1
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Hurwitz SJ, De R, LeCher JC, Downs-Bowen JA, Goh SL, Zandi K, McBrayer T, Amblard F, Patel D, Kohler JJ, Bhasin M, Dobosh BS, Sukhatme V, Tirouvanziam RM, Schinazi RF. Why Certain Repurposed Drugs Are Unlikely to Be Effective Antivirals to Treat SARS-CoV-2 Infections. Viruses 2024; 16:651. [PMID: 38675992 PMCID: PMC11053489 DOI: 10.3390/v16040651] [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: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Most repurposed drugs have proved ineffective for treating COVID-19. We evaluated median effective and toxic concentrations (EC50, CC50) of 49 drugs, mostly from previous clinical trials, in Vero cells. Ratios of reported unbound peak plasma concentrations, (Cmax)/EC50, were used to predict the potential in vivo efficacy. The 20 drugs with the highest ratios were retested in human Calu-3 and Caco-2 cells, and their CC50 was determined in an expanded panel of cell lines. Many of the 20 drugs with the highest ratios were inactive in human Calu-3 and Caco-2 cells. Antivirals effective in controlled clinical trials had unbound Cmax/EC50 ≥ 6.8 in Calu-3 or Caco-2 cells. EC50 of nucleoside analogs were cell dependent. This approach and earlier availability of more relevant cultures could have reduced the number of unwarranted clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selwyn J. Hurwitz
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Ramyani De
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Julia C. LeCher
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Jessica A. Downs-Bowen
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Shu Ling Goh
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Keivan Zandi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Tamara McBrayer
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Franck Amblard
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Dharmeshkumar Patel
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - James J. Kohler
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
| | - Manoj Bhasin
- Center for Cystic Fibrosis & Airways Disease Research, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (M.B.); (B.S.D.); (R.M.T.)
| | - Brian S. Dobosh
- Center for Cystic Fibrosis & Airways Disease Research, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (M.B.); (B.S.D.); (R.M.T.)
| | - Vikas Sukhatme
- Morningside Center for Innovative and Affordable Medicine, Departments of Medicine and Hematology and Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;
| | - Rabindra M. Tirouvanziam
- Center for Cystic Fibrosis & Airways Disease Research, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (M.B.); (B.S.D.); (R.M.T.)
| | - Raymond F. Schinazi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1760 Haygood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; (S.J.H.); (R.D.); (J.C.L.); (J.A.D.-B.); (S.L.G.); (K.Z.); (T.M.); (F.A.); (D.P.); (J.J.K.)
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2
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Amblard F, LeCher JC, De R, Zhou S, Liu P, Goh SL, Tao S, Patel D, Downs-Bowen J, Zandi K, Zhang H, Chaudhry G, McBrayer T, Muczynski M, Al-Homoudi A, Engel J, Lan S, Sarafianos SG, Kovari LC, Schinazi RF. Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel peptidomimetic inhibitors of the coronavirus 3C-like protease. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 268:116263. [PMID: 38432056 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116263] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and related variants, are responsible for the devastating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) plays a central role in the replication of the virus and represents an attractive drug target. Herein, we report the discovery of novel SARS-CoV-2 Mpro covalent inhibitors, including highly effective compound NIP-22c which displays high potency against several key variants and clinically relevant nirmatrelvir Mpro E166V mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Amblard
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Julia C LeCher
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ramyani De
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Shaoman Zhou
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Peng Liu
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Shu Ling Goh
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Sijia Tao
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Dharmeshkumar Patel
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jessica Downs-Bowen
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Keivan Zandi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Huanchun Zhang
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Gitika Chaudhry
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Tamara McBrayer
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Michael Muczynski
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Abdullah Al-Homoudi
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Joseph Engel
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Shuiyun Lan
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Stefan G Sarafianos
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ladislau C Kovari
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Raymond F Schinazi
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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3
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Lee JH, LeCher JC, Parigoris E, Shinagawa N, Sentosa J, Manfredi C, Goh SL, De R, Tao S, Zandi K, Amblard F, Sorscher EJ, Spence JR, Tirouvanziam R, Schinazi RF, Takayama S. Stably-Inverted Apical-Out Human Upper Airway Organoids for SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Therapeutic Testing. bioRxiv 2024:2024.01.02.573939. [PMID: 38260306 PMCID: PMC10802305 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.02.573939] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Apical-out organoids produced through eversion triggered by extra-organoid extracellular matrix (ECM) removal or degradation are generally small, structurally variable, and limited for viral infection and therapeutics testing. This work describes ECM-encapsulating, stably-inverted apical-out human upper airway organoids (AORBs) that are large (~500 μm diameter), consistently spherical, recapitulate in vivo-like cellular heterogeneity, and maintain their inverted morphology for over 60 days. Treatment of AORBs with IL-13 skews differentiation towards goblet cells and the apical-out geometry allows extra-organoid mucus collection. AORB maturation for 14 days induces strong co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 to allow high-yield infection with five SARS-CoV-2 variants. Dose-response analysis of three well-studied SARS-CoV-2 antiviral compounds [remdesivir, bemnifosbuvir (AT-511), and nirmatrelvir] shows AORB antiviral assays to be comparable to gold-standard air-liquid interface cultures, but with higher throughput (~10-fold) and fewer cells (~100-fold). While this work focuses on SARS-CoV-2 applications, the consistent AORB shape and size, and one-organoid-per-well modularity broadly impacts in vitro human cell model standardization efforts in line with economic imperatives and recently updated FDA regulation on therapeutic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hoon Lee
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Julia C. LeCher
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eric Parigoris
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Noriyuki Shinagawa
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jason Sentosa
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Candela Manfredi
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shu Ling Goh
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ramyani De
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sijia Tao
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Keivan Zandi
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Franck Amblard
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eric J. Sorscher
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jason R. Spence
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan College of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rabindra Tirouvanziam
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for CF and Airways Disease Research, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Raymond F. Schinazi
- Center for Viroscience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shuichi Takayama
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
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4
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LeCher JC, Didier HL, Dickson RL, Slaughter LR, Bejarano JC, Ho S, Nowak SJ, Chrestensen CA, McMurry JL. Utilization of a cell-penetrating peptide-adaptor for delivery of human papillomavirus protein E2 into cervical cancer cells to arrest cell growth and promote cell death. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2023; 6:e1810. [PMID: 36987545 PMCID: PMC10172171 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1810] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of nearly all forms of cervical cancer, which can arise upon viral integration into the host genome and concurrent loss of viral regulatory gene E2. Gene-based delivery approaches show that E2 reintroduction reduces proliferative capacity and promotes apoptosis in vitro. AIMS This work explored if our calcium-dependent protein-based delivery system, TAT-CaM, could deliver functional E2 protein directly into cervical cancer cells to limit proliferative capacity and induce cell death. MATERIALS AND RESULTS TAT-CaM and the HPV16 E2 protein containing a CaM-binding sequence (CBS-E2) were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. Calcium-dependent binding kinetics were verified by biolayer interferometry. Equimolar TAT-CaM:CBS-E2 constructs were delivered into the HPV16+ SiHa cell line and uptake verified by confocal microscopy. Proliferative capacity was measured by MTS assay and cell death was measured by release of lactate dehydrogenase. As a control, human microvascular cells (HMECs) were used. As expected, TAT-CaM bound CBS-E2 with high affinity in the presence of calcium and rapidly disassociated upon its removal. After introduction by TAT-CaM, fluorescently labeled CBS-E2 was detected in cellular interiors by orthogonal projections taken at the depth of the nucleus. In dividing cells, E2 relocalized to regions associated with the mitotic spindle. Cells receiving a daily dose of CBS-E2 for 4 days showed a significant reduction in metabolic activity at low doses and increased cell death at high doses compared to controls. This phenotype was retained for 7 days with no further treatments. When subcultured on day 12, treated cells regained their proliferative capacity. CONCLUSIONS Using the TAT-CaM platform, bioactive E2 protein was delivered into living cervical cancer cells, inducing senescence and cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that this nucleic acid and virus-free delivery method could be harnessed to develop novel, effective protein therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia C. LeCher
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of PediatricsEmory University School of MedicineAtlantaGeorgia30322USA
| | - Hope L. Didier
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Robert L. Dickson
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Lauren R. Slaughter
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Juana C. Bejarano
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Steven Ho
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Scott J. Nowak
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Carol A. Chrestensen
- Department of Chemistry & BiochemistryKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1203KennesawGeorgia30144USA
| | - Jonathan L. McMurry
- Department of Molecular & Cellular BiologyKennesaw State University370 Paulding Ave NW, MD 1201KennesawGeorgia30144USA
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5
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Tao S, Zandi K, Bassit L, Ong YT, Verma K, Liu P, Downs-Bowen JA, McBrayer T, LeCher JC, Kohler JJ, Tedbury PR, Kim B, Amblard F, Sarafianos SG, Schinazi RF. Comparison of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and intracellular metabolism of remdesivir and its parent nucleoside. Curr Res Pharmacol Drug Discov 2021; 2:100045. [PMID: 34870151 PMCID: PMC8357487 DOI: 10.1016/j.crphar.2021.100045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Remdesivir, a monophosphate prodrug of nucleoside analog GS-441524, is widely used for the treatment of moderate to severe COVID-19. It has been suggested to use GS-441524 instead of remdesivir in the clinic and in new inhalation formulations. Thus, we compared the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of remdesivir and GS-441524 in Vero E6, Vero CCL-81, Calu-3, Caco-2 cells, and anti-HCoV-OC43 activity in Huh-7 cells. We also compared the cellular pharmacology of these two compounds in Vero E6, Vero CCL-81, Calu-3, Caco-2, Huh-7, 293T, BHK-21, 3T3 and human airway epithelial (HAE) cells. Overall, remdesivir exhibited greater potency and superior intracellular metabolism than GS-441524 except in Vero E6 and Vero CCL-81 cells.
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Key Words
- ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2
- Anti-SARS-CoV-2
- Antiviral agents
- CES1, carboxylesterase 1
- COVID-19
- COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019
- CatA, cathepsin A
- Coronavirus
- DP, diphosphate
- GS-441524
- HAE, human airway epithelial
- HCoV-OC43
- HINT1, histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1
- MP, monophosphate
- NTP, nucleoside triphosphate
- Pharmacology
- Remdesivir
- SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
- TP, triphosphate
- WHO, World Health Organization
- icSARS-CoV-2-mNG, SARS-CoV-2 infectious clone virus containing mNeonGreen reporter
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijia Tao
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Keivan Zandi
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Leda Bassit
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yee Tsuey Ong
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kiran Verma
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Peng Liu
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica A. Downs-Bowen
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tamara McBrayer
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Julia C. LeCher
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - James J. Kohler
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Philip R. Tedbury
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Baek Kim
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Franck Amblard
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stefan G. Sarafianos
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Raymond F. Schinazi
- Center for AIDS Research, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
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6
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LeCher JC, Diep N, Krug PW, Hilliard JK. Genistein Has Antiviral Activity against Herpes B Virus and Acts Synergistically with Antiviral Treatments to Reduce Effective Dose. Viruses 2019; 11:v11060499. [PMID: 31159175 PMCID: PMC6630448 DOI: 10.3390/v11060499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [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: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Herpes B virus is a deadly zoonotic agent that can be transmitted to humans from the macaque monkey, an animal widely used in biomedical research. Currently, there is no cure for human B virus infection and treatments require a life-long daily regimen of antivirals, namely acyclovir and ganciclovir. Long-term antiviral treatments have been associated with significant debilitating side effects, thus, there is an ongoing search for alternative efficacious antiviral treatment. In this study, the antiviral activity of genistein was quantified against B virus in a primary cell culture model system. Genistein prevented plaque formation of B virus and reduced virus production with an IC50 value of 33 and 46 μM for human and macaque fibroblasts, respectively. Genistein did not interfere directly with viral entry, but instead targeted an event post-viral replication. Finally, we showed that genistein could be used at its IC50 concentration in conjunction with both acyclovir and ganciclovir to reduce their effective dose against B virus with a 93% and 99% reduction in IC50 values, respectively. The results presented here illuminate the therapeutic potential of genistein as an effective antiviral agent against B virus when used alone or in combination with current antiviral therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia C LeCher
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30189, USA.
- Viral Immunology Center, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Nga Diep
- Viral Immunology Center, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Peter W Krug
- Viral Immunology Center, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Julia K Hilliard
- Viral Immunology Center, Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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Warner MV, Barnhill Z, LeCher JC, Cooper JL. Use of Cell Penetrating Peptides to Deliver Cargo in Protists. FASEB J 2019. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.659.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Max V. Warner
- Molecular and Cellular BiologyKennesaw State UniversityKennesawGA
| | - Zoie Barnhill
- Molecular and Cellular BiologyKennesaw State UniversityKennesawGA
| | - Julia C. LeCher
- Molecular and Cellular BiologyKennesaw State UniversityKennesawGA
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LeCher JC, Nowak SJ, McMurry JL. Breaking in and busting out: cell-penetrating peptides and the endosomal escape problem. Biomol Concepts 2018; 8:131-141. [PMID: 28841567 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2017-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [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: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have long held great promise for the manipulation of living cells for therapeutic and research purposes. They allow a wide array of biomolecules from large, oligomeric proteins to nucleic acids and small molecules to rapidly and efficiently traverse cytoplasmic membranes. With few exceptions, if a molecule can be associated with a CPP, it can be delivered into a cell. However, a growing realization in the field is that CPP-cargo fusions largely remain trapped in endosomes and are eventually targeted for degradation or recycling rather than released into the cytoplasm or trafficked to a desired subcellular destination. This 'endosomal escape problem' has confounded efforts to develop CPP-based delivery methods for drugs, enzymes, plasmids, etc. This review provides a brief history of CPP research and discusses current issues in the field with a primary focus on the endosomal escape problem, for which several promising potential solutions have been developed. Are we on the verge of developing technologies to deliver therapeutics such as siRNA, CRISPR/Cas complexes and others that are currently failing because of an inability to get into cells, or are we just chasing after another promising but unworkable technology? We make the case for optimism.
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