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Zhu H, Sharma AK, Aguilar K, Boghani F, Sarcan S, George M, Ramesh J, Van Der Eerden J, Panda CS, Lopez A, Zhi W, Bollag R, Patel N, Klein K, White J, Thangaraju M, Lokeshwar BL, Singh N, Lokeshwar VB. Simple virus-free mouse models of COVID-19 pathologies and oral therapeutic intervention. iScience 2024; 27:109191. [PMID: 38433928 PMCID: PMC10906509 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109191] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The paucity of preclinical models that recapitulate COVID-19 pathology without requiring SARS-COV-2 adaptation and humanized/transgenic mice limits research into new therapeutics against the frequently emerging variants-of-concern. We developed virus-free models by C57BL/6 mice receiving oropharyngeal instillations of a SARS-COV-2 ribo-oligonucleotide common in all variants or specific to Delta/Omicron variants, concurrently with low-dose bleomycin. Mice developed COVID-19-like lung pathologies including ground-glass opacities, interstitial fibrosis, congested alveoli, and became moribund. Lung tissues from these mice and bronchoalveolar lavage and lung tissues from patients with COVID-19 showed elevated levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), HA-family members, an inflammatory signature, and immune cell infiltration. 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), an oral drug for biliary-spasm treatment, inhibits HA-synthesis. At the human equivalent dose, 4-MU prevented/inhibited COVID-19-like pathologies and long-term morbidity; 4-MU and metabolites accumulated in mice lungs. Therefore, these versatile SARS-COV-2 ribo-oligonucleotide oropharyngeal models recapitulate COVID-19 pathology, with HA as its critical mediator and 4-MU as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabin Zhu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Anuj K. Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Karina Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Faizan Boghani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Semih Sarcan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Michelle George
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Janavi Ramesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Joshua Van Der Eerden
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Chandramukhi S. Panda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Aileen Lopez
- Clinical Trials Office, Augusta University, 1521 Pope Avenue, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Wenbo Zhi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Roni Bollag
- Department of Pathology and Biorepository Alliance of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Nikhil Patel
- Department of Pathology and Biorepository Alliance of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Kandace Klein
- Department of Radiology and Imaging, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Joe White
- Department of Pathology and Biorepository Alliance of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th St, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Muthusamy Thangaraju
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Bal L. Lokeshwar
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Nagendra Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Vinata B. Lokeshwar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1410 Laney Walker Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
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Aguilar K, Sharma AK, Yang T, Mehta D, Panda CS, Lokeshwar VB. Teaching an Old Drug a New Trick: Targeting Treatment Resistance in Genitourinary Cancers. J Cell Signal 2024; 5:51-56. [PMID: 38726221 PMCID: PMC11081427 DOI: 10.33696/signaling.5.112] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
In the quest for improving the clinical outcome of patients with metastatic genitourinary cancers, including metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), the emphasis often is on finding new targeted therapies. However, two studies by Jordan et al. (Oncogenesis 2020) and Wang et al. (Cancer Cell Int 2022) demonstrate the feasibility of improving the efficacy of a modestly effective drug Sorafenib against mRCC by attacking a mechanism hijacked by RCC cells for inactivating Sorafenib. The studies also identified hyaluronic acid synthase -3 (HAS3) as a bonafide target of Sorafenib in RCC cells. The studies demonstrate that an over-the-counter drug Hymecromone (4-methylumbelliferone) blocks inactivation of Sorafenib in RCC cells and improves its efficacy against mRCC through the inhibition of HAS3 expression and HA signaling. In the broader context, improving the efficacy of "old and failed drugs" that have favorable safety profiles should increase the availability of effective treatments for patients with advanced cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Aguilar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
| | - Anuj K. Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
| | - Tianyu Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
| | - Dipen Mehta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
| | - Chandramukhi S. Panda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
| | - Vinata B. Lokeshwar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 1410 Laney Walker Blvd., 30912, USA
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Pillai GG, Mederos L, Panda CS, Gronski A, Burk P, Hall CD, Katritzky AR, Tämm K, Karelson M. Robust Modeling and Scaffold Hopping: Case Study Based on HIV Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Type-1 Data. Med Chem 2015; 12:513-26. [PMID: 26434799 DOI: 10.2174/1573406411666151005110141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of AIDS occurs across mucosal surfaces or by direct inoculation. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to consider chemically diverse scaffold sets of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (HIV-1 RTI) subjected to ideal oriented QSAR with large descriptor space. METHOD We generated a four-parameter QSAR model based on 111 data points, which provided an optimum prediction of HIV-1 RTI for overall 367 experimentally measured compounds. RESULTS The robustness of the model is demonstrated by its statistical validation (Ntraining = 111, R2 = 0.85, Q2lmo = 0.84) and by the prediction of HIV-1 inhibition activity for experimentally measured compounds. CONCLUSION Finally, 5 novel hit compounds were designed in silico by using a virtual screening approach. The new hits met all the pharmacophore constraints and predicted pIC50 values within the binding ability of HIV-1 RT protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girinath G Pillai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, Tartu 50411, Estonia.
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Girgis AS, Panda SS, Farag ISA, El-Shabiny AM, Moustafa AM, Ismail NSM, Pillai GG, Panda CS, Hall CD, Katritzky AR. Synthesis, and QSAR analysis of anti-oncological active spiro-alkaloids. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:1741-53. [PMID: 25502495 DOI: 10.1039/c4ob02149e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
QSAR study describes the anti-neoplastic spiro-alkaloids with relevant molecular descriptors using CODESSA III software. The dispiro[3H-indole-3,2'-pyrrolidine-3',3"-piperidines] 24-48 were synthesized via [3 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction of azomethine ylides, (generated in situ via decarboxylative condensation of isatins 21-23 with sarcosine) and 3E,5E-1-alkyl-3,5-bis(arylmethylidene)-4-piperidones 10-20. Some of the synthesized analogues exhibited promising antitumor properties against HELA (cervical), HEPG2 (liver), T-47D, MCF7 (breast), and HCT116 (colon) human tumor cell lines, demonstrating activity close to or even better than the standard Doxorubicin, based on in vitro Sulfo-Rhodamine-B bio-assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel S Girgis
- Pesticide Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
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Ibrahim MA, Panda SS, Oliferenko AA, Oliferenko PV, Girgis AS, Elagawany M, Küçükbay FZ, Panda CS, Pillai GG, Samir A, Tämm K, Hall CD, Katritzky AR. Macrocyclic peptidomimetics with antimicrobial activity: synthesis, bioassay, and molecular modeling studies. Org Biomol Chem 2015; 13:9492-503. [PMID: 26256838 DOI: 10.1039/c5ob01400j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Novel, cyclic peptidomimetics were synthesized by facile acylation reactions using benzotriazole chemistry. Microbiological testing of the synthesized compounds revealed an exceptionally high activity against Candida albicans with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) two orders of magnitude lower than the MIC of the antifungal reference drug amphotericin B. A strikingly high activity was also observed against three Gram-negative bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris), two of which are known human pathogens. Thus the discovered chemotype is a potential polypharmacological agent. The toxicity against mammalian tumor cells was found to be low, as demonstrated in five different human cell lines (HeLa, cervical; PC-3, prostate; MCF-7, breast; HepG2, liver; and HCT-116, colon). The internal consistency of the experimental data was studied using 3D-pharmacophore and 2D-QSAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A Ibrahim
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA.
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Oliferenko PV, Oliferenko AA, Girgis AS, Saleh DO, Srour AM, George RF, Pillai GG, Panda CS, Hall CD, Katritzky AR. Synthesis, Bioassay, and Molecular Field Topology Analysis of Diverse Vasodilatory Heterocycles. J Chem Inf Model 2014; 54:1103-16. [DOI: 10.1021/ci400723m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Polina V. Oliferenko
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
| | - Alexander A. Oliferenko
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
| | - Adel S. Girgis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
| | | | | | - Riham F. George
- Pharmaceutical
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Girinath G. Pillai
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Chandramukhi S. Panda
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
| | - C. Dennis Hall
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
| | - Alan R. Katritzky
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7200, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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