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Gu ZF, Hao YD, Wang TY, Cai PL, Zhang Y, Deng KJ, Lin H, Lv H. Prediction of blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides based on data augmentation with Augur. BMC Biol 2024; 22:86. [PMID: 38637801 PMCID: PMC11027412 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01883-4] [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: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The blood-brain barrier serves as a critical interface between the bloodstream and brain tissue, mainly composed of pericytes, neurons, endothelial cells, and tightly connected basal membranes. It plays a pivotal role in safeguarding brain from harmful substances, thus protecting the integrity of the nervous system and preserving overall brain homeostasis. However, this remarkable selective transmission also poses a formidable challenge in the realm of central nervous system diseases treatment, hindering the delivery of large-molecule drugs into the brain. In response to this challenge, many researchers have devoted themselves to developing drug delivery systems capable of breaching the blood-brain barrier. Among these, blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides have emerged as promising candidates. These peptides had the advantages of high biosafety, ease of synthesis, and exceptional penetration efficiency, making them an effective drug delivery solution. While previous studies have developed a few prediction models for blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides, their performance has often been hampered by issue of limited positive data. RESULTS In this study, we present Augur, a novel prediction model using borderline-SMOTE-based data augmentation and machine learning. we extract highly interpretable physicochemical properties of blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides while solving the issues of small sample size and imbalance of positive and negative samples. Experimental results demonstrate the superior prediction performance of Augur with an AUC value of 0.932 on the training set and 0.931 on the independent test set. CONCLUSIONS This newly developed Augur model demonstrates superior performance in predicting blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides, offering valuable insights for drug development targeting neurological disorders. This breakthrough may enhance the efficiency of peptide-based drug discovery and pave the way for innovative treatment strategies for central nervous system diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Feng Gu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Yu-Duo Hao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Tian-Yu Wang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Pei-Ling Cai
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, PR China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Academy for Interdiscipline, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610072, PR China
| | - Ke-Jun Deng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Hao Lin
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China.
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China.
| | - Hao Lv
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, PR China.
- Center for Informational Biology, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China.
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Wang Y, Liu W, Sun Y, Dong X. Transthyretin-Penetratin: A Potent Fusion Protein Inhibitor against Alzheimer's Amyloid-β Fibrillogenesis with High Blood Brain Barrier Crossing Capability. Bioconjug Chem 2024; 35:419-431. [PMID: 38450606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.4c00073] [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: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
The design of a potent amyloid-β protein (Aβ) inhibitor plays a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite endogenous transthyretin (TTR) being recognized as an Aβ inhibitor, the weak inhibitory and blood brain barrier (BBB) crossing capabilities hinder it for Aβ aggregation inhibition and transport. Therefore, we have herein designed a recombinant TTR by conjugating a cationic cell penetrating peptide (penetratin, Pen), which not only enabled the fusion protein, TTR-Pen (TP), to present high BBB penetration but also greatly enhanced the potency of Aβ inhibition. Namely, the protein fusion made TP positively charged, leading to a potent suppression of Aβ40 fibrillization at a low concentration (1.5 μM), while a TTR concentration as high as 12.5 μM was required to gain a similar function. Moreover, TP could mitigate Aβ-induced neuronal death, increase cultured cell viability from 72% to 92% at 2.5 μM, and extend the lifespan of AD nematodes from 14 to 18 d. Thermodynamic studies revealed that TP, enriched in positive charges, presented extensive electrostatic interactions with Aβ40. Importantly, TP showed excellent BBB penetration performance, with a 10 times higher BBB permeability than TTR, which would allow TP to enter the brain of AD patients and participate in the transport of Aβ species out of the brain. Thus, it is expected that the fusion protein has great potential for drug development in AD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xiaoyan Dong
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
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Lifshits LA, Breuer Y, Sova M, Gupta S, Kadosh D, Weinberg E, Hayouka Z, Bar DZ, Gal M. Nature-inspired peptide of MtDef4 C-terminus tail enables protein delivery in mammalian cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4604. [PMID: 38409451 PMCID: PMC10897151 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55274-4] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides show promise as versatile tools for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Various peptides have originated from natural proteins with antimicrobial activity. We investigated the mammalian cell-penetrating properties of a 16-residue peptide with the sequence GRCRGFRRRCFCTTHC from the C-terminus tail of the Medicago truncatula defensin MtDef4. We evaluated the peptide's ability to penetrate multiple cell types. Our results demonstrate that the peptide efficiently penetrates mammalian cells within minutes and at a micromolar concentration. Moreover, upon N-terminal fusion to the fluorescent protein GFP, the peptide efficiently delivers GFP into the cells. Despite its remarkable cellular permeability, the peptide has only a minor effect on cellular viability, making it a promising candidate for developing a cell-penetrating peptide with potential therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Adriana Lifshits
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoav Breuer
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Marina Sova
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sumit Gupta
- BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery, Tel-Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dar Kadosh
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Evgeny Weinberg
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Daniel Z Bar
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Maayan Gal
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Yokoo H, Dirisala A, Uchida S, Oba M. Oligosarcosine Conjugation of Arginine-Rich Peptides Improves the Intracellular Delivery of Peptide/pDNA Complexes. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:890-896. [PMID: 38159284 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01542] [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] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), for example, arginine (Arg) rich peptides, are used for the intracellular delivery of nucleic acids. In this study, oligosarcosine-conjugated Arg-rich peptides were designed as plasmid DNA (pDNA) carriers, and the physicochemical parameters and transfection efficiency of the peptide/pDNA complexes were evaluated. Oligosarcosine with different lengths were conjugated to a base sequence composed of arginine and α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) [(Aib-Arg-Arg)3]. Oligosarcosine conjugation inhibited the aggregation of the complexes after mixing with pDNA, shielded the positive charge of the complexes, and provided efficient pDNA transfection in cultured cells. The efficiency of the pDNA transfection was improved by varying the length of the oligosarcosine moiety (10-15 units were optimal). The cellular uptake efficiency and intracellular distribution of pDNA were the same regardless of oligosarcosine conjugation. These results implied that intracellular processes, including the decondensation of pDNA, contributed to the efficiency of the protein expression from pDNA. This study demonstrated the advantages of oligosarcosine conjugation to Arg-rich CPPs and provided valuable insight into the future design of CPPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetomo Yokoo
- Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 1-5 Shimogamohangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan
- Innovation Center of Nanomedicine, Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Anjaneyulu Dirisala
- Innovation Center of Nanomedicine, Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
| | - Satoshi Uchida
- Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 1-5 Shimogamohangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan
- Innovation Center of Nanomedicine, Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, 3-25-14 Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki 210-0821, Japan
- Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Makoto Oba
- Medical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 1-5 Shimogamohangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan
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Lee HJ, Kim D, Choi HJ, Kim S, Shin M, Kwak S, Lee DK, Kang WH. Potential role of the cell-penetrating peptide-conjugated soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor motif of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2-patterned peptide in novel cosmeceutical skin product development. J Cosmet Dermatol 2024; 23:666-675. [PMID: 37698157 DOI: 10.1111/jocd.15984] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
AIM This study aimed to investigate and verify the effect of cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-conjugated soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) motif of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)-patterned peptide (INCI name: Acetyl sh-Oligopeptide-26 sh-Oligopeptide-27 SP, trade name: M.Biome-BT) on improving skin function in vitro. METHODS The cytotoxicity of CPP-conjugated SNARE motif of VAMP2-patterned peptide (CVP) was investigated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against B16-F10 cells and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and a reconstructed skin irritation test. The anti-wrinkle activity of M.Biome-BT was determined by assessing the release of norepinephrine and dopamine in PC-12 cells via ELISA. The skin-whitening effects of CVP were assessed in B16-F10 cells by measuring the intra- and extracellular melanin contents and expression levels of melanin production-related genes, such as microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), and TRP-2. RESULTS CVP is not cytotoxic to B16-F10 cells and HDFs, and no skin irritation was observed. CVP treatment considerably diminished K+ -induced norepinephrine and dopamine secretion compared with the non-treated control group (62% and 40%, respectively). Additionally, the inhibition ability of CVP on norepinephrine and dopamine release was comparable to that of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A). CVP also increased intracellular melanin content in a dose-dependent manner, whereas extracellular melanin content decreased (76%-85%). However, CVP treatment did not affect the mRNA expression of MITF, TYR, TRP-1, and TRP-2. These results suggest that CVP does not inhibit melanin production; however, it may induce a whitening effect by inhibiting melanin transport. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our findings indicate that CVP could be used as an active and safe cosmeceutical ingredient for antiaging applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyo Jin Lee
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
| | - Daehoon Kim
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
| | | | - Suhyeok Kim
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
| | - Minhee Shin
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
| | | | - Dong-Kyu Lee
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
| | - Won-Ho Kang
- Gwanggyo R&D Center, Medytox Inc., Suwon-si, Korea
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Chatupheeraphat C, Peamchai J, Kaewsai N, Anuwongcharoen N, Eiamphungporn W. Enhancing the activity of β-lactamase inhibitory protein-II with cell-penetrating peptide against KPC-2-carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296727. [PMID: 38277388 PMCID: PMC10817188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296727] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) is considered a paramount threat due to its rapid spread and high mortality rate. Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs), specifically KPC-2, are prevalent enzymes responsible for carbapenem resistance in many countries. While combinations of antibiotics are commonly used, they must be tailored to match the remaining susceptibility of the infecting strains. Therefore, there is a need to develop the β-lactamase inhibitor to effectively address this issue. β-lactamase inhibitor protein (BLIP) and its variants, BLIP-I and BLIP-II, have demonstrated the ability to inhibit class A β-lactamases. In particular, BLIP-II shows strong binding to the KPC-2 carbapenemase, making it a potential candidate for inhibition. To improve the intracellular penetration of BLIP-II, a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) was employed. In this study, a KRK-rich peptide was introduced at either the N-terminal or C-terminal region of tBLIP-II, excluding the signal sequence of the BLIP-II protein. tBLIP-II, tBLIP-II-CPP, and CPP-BLIP-II were successfully expressed, and the chimeric proteins retained inhibitory activity compared to tBLIP-II alone. It is apparent that homology modeling demonstrated neither the poly-histidine tag nor the CPP interfered with the essential interaction residues of tBLIP-II. Interestingly, BLIP-II-CPP exhibited the highest inhibitory activity, reducing the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of meropenem by 8 folds. Moreover, the combination of tBLIP-CPP with meropenem significantly decreased the viable bacterial cell count compared to the combination of tBLIP-II with meropenem or meropenem alone. These findings suggest that tBLIP-CPP is a promising candidate for restoring carbapenem susceptibility against CRE and provides a valuable therapeutic option for infections caused by CRE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chawalit Chatupheeraphat
- Center for Research Innovation and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Jiratchaya Peamchai
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Noramon Kaewsai
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nuttapat Anuwongcharoen
- Department of Community Medical Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Warawan Eiamphungporn
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Philippe GJB, Huang YH, Mittermeier A, Brown CJ, Kaas Q, Ramlan SR, Wang CK, Lane D, Loewer A, Troeira Henriques S, Craik DJ. Delivery to, and Reactivation of, the p53 Pathway in Cancer Cells Using a Grafted Cyclotide Conjugated with a Cell-Penetrating Peptide. J Med Chem 2024; 67:1197-1208. [PMID: 38174919 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01682] [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: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Peptides are promising drug modalities that can modulate protein-protein interactions, but their application is hampered by their limited ability to reach intracellular targets. Here, we improved the cytosolic delivery of a peptide blocking p53:MDM2/X interactions using a cyclotide as a stabilizing scaffold. We applied several design strategies to improve intracellular delivery and found that the conjugation of the lead cyclotide to the cyclic cell-penetrating peptide cR10 was the most effective. Conjugation allowed cell internalization at micromolar concentration and led to elevated intracellular p53 levels in A549, MCF7, and MCF10A cells, as well as inducing apoptosis in A549 cells without causing membrane disruption. The lead peptide had >35-fold improvement in inhibitory activity and increased cellular uptake compared to a previously reported cyclotide p53 activator. In summary, we demonstrated the delivery of a large polar cyclic peptide in the cytosol and confirmed its ability to modulate intracellular protein-protein interactions involved in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Jean-Baptiste Philippe
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Anna Mittermeier
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Christopher J Brown
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Siti Radhiah Ramlan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Conan K Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David Lane
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Alexander Loewer
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Sónia Troeira Henriques
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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Liu H, Qu D, Cao Y, Li H, Wu X, Zhu Y, Tao J, Li Y, Cao C. TAT-Modified Martentoxin Displays Intravenous Antiseizure Activities. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:205-214. [PMID: 38112732 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00744] [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] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a chronic disease of brain dysfunction, which arises from imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory activities in neural circuits. Previously, we reported that peptide Martentoxin (MarTX), from scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch, displayed antiseizure activities by specifically inhibiting BK(α + β4) channel currents. Injection of MarTX into the hippocampal region of mice significantly alleviated convulsive seizures. However, intravenous injection of MarTX had no antiepileptic efficacy due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To address this, here, we designed cell-penetrating peptide TAT-modified MarTX, in which the linker containing three glycines was put between TAT and the N-terminus of MarTX (forming MTX-N-TAT) or between TAT and the C-terminus of MarTX (forming MTX-C-TAT), respectively. We prepared them in a large amount through Escherichia coli overexpression system and then probed their antiseizure activities. Our results indicated that intravenous injection of MTX-C-TAT showed significant therapeutic efficacy of antiseizure. It increased seizure latency, reduced the total seizure duration and the number of seizures at stages 3, 4, and 5, inhibited hippocampal neuronal hyperexcitability, and exhibited neuroprotective effects on hippocampal neurons. These studies implied that MTX-C-TAT displayed intravenous antiseizure activities properly through crossing BBB and would be a potential antiepileptic drug in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Liu
- School of pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Dongxiao Qu
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yunzhu Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- Nanjing Fenglin Biotechnology Co., 2 Taixi Road, Pukou District, Nanjing 210031, China
| | - Haiting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- Center for Supramolecular Chemistry and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wu
- Center for Supramolecular Chemistry and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Yudan Zhu
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China
- School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Jie Tao
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yiming Li
- School of pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chunyang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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9
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Lica JJ, Heldt M, Wieczór M, Chodnicki P, Ptaszyńska N, Maciejewska N, Łęgowska A, Brankiewicz W, Gucwa K, Stupak A, Pradhan B, Gitlin-Domagalska A, Dębowski D, Milewski S, Bieniaszewska M, Grabe GJ, Hellmann A, Rolka K. Dual-Activity Fluoroquinolone-Transportan 10 Conjugates Offer Alternative Leukemia Therapy during Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Mol Pharmacol 2023; 105:39-53. [PMID: 37977824 DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.123.000735] [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] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is often considered a last resort leukemia treatment, fraught with limited success due to microbial infections, a leading cause of mortality in leukemia patients. To address this critical issue, we explored a novel approach by synthesizing antileukemic agents containing antibacterial substances. This innovative strategy involves conjugating fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) or levofloxacin (LVX), with the cell-penetrating peptide transportan 10 (TP10). Here, we demonstrate that the resultant compounds display promising biologic activities in preclinical studies. These novel conjugates not only exhibit potent antimicrobial effects but are also selective against leukemia cells. The cytotoxic mechanism involves rapid disruption of cell membrane asymmetry leading to membrane damage. Importantly, these conjugates penetrated mammalian cells, accumulating within the nuclear membrane without significant effect on cellular architecture or mitochondrial function. Molecular simulations elucidated the aggregation tendencies of TP10 conjugates within lipid bilayers, resulting in membrane disruption and permeabilization. Moreover, mass spectrometry analysis confirmed efficient reduction of disulfide bonds within TP10 conjugates, facilitating release and activation of the fluoroquinolone derivatives. Intriguingly, these compounds inhibited human topoisomerases, setting them apart from traditional fluoroquinolones. Remarkably, TP10 conjugates generated lower intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species compared with CIP and LVX. The combination of antibacterial and antileukemic properties, coupled with selective cytostatic effects and minimal toxicity toward healthy cells, positions TP10 derivatives as promising candidates for innovative therapeutic approaches in the context of antileukemic HCT. This study highlights their potential in search of more effective leukemia treatments. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Fluoroquinolones are commonly used antibiotics, while transportan 10 (TP10) is a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) with anticancer properties. In HCT, microbial infections are the primary cause of illness and death. Combining TP10 with fluoroquinolones enhanced their effects on different cell types. The dual pharmacological action of these conjugates offers a promising proof-of-concept solution for leukemic patients undergoing HCT. Strategically designed therapeutics, incorporating CPPs with antibacterial properties, have the potential to reduce microbial infections in the treatment of malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Jakub Lica
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Mateusz Heldt
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Milosz Wieczór
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Pawel Chodnicki
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Natalia Ptaszyńska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Natalia Maciejewska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Anna Łęgowska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Wioletta Brankiewicz
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Katarzyna Gucwa
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Anna Stupak
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Bhaskar Pradhan
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Agata Gitlin-Domagalska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Dawid Dębowski
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Sławomir Milewski
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Maria Bieniaszewska
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Grzegorz Jan Grabe
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Andrzej Hellmann
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
| | - Krzysztof Rolka
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (J.J.L.); Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry (M.H., N.M., S.M.) and Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, (M.W., P.C.) Gdansk University of Technology, Poland; Department of Molecular Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Poland (J.J.L., N.P., A.Ł., A.G.-D., D.D., K.R.); Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway (W.B.); Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland (K.G.); Polpharma Biologics S.A. Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Poland (A.S.); Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland (B.P.); Medical University of Gdansk, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Poland (M.B., A.H.); and Structural Biology Laboratory, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (G.J.G.)
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Huo Y, Cheng C, Wang S, Li L, Rong Z, Su C, Li F, Li Y, Yang L. A novel endomorphin-2/salmon calcitonin hybrid peptide with enhancing anti-allodynic and anti-anxiety effects. Peptides 2023; 170:171108. [PMID: 37778465 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171108] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Pain, a worldwide problem with a high incidence and complex pathogenesis, has attracted the attention of pharmaceutical enterprises for the development of safer and more effective drugs. Extensive experimental and clinical evidence has demonstrated the analgesic effects of two endogenous peptides: endomorphin-2 (EM-2) and salmon calcitonin (sCT). However, EM-2 has limitations, such as poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and little therapeutic effect in chronic pain due to rapid in vivo proteolysis. Herein, we propose the design of a novel hybrid peptide TEM2CT by combining EM-2, sCT16-21, and the cell-penetrating peptide HIV-1 trans-activator protein (TAT) with the aim of enhancing their analgesic effects. TEM2CT treatment attenuated nociceptive behavior in both acute and chronic pain mouse models, exhibiting increased anti-allodynic and anti-anxiety effects compared to sCT treatment. Furthermore, TEM2CT also regulated the excitability of pyramidal neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in spared nerve injury (SNI) model mice. The improved efficacy of this hybrid peptide provides a promising strategy for developing analgesic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Huo
- Department of Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China; Student Brigade, School of Basic Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Caiyan Cheng
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, China
| | - Saiying Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lin Li
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zheng Rong
- Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chang Su
- Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yunqing Li
- Department of Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Le Yang
- Department of Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China; Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710038, Shaanxi, China.
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11
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Kravchenko SV, Domnin PA, Grishin SY, Vershinin NA, Gurina EV, Zakharova AA, Azev VN, Mustaeva LG, Gorbunova EY, Kobyakova MI, Surin AK, Fadeev RS, Ostroumova OS, Ermolaeva SA, Galzitskaya OV. Enhancing the Antimicrobial Properties of Peptides through Cell-Penetrating Peptide Conjugation: A Comprehensive Assessment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16723. [PMID: 38069046 PMCID: PMC10706425 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316723] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Combining antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) has shown promise in boosting antimicrobial potency, especially against Gram-negative bacteria. We examined the CPP-AMP interaction with distinct bacterial types based on cell wall differences. Our investigation focused on AMPs incorporating penetratin CPP and dihybrid peptides containing both cell-penetrating TAT protein fragments from the human immunodeficiency virus and Antennapedia peptide (Antp). Assessment of the peptides TAT-AMP, AMP-Antp, and TAT-AMP-Antp revealed their potential against Gram-positive strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Bacillus cereus). Peptides TAT-AMP and AMP-Antp using an amyloidogenic AMP from S1 ribosomal protein Thermus thermophilus, at concentrations ranging from 3 to 12 μM, exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity against B. cereus. TAT-AMP and TAT-AMP-Antp, using an amyloidogenic AMP from the S1 ribosomal protein Pseudomonas aeruginosa, at a concentration of 12 µM, demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and MRSA. Notably, the TAT-AMP, at a concentration of 12 µM, effectively inhibited Escherichia coli (E. coli) growth and displayed antimicrobial effects similar to gentamicin after 15 h of incubation. Peptide characteristics determined antimicrobial activity against diverse strains. The study highlights the intricate relationship between peptide properties and antimicrobial potential. Mechanisms of AMP action are closely tied to bacterial cell wall attributes. Peptides with the TAT fragment exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, MRSA, and P. aeruginosa. Peptides containing only the Antp fragment displayed lower activity. None of the investigated peptides demonstrated cytotoxic or cytostatic effects on either BT-474 cells or human skin fibroblasts. In conclusion, CPP-AMPs offer promise against various bacterial strains, offering insights for targeted antimicrobial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey V. Kravchenko
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, 625003 Tyumen, Russia; (S.V.K.); (S.Y.G.); (N.A.V.); (E.V.G.)
| | - Pavel A. Domnin
- Biology Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
- Gamaleya Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 123098 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Sergei Y. Grishin
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, 625003 Tyumen, Russia; (S.V.K.); (S.Y.G.); (N.A.V.); (E.V.G.)
- Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
| | - Nikita A. Vershinin
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, 625003 Tyumen, Russia; (S.V.K.); (S.Y.G.); (N.A.V.); (E.V.G.)
| | - Elena V. Gurina
- Institute of Environmental and Agricultural Biology (X-BIO), Tyumen State University, 625003 Tyumen, Russia; (S.V.K.); (S.Y.G.); (N.A.V.); (E.V.G.)
| | - Anastasiia A. Zakharova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.A.Z.); (O.S.O.)
| | - Viacheslav N. Azev
- The Branch of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (V.N.A.); (L.G.M.); (E.Y.G.)
| | - Leila G. Mustaeva
- The Branch of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (V.N.A.); (L.G.M.); (E.Y.G.)
| | - Elena Y. Gorbunova
- The Branch of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (V.N.A.); (L.G.M.); (E.Y.G.)
| | - Margarita I. Kobyakova
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (M.I.K.); (R.S.F.)
- Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Lymphology—Branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630060 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexey K. Surin
- Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
- The Branch of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (V.N.A.); (L.G.M.); (E.Y.G.)
- State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279 Obolensk, Russia
| | - Roman S. Fadeev
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (M.I.K.); (R.S.F.)
| | - Olga S. Ostroumova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia; (A.A.Z.); (O.S.O.)
| | | | - Oxana V. Galzitskaya
- Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (M.I.K.); (R.S.F.)
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Ki MR, Kim SH, Park TI, Pack SP. Self-Entrapment of Antimicrobial Peptides in Silica Particles for Stable and Effective Antimicrobial Peptide Delivery System. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16423. [PMID: 38003614 PMCID: PMC10671715 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216423] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a promising solution to tackle bacterial infections and combat antibiotic resistance. However, their vulnerability to protease degradation and toxicity towards mammalian cells has hindered their clinical application. To overcome these challenges, our study aims to develop a method to enhance the stability and safety of AMPs applicable to effective drug-device combination products. The KR12 antimicrobial peptide was chosen, and in order to further enhance its delivery and efficacy the human immunodeficiency virus TAT protein-derived cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) was fused to form CPP-KR12. A new product, CPP-KR12@Si, was developed by forming silica particles with self-entrapped CPP-KR12 peptide using biomimetic silica precipitability because of its cationic nature. Peptide delivery from CPP-KR12@Si to bacteria and cells was observed at a slightly delivered rate, with improved stability against trypsin treatment and a reduction in cytotoxicity compared to CPP-KR12. Finally, the antimicrobial potential of the CPP-KR12@Si/bone graft substitute (BGS) combination product was demonstrated. CPP-KR12 is coated in the form of submicron-sized particles on the surface of the BGS. Self-entrapped AMP in silica nanoparticles is a safe and effective AMP delivery method that will be useful for developing a drug-device combination product for tissue regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi-Ran Ki
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Ho Kim
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae In Park
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Pil Pack
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea
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13
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Greschner AA, Brahiti N, Auger M, Hu L, Soleymani Abyaneh H, Barbeau X, Parent V, Gaillet B, Guay D, Soultan AH, Gauthier MA. PEGylation of a Peptide-Based Amphiphilic Delivery Agent and Influence on Protein Delivery to Cells. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:4890-4900. [PMID: 37862236 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00603] [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: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
The cell membrane is a restrictive biological barrier, especially for large, charged molecules, such as proteins. The use of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can facilitate the delivery of proteins, protein complexes, and peptides across the membrane by a variety of mechanisms that are all limited by endosomal sequestration. To improve CPP-mediated delivery, we previously reported the rapid and effective cytosolic delivery of proteins in vitro and in vivo by their coadministration with the peptide S10, which combines a CPP and an endosomal leakage domain. Amphiphilic peptides with hydrophobic properties, such as S10, can interact with lipids to destabilize the cell membrane, thus promoting cargo internalization or escape from endosomal entrapment. However, acute membrane destabilization can result in a dose-limiting cytotoxicity. In this context, the partial or transient deactivation of S10 by modification with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG; i.e., PEGylation) may provide the means to alter membrane destabilization kinetics, thereby attenuating the impact of acute permeabilization on cell viability. This study investigates the influence of PEGylation parameters (molecular weight, architecture, and conjugation chemistry) on the delivery efficiency of a green fluorescent protein tagged with a nuclear localization signal (GFP-NLS) and cytotoxicity on cells in vitro. Results suggest that PEGylation mostly interferes with adsorption and secondary structure formation of S10 at the cell membrane, and this effect is exacerbated by the mPEG molecular weight. This effect can be compensated for by increasing the concentration of conjugates prepared with lower molecular weight mPEG (5 to ∼20 kDa) but not for conjugates prepared with higher molecular weight mPEG (40 kDa). For conjugates prepared with moderate-to-high molecular weight mPEG (10 to 20 kDa), partial compensation of inactivation could be achieved by the inclusion of a reducible disulfide bond, which provides a mechanism to liberate the S10 from the polymer. Grafting multiple copies of S10 to a high-molecular-weight multiarmed PEG (40 kDa) improved GFP-NLS delivery efficiency. However, these constructs were more cytotoxic than the native peptide. Considering that PEGylation could be harnessed for altering the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution profiles of peptide-based delivery agents in vivo, the trends observed herein provide new perspectives on how to manipulate the membrane permeabilization process, which is an important variable for achieving delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea A Greschner
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS),EMT Research Center, 1650 boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
| | - Nadine Brahiti
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
| | - Maud Auger
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
- Département de génie chimique Université Laval, Room #3570, 1065 avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot, Québec QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Lei Hu
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS),EMT Research Center, 1650 boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
| | - Hoda Soleymani Abyaneh
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS),EMT Research Center, 1650 boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
| | - Xavier Barbeau
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
| | - Victor Parent
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
| | - Bruno Gaillet
- Département de génie chimique Université Laval, Room #3570, 1065 avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot, Québec QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - David Guay
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
- Département de génie chimique Université Laval, Room #3570, 1065 avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot, Québec QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Al-Halifa Soultan
- Feldan Therapeutics, 2666 boulevard du Parc Technologique Suite 290, Québec QC G1P 4S6, Canada
| | - Marc A Gauthier
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS),EMT Research Center, 1650 boulevard Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
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14
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Ng WNI, Kalimuthu S, Law COK, Lee AHC, Lau TCK, Leung YY, Cheung GSP, Neelakantan P. Intracellular bacterial eradication using a novel peptide in vitro. Int Endod J 2023; 56:1360-1372. [PMID: 37615967 DOI: 10.1111/iej.13965] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
AIM To determine the effect of a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP; OP145) and cell-penetrating peptide (Octa-arginine/R8) conjugate on the killing of intracellular Enterococcus faecalis, compared to OP145 and an antibiotic combination recommended for regenerative endodontic procedures. METHODOLOGY The biocompatible concentrations of OP145 and OP145-R8 were determined by assessing their cytotoxicity against human macrophages and red blood cells. Spatiotemporal internalization of the peptides into macrophages was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively by confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry respectively. Killing of extracellular and intracellular E. faecalis OG1RF by the peptides was determined by counting the colony-forming units (CFU). Intracellular antibacterial activity of the peptides was compared to a double antibiotic combination. Confocal microscopy was used to confirm the intracellular bacterial eradication. Significant differences between the different test groups were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. p < .05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Peptides at a concentration of 7.5 μmol/L were chosen for subsequent experiments based on the results of the alamarBlue™ cell viability assay and haemolytic assay. OP145-R8 selectively internalized into lysosomal compartments and the cytosol of macrophages. Conjugation with R8 improved the internalization of OP145 into macrophages in a temporal manner (70.53% at 1 h to 77.13% at 2 h), while no temporal increase was observed for OP145 alone (60.53% at 1 h with no increase at 2 h). OP145-R8 demonstrated significantly greater extracellular and intracellular antibacterial activity compared to OP145 at all investigated time-points and concentrations (p < .05). OP145-R8 at 7.5 μmol/L eradicated intracellular E. faecalis after 2 h (3.5 log reduction compared to the control; p < .05), while the antibiotics could not reduce more than 0.5 log CFU compared to the control (p > .05). Confocal microscopy showed complete absence of E. faecalis within the OP145-R8 treated macrophages. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrated that the conjugation of an AMP OP145 to a cell-penetrating peptide R8 eradicated extracellular and intracellular E. faecalis OG1RF without toxic effects on the host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing Nok Isaac Ng
- Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
| | | | - Carmen Oi Kwan Law
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
| | | | - Terrence Chi Kong Lau
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
| | - Yiu Yan Leung
- Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
| | - Gary Shun Pan Cheung
- Department of Dental Surgery, University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Prasanna Neelakantan
- Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
- Department of Endodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, California, USA
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15
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Drago SE, Cabibbo M, Craparo EF, Cavallaro G. TAT decorated siRNA polyplexes for inhalation delivery in anti-asthma therapy. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 190:106580. [PMID: 37717668 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106580] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a novel protonable copolymer was designed to deliver siRNA through the inhalation route, as an innovative formulation for the management of asthma. This polycation was synthesized by derivatization of α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)D,L-aspartamide (PHEA) first with 1,2-Bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane (bAPAE) and then with a proper amount of maleimide terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-MLB), with the aim to increase the superficial hydrophilicity of the system, allowing the diffusion trough the mucus layer. Once the complexation ability of the copolymer has been evaluated, obtaining nanosized polyplexes, polyplexes were functionalized on the surface with a thiolated TAT peptide, a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), exploiting a thiol-ene reaction. TAT decorated polyplexes result to be highly cytocompatible and able to retain the siRNA with a suitable complexation weight ratio during the diffusion process through the mucus. Despite polyplexes establish weak bonds with the mucin chains, these can diffuse efficiently through the mucin layer and therefore potentially able to reach the bronchial epithelium. Furthermore, through cellular uptake studies, it was possible to observe how the obtained polyplexes penetrate effectively in the cytoplasm of bronchial epithelial cells, where they can reduce IL-8 gene expression, after LPS exposure. In the end, in order to obtain a formulation administrable as an inhalable dry powder, polyplexes were encapsulated in mannitol-based microparticles, by spray freeze drying, obtaining highly porous particles with proper technological characteristics that make them potentially administrable by inhalation route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Emanuele Drago
- Lab of Biocompatible Polymers, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo 90123, Italy
| | - Marta Cabibbo
- Lab of Biocompatible Polymers, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo 90123, Italy
| | - Emanuela Fabiola Craparo
- Lab of Biocompatible Polymers, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo 90123, Italy
| | - Gennara Cavallaro
- Lab of Biocompatible Polymers, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, Palermo 90123, Italy; Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali (INSTM) of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; Advanced Technology and Network Center (ATeN Center), Università di Palermo, Palermo 90133, Italy.
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16
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Agoni C, Stavropoulos I, Kirwan A, Mysior MM, Holton T, Kranjc T, Simpson JC, Roche HM, Shields DC. Cell-Penetrating Milk-Derived Peptides with a Non-Inflammatory Profile. Molecules 2023; 28:6999. [PMID: 37836842 PMCID: PMC10574647 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196999] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Milk-derived peptides are known to confer anti-inflammatory effects. We hypothesised that milk-derived cell-penetrating peptides might modulate inflammation in useful ways. Using computational techniques, we identified and synthesised peptides from the milk protein Alpha-S1-casein that were predicted to be cell-penetrating using a machine learning predictor. We modified the interpretation of the prediction results to consider the effects of histidine. Peptides were then selected for testing to determine their cell penetrability and anti-inflammatory effects using HeLa cells and J774.2 mouse macrophage cell lines. The selected peptides all showed cell penetrating behaviour, as judged using confocal microscopy of fluorescently labelled peptides. None of the peptides had an effect on either the NF-κB transcription factor or TNFα and IL-1β secretion. Thus, the identified milk-derived sequences have the ability to be internalised into the cell without affecting cell homeostatic mechanisms such as NF-κB activation. These peptides are worthy of further investigation for other potential bioactivities or as a naturally derived carrier to promote the cellular internalisation of other active peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clement Agoni
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin 4, Ireland
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa
| | - Ilias Stavropoulos
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Anna Kirwan
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 N2E5 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Margharitha M. Mysior
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Therese Holton
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Tilen Kranjc
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Jeremy C. Simpson
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 N2E5 Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Helen M. Roche
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Denis C. Shields
- Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin 4, Ireland (M.M.M.); (J.C.S.)
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin 4, Ireland
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17
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Tsylents U, Siekierska I, Trylska J. Peptide nucleic acid conjugates and their antimicrobial applications-a mini-review. Eur Biophys J 2023; 52:533-544. [PMID: 37610696 PMCID: PMC10618302 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-023-01673-w] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a nucleic acid mimic with high specificity and binding affinity to natural DNA or RNA, as well as resistance to enzymatic degradation. PNA sequences can be designed to selectively silence gene expression, which makes PNA a promising tool for antimicrobial applications. However, the poor membrane permeability of PNA remains the main limiting factor for its applications in cells. To overcome this obstacle, PNA conjugates with different molecules have been developed. This mini-review focuses on covalently linked conjugates of PNA with cell-penetrating peptides, aminosugars, aminoglycoside antibiotics, and non-peptidic molecules that were tested, primarily as PNA carriers, in antibacterial and antiviral applications. The chemistries of the conjugation and the applied linkers are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uladzislava Tsylents
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Izabela Siekierska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Trylska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
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18
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Lozada C, Gonzalez S, Agniel R, Hindie M, Manciocchi L, Mazzanti L, Ha-Duong T, Santoro F, Carotenuto A, Ballet S, Lubin-Germain N. Introduction of constrained Trp analogs in RW9 modulates structure and partition in membrane models. Bioorg Chem 2023; 139:106731. [PMID: 37480815 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106731] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades, many cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) have been studied for their capacity to cross cellular membranes, mostly in order to improve cellular uptake of therapeutic agents. Even though hydrophobic and anionic CPPs have been described, many of them are polycationic, due to the presence of several arginine (Arg) residues. Noteworthy, however, the presence of aromatic amino acids such as tryptophan (Trp) within CPPs seems to play an important role to reach high membranotropic activity. RW9 (RRWWRRWRR) is a designed CPP derived from the polyarginine R9 presenting both features. In general, when interacting with membranes, CPPs adopt an optimal conformation for membrane interactions - an amphipathic helical secondary structure in the case of RW9. Herein, we assumed that the incorporation of a locally constrained amino acid in the peptide sequence could improve the membranotropic activity of RW9, by facilitating its structuration upon contact with a membrane, while leaving a certain plasticity. Therefore, two cyclized Trp derivatives (Tcc and Aia) were synthesized to be incorporated in RW9 as surrogates of Trp residues. Thus, a series of peptides containing these building blocks has been synthesized by varying the type, position, and number of modifications. The membranotropic activity of the RW9 analogs was studied by spectrofluorescence titration of the peptides in presence of liposomes (DMPG), allowing to calculate partition coefficients (Kp). Our results indicate that the partitioning of the modified peptides depends on the type, the number and the position of the modification, with the best sequence being [Aia4]RW9. Interestingly, both NMR analysis and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations indicate that this analog presents an extended conformation similar to the native RW9, but with a much-reduced structural flexibility. Finally, cell internalization properties were also confirmed by confocal microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Lozada
- CNRS, BioCIS, CY Cergy-Paris Université, 95000 Neuville sur Oise, France; CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Simon Gonzalez
- CNRS, BioCIS, CY Cergy-Paris Université, 95000 Neuville sur Oise, France; CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Rémy Agniel
- ERRMECe, Institut des Matériaux I-MAT (FD4122), CY Cergy Paris Université, 95000 Neuville sur Oise, France
| | - Mathilde Hindie
- ERRMECe, Institut des Matériaux I-MAT (FD4122), CY Cergy Paris Université, 95000 Neuville sur Oise, France
| | - Luca Manciocchi
- CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Liuba Mazzanti
- CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Tap Ha-Duong
- CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Federica Santoro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Steven Ballet
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Nadège Lubin-Germain
- CNRS, BioCIS, CY Cergy-Paris Université, 95000 Neuville sur Oise, France; CNRS, BioCIS, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France.
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19
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Lunde PK, Manfra O, Støle TP, Lunde M, Martinsen M, Carlson CR, Louch WE. Polyarginine Cell-Penetrating Peptides Bind and Inhibit SERCA2. Cells 2023; 12:2358. [PMID: 37830576 PMCID: PMC10571751 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192358] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptide sequences that have the ability to cross the cell membrane and deliver cargo. Although it is critical that CPPs accomplish this task with minimal off-target effects, such actions have in many cases not been robustly screened. We presently investigated whether the commonly used CPPs TAT and the polyarginines Arg9 and Arg11 exert off-target effects on cellular Ca2+ homeostasis. In experiments employing myocytes and homogenates from the cardiac left ventricle or soleus muscle, we observed marked inhibition of Ca2+ recycling into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) following incubation with polyarginine CPPs. In both tissues, the rate of SR Ca2+ leak remained unchanged, indicating that protracted Ca2+ removal from the cytosol stemmed from inhibition of the SR Ca2+ ATPase 2 (SERCA2). No such inhibition occurred following treatment with TAT, or in preparations from the SERCA1-expressing extensor digitorum longus muscle. Experiments in HEK cells overexpressing individual SERCA isoforms confirmed that polyarginine incubation specifically inhibited the activity of SERCA2a and 2b, but not SERCA1 or 3. The attenuation of SERCA2 activity was not dependent on the presence of phospholamban, and ELISA-based analyses rather revealed direct interaction between the polyarginines and the actuator domain of the protein. Surface plasmon resonance experiments confirmed strong binding within this region of SERCA2, and slow dissociation between the two species. Based on these observations, we urge caution when employing polyarginine CPPs. Indeed, as SERCA2 is expressed in diverse cell types, the wide-ranging consequences of SERCA2 binding and inhibition should be anticipated in both experimental and therapeutic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Cathrine Rein Carlson
- Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, 0450 Oslo, Norway; (P.K.L.); (O.M.); (T.P.S.); (M.L.); (M.M.); (W.E.L.)
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20
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Macyszyn J, Chyży P, Burmistrz M, Lobka M, Miszkiewicz J, Wojciechowska M, Trylska J. Structural dynamics influences the antibacterial activity of a cell-penetrating peptide (KFF) 3K. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14826. [PMID: 37684254 PMCID: PMC10491836 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38745-y] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the widespread demand for novel antibacterial agents, we modified a cell-penetrating peptide (KFF)3K to transform it into an antibacterial peptide. Namely, we inserted a hydrocarbon staple into the (KFF)3K sequence to induce and stabilize its membrane-active secondary structure. The staples were introduced at two positions, (KFF)3K[5-9] and (KFF)3K[2-6], to retain the initial amphipathic character of the unstapled peptide. The stapled analogues are protease resistant contrary to (KFF)3K; 90% of the stapled (KFF)3K[5-9] peptide remained undigested after incubation in chymotrypsin solution. The stapled peptides showed antibacterial activity (with minimal inhibitory concentrations in the range of 2-16 µM) against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, contrary to unmodified (KFF)3K, which had no antibacterial effect against any strain at concentrations up to 32 µM. Also, both stapled peptides adopted an α-helical structure in the buffer and micellar environment, contrary to a mostly undefined structure of the unstapled (KFF)3K in the buffer. We found that the antibacterial activity of (KFF)3K analogues is related to their disruptive effect on cell membranes and we showed that by stapling this cell-penetrating peptide, we can induce its antibacterial character.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Macyszyn
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Chyży
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Burmistrz
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Lobka
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- Division of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Miszkiewicz
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Joanna Trylska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
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21
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Asrorov AM, Wang H, Zhang M, Wang Y, He Y, Sharipov M, Yili A, Huang Y. Cell penetrating peptides: Highlighting points in cancer therapy. Drug Dev Res 2023; 84:1037-1071. [PMID: 37195405 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22076] [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: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), first identified in HIV a few decades ago, deserved great attention in the last two decades; especially to support the penetration of anticancer drug means. In the drug delivery discipline, they have been involved in various approaches from mixing with hydrophobic drugs to the use of genetically conjugated proteins. The early classification as cationic and amphipathic CPPs has been extended to a few more classes such as hydrophobic and cyclic CPPs so far. Developing potential sequences utilized almost all methods of modern science: choosing high-efficiency peptides from natural protein sequences, sequence-based comparison, amino acid substitution, obtaining chemical and/or genetic conjugations, in silico approaches, in vitro analysis, animal experiments, etc. The bottleneck effect in this discipline reveals the complications that modern science faces in drug delivery research. Most CPP-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) efficiently inhibited tumor volume and weight in mice, but only in rare cases reduced their levels and continued further processes. The integration of chemical synthesis into the development of CPPs made a significant contribution and even reached the clinical stage as a diagnostic tool. But constrained efforts still face serious problems in overcoming biobarriers to reach further achievements. In this work, we reviewed the roles of CPPs in anticancer drug delivery, focusing on their amino acid composition and sequences. As the most suitable point, we relied on significant changes in tumor volume in mice resulting from CPPs. We provide a review of individual CPPs and/or their derivatives in a separate subsection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akmal M Asrorov
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, AS of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Department of Natural Substances Chemistry, National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Huiyuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yonghui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang He
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Mirkomil Sharipov
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, AS of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Abulimiti Yili
- The Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Chemistry of Arid Zone, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yongzhuo Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Institutes of Drug Discovery and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Quality Research and Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Excipients, Shanghai, China
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22
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Shao H, Zhou J, Lin X, Zhou Y, Xue Y, Hong W, Lin X, Jia X, Fan Y. Bio-inspired peptide-conjugated liposomes for enhanced planktonic bacteria killing and biofilm eradication. Biomaterials 2023; 300:122183. [PMID: 37302278 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122183] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Developing new antimicrobial agents has become an urgent task to address the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens and the emergence of biofilms. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been regarded as promising candidates due to their unique non-specific membrane rupture mechanism. However, a series of problems with the peptides hindered their practical application due to their high toxicity and low bioactivity and stability. Here, inspired by broadening the application of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), we selected five different sequences of cationic peptides which are considered as both CPPs and AMPs, and developed a biomimetic strategy to construct cationic peptide-conjugated liposomes with the virus-like structure for both enhancements of antibacterial efficacy and biosafety. The correlation between available peptide density/peptide variety and antimicrobial capabilities was evaluated from quantitative perspectives. Computational simulation and experimental investigations assisted to identify the optimal peptide-conjugated liposomes and revealed that the designed system provides high charge density for enhanced anionic bacterial membrane binding capability without compromised cytotoxicity, being capable of enhanced antibacterial efficacy of bacteria/biofilm of clinically important pathogens. The bio-inspired design has shown enhanced therapeutic efficiency of peptides and may promote the development of next-generation antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Shao
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jin Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Xiaoqian Lin
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yumeng Xue
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Weili Hong
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xubo Lin
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaoling Jia
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Yubo Fan
- Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, And with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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23
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Khairkhah N, Namvar A, Bolhassani A. Application of Cell Penetrating Peptides as a Promising Drug Carrier to Combat Viral Infections. Mol Biotechnol 2023; 65:1387-1402. [PMID: 36719639 PMCID: PMC9888354 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00679-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Novel effective drugs or therapeutic vaccines have been already developed to eradicate viral infections. Some non-viral carriers have been used for effective drug delivery to a target cell or tissue. Among them, cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) attracted a special interest to enhance drug delivery into the cells with low toxicity. They were also applied to transfer peptide/protein-based and nucleic acids-based therapeutic vaccines against viral infections. CPPs-conjugated drugs or vaccines were investigated in several viral infections including poliovirus, Ebola, coronavirus, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and influenza A virus. Some studies showed that the uptake of CPPs or CPPs-conjugated drugs can be performed through both non-endocytic and endocytic pathways. Despite high potential of CPPs for cargo delivery, there are some serious drawbacks such as non-tissue-specificity, instability, and suboptimal pharmacokinetics features that limit their clinical applications. At present, some solutions are utilized to improve the CPPs properties such as conjugation of CPPs with targeting moieties, the use of fusogenic lipids, generation of the proton sponge effect, etc. Up to now, no CPP or composition containing CPPs has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to the lack of sufficient in vivo studies on stability, immunological assays, toxicity, and endosomal escape of CPPs. In this review, we briefly describe the properties, uptake mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages, and improvement of intracellular delivery, and bioavailability of cell penetrating peptides. Moreover, we focus on their application as an effective drug carrier to combat viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Khairkhah
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Namvar
- Iranian Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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24
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Zakany F, Mándity IM, Varga Z, Panyi G, Nagy P, Kovacs T. Effect of the Lipid Landscape on the Efficacy of Cell-Penetrating Peptides. Cells 2023; 12:1700. [PMID: 37443733 PMCID: PMC10340183 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Every cell biological textbook teaches us that the main role of the plasma membrane is to separate cells from their neighborhood to allow for a controlled composition of the intracellular space. The mostly hydrophobic nature of the cell membrane presents an impenetrable barrier for most hydrophilic molecules larger than 1 kDa. On the other hand, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are capable of traversing this barrier without compromising membrane integrity, and they can do so on their own or coupled to cargos. Coupling biologically and medically relevant cargos to CPPs holds great promise of delivering membrane-impermeable drugs into cells. If the cargo is able to interact with certain cell types, uptake of the CPP-drug complex can be tailored to be cell-type-specific. Besides outlining the major membrane penetration pathways of CPPs, this review is aimed at deciphering how properties of the membrane influence the uptake mechanisms of CPPs. By summarizing an extensive body of experimental evidence, we argue that a more ordered, less flexible membrane structure, often present in the very diseases planned to be treated with CPPs, decreases their cellular uptake. These correlations are not only relevant for understanding the cellular biology of CPPs, but also for rationally improving their value in translational or clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florina Zakany
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (F.Z.); (Z.V.); (G.P.)
| | - István M. Mándity
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary;
- TTK Lendület Artificial Transporter Research Group, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltan Varga
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (F.Z.); (Z.V.); (G.P.)
| | - Gyorgy Panyi
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (F.Z.); (Z.V.); (G.P.)
| | - Peter Nagy
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (F.Z.); (Z.V.); (G.P.)
| | - Tamas Kovacs
- Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (F.Z.); (Z.V.); (G.P.)
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25
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Barkowsky G, Abt C, Pöhner I, Bieda A, Hammerschmidt S, Jacob A, Kreikemeyer B, Patenge N. Antimicrobial Activity of Peptide-Coupled Antisense Peptide Nucleic Acids in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0049722. [PMID: 36321914 PMCID: PMC9784828 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00497-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia and is responsible for multiple other infectious diseases, such as meningitis and otitis media, in children. Resistance to penicillins, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones is increasing and, since the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), vaccine serotypes have been replaced by non-vaccine serotypes. Antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) have been shown to reduce the growth of several pathogenic bacteria in various infection models. PNAs are frequently coupled to cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to improve spontaneous cellular PNA uptake. In this study, different CPPs were investigated for their capability to support translocation of antisense PNAs into S. pneumoniae. HIV-1 TAT- and (RXR)4XB-coupled antisense PNAs efficiently reduced the viability of S. pneumoniae strains TIGR4 and D39 in vitro. Two essential genes, gyrA and rpoB, were used as targets for antisense PNAs. Overall, the antimicrobial activity of anti-gyrA PNAs was higher than that of anti-rpoB PNAs. Target gene transcription levels in S. pneumoniae were reduced following antisense PNA treatment. The effect of HIV-1 TAT- and (RXR)4XB-anti-gyrA PNAs on pneumococcal survival was also studied in vivo using an insect infection model. Treatment increased the survival of infected Galleria mellonella larvae. Our results represent a proof of principle and may provide a basis for the development of efficient antisense molecules for treatment of S. pneumoniae infections. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia and is responsible for the deaths of up to 2 million children each year. Antibiotic resistance and strain replacement by non-vaccine serotypes are growing problems. For this reason, S. pneumoniae has been added to the WHO "global priority list" of antibiotic-resistant bacteria for which novel antimicrobials are most urgently needed. In this study, we investigated whether CPP-coupled antisense PNAs show antibacterial activity in S. pneumoniae. We demonstrated that HIV-1 TAT- and (RXR)4XB-coupled antisense PNAs were able to kill S. pneumoniae in vitro. The specificity of the antimicrobial effect was verified by reduced target gene transcription levels in S. pneumoniae. Moreover, CPP-antisense PNA treatment increased the survival rate of infected Galleria mellonella larvae in vivo. Based on these results, we believe that efficient antisense PNAs can be developed for the treatment of S. pneumoniae infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Barkowsky
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Corina Abt
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Irina Pöhner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Adam Bieda
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Sven Hammerschmidt
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Infection Biology, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Anette Jacob
- Peps4LS GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
- Functional Genome Analysis, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Kreikemeyer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Nadja Patenge
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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26
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Hemmati S, Rasekhi Kazerooni H. Polypharmacological Cell-Penetrating Peptides from Venomous Marine Animals Based on Immunomodulating, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Properties. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20120763. [PMID: 36547910 PMCID: PMC9787916 DOI: 10.3390/md20120763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex pathological diseases, such as cancer, infection, and Alzheimer's, need to be targeted by multipronged curative. Various omics technologies, with a high rate of data generation, demand artificial intelligence to translate these data into druggable targets. In this study, 82 marine venomous animal species were retrieved, and 3505 cryptic cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) were identified in their toxins. A total of 279 safe peptides were further analyzed for antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory characteristics. Protease-resistant CPPs with endosomal-escape ability in Hydrophis hardwickii, nuclear-localizing peptides in Scorpaena plumieri, and mitochondrial-targeting peptides from Synanceia horrida were suitable for compartmental drug delivery. A broad-spectrum S. horrida-derived antimicrobial peptide with a high binding-affinity to bacterial membranes was an antigen-presenting cell (APC) stimulator that primes cytokine release and naïve T-cell maturation simultaneously. While antibiofilm and wound-healing peptides were detected in Synanceia verrucosa, APC epitopes as universal adjuvants for antiviral vaccination were in Pterois volitans and Conus monile. Conus pennaceus-derived anticancer peptides showed antiangiogenic and IL-2-inducing properties with moderate BBB-permeation and were defined to be a tumor-homing peptide (THP) with the ability to inhibit programmed death ligand-1 (PDL-1). Isoforms of RGD-containing peptides with innate antiangiogenic characteristics were in Conus tessulatus for tumor targeting. Inhibitors of neuropilin-1 in C. pennaceus are proposed for imaging probes or therapeutic delivery. A Conus betulinus cryptic peptide, with BBB-permeation, mitochondrial-targeting, and antioxidant capacity, was a stimulator of anti-inflammatory cytokines and non-inducer of proinflammation proposed for Alzheimer's. Conclusively, we have considered the dynamic interaction of cells, their microenvironment, and proportional-orchestrating-host- immune pathways by multi-target-directed CPPs resembling single-molecule polypharmacology. This strategy might fill the therapeutic gap in complex resistant disorders and increase the candidates' clinical-translation chance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Hemmati
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71345-1583, Iran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71345-1583, Iran
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +98-7132-424-128
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27
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Pirhaghi M, Frank SA, Alam P, Nielsen J, Sereikaite V, Gupta A, Strømgaard K, Andreasen M, Sharma D, Saboury AA, Otzen DE. A penetratin-derived peptide reduces the membrane permeabilization and cell toxicity of α-synuclein oligomers. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102688. [PMID: 36370848 PMCID: PMC9791135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102688] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder associated with the intracellular aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn). Cytotoxicity is mainly associated with the oligomeric species (αSOs) formed at early stages in α-syn aggregation. Consequently, there is an intense focus on the discovery of novel inhibitors such as peptides to inhibit oligomer formation and toxicity. Here, using peptide arrays, we identified nine peptides with high specificity and affinity for αSOs. Of these, peptides p194, p235, and p249 diverted α-syn aggregation from fibrils to amorphous aggregates with reduced β-structures and increased random coil content. However, they did not reduce αSO cytotoxicity and permeabilization of large anionic unilamellar vesicles. In parallel, we identified a non-self-aggregating peptide (p216), derived from the cell-penetrating peptide penetratin, which showed 12-fold higher binding affinity to αSOs than to α-syn monomers (Kdapp 2.7 and 31.2 μM, respectively). p216 reduced αSOs-induced large anionic unilamellar vesicle membrane permeability at 10-1 to 10-3 mg/ml by almost 100%, was not toxic to SH-SY5Y cells, and reduced αSOs cytotoxicity by about 20%. We conclude that p216 is a promising starting point from which to develop peptides targeting toxic αSOs in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Pirhaghi
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Signe Andrea Frank
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Parvez Alam
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Janni Nielsen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Vita Sereikaite
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Arpit Gupta
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Kristian Strømgaard
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Maria Andreasen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Deepak Sharma
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India; G.N. Ramachandran Protein Centre, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research, Chennai, India
| | - Ali Akbar Saboury
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Daniel Erik Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
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28
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He H, Lin L, Li L, Wu L, Lin H, Pan J. [Expression, purification, and characterization of cell-permeable fusion antioxidant enzyme sensitive to matrix metalloproteinases-2/9]. Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao 2022; 38:3515-3527. [PMID: 36151818 DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.220043] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Antioxidant enzymes fused with cell-penetrating peptides could enter cells and protect cells from irradiation damage. However, the unselective transmembrane ability of cell-penetrating peptide may also bring antioxidant enzymes into tumor cells, thus protecting tumor cells and consequently reducing the efficacy of radiotherapy. There are active matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 or MMP-9 in most tumor cellular microenvironments. Therefore, a fusion protein containing an MMP-2/9 cleavable substrate peptide X, a cell-penetrating peptide R9, a glutathione S-transferase (GST), and a human Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), was designed and named GST-SOD1-X-R9. In the tumor microenvironment, GST-SOD1-X-R9 would lose its cell-penetrating peptide and could not enter tumor cells due to the cleavage of substrate X by active MMP-2/9, thereby achieving selected entering normal cells. The complete nucleotide sequence of SOD1-X-R9 was synthesized and inserted into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-1. The pGEX4T-1-SOD1-X-R9 recombinant plasmid was obtained, and soluble expression of the fusion protein was achieved. GST-SOD1-X-R9 was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and GST affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the fusion protein was approximately 47 kDa, consistent with the theoretical value. The SOD and GST activities were 2 954 U/mg and 328 U/mg, respectively. Stability test suggested that almost no change in either SOD activity or GST activity of GST-SOD1-X-R9 was observed under physiological conditions. The fusion protein could be partially digested by collagenase Ⅳ in solution. Subsequently, the effect of MMP-2/9 activity on transmembrane ability of the fusion protein was tested using 2D and 3D cultured HepG2 cells. Little extracellular MMP-2 activity of HepG2 cells was observed under 2D culture condition. While under the 3D culture model, the size and the MMP-2 activity of the HepG2 tumor spheroid increased daily. GST-SOD1-R9 proteins showed the same transmembrane efficiency in 2D cultured HepG2 cells, but the transmembrane efficiency of GST-SOD1-X-R9 in 3D cultured HepG2 spheres was reduced remarkably. This study provided a basis for further investigating the selectively protective effect of GST-SOD1-X-R9 against oxidative damage in normal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huocong He
- Laboratory of Radiation Biology and Oncology, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital & Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou 350014, Fujian, China
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
| | - Lixiang Lin
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
- Yabo Jierui (Xiamen) Medical Technology Co. Ltd., Xiamen 361028, Fujian, China
| | - Lingling Li
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
- Fuzhou Jiehe Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
| | - Lunqiao Wu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
- Shenzhen Hemin Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Shenzhen 518116, Guangdong, China
| | - Haiying Lin
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
| | - Jianru Pan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, Fujian, China
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29
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Lim J, Jang J, Myung H, Song M. Eradication of drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii by cell-penetrating peptide fused endolysin. J Microbiol 2022; 60:859-866. [PMID: 35614377 PMCID: PMC9132170 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-022-2107-y] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial agents targeting peptidoglycan have shown successful results in eliminating bacteria with high selective toxicity. Bacteriophage encoded endolysin as an alternative antibiotics is a peptidoglycan degrading enzyme with a low rate of resistance. Here, the engineered endolysin was developed to defeat multiple drug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii. First, putative endolysin PA90 was predicted by genome analysis of isolated Pseudomonas phage PBPA. The His-tagged PA90 was purified from BL21(DE3) pLysS and tested for the enzymatic activity using Gram-negative pathogens known for having a high antibiotic resistance rate including A. baumannii. Since the measured activity of PA90 was low, probably due to the outer membrane, cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) DS4.3 was introduced at the N-terminus of PA90 to aid access to its substrate. This engineered endolysin, DS-PA90, completely killed A. baumannii at 0.25 µM, at which concentration PA90 could only eliminate less than one log in CFU/ml. Additionally, DS-PA90 has tolerance to NaCl, where the ∼50% of activity could be maintained in the presence of 150 mM NaCl, and stable activity was also observed with changes in pH or temperature. Even MDR A. baumannii strains were highly susceptible to DS-PA90 treatment: five out of nine strains were entirely killed and four strains were reduced by 3–4 log in CFU/ml. Consequently, DS-PA90 could protect waxworm from A. baumannii-induced death by ∼70% for ATCC 17978 or ∼44% for MDR strain 1656-2 infection. Collectively, our data suggest that CPP-fused endolysin can be an effective antibacterial agent against Gram-negative pathogens regardless of antibiotics resistance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghyun Lim
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin, 17035, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeyeon Jang
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin, 17035, Republic of Korea
| | - Heejoon Myung
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin, 17035, Republic of Korea
- LyseNTech Co., Ltd., Seongnam, 13486, Republic of Korea
| | - Miryoung Song
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin, 17035, Republic of Korea.
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Abstract
A brominated thiazolyl benzenesulfonamide (BTB) derivative is conjugated with the cell-penetrating peptide octaarginine (R8) in an effort to construct innovative antibacterial products. The noncovalent complex of BTB and R8 is characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which indicates hydrogen bonding between the two constituents. Attachment of the peptide moiety renders aqueous solubility to the hydrophobic benzenesulfonamide drug and bestows bactericidal activity. Confocal imaging in conjunction with dye probes shows successful clearance of intracellular Staphylococcus aureus bacteria by the BTB-R8 complex. Scanning electron micrographs and studies with a set of fluorescent dyes suggest active disruption of the bacterial cell membrane by the BTB-R8 complex. In contrast, the complex of BTB with octalysine (K8) fails to cause membrane damage and displays a modest antibacterial effect. A complex of BTB with the water-soluble hydrophilic polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) does not display any antibacterial effect, indicating the distinctive role of the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) R8 in the cognate complex. The leakage of the encapsulated dye from giant unilamellar vesicles upon interaction with the BTB-R8 complex further highlights the membrane activity of the complex, which cannot be accomplished by bare sulfonamide alone. This work broadens the scope of use of CPPs with respect to eliciting antibacterial activity and potentially expands the limited arsenal of membrane-targeting antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poonam Ratrey
- Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382355, India
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382355, India
| | - Bhaskar Datta
- Department of Biological Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382355, India
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382355, India
| | - Abhijit Mishra
- Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar 382355, India
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Dragojevic S, Ryu JS, Hall ME, Raucher D. Targeted Drug Delivery Biopolymers Effectively Inhibit Breast Tumor Growth and Prevent Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27113371. [PMID: 35684309 PMCID: PMC9182553 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27113371] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The anticancer agent doxorubicin(dox) has been widely used in the treatment of a variety of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Despite doxorubicin’s efficiency in killing tumor cells, severe damage to healthy tissues, along with cardiotoxicity, limits its clinical use. To overcome these adverse side effects, improve patient safety, and enhance therapeutic efficacy, we have designed a thermally responsive biopolymer doxorubicin carrier that can be specifically targeted to tumor tissue by locally applying mild hyperthermia (41 °C). The developed drug vehicle is composed of the following: a cell penetrating peptide (SynB1) to promote tumor and cellular uptake; thermally responsive Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP); and the (6-maleimidocaproyl) hydrazone derivative of doxorubicin (DOXO-EMCH) containing a pH-sensitive hydrazone linker that releases doxorubicin in the acidic tumor environment. We used the in vivo imaging system, IVIS, to determine biodistribution of doxorubicin-delivered ELP in MDA-MB-231 xenografts in nude mice. Tumor bearing mice were treated with a single IV injection of 10 mg/kg doxorubicin equivalent dose with free doxorubicin, thermally responsive SynB1 ELP 1-DOXO, and a thermally nonresponsive control biopolymer, SynB1 ELP 2-DOXO. Following a 2 h treatment with hyperthermia, tumors showed a 2-fold higher uptake when treated with SynB1 ELP 1-DOXO compared to free doxorubicin. Accumulation of the thermally non-responsive control SynB1 ELP2 –DOXO was comparable to free doxorubicin, indicating that an increase in dox accumulation with ELP is due to aggregation in response to thermal targeting. Higher levels of SynB1 ELP1–DOXO and SynB1 ELP2 –DOXO with respect to free doxorubicin were observed in kidneys. Fluorescence intensity from hearts of animals treated with SynB1 ELP1–DOXO show a 5-fold decrease in accumulation of doxorubicin than the same dose of free doxorubicin. SynB1-ELP1-DOXO biopolymers demonstrated a 6-fold increase in tumor/heart ratio in comparison to free doxorubicin, indicating preferential accumulation of the drug in tumors. These results demonstrate that thermally targeted polymers are a promising therapy to enhance tumor targeting and uptake of anticancer drugs and to minimize free drug toxicity in healthy tissues, representing a great potential for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Dragojevic
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
| | - Jung Su Ryu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA;
| | - Michael E. Hall
- Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA;
| | - Drazen Raucher
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA;
- Correspondence:
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Wang K, Tong H, Gao Y, Xia L, Jin X, Li X, Zeng X, Boldogh I, Ke Y, Ba X. Cell-Penetrating Peptide TAT-HuR-HNS3 Suppresses Proinflammatory Gene Expression via Competitively Blocking Interaction of HuR with Its Partners. J Immunol 2022; 208:2376-2389. [PMID: 35444028 PMCID: PMC9125198 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200002] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines are commonly regulated by RNA-binding proteins at posttranscriptional levels. Human Ag R (HuR)/embryonic lethal abnormal vision-like 1 (ELAVL1) is one of the well-characterized RNA-binding proteins that increases the stability of short-lived mRNAs, which encode proinflammatory mediators. HuR employs its nucleocytoplasmic shuttling sequence (HNS) domain, interacting with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), which accounts for the enhanced poly-ADP-ribosylation and cytoplasmic shuttling of HuR. Also by using its HNS domain, HuR undergoes dimerization/oligomerization, underlying the increased binding of HuR with proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine mRNAs and the disassociation of the miRNA-induced silencing complex from the targets. Therefore, competitively blocking the interactions of HuR with its partners may suppress proinflammatory mediator production. In this study, peptides derived from the sequence of the HuR-HNS domain were synthesized, and their effects on interfering HuR interacting with PARP1 and HuR itself were analyzed. Moreover, cell-penetrating TAT-HuR-HNS3 was delivered into human and mouse cells or administered into mouse lungs with or without exposure of TNF-α or LPS. mRNA levels of proinflammatory mediators as well as neutrophil infiltration were evaluated. We showed that TAT-HuR-HNS3 interrupts HuR-PARP1 interaction and therefore results in a lowered poly-ADP-ribosylation level and decreased cytoplasmic distribution of HuR. TAT-HuR-HNS3 also blocks HuR dimerization and promotes Argonaute 2-based miRNA-induced silencing complex binding to the targets. Moreover, TAT-HuR-HNS3 lowers mRNA stability of proinflammatory mediators in TNF-α-treated epithelial cells and macrophages, and it decreases TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses in lungs of experimental animals. Thus, TAT-HuR-HNS3 is a promising lead peptide for the development of inhibitors to treat inflammation-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Haibin Tong
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China; and
| | - Yitian Gao
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China; and
| | - Lan Xia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xin Jin
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaoxue Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xianlu Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Istvan Boldogh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX
| | - Yueshuang Ke
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China;
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xueqing Ba
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China;
- School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
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Mucha P, Sikorska E, Rekowski P, Ruczyński J. Interaction of Arginine-Rich Cell-Penetrating Peptides with an Artificial Neuronal Membrane. Cells 2022; 11:cells11101638. [PMID: 35626677 PMCID: PMC9139471 DOI: 10.3390/cells11101638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Arginine-rich cell-penetrating peptides (RRCPPs) exhibit intrinsic neuroprotective effects on neurons injured by acute ischemic stroke. Conformational properties, interaction, and the ability to penetrate the neural membrane are critical for the neuroprotective effects of RRCCPs. In this study, we applied circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG MD) simulations to investigate the interactions of two RRCPPs, Tat(49–57)-NH2 (arginine-rich motif of Tat HIV-1 protein) and PTD4 (a less basic Ala-scan analog of the Tat peptide), with an artificial neuronal membrane (ANM). CD spectra showed that in an aqueous environment, such as phosphate-buffered saline, the peptides mostly adopted a random coil (PTD4) or a polyproline type II helical (Tat(49–57)-NH2) conformation. On the other hand, in the hydrophobic environment of the ANM liposomes, the peptides showed moderate conformational changes, especially around 200 nm, as indicated by CD curves. The changes induced by the liposomes were slightly more significant in the PTD4 peptide. However, the nature of the conformational changes could not be clearly defined. CG MD simulations showed that the peptides are quickly attracted to the neuronal lipid bilayer and bind preferentially to monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (DPG1) molecules. However, the peptides did not penetrate the membrane even at increasing concentrations. This suggests that the energy barrier required to break the strong peptide–lipid electrostatic interactions was not exceeded in the simulated models. The obtained results show a correlation between the potential of mean force parameter and a peptide’s cell membrane-penetrating ability and neuroprotective properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Mucha
- Laboratory of Chemistry of Biologically Active Compounds, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
- Environmental Nucleic Acid Laboratory, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
- Correspondence: (P.M.); (J.R.); Tel.: +48-58-5235432 (P.M.); +48-58-5235235 (J.R.)
| | - Emilia Sikorska
- Laboratory of Structural Research of Biopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Piotr Rekowski
- Laboratory of Chemistry of Biologically Active Compounds, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
- Environmental Nucleic Acid Laboratory, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Jarosław Ruczyński
- Laboratory of Chemistry of Biologically Active Compounds, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;
- Correspondence: (P.M.); (J.R.); Tel.: +48-58-5235432 (P.M.); +48-58-5235235 (J.R.)
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Kaewjanthong P, Sooksai S, Sasano H, Hutvagner G, Bajan S, McGowan E, Boonyaratanakornkit V. Cell-penetrating peptides containing the progesterone receptor polyproline domain inhibits EGF signaling and cell proliferation in lung cancer cells. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264717. [PMID: 35235599 PMCID: PMC8890653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority (80–85%) of all lung cancers. All current available treatments have limited efficacy. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a critical role in the development and progression of NSCLC, with high EGFR expression associated with increased cell proliferation and poor prognosis. Thus, interfering with EGFR signaling has been shown to effectively reduce cell proliferation and help in the treatment of NSCLC. We previously demonstrated that the progesterone receptor (PR) contains a polyproline domain (PPD) that directly interacts with Src homology 3 (SH3) domain-containing molecules and expression of PR-PPD peptides inhibits NSCLC cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated whether the introduction of PR-PPD by cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) could inhibit EGF-induced cell proliferation in NSCLC cells. PR-PPD was attached to a cancer-specific CPP, Buforin2 (BR2), to help deliver the PR-PPD into NSCLC cells. Interestingly, addition of BR2-2xPPD peptides containing two PR-PPD repeats was more effective in inhibiting NSCLC proliferation and significantly reduced EGF-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2. BR2-2xPPD treatment induced cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the expression of cyclin D1 and CDK2 genes in EGFR-wild type A549 cells. Furthermore, the combination treatment of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including Gefitinib or Erlotinib, with BR2-2xPPD peptides further suppressed the growth of NSCLC PC9 cells harboring EGFR mutations as compared to EGFR-TKIs treatment alone. Importantly, BR2-2xPPD peptides mediated growth inhibition in acquired Gefitinib- and Erlotinib- resistant lung adenocarcinoma cells. Our data suggests that PR-PPD is the minimal protein domain sufficient to inhibit NSCLC cell growth and has the potential to be developed as a novel NSCLC therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panthita Kaewjanthong
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Graduate Program in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sarintip Sooksai
- The Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Hironobu Sasano
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Gyorgy Hutvagner
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
| | - Sarah Bajan
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
- Sunshine Coast Health Institute, Birtinya, Australia
| | - Eileen McGowan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Viroj Boonyaratanakornkit
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Graduate Program in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Age-related Inflammation and Degeneration Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- * E-mail:
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35
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Salehi D, Mozaffari S, Zoghebi K, Lohan S, Mandal D, Tiwari RK, Parang K. Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural and Unnatural Amino Acids as Drug Delivery Agents. Cells 2022; 11:cells11071156. [PMID: 35406720 PMCID: PMC8997995 DOI: 10.3390/cells11071156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of cyclic peptides, [(DipR)(WR)4], [(DipR)2(WR)3], [(DipR)3(WR)2], [(DipR)4(WR)], and [DipR]5, and their linear counterparts containing arginine (R) as positively charged residues and tryptophan (W) or diphenylalanine (Dip) as hydrophobic residues, were synthesized and evaluated for their molecular transporter efficiency. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the synthesized peptides was determined in human epithelial ovary adenocarcinoma cells (SK-OV-3), human lymphoblast peripheral blood cells (CCRF-CEM), human embryonic epithelial kidney healthy cells (HEK-293), human epithelial mammary gland adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-468), pig epithelial kidney normal cells (LLC-PK1), and human epithelial fibroblast uterine sarcoma cells (MES-SA). A concentration of 5–10 µM and 3 h incubation were selected in uptake studies. The cellular uptake of a fluorescent-labeled phosphopeptide, stavudine, lamivudine, emtricitabine, and siRNA was determined in the presence of peptides via flow cytometry. Among the peptides, [DipR]5 (10 µM) was found to be the most efficient transporter and significantly improved the uptake of F’-GpYEEI, i.e., by approximately 130-fold after 3 h incubation in CCRF-CEM cells. Confocal microscopy further confirmed the improved delivery of fluorescent-labeled [DipR]5 (F’-[K(DipR)5]) alone and F’-GpYEEI in the presence of [DipR]5 in MDA-MB-231 cells. The uptake of fluorescent-labeled siRNA (F’-siRNA) in the presence of [DipR]5 with N/P ratios of 10 and 20 was found to be 30- and 50-fold higher, respectively, compared with the cells exposed to F’-siRNA alone. The presence of endocytosis inhibitors, i.e., nystatin, chlorpromazine, chloroquine, and methyl β-cyclodextrin, did not completely inhibit the cellular uptake of F’-[K(DipR)5] alone or F’-GpYEEI in the presence of [DipR]5, suggesting that a combination of mechanisms contributes to uptake. Circular dichroism was utilized to determine the secondary structure, while transmission electron microscopy was used to evaluate the particle sizes and morphology of the peptides. The data suggest the remarkable membrane transporter property of [DipR]5 for improving the delivery of various small molecules and cell-impermeable negatively charged molecules (e.g., siRNA and phosphopeptide).
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Affiliation(s)
- David Salehi
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
| | - Saghar Mozaffari
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
| | - Khalid Zoghebi
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 82826, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sandeep Lohan
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
| | - Dindyal Mandal
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
| | - Rakesh K. Tiwari
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.K.T.); (K.P.); Tel.: +1-714-516-5483 (R.K.T.); +1-714-516-5489 (K.P.)
| | - Keykavous Parang
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, CA 92618, USA; (D.S.); (S.M.); (K.Z.); (S.L.); (D.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.K.T.); (K.P.); Tel.: +1-714-516-5483 (R.K.T.); +1-714-516-5489 (K.P.)
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Maloverjan M, Padari K, Abroi A, Rebane A, Pooga M. Divalent Metal Ions Boost Effect of Nucleic Acids Delivered by Cell-Penetrating Peptides. Cells 2022; 11:cells11040756. [PMID: 35203400 PMCID: PMC8870069 DOI: 10.3390/cells11040756] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are promising tools for the transfection of various substances, including nucleic acids, into cells. The aim of the current work was to search for novel safe and effective approaches for enhancing transfection efficiency of nanoparticles formed from CPP and splice-correcting oligonucleotide (SCO) without increasing the concentration of peptide. We analyzed the effect of inclusion of calcium and magnesium ions into nanoparticles on CPP-mediated transfection in cell culture. We also studied the mechanism of such transfection as well as its efficiency, applicability in case of different cell lines, nucleic acid types and peptides, and possible limitations. We discovered a strong positive effect of these ions on transfection efficiency of SCO, that translated to enhanced synthesis of functional reporter protein. We observed significant changes in intracellular distribution and trafficking of nanoparticles formed by the addition of the ions, without increasing cytotoxicity. We propose a novel strategy for preparing CPP-oligonucleotide nanoparticles with enhanced efficiency and, thus, higher therapeutic potential. Our discovery may be translated to primary cell cultures and, possibly, in vivo studies, with the aim of increasing CPP-mediated transfection efficiency and the likelihood of using CPPs in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Maloverjan
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Street, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.A.)
| | - Kärt Padari
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 23b Riia Street, 51010 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Aare Abroi
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Street, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.A.)
| | - Ana Rebane
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, 14b Ravila Street, 50411 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Margus Pooga
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, 1 Nooruse Street, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +372-737-4836
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Keum T, Noh G, Seo JE, Bashyal S, Sohn DH, Lee S. Examination of Effective Buccal Absorption of Salmon Calcitonin Using Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Conjugated Liposomal Drug Delivery System. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:697-710. [PMID: 35210769 PMCID: PMC8857984 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s335774] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The buccal route has been considered an attractive alternative delivery route for injectable formulations. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are gaining increased attention for their cellular uptake and tissue permeation effects. This study was aimed to evaluate the in vitro and ex vivo permeation-enhancing effect of penetratin-conjugated liposomes for salmon calcitonin (sCT) in TR146 human buccal cells and porcine buccal tissues. Methods Penetratin was conjugated to phospholipids through a maleimide-thiol reaction. Liposomes were prepared and sCT was encapsulated using a thin-film hydration method. Physical properties such as particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and morphological images via transmission electron microscopy were obtained. Cellular uptake studies were conducted using flow cytometry (FACS) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A cell permeation study was performed using a Transwell® assay, and permeation through porcine buccal tissue was evaluated. The amount of sCT permeated was quantified using an ELISA kit and was optically observed using CLSM. Results The particle size of penetratin-conjugated liposomes was approximately 123.0 nm, their zeta potential was +29.6 mV, and their calcitonin encapsulation efficiency was 18.0%. In the cellular uptake study using FACS and CLSM, stronger fluorescence was observed in penetratin-conjugated liposomes compared with the solution containing free sCT and control liposomes. Likewise, the amount of sCT permeated from penetratin-conjugated liposomes was higher than that from the free sCT solution and control liposomes by 5.8-fold across TR146 cells and 91.5-fold across porcine buccal tissues. Conclusion Penetratin-conjugated liposomes are considered a good drug delivery strategy for sCT via the buccal route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taekwang Keum
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Center for Forensic Pharmaceutical Science, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Gyubin Noh
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Center for Forensic Pharmaceutical Science, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jo-Eun Seo
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Santosh Bashyal
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Center for Forensic Pharmaceutical Science, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hwan Sohn
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangkil Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Center for Forensic Pharmaceutical Science, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence: Sangkil Lee, College of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, 1095 Dalgubeol-daero, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, 42601, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-53-580-6655, Fax +82-53-580-5164, Email
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Power RN, Cavanagh BL, Dixon JE, Curtin CM, O’Brien FJ. Development of a Gene-Activated Scaffold Incorporating Multifunctional Cell-Penetrating Peptides for pSDF-1α Delivery for Enhanced Angiogenesis in Tissue Engineering Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1460. [PMID: 35163379 PMCID: PMC8835777 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-viral gene delivery has become a popular approach in tissue engineering, as it permits the transient delivery of a therapeutic gene, in order to stimulate tissue repair. However, the efficacy of non-viral delivery vectors remains an issue. Our lab has created gene-activated scaffolds by incorporating various non-viral delivery vectors, including the glycosaminoglycan-binding enhanced transduction (GET) peptide into collagen-based scaffolds with proven osteogenic potential. A modification to the GET peptide (FLR) by substitution of arginine residues with histidine (FLH) has been designed to enhance plasmid DNA (pDNA) delivery. In this study, we complexed pDNA with combinations of FLR and FLH peptides, termed GET* nanoparticles. We sought to enhance our gene-activated scaffold platform by incorporating GET* nanoparticles into collagen-nanohydroxyapatite scaffolds with proven osteogenic capacity. GET* N/P 8 was shown to be the most effective formulation for delivery to MSCs in 2D. Furthermore, GET* N/P 8 nanoparticles incorporated into collagen-nanohydroxyapatite (coll-nHA) scaffolds at a 1:1 ratio of collagen:nanohydroxyapatite was shown to be the optimal gene-activated scaffold. pDNA encoding stromal-derived factor 1α (pSDF-1α), an angiogenic chemokine which plays a role in BMP mediated differentiation of MSCs, was then delivered to MSCs using our optimised gene-activated scaffold platform, with the aim of significantly increasing angiogenesis as an important precursor to bone repair. The GET* N/P 8 coll-nHA scaffolds successfully delivered pSDF-1α to MSCs, resulting in a significant, sustained increase in SDF-1α protein production and an enhanced angiogenic effect, a key precursor in the early stages of bone repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael N. Power
- Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland; (R.N.P.); (C.M.C.)
- Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), RCSI, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - James E. Dixon
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK;
| | - Caroline M. Curtin
- Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland; (R.N.P.); (C.M.C.)
- Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), RCSI, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fergal J. O’Brien
- Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland; (R.N.P.); (C.M.C.)
- Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), RCSI, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland
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Pereira M, Vale N. Two Possible Strategies for Drug Modification of Gemcitabine and Future Contributions to Personalized Medicine. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27010291. [PMID: 35011522 PMCID: PMC8746447 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27010291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Drug repurposing is an emerging strategy, which uses already approved drugs for new medical indications. One such drug is gemcitabine, an anticancer drug that only works at high doses since a portion is deactivated in the serum, which causes toxicity. In this review, two methods were discussed that could improve the anticancer effect of gemcitabine. The first is a chemical modification by conjugation with cell-penetrating peptides, namely penetratin, pVEC, and different kinds of CPP6, which mostly all showed an increased anticancer effect. The other method is combining gemcitabine with repurposed drugs, namely itraconazole, which also showed great cancer cell inhibition growth. Besides these two strategies, physiologically based pharmacokinetic models (PBPK models) are also the key for predicting drug distribution based on physiological data, which is very important for personalized medicine, so that the correct drug and dosage regimen can be administered according to each patient’s physiology. Taking all of this into consideration, it is believed that gemcitabine can be repurposed to have better anticancer effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Pereira
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Nuno Vale
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-220-426-537
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40
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Rusiecka I, Gągało I, Kocić I. Cell-penetrating peptides improve pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anticancer drugs. Tissue Barriers 2022; 10:1965418. [PMID: 34402743 PMCID: PMC8794253 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2021.1965418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This review concentrates on the research concerning conjugates of anticancer drugs with versatile cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). For a better insight into the relationship between the components of the constructs, it starts with the characteristic of the peptides and considers its following aspects: mechanisms of cellular internalization, interaction with cancer-modified membranes, selectivity against tumor tissue. Also, CPPs with anticancer activity have been distinguished and summarized with their mechanisms of action. With respect to the conjugates, the preclinical studies (in vitro, in vivo) indicated that they possess several merits in comparison to the parent drugs. They concerned not only better cellular internalization but also other improvements in pharmacokinetics (e.g. access to the brain tissue) and pharmacodynamics (e.g. overcoming drug resistance). The anticancer activity of the conjugates was usually superior to that of the unconjugated drug. Certain anticancer CPPs and conjugates entered clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabela Rusiecka
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Iwona Gągało
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Ivan Kocić
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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Rząd K, Paluszkiewicz E, Neubauer D, Olszewski M, Kozłowska-Tylingo K, Kamysz W, Gabriel I. The Effect of Conjugation with Octaarginine, a Cell-Penetrating Peptide on Antifungal Activity of Imidazoacridinone Derivative. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413190. [PMID: 34947987 PMCID: PMC8705783 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Acridine cell-penetrating peptide conjugates are an extremely important family of compounds in antitumor chemotherapy. These conjugates are not so widely analysed in antimicrobial therapy, although bioactive peptides could be used as nanocarriers to smuggle antimicrobial compounds. An octaarginine conjugate of an imidazoacridinone derivative (Compound 1-R8) synthetized by us exhibited high antifungal activity against reference and fluconazole-resistant clinical strains (MICs ≤ 4 μg mL−1). Our results clearly demonstrate the qualitative difference in accumulation of the mother compound and Compound 1-R8 conjugate into fungal cells. Only the latter was transported and accumulated effectively. Microscopic and flow cytometry analysis provide some evidence that the killing activity of Compound 1-R8 may be associated with a change in the permeability of the fungal cell membrane. The conjugate exhibited low cytotoxicity against human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) and human liver (HEPG2) cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, the selectivity index value of the conjugate for human pathogenic strains remained favourable and no hemolytic activity was observed. The inhibitory effect of the analysed compound on yeast topoisomerase II activity suggested its molecular target. In summary, conjugation with R8 effectively increased imidazoacridinone derivative ability to enter the fungal cell and achieve a concentration inside the cell that resulted in a high antifungal effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Rząd
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.R.); (E.P.); (M.O.); (K.K.-T.)
| | - Ewa Paluszkiewicz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.R.); (E.P.); (M.O.); (K.K.-T.)
| | - Damian Neubauer
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gen. J. Hallera 107th Avenue, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (D.N.); (W.K.)
| | - Mateusz Olszewski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.R.); (E.P.); (M.O.); (K.K.-T.)
| | - Katarzyna Kozłowska-Tylingo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.R.); (E.P.); (M.O.); (K.K.-T.)
| | - Wojciech Kamysz
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gen. J. Hallera 107th Avenue, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (D.N.); (W.K.)
| | - Iwona Gabriel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Str., 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland; (K.R.); (E.P.); (M.O.); (K.K.-T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-58-348-6078; Fax: +48-58-347-1144
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Duarte D, Vale N. Synergistic Interaction of CPP2 Coupled with Thiazole Derivates Combined with Clotrimazole and Antineoplastic Drugs in Prostate and Colon Cancer Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11984. [PMID: 34769414 PMCID: PMC8584931 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are small peptide sequences used mainly as cellular delivery agents that are able to efficiently deliver cargo into cells. Some CPPs also demonstrate intrinsic anticancer properties. Previously, our group developed a new family of CPP2-thiazole conjugates that have been shown to effectively reduce the proliferation of different cancer cells. This work aimed to combine these CPP2-thiazole conjugates with paclitaxel (PTX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in PC-3 prostate and HT-29 colon cancer cells, respectively, to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of these combinations. We also combined these CPP2-thiazole conjugates with clotrimazole (CLZ), an antifungal agent that has been shown to decrease cancer cell proliferation. Cell viability was evaluated using MTT and SRB assays. Drug interaction was quantified using the Chou-Talalay method. We determined that CPP2 did not have significant activity in these cells and demonstrate that N-terminal modification of this peptide enhanced its anticancer activity in both cell lines. Our results also showed an uneven response between cell lines to the proposed combinations. PC-3 cells were more responsive to the combination of CPP2-thiazole conjugates with CLZ than PTX and were more sensitive to these combinations than HT-29 cells. In addition, the interaction of drugs resulted in more synergism in PC-3 cells. These results suggest that N-terminal modification of CPP2 results in the enhanced anticancer activity of the peptide and demonstrates the potential of CPPs as adjuvants in cancer therapy. These results also validate that CLZ has significant anticancer activity both alone and in combination and support the strategy of drug repurposing coupled to drug combination for prostate cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Duarte
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal;
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Vale
- OncoPharma Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Lee JY, Lee DW, Jo BS, Park KS, Park YS, Chung CP, Park YJ. Engineered synthetic cell penetrating peptide with intracellular anti-inflammatory bioactivity: An in vitro and in vivo study. J Biomed Mater Res A 2021; 109:2001-2016. [PMID: 33818867 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Various biomaterials have been used for bone and cartilage regeneration, and inflammation associated with biomaterial implantation is also increased. A 15-mer synthetic anti-inflammatory peptide (SAP15) was designed from human β-defensin 3 to penetrate cells and induce intracellular downregulation of inflammation. The downregulation of inflammation was achieved by the binding of SAP15 to intracellular histone deacetylase (HDAC5). SAP15-mediated inhibition of inflammation was examined in vitro and in vivo using murine macrophages, human articular chondrocytes, and a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model. Surface plasmon resonance and immunoprecipitation assays indicated that SAP15 binds to HDAC5. SAP15 inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced phosphorylation of intracellular HDAC5 and NF-κB p65 in murine macrophages. SAP15 treatment increased aggrecan and type II collagen expression and decreased osteocalcin expression in LPS-induced chondrocytes. Subcutaneous injection of SAP15-loaded sodium hyaluronic acid (HA) solution significantly decreased hind paw swelling, joint inflammation, and serum cytokine levels in CIA rats compared with the effects of sodium HA solution alone. The SAP15-loaded HA group exhibited preservation of cartilage and bone structure in CIA rat joints. Moreover, a more robust anti-inflammatory effect of the SAP15 loaded HA was observed than that of etanercept (an anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] antibody)-loaded HA. These findings suggest that SAP15 has an anti-inflammatory effect that is not controlled by sodium HA and is mediated by inhibiting HDAC5, unlike the anti-inflammatory mechanism of etanercept. These results demonstrate that SAP15 is useful as an inflammatory regulator of biomaterials and can be developed as a therapeutic for the treatment of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jue-Yeon Lee
- Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Woo Lee
- Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Beom Soo Jo
- Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Sook Park
- Dental Regenerative Biotechnology, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Shin Park
- Major in Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Chong Pyung Chung
- Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jeong Park
- Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Dental Regenerative Biotechnology, Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Corvino A, Cerqua I, Lo Bianco A, Caliendo G, Fiorino F, Frecentese F, Magli E, Morelli E, Perissutti E, Santagada V, Cirino G, Granato E, Roviezzo F, Puliti E, Bernacchioni C, Lavecchia A, Donati C, Severino B. Antagonizing S1P 3 Receptor with Cell-Penetrating Pepducins in Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168861. [PMID: 34445567 PMCID: PMC8396189 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
S1P is the final product of sphingolipid metabolism, which interacts with five widely expressed GPCRs (S1P1-5). Increasing numbers of studies have indicated the importance of S1P3 in various pathophysiological processes. Recently, we have identified a pepducin (compound KRX-725-II) acting as an S1P3 receptor antagonist. Here, aiming to optimize the activity and selectivity profile of the described compound, we have synthesized a series of derivatives in which Tyr, in position 4, has been substituted with several natural aromatic and unnatural aromatic and non-aromatic amino acids. All the compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit vascular relaxation induced by KRX-725 (as S1P3 selective pepducin agonist) and KRX-722 (an S1P1-selective pepducin agonist). Those selective towards S1P3 (compounds V and VII) were also evaluated for their ability to inhibit skeletal muscle fibrosis. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to derive information on the preferred conformations of selective and unselective antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Corvino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Ida Cerqua
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Alessandra Lo Bianco
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Giuseppe Caliendo
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Ferdinando Fiorino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Francesco Frecentese
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Elisa Magli
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Elena Morelli
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Elisa Perissutti
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Vincenzo Santagada
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Giuseppe Cirino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Elisabetta Granato
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Fiorentina Roviezzo
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Elisa Puliti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy; (E.P.); (C.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Caterina Bernacchioni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy; (E.P.); (C.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Antonio Lavecchia
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
| | - Chiara Donati
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze, Italy; (E.P.); (C.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Beatrice Severino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Naples «Federico II», Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (A.C.); (I.C.); (A.L.B.); (G.C.); (F.F.); (F.F.); (E.M.); (E.M.); (E.P.); (V.S.); (G.C.); (E.G.); (F.R.); (A.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-679-828
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Ellert-Miklaszewska A, Szymczyk A, Poleszak K, Kaminska B. Delivery of the VIVIT Peptide to Human Glioma Cells to Interfere with Calcineurin-NFAT Signaling. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26164785. [PMID: 34443374 PMCID: PMC8400789 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26164785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The activation of NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) transcription factors by calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin is a key step in controlling T cell activation and plays a vital role during carcinogenesis. NFATs are overexpressed in many cancers, including the most common primary brain tumor, gliomas. In the present study, we demonstrate the expression of NFATs and NFAT-driven transcription in several human glioma cells. We used a VIVIT peptide for interference in calcineurin binding to NFAT via a conserved PxIxIT motif. VIVIT was expressed as a fusion protein with a green fluorescent protein (VIVIT-GFP) or conjugated to cell-penetrating peptides (CPP), Sim-2 or 11R. We analyzed the NFAT expression, phosphorylation, subcellular localization and their transcriptional activity in cells treated with peptides. Overexpression of VIVIT-GFP decreased the NFAT-driven activity and inhibited the transcription of endogenous NFAT-target genes. These effects were not reproduced with synthetic peptides: Sim2-VIVIT did not show any activity, and 11R-VIVIT did not inhibit NFAT signaling in glioma cells. The presence of two calcineurin docking sites in NFATc3 might require dual-specificity blocking peptides. The cell-penetrating peptides Sim-2 or 11R linked to VIVIT did not improve its action making it unsuitable for evaluating NFAT dependent events in glioma cells with high expression of NFATc3.
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Ashby DM, Dias C, Aleksandrova LR, Lapish CC, Wang YT, Phillips AG. Disruption of Long-Term Depression Potentiates Latent Inhibition: Key Role for Central Nucleus of the Amygdala. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 24:580-591. [PMID: 33693669 PMCID: PMC8299826 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab011] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Latent inhibition (LI) reflects an adaptive form of learning impaired in certain forms of mental illness. Glutamate receptor activity is linked to LI, but the potential role of synaptic plasticity remains unspecified. METHODS Accordingly, the present study examined the possible role of long-term depression (LTD) in LI induced by prior exposure of rats to an auditory stimulus used subsequently as a conditional stimulus to signal a pending footshock. We employed 2 mechanistically distinct LTD inhibitors, the Tat-GluA23Y peptide that blocks endocytosis of the GluA2-containing glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor, or the selective glutamate n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B antagonist, Ro25-6981, administered prior to the acquisition of 2-way conditioned avoidance with or without tone pre-exposure. RESULTS Systemic LTD blockade with the Tat-GluA23Y peptide strengthened the LI effect by further impairing acquisition of conditioned avoidance in conditional stimulus-preexposed rats compared with normal conditioning in non-preexposed controls. Systemic Ro25-6981 had no significant effects. Brain region-specific microinjections of the Tat-GluA23Y peptide into the nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, or central or basolateral amygdala demonstrated that disruption of glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor endocytosis in the central amygdala also potentiated the LI effect. CONCLUSIONS These data revealed a previously unknown role for central amygdala LTD in LI as a key mediator of cognitive flexibility required to respond to previously irrelevant stimuli that acquire significance through reinforcement. The findings may have relevance both for our mechanistic understanding of LI and its alteration in disease states such as schizophrenia, while further elucidating the role of LTD in learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donovan M Ashby
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Carine Dias
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Lily R Aleksandrova
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Yu Tian Wang
- Department of Medicine, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Mazuryk J, Puchalska I, Koziński K, Ślusarz MJ, Ruczyński J, Rekowski P, Rogujski P, Płatek R, Wiśniewska MB, Piotrowski A, Janus Ł, Skowron PM, Pikuła M, Sachadyn P, Rodziewicz-Motowidło S, Czupryn A, Mucha P. PTD4 Peptide Increases Neural Viability in an In Vitro Model of Acute Ischemic Stroke. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22116086. [PMID: 34200045 PMCID: PMC8200211 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22116086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a disturbance in cerebral blood flow caused by brain tissue ischemia and hypoxia. We optimized a multifactorial in vitro model of acute ischemic stroke using rat primary neural cultures. This model was exploited to investigate the pro-viable activity of cell-penetrating peptides: arginine-rich Tat(49–57)-NH2 (R49KKRRQRRR57-amide) and its less basic analogue, PTD4 (Y47ARAAARQARA57-amide). Our model included glucose deprivation, oxidative stress, lactic acidosis, and excitotoxicity. Neurotoxicity of these peptides was excluded below a concentration of 50 μm, and PTD4-induced pro-survival was more pronounced. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) calculations proved potential contribution of the peptide conformational properties to neuroprotection: in MD, Tat(49–57)-NH2 adopted a random coil and polyproline type II helical structure, whereas PTD4 adopted a helical structure. In an aqueous environment, the peptides mostly adopted a random coil conformation (PTD4) or a polyproline type II helical (Tat(49–57)-NH2) structure. In 30% TFE, PTD4 showed a tendency to adopt a helical structure. Overall, the pro-viable activity of PTD4 was not correlated with the arginine content but rather with the peptide’s ability to adopt a helical structure in the membrane-mimicking environment, which enhances its cell membrane permeability. PTD4 may act as a leader sequence in novel drugs for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarosław Mazuryk
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (P.R.); (R.P.); (A.C.)
- Department of Electrode Processes, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (J.M.); (P.M.); Tel.: +48-22-343-2094 (J.M.); +48-58-523-5432 (P.M.)
| | - Izabela Puchalska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
- Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, 80-172 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Kamil Koziński
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.K.); (M.B.W.)
| | - Magdalena J. Ślusarz
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
| | - Jarosław Ruczyński
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
| | - Piotr Rekowski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
| | - Piotr Rogujski
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (P.R.); (R.P.); (A.C.)
- NeuroRepair Department, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute PAS, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rafał Płatek
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (P.R.); (R.P.); (A.C.)
- Laboratory for Regenerative Biotechnology, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Marta Barbara Wiśniewska
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.K.); (M.B.W.)
| | - Arkadiusz Piotrowski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | | | - Piotr M. Skowron
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
| | - Michał Pikuła
- Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Embryology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Paweł Sachadyn
- Laboratory for Regenerative Biotechnology, Gdańsk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
| | - Artur Czupryn
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (P.R.); (R.P.); (A.C.)
| | - Piotr Mucha
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland; (I.P.); (M.J.Ś.); (J.R.); (P.R.); (P.M.S.); (S.R.-M.)
- Correspondence: (J.M.); (P.M.); Tel.: +48-22-343-2094 (J.M.); +48-58-523-5432 (P.M.)
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Szabó I, Illien F, Dókus LE, Yousef M, Baranyai Z, Bősze S, Ise S, Kawano K, Sagan S, Futaki S, Hudecz F, Bánóczi Z. Influence of the Dabcyl group on the cellular uptake of cationic peptides: short oligoarginines as efficient cell-penetrating peptides. Amino Acids 2021; 53:1033-1049. [PMID: 34032919 PMCID: PMC8241751 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-021-03003-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are promising delivery vehicles. These short peptides can transport wide range of cargos into cells, although their usage has often limitations. One of them is the endosomatic internalisation and thus the vesicular entrapment. Modifications which increases the direct delivery into the cytosol is highly researched area. Among the oligoarginines the longer ones (n > 6) show efficient internalisation and they are well-known members of CPPs. Herein, we describe the modification of tetra- and hexaarginine with (4-((4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)azo)benzoyl) (Dabcyl) group. This chromophore, which is often used in FRET system increased the internalisation of both peptides, and its effect was more outstanding in case of hexaarginine. The modified hexaarginine may enter into cells more effectively than octaarginine, and showed diffuse distribution besides vesicular transport already at low concentration. The attachment of Dabcyl group not only increases the cellular uptake of the cell-penetrating peptides but it may affect the mechanism of their internalisation. Their conjugates with antitumor drugs were studied on different cells and showed antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildikó Szabó
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Françoise Illien
- Sorbonne Université, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Laboratoire des biomolécules, LBM, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Levente E Dókus
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mo'ath Yousef
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Eötvös L. University, Pázmány P. Setany 1/A, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsa Baranyai
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Bősze
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Shoko Ise
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Kenichi Kawano
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Sandrine Sagan
- Sorbonne Université, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Laboratoire des biomolécules, LBM, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Shiroh Futaki
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan
| | - Ferenc Hudecz
- MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Eötvös L. University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Eötvös L. University, Pázmány P. Setany 1/A, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Bánóczi
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Eötvös L. University, Pázmány P. Setany 1/A, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
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49
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da Silva KE, Ribeiro SM, Rossato L, Dos Santos CP, Preza SE, Cardoso MH, Franco OL, Migliolo L, Simionatto S. Antisense peptide nucleic acid inhibits the growth of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strain. Res Microbiol 2021; 172:103837. [PMID: 34029675 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2021.103837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae causes common and severe hospital- and community-acquired infections with a high incidence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and mortality. In this study, we investigated the ability of the antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNA) conjugated to the (KFF)3K cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to target the gyrA KPC-producing K. pneumoniae and inhibit bacterial growth in vitro. The inhibitory effect on gyrA gene was evaluated by measuring 16s gene amplification in KPC-producing K. pneumoniae treated with the antisense PNA conjugate. The hemolytic property of the antisense PNA conjugate was accessed toward mice red blood cells. Finally, molecular modeling and dynamics simulations analyses in aqueous solutions were performed to predict the PNA conformation alone in contact with DNA (gyrA gene sequence). PNA was capable of inhibiting bacterial growth at 50 μM, also reducing 16S gene amplification in 96.7%. Besides, PNA presented low hemolytic activity (21.1% hemolysis) at this same concentration. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that the structure of the PNA is stable in water without major changes in its secondary structure. The ability of PNA and its conjugated CPP ((KFF)3K) to inhibit bacterial growth demonstrates the potential of this new class of antibacterial agents, encouraging further in vivo studies to confirm its therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kesia Esther da Silva
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Suzana Meira Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Luana Rossato
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Caroline Paes Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Sergio Espindola Preza
- S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, 79117900, Brazil.
| | - Marlon Henrique Cardoso
- S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, 79117900, Brazil.
| | - Octávio Luiz Franco
- S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, 79117900, Brazil; Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, 70790160, Brazil.
| | - Ludovico Migliolo
- S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, 79117900, Brazil.
| | - Simone Simionatto
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
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Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) comprise a class of short polypeptides that possess the ability to selectively interact with the cytoplasmic membrane of certain cell types, translocate across plasma membranes and accumulate in the cell cytoplasm, organelles (e.g., the nucleus and mitochondria) and other subcellular compartments. CPPs are either of natural origin or de novo designed and synthesized from segments and patches of larger proteins or designed by algorithms. With such intrinsic properties, along with membrane permeation, translocation and cellular uptake properties, CPPs can intracellularly convey diverse substances and nanomaterials, such as hydrophilic organic compounds and drugs, macromolecules (nucleic acids and proteins), nanoparticles (nanocrystals and polyplexes), metals and radionuclides, which can be covalently attached via CPP N- and C-terminals or through preparation of CPP complexes. A cumulative number of studies on animal toxins, primarily isolated from the venom of arthropods and snakes, have revealed the cell-penetrating activities of venom peptides and toxins, which can be harnessed for application in biomedicine and pharmaceutical biotechnology. In this review, I aimed to collate examples of peptides from animal venoms and toxic secretions that possess the ability to penetrate diverse types of cells. These venom CPPs have been chemically or structurally modified to enhance cell selectivity, bioavailability and a range of target applications. Herein, examples are listed and discussed, including cysteine-stabilized and linear, α-helical peptides, with cationic and amphipathic character, from the venom of insects (e.g., melittin, anoplin, mastoparans), arachnids (latarcin, lycosin, chlorotoxin, maurocalcine/imperatoxin homologs and wasabi receptor toxin), fish (pardaxins), amphibian (bombesin) and snakes (crotamine and cathelicidins).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60165-081, Brazil
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