1
|
Wang R, Stevaert A, Truong TN, Li Q, Krasniqi B, Van Loy B, Voet A, Naesens L, Dehaen W. Exploration of 1,2,3-triazolo fused triterpenoids as inhibitors of human coronavirus 229E targeting the viral nsp15 protein. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300442. [PMID: 37840345 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300442] [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: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised major interest in innovative drug concepts to suppress human coronavirus (HCoV) infections. We previously reported on a class of 1,2,3-triazolo fused betulonic acid derivatives causing strong inhibition of HCoV-229E replication via the viral nsp15 protein, which is proposedly related to compound binding at an intermonomer interface in hexameric nsp15. In the present study, we further explored the structure-activity relationship (SAR), by varying the substituent at the 1,2,3-triazolo ring as well as the triterpenoid skeleton. The 1,2,3-triazolo fused triterpenoids were synthesized by a multicomponent triazolization reaction, which has been developed in-house. Several analogs possessing a betulin, oleanolic acid, or ursolic acid core displayed favorable activity and selectivity (EC50 values for HCoV-229E: 1.6-3.5 μM), but neither of them proved as effective as the lead compound containing betulonic acid. The 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid-containing analogs had low selectivity. The antiviral findings were rationalized by in silico docking in the available structure of the HCoV-229E nsp15 protein. The new SAR insights will aid the further development of these 1,2,3-triazolo fused triterpenoid compounds as a unique type of coronavirus inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annelies Stevaert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tien Nguyen Truong
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Qifei Li
- Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Besir Krasniqi
- Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Van Loy
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arnout Voet
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieve Naesens
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Dehaen
- Department of Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry for Metals and Molecules, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Stevaert A, Krasniqi B, Van Loy B, Nguyen T, Thomas J, Vandeput J, Jochmans D, Thiel V, Dijkman R, Dehaen W, Voet A, Naesens L. Betulonic Acid Derivatives Interfering with Human Coronavirus 229E Replication via the nsp15 Endoribonuclease. J Med Chem 2021; 64:5632-5644. [PMID: 33877845 PMCID: PMC8084268 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
To develop antiviral therapeutics against human coronavirus (HCoV) infections, suitable coronavirus drug targets and corresponding lead molecules must be urgently identified. Here, we describe the discovery of a class of HCoV inhibitors acting on nsp15, a hexameric protein component of the viral replication-transcription complexes, endowed with immune evasion-associated endoribonuclease activity. Structure-activity relationship exploration of these 1,2,3-triazolo-fused betulonic acid derivatives yielded lead molecule 5h as a strong inhibitor (antiviral EC50: 0.6 μM) of HCoV-229E replication. An nsp15 endoribonuclease active site mutant virus was markedly less sensitive to 5h, and selected resistance to the compound mapped to mutations in the N-terminal part of HCoV-229E nsp15, at an interface between two nsp15 monomers. The biological findings were substantiated by the nsp15 binding mode for 5h, predicted by docking. Hence, besides delivering a distinct class of inhibitors, our study revealed a druggable pocket in the nsp15 hexamer with relevance for anti-coronavirus drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annelies Stevaert
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy,
Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Besir Krasniqi
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of
Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Benjamin Van Loy
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy,
Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Tien Nguyen
- Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology,
Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Joice Thomas
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of
Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Julie Vandeput
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy,
Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Dirk Jochmans
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy,
Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Volker Thiel
- Institute of Virology and Immunology
(IVI), 3012 Bern and 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology,
Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern,
Switzerland
| | - Ronald Dijkman
- Institute of Virology and Immunology
(IVI), 3012 Bern and 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology,
Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern,
Switzerland
- Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK),
University of Bern, 3012 Bern,
Switzerland
| | - Wim Dehaen
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of
Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Arnout Voet
- Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology,
Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven,
Belgium
| | - Lieve Naesens
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy,
Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven,
Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Affiliation(s)
- Çağla Begüm Apaydın
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Benjamin Van Loy
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annelies Stevaert
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieve Naesens
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|