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Durante D, Bott R, Cooper L, Owen C, Morsheimer KM, Patten JJ, Zielinski C, Peet NP, Davey RA, Gaisina IN, Rong L, Moore TW. N-Substituted Pyrrole-Based Heterocycles as Broad-Spectrum Filoviral Entry Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2024; 67:13737-13764. [PMID: 39169825 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Since the largest and most fatal Ebola virus epidemic during 2014-2016, there have been several consecutive filoviral outbreaks in recent years, including those in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Ongoing outbreak prevalence and limited FDA-approved filoviral therapeutics emphasize the need for novel small molecule treatments. Here, we showcase the structure-activity relationship development of N-substituted pyrrole-based heterocycles and their potent, submicromolar entry inhibition against diverse filoviruses in a target-based pseudovirus assay. Inhibitor antiviral activity was validated using replication-competent Ebola, Sudan, and Marburg viruses. Mutational analysis was used to map the targeted region within the Ebola virus glycoprotein. Antiviral counter-screen and phospholipidosis assays were performed to demonstrate the reduced off-target activity of these filoviral entry inhibitors. Favorable antiviral potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties of the N-substituted pyrrole-based heterocycles support their potential as broad-spectrum antifiloviral treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Destiny Durante
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Ryan Bott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Laura Cooper
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Callum Owen
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Kimberly M Morsheimer
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - J J Patten
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Christian Zielinski
- UICentre: Drug Discovery, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Norton P Peet
- Chicago BioSolutions Inc., Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Robert A Davey
- Department of Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
| | - Irina N Gaisina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- Chicago BioSolutions Inc., Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- UICentre: Drug Discovery, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Lijun Rong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- Chicago BioSolutions Inc., Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Terry W Moore
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
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Saeed M, Alamri MA, Rashid MAR, Javed MR, Azeem F, Bashir Z, Alanzi AR, Muhseen ZT, Almusallam SY, Hussain K. Identification of novel inhibitors against VP40 protein of Marburg virus by integrating molecular modeling and dynamics approaches. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38178383 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2300134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Marburg virus (MV) is a highly etiological agent of haemorrhagic fever in humans and has spread across the world. Its outbreaks caused a 23-90% human death rate. However, there are currently no authorized preventive or curative measures yet. VP40 is the MV matrix protein, which builds protein shell underneath the viral envelope and confers hallmark filamentous. VP40 alone is able to induce assembly and budding of filamentous virus-like particles (VLPs), which resemble authentic virions. As a result, this research is credited with clarifying the function of VP40 and leading to the discovery of new therapeutic targets effective in combating MV disease (MVD). Virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were used to find the putative active chemicals based on a 3D pharmacophore model of the protein's active site cavity. Initially, andrographidine-C, a potent inhibitor was selected for the development of the pharmacophore model. Later, a library of 30,000 compounds along with the andrographidine-C was docked against VP40 protein. Three best hits including avanafil, diuvaretin and macrourone were subjected to further MD simulation analysis, as these compounds had better binding affinities as compared to andrographidine-C. Furthermore, throughout the 100 ns simulations, the back bone of VP40 protein in presence of avanafil, diuvaretin and macrourone remained stable which was further validated by MM-PBSA analysis. Additionally, all of these compounds depict maximum drug-like properties. The predicted drugs based on the ligand, avanafil, diuvaretin and macrourone could be exploited and developed as an alternative or complementary therapy for the treatment of MVD.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Saeed
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Mubarak A Alamri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Muhammad Rizwan Javed
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farrukh Azeem
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Zarmina Bashir
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdullah R Alanzi
- Department of Pharmacogonsy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Shahad Youseff Almusallam
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khadim Hussain
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Broni E, Ashley C, Adams J, Manu H, Aikins E, Okom M, Miller WA, Wilson MD, Kwofie SK. Cheminformatics-Based Study Identifies Potential Ebola VP40 Inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076298. [PMID: 37047270 PMCID: PMC10094735 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The Ebola virus (EBOV) is still highly infectious and causes severe hemorrhagic fevers in primates. However, there are no regulatorily approved drugs against the Ebola virus disease (EVD). The highly virulent and lethal nature of EVD highlights the need to develop therapeutic agents. Viral protein 40 kDa (VP40), the most abundantly expressed protein during infection, coordinates the assembly, budding, and release of viral particles into the host cell. It also regulates viral transcription and RNA replication. This study sought to identify small molecules that could potentially inhibit the VP40 protein by targeting the N-terminal domain using an in silico approach. The statistical quality of AutoDock Vina’s capacity to discriminate between inhibitors and decoys was determined, and an area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve of 0.791 was obtained. A total of 29,519 natural-product-derived compounds from Chinese and African sources as well as 2738 approved drugs were successfully screened against VP40. Using a threshold of −8 kcal/mol, a total of 7, 11, 163, and 30 compounds from the AfroDb, Northern African Natural Products Database (NANPDB), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and approved drugs libraries, respectively, were obtained after molecular docking. A biological activity prediction of the lead compounds suggested their potential antiviral properties. In addition, random-forest- and support-vector-machine-based algorithms predicted the compounds to be anti-Ebola with IC50 values in the micromolar range (less than 25 μM). A total of 42 natural-product-derived compounds were identified as potential EBOV inhibitors with desirable ADMET profiles, comprising 1, 2, and 39 compounds from NANPDB (2-hydroxyseneganolide), AfroDb (ZINC000034518176 and ZINC000095485942), and TCM, respectively. A total of 23 approved drugs, including doramectin, glecaprevir, velpatasvir, ledipasvir, avermectin B1, nafarelin acetate, danoprevir, eltrombopag, lanatoside C, and glycyrrhizin, among others, were also predicted to have potential anti-EBOV activity and can be further explored so that they may be repurposed for EVD treatment. Molecular dynamics simulations coupled with molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area calculations corroborated the stability and good binding affinities of the complexes (−46.97 to −118.9 kJ/mol). The potential lead compounds may have the potential to be developed as anti-EBOV drugs after experimental testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Broni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Carolyn Ashley
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Joseph Adams
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
| | - Hammond Manu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Ebenezer Aikins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Mary Okom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
| | - Whelton A. Miller
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Correspondence: (W.A.M.III); (S.K.K.); Tel.: +1(708)-2168451 (W.A.M.III); +23-320-3797922 (S.K.K.)
| | - Michael D. Wilson
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 581, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Samuel K. Kwofie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra LG 54, Ghana
- Correspondence: (W.A.M.III); (S.K.K.); Tel.: +1(708)-2168451 (W.A.M.III); +23-320-3797922 (S.K.K.)
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