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Rossi S, Tudino V, Carullo G, Butini S, Campiani G, Gemma S. Metalloenzyme Inhibitors against Zoonotic Infections: Focus on Leishmania and Schistosoma. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1520-1535. [PMID: 38669567 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The term "zoonosis" denotes diseases transmissible among vertebrate animals and humans. These diseases constitute a significant public health challenge, comprising 61% of human pathogens and causing an estimated 2.7 million deaths annually. Zoonoses not only affect human health but also impact animal welfare and economic stability, particularly in low- and middle-income nations. Leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis are two important neglected tropical diseases with a high prevalence in tropical and subtropical areas, imposing significant burdens on affected regions. Schistosomiasis, particularly rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, lacks alternative treatments to praziquantel, prompting concerns regarding parasite resistance. Similarly, leishmaniasis poses challenges with unsatisfactory treatments, urging the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Effective prevention demands a One Health approach, integrating diverse disciplines to enhance diagnostics and develop safer drugs. Metalloenzymes, involved in parasite biology and critical in different biological pathways, emerged in the last few years as useful drug targets for the treatment of human diseases. Herein we have reviewed recent reports on the discovery of inhibitors of metalloenzymes associated with zoonotic diseases like histone deacetylases (HDACs), carbonic anhydrase (CA), arginase, and heme-dependent enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Rossi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Valeria Tudino
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Gabriele Carullo
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Stefania Butini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Bioinformatics Research Center, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-7346, Iran
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Mtemeli FL, Ndlovu J, Mugumbate G, Makwikwi T, Shoko R. Advances in schistosomiasis drug discovery based on natural products. ALL LIFE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/26895293.2022.2080281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- F. L. Mtemeli
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
| | - J. Ndlovu
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
| | - G. Mugumbate
- Department of Chemical Technology, Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - T. Makwikwi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - R. Shoko
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
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Drug associations as alternative and complementary therapy for neglected tropical diseases. Acta Trop 2022; 225:106210. [PMID: 34687644 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The present paper aims to establish different treatments for neglected tropical disease by a survey on drug conjugations and possible fixed-dose combinations (FDC) used to obtain alternative, safer and more effective treatments. The source databases used were Science Direct and PubMed/Medline, in the intervals between 2015 and 2021 with the drugs key-words or diseases, like "schistosomiasis", "praziquantel", "malaria", "artesunate", "Chagas' disease", "benznidazole", "filariasis", diethylcarbamazine", "ivermectin", " albendazole". 118 works were the object of intense analysis, other articles and documents were used to increase the quality of the studies, such as consensuses for harmonizing therapeutics and historical articles. As a result, an effective NTD control can be achieved when different public health approaches are combined with interventions guided by the epidemiology of each location and the availability of appropriate measures to detect, prevent and control disease. It was also possible to verify that the FDCs promote a simplification of the therapeutic regimen, which promotes better patient compliance and enables a reduction in the development of parasitic resistance, requiring further studies aimed at resistant strains, since the combined APIs usually act by different mechanisms or at different target sites. In addition to eliminating the process of developing a new drug based on the identification and validation of active compounds, which is a complex, long process and requires a strong long-term investment, other advantages that FDCs have are related to productive gain and gain from the industrial plant, which can favor and encourage the R&D of new FDCs not only for NTDs but also for other diseases that require the use of more than one drug.
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Diarylureas: Repositioning from Antitumor to Antimicrobials or Multi-Target Agents against New Pandemics. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10010092. [PMID: 33477901 PMCID: PMC7833385 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10010092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobials have allowed medical advancements over several decades. However, the continuous emergence of antimicrobial resistance restricts efficacy in treating infectious diseases. In this context, the drug repositioning of already known biological active compounds to antimicrobials could represent a useful strategy. In 2002 and 2003, the SARS-CoV pandemic immobilized the Far East regions. However, the drug discovery attempts to study the virus have stopped after the crisis declined. Today’s COVID-19 pandemic could probably have been avoided if those efforts against SARS-CoV had continued. Recently, a new coronavirus variant was identified in the UK. Because of this, the search for safe and potent antimicrobials and antivirals is urgent. Apart from antiviral treatment for severe cases of COVID-19, many patients with mild disease without pneumonia or moderate disease with pneumonia have received different classes of antibiotics. Diarylureas are tyrosine kinase inhibitors well known in the art as anticancer agents, which might be useful tools for a reposition as antimicrobials. The first to come onto the market as anticancer was sorafenib, followed by some other active molecules. For this interesting class of organic compounds antimicrobial, antiviral, antithrombotic, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties have been reported in the literature. These numerous properties make these compounds interesting for a new possible pandemic considering that, as well as for other viral infections also for CoVID-19, a multitarget therapeutic strategy could be favorable. This review is meant to be an overview on diarylureas, focusing on their biological activities, not dwelling on the already known antitumor activity. Quite a lot of papers present in the literature underline and highlight the importance of these molecules as versatile scaffolds for the development of new and promising antimicrobials and multitarget agents against new pandemic events.
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Federico S, Pozzetti L, Papa A, Carullo G, Gemma S, Butini S, Campiani G, Relitti N. Modulation of the Innate Immune Response by Targeting Toll-like Receptors: A Perspective on Their Agonists and Antagonists. J Med Chem 2020; 63:13466-13513. [PMID: 32845153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a class of proteins that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damaged-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and they are involved in the regulation of innate immune system. These transmembrane receptors, localized at the cellular or endosomal membrane, trigger inflammatory processes through either myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) or TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) signaling pathways. In the last decades, extensive research has been performed on TLR modulators and their therapeutic implication under several pathological conditions, spanning from infections to cancer, from metabolic disorders to neurodegeneration and autoimmune diseases. This Perspective will highlight the recent discoveries in this field, emphasizing the role of TLRs in different diseases and the therapeutic effect of their natural and synthetic modulators, and it will discuss insights for the future exploitation of TLR modulators in human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Federico
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Luca Pozzetti
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Alessandro Papa
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Gabriele Carullo
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Stefania Butini
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Nicola Relitti
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
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Guidi A, Prasanth Saraswati A, Relitti N, Gimmelli R, Saccoccia F, Sirignano C, Taglialatela-Scafati O, Campiani G, Ruberti G, Gemma S. (+)-(R)- and (-)-(S)-Perhexiline maleate: Enantioselective synthesis and functional studies on Schistosoma mansoni larval and adult stages. Bioorg Chem 2020; 102:104067. [PMID: 32663671 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease mainly affecting the poorest tropical and subtropical areas of the world with the impressive number of roughly 200 million infections per year. Schistosomes are blood trematode flukes of the genus Schistosoma causing symptoms in humans and animals. Organ morbidity is caused by the accumulation of parasite eggs and subsequent development of fibrosis. If left untreated, schistosomiasis can result in substantial morbidity and even mortality. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the most effective and widely used compound for the treatment of the disease, in prevention and control programs in the last 30 years. Unfortunately, it has no effect on juvenile immature schistosomes and cannot prevent reinfection or interfere with the schistosome life cycle; moreover drug-resistance represents a serious threat. The search for an alternative or complementary treatment is urgent and drug repurposing could accelerate a solution. The anti-anginal drug perhexiline maleate (PHX) has been previously shown to be effective on larval, juvenile, and adult stages of S. mansoni and to impact egg production in vitro. Since PHX is a racemic mixture of R-(+)- and S-(-)-enantiomers, we designed and realized a stereoselective synthesis of both PHX enantiomers and developed an analytical procedure for the direct quantification of the enantiomeric excess also suitable for semipreparative separation of PHX enantiomers. We next investigated the impact of each enantiomer on viability of newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) and worm pairs of S. mansoni as well as on egg production and vitellarium morphology by in vitro studies. Our results indicate that the R-(+)-PHX is mainly driving the anti-schistosomal activity but that also the S-(-)-PHX possesses a significant activity towards S. mansoni in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Guidi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council, Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso via E. Ramarini, 32 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - A Prasanth Saraswati
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Nicola Relitti
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Roberto Gimmelli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council, Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso via E. Ramarini, 32 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Fulvio Saccoccia
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council, Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso via E. Ramarini, 32 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Carmina Sirignano
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Orazio Taglialatela-Scafati
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Giovina Ruberti
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council, Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso via E. Ramarini, 32 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy.
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100 Siena, Italy.
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Zech J, Gold D, Salaymeh N, Sasson NC, Rabinowitch I, Golenser J, Mäder K. Oral Administration of Artemisone for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis: Formulation Challenges and In Vivo Efficacy. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:E509. [PMID: 32503130 PMCID: PMC7356104 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12060509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Artemisone is an innovative artemisinin derivative with applications in the treatment of malaria, schistosomiasis and other diseases. However, its low aqueous solubility and tendency to degrade after solubilisation limits the translation of this drug into clinical practice. We developed a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS), which is easy to produce (simple mixing) with a high drug load. In addition to known pharmaceutical excipients (Capmul MCM, Kolliphor HS15, propylene glycol), we identified Polysorb ID 46 as a beneficial new additional excipient. The physicochemical properties were characterized by dynamic light scattering, conductivity measurements, rheology and electron microscopy. High storage stability, even at 30 °C, was achieved. The orally administrated artemisone SMEDDS formulation was highly active in vivo in S. mansoni infected mice. Thorough elimination of the adult worms, their eggs and prevention of the deleterious granuloma formation in the livers of infected mice was observed even at a relatively low dose of the drug. The new formulation has a high potential to accelerate the clinical use of artemisone in schistosomiasis and malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Zech
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany;
| | - Daniel Gold
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel;
| | - Nadeen Salaymeh
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112002, Israel;
| | - Netanel Cohen Sasson
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research-Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112002, Israel; (N.C.S.); (I.R.)
| | - Ithai Rabinowitch
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research-Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112002, Israel; (N.C.S.); (I.R.)
| | - Jacob Golenser
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9112002, Israel;
| | - Karsten Mäder
- Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany;
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Saccoccia F, Brindisi M, Gimmelli R, Relitti N, Guidi A, Saraswati AP, Cavella C, Brogi S, Chemi G, Butini S, Papoff G, Senger J, Herp D, Jung M, Campiani G, Gemma S, Ruberti G. Screening and Phenotypical Characterization of Schistosoma mansoni Histone Deacetylase 8 ( SmHDAC8) Inhibitors as Multistage Antischistosomal Agents. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:100-113. [PMID: 31661956 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) is a neglected tropical disease caused by platyhelminths of the genus Schistosoma. The disease is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas of the world where water is infested by the intermediate parasite host, the snail. More than 800 million people live in endemic areas and more than 200 million are infected and require treatment. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for schistosomiasis treatment and transmission control being safe and very effective against adult worms of all the clinically relevant Schistosoma species. Unfortunately, it is ineffective on immature, juvenile worms; therefore, it does not prevent reinfection. Moreover, the risk of development and spread of drug resistance because of the widespread use of a single drug in such a large population represents a serious threat. Therefore, research aimed at identifying novel drugs to be used alone or in combination with PZQ are needed. Schistosoma mansoni histone deacetylase 8 (SmHDAC8) is a class I zinc-dependent HDAC, which is abundantly expressed in all stages of its life cycle, thus representing an interesting target for drug discovery. Through virtual screening and phenotypical characterization of selected hits, we discovered two main chemical classes of compounds characterized by the presence of a hydroxamate-based metal binding group coupled to a spiroindoline or a tricyclic thieno[3,2-b]indole core as capping groups. Some of the compounds of both classes were deeply investigated and showed to impair viability of larval, juvenile, and adult schistosomes, to impact egg production in vitro and/or to induce morphological alterations of the adult schistosome reproductive systems. Noteworthy, all of them inhibit the recombinant form of SmHDAC8 enzyme in vitro. Overall, we identified very interesting scaffolds, paving the way to the development of effective antischistosomal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulvio Saccoccia
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso, via E. Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Margherita Brindisi
- Department of Excellence of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Roberto Gimmelli
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso, via E. Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Nicola Relitti
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Alessandra Guidi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso, via E. Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - A Prasanth Saraswati
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Caterina Cavella
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Simone Brogi
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, via Bonanno 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Chemi
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Stefania Butini
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Giuliana Papoff
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso, via E. Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Johanna Senger
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Herp
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Jung
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 25, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Campiani
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Sandra Gemma
- Department of Excellence of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, via Aldo Moro 2, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Giovina Ruberti
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR), Campus A. Buzzati-Traverso, via E. Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
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