μg/mL), colistin (0.25 μg/mL), eravacycline (0.25 μg/mL), cefepime/zidebactam (1 μg/mL), omadacycline (4 μg/mL), and tigecycline (0.5 μg/mL). Whole genome sequencing showed that the closed NTU107224 genome comprises a 5,076,795-bp chromosome, a 301,404-bp plasmid named pNTU107224-1, and a 78,479-bp plasmid named pNTU107224-2. IncHI1B plasmid pNTU107224-1 contained three class 1 integrons accumulated various antimicrobial resistance genes (including carbapenemase genes blaVIM-1, blaIMP-23, and truncated blaOXA-256) and the blast results suggested the dissemination of IncHI1B plasmids in China. By day 7 after infection, larvae infected with K. pneumoniae 1706 and transconjugant had 70% and 15% survival rates, respectively. We found that the conjugative plasmid pNTU107224-1 is closely related to IncHI1B plasmids disseminated in China and contributes to the virulence and antibiotic resistance of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Li Wen
- Graduate Institute of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu City, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yun Kuo
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tran Thi Dieu Thuy
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tran Thi Thuy Duong
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tsung Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Ren Hsueh
- Ph.D. Program for Aging, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Yen Kao
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Zhao X, Jin Y, Bai F, Cheng Z, Wu W, Pan X. Mutation of PA4292 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Increases β-Lactam Resistance through Upregulating Pyocyanin Production. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0042122. [PMID: 35695577 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00421-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa is increasingly reported worldwide and usually causes infections with high mortality rates. Aztreonam/avibactam is a β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BLBLI) combination that is under clinical trials. The advantage of aztreonam/avibactam over the currently used BLBLIs lies in its effectiveness against MBL-producing pathogens, making it one of the few drugs that can be used to treat infections caused by MBL-producing P. aeruginosa. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying aztreonam/avibactam resistance development remain unexplored. Here, in this study, we performed an in vitro evolution assay by using a previously identified MBL-producing P. aeruginosa clinical isolate, NKPa-71, and found mutations in a novel gene, PA4292, in the aztreonam/avibactam-resistant mutants. By mutation of PA4292 in the reference strain PA14, we verified the role of PA4292 in the resistance to aztreonam/avibactam and β-lactams. Transcriptomic analyses revealed upregulation of pyocyanin biosynthesis genes among the most overexpressed in the PA4292 mutant. We further demonstrated that pyocyanin overproduction in the PA4292 mutant increased the bacterial resistance to β-lactams by reducing drug influx. These data revealed a novel mechanism that might lead to the development of resistance to aztreonam/avibactam and β-lactams.
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Losito AR, Raffaelli F, Del Giacomo P, Tumbarello M. New Drugs for the Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections with Limited Treatment Options: A Narrative Review. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11050579. [PMID: 35625223 PMCID: PMC9137685 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11050579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [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: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
P. aeruginosa is still one of the most threatening pathogens responsible for serious hospital-acquired infections. It is intrinsically resistant to many antimicrobial agents and additional acquired resistance further complicates the management of such infections. High rates of combined antimicrobial resistance persist in many countries, especially in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Europe. The aim of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiology, latest data, and clinical evidence on the current and new available drugs active against P. aeruginosa isolates with limited treatment options. The latest evidence and recommendations supporting the use of ceftolozane-tazobactam and ceftazidime-avibactam, characterized by targeted clinical activity against a significant proportion of P. aeruginosa strains with limited treatment options, are described based on a review of the latest microbiological and clinical studies. Cefiderocol, with excellent in vitro activity against P. aeruginosa isolates, good stability to all β-lactamases and against porin and efflux pumps mutations, is also examined. New carbapenem combinations are explored, reviewing the latest experimental and initial clinical evidence. One section is devoted to a review of new anti-pseudomonal antibiotics in the pipeline, such as cefepime-taniborbactam and cefepime-zidebactam. Finally, other “old” antimicrobials, mainly fosfomycin, that can be used as combination strategies, are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Raffaella Losito
- Dipartimento di Scienze di Laboratorio e Infettivologiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.R.L.); (F.R.); (P.D.G.)
| | - Francesca Raffaelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze di Laboratorio e Infettivologiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.R.L.); (F.R.); (P.D.G.)
| | - Paola Del Giacomo
- Dipartimento di Scienze di Laboratorio e Infettivologiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.R.L.); (F.R.); (P.D.G.)
| | - Mario Tumbarello
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- UOC Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +39-0577-586572
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