1
|
Xie F, Hao Y, Liu Y, Bao J, Wang R, Chi X, Wang T, Yu S, Jin Y, Li L, Jiang Y, Zhang D, Yan L, Ni T. From Synergy to Monotherapy: Discovery of Novel 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Triazine Hydrazone Derivatives with Potent Antifungal Potency In Vitro and In Vivo. J Med Chem 2024; 67:4007-4025. [PMID: 38381075 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections pose a serious threat to public health and are associated with high mortality and incidence rates. The development of novel antifungal agents is urgently needed. Based on hit-to-lead optimization, a series of 2,4,6-trisubstituted triazine hydrazone compounds were designed, synthesized, and biological evaluation was performed, leading to the identification of compound 28 with excellent in vitro synergy (FICI range: 0.094-0.38) and improved monotherapy potency against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans and Candida auris (MIC range: 1.0-16.0 μg/mL). Moreover, 28 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against multiple pathogenic strains. Furthermore, 28 could inhibit hyphal and biofilm formation, which may be related to its ability to disrupt the fungal cell wall. Additionally, 28 significantly reduced the CFU in a mouse model of disseminated infection with candidiasis at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Overall, the triazine-based hydrazone compound 28 with low cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and favorable ADME/T characteristics represents a promising lead to further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xie
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yumeng Hao
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yu Liu
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Junhe Bao
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Ruina Wang
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaochen Chi
- School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, No.103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Ting Wang
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Shichong Yu
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yongsheng Jin
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Liping Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, No.1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Yuanying Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, No.1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Dazhi Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, No.1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Lan Yan
- School of Pharmacy, The Center for Basic Research and Innovation of Medicine and Pharmacy (MOE), Naval Medical University, No.325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Tingjunhong Ni
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, No.1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200072, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhou H, Yang N, Li W, Peng X, Dong J, Jiang Y, Yan L, Zhang D, Jin Y. Exploration of Baicalein-Core Derivatives as Potent Antifungal Agents: SAR and Mechanism Insights. Molecules 2023; 28:6340. [PMID: 37687172 PMCID: PMC10489750 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176340] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Baicalein (BE), the major component of Scutellaria Baicalensis, exhibited potently antifungal activity against drug-resistant Candida albicans, and strong inhibition on biofilm formation. Therefore, a series of baicalein-core derivatives were designed and synthesized to find more potent compounds and investigate structure-activity relationship (SAR) and mode of action (MoA). Results demonstrate that A4 and B5 exert a more potent antifungal effect (MIC80 = 0.125 μg/mL) than BE (MIC80 = 4 μg/mL) when used in combination with fluconazole (FLC), while the MIC80 of FLC dropped from 128 μg/mL to 1 μg/mL. SAR analysis indicates that the presence of 5-OH is crucial for synergistic antifungal activities, while o-dihydroxyls and vic-trihydroxyls are an essential pharmacophore, whether they are located on the A ring or the B ring of flavonoids. The MoA demonstrated that these compounds exhibited potent antifungal effects by inhibiting hypha formation of C. albicans. However, sterol composition assay and enzymatic assay conducted in vitro indicated minimal impact of these compounds on sterol biosynthesis and Eno1. These findings were further confirmed by the results of the in-silico assay, which assessed the stability of the complexes. Moreover, the inhibition of hypha of this kind of compound could be attributed to their effect on the catalytic subunit of 1,3-β-d-glucan synthase, 1,3-β-d-glucan-UDP glucosyltransferase and glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol protein, rather than inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis and Eno1 activity by Induced-Fit Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. This study presents potential antifungal agents with synergistic effects that can effectively inhibit hypha formation. It also provides new insights into the MoA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heyang Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Niao Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Wei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Xuemi Peng
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Jiaxiao Dong
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Yuanying Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China;
| | - Lan Yan
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Dazhi Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| | - Yongsheng Jin
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China; (H.Z.); (L.Y.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Conrad KA, Kim H, Qasim M, Djehal A, Hernday AD, Désaubry L, Rauceo JM. Triazine-Based Small Molecules: A Potential New Class of Compounds in the Antifungal Toolbox. Pathogens 2023; 12:126. [PMID: 36678474 PMCID: PMC9861074 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010126] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections caused by Candida species remain a significant public health problem worldwide. The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant infections and a limited arsenal of antifungal drugs underscore the need for novel interventions. Here, we screened several classes of pharmacologically active compounds against mammalian diseases for antifungal activity. We found that the synthetic triazine-based compound melanogenin (Mel) 56 is fungicidal in Candida albicans laboratory and clinical strains with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 8−16 µg/mL. Furthermore, Mel56 has general antifungal activity in several non-albicans Candida species and the non-pathogenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Surprisingly, Mel56 inhibited the yeast-to-hyphae transition at sublethal concentrations, revealing a new role for triazine-based compounds in fungi. In human cancer cell lines, Mel56 targets the inner mitochondrial integral membrane prohibitin proteins, PHB1 and PHB2. However, Mel56 treatment did not impact C. albicans mitochondrial activity, and antifungal activity was similar in prohibitin single, double, and triple homozygous mutant strains compared to the wild-type parental strain. These results suggests that Mel56 has a novel mechanism-of-action in C. albicans. Therefore, Mel56 is a promising antifungal candidate warranting further analyses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen A. Conrad
- Department of Sciences, John Jay College of the City, University of New York, New York, NY 10019, USA
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Sciences, John Jay College of the City, University of New York, New York, NY 10019, USA
| | - Mohammad Qasim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Amel Djehal
- Higher National School of Biotechnology of Constantine, Constantine 25100, Algeria
- Laboratory of Regenerative Nanomedicine, Center of Research and Biomedicine, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Aaron D. Hernday
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Laurent Désaubry
- Laboratory of Regenerative Nanomedicine, Center of Research and Biomedicine, University of Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Jason M. Rauceo
- Department of Sciences, John Jay College of the City, University of New York, New York, NY 10019, USA
| |
Collapse
|