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Shao Z, Xu YD, Luo H, Hakobyan K, Zhang M, Xu J, Stenzel MH, Wong EHH. Smart Galactosidase-Responsive Antimicrobial Dendron: Towards More Biocompatible Membrane-Disruptive Agents. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024:e2400350. [PMID: 38895813 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a global healthcare challenge that urgently needs the development of new therapeutic agents. Antimicrobial peptides and mimics thereof are promising candidates but mostly suffer from inherent toxicity issues due to the non-selective binding of cationic groups with mammalian cells. To overcome this toxicity issue, this work herein reports the synthesis of a smart antimicrobial dendron with masked cationic groups (Gal-Dendron) that could be uncaged in the presence of β-galactosidase enzyme to form the activated Enz-Dendron and confer antimicrobial activity. Enz-Dendron show bacteriostatic activity toward Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa and E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 96 µm and exerted its antimicrobial mechanism via a membrane disruption pathway, as indicated by inner and outer membrane permeabilization assays. Crucially, toxicity studies confirmed that the masked prodrug Gal-Dendron exhibited low hemolysis and is at least 2.4 times less toxic than the uncaged cationic Enz-Dendron, thus demonstrating the advantage of masking the cationic groups with responsive immolative linkers to overcome toxicity and selectivity issues. Overall, this study highlights the potential of designing new membrane-disruptive antimicrobial agents that are more biocompatible via the amine uncaging strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Shao
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - You Dan Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Hao Luo
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Karen Hakobyan
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Mengnan Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jiangtao Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Martina H Stenzel
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Edgar H H Wong
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Maria C, de Matos AM, Rauter AP. Antibacterial Prodrugs to Overcome Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:718. [PMID: 38931385 PMCID: PMC11206681 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly concerning phenomenon that requires urgent attention because it poses a threat to human and animal health. Bacteria undergo continuous evolution, acquiring novel resistance mechanisms in addition to their intrinsic ones. Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant bacterial strains are rapidly emerging, and it is expected that bacterial AMR will claim the lives of 10 million people annually by 2050. Consequently, the urgent need for the development of new therapeutic agents with new modes of action is evident. The antibacterial prodrug approach, a strategy that includes drug repurposing and derivatization, integration of nanotechnology, and exploration of natural products, is highlighted in this review. Thus, this publication aims at compiling the most pertinent research in the field, spanning from 2021 to 2023, offering the reader a comprehensive insight into the AMR phenomenon and new strategies to overcome it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amélia P. Rauter
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.M.); (A.M.d.M.)
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O'Leary MK, Sundaram V, LiPuma JJ, Dörr T, Westblade LF, Alabi CA. Mechanism of Action and Resistance Evasion of an Antimicrobial Oligomer against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:1159-1168. [PMID: 35167257 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c01217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The last resort for treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other MDR Gram-negative bacteria is a class of antibiotics called the polymyxins; however, polymyxin-resistant isolates have emerged. In response, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic mimetics have been investigated as alternative therapeutic options. Oligothioetheramides (oligoTEAs) are a class of synthetic, sequence-defined oligomers composed of N-allylacrylamide monomers and an abiotic dithiol backbone that is resistant to serum degradation. Characteristic of other AMP mimetics, the precise balance between charge and hydrophobicity has afforded cationic oligoTEAs potent antimicrobial activity, particularly for the compound BDT-4G, which consists of a 1,4-butanedithiol backbone and guanidine pendant groups, the latter of which provides a cationic charge at physiological pH. However, the activity and mechanism of cationic oligoTEAs against MDR Gram-negative isolates have yet to be fully investigated. Herein, we demonstrated the potent antimicrobial activity of BDT-4G against clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa with a range of susceptibility profiles, assessed the kinetics of bactericidal activity, and further elucidated its mechanism of action. Activity was also evaluated against a panel of polymyxin-resistant isolates, including intrinsically-resistant species. We demonstrate that BDT-4G can evade some of the mechanisms conferring resistance to polymyxin B and thus may have therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan K O'Leary
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Vishal Sundaram
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - John J LiPuma
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Lars F Westblade
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Christopher A Alabi
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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