Probing binding determinants in center P of the cytochrome bc(1) complex using novel hydroxy-naphthoquinones

Antimalarial application of quinones: A recent update

Atovaquone belongs to a naphthoquinone class of drugs and is used in combination with proguanil (Malarone) for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum (including chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum/P. vivax). Numerous quinone-derived compounds have attracted considerable attention in the last few decades due to their potential in antimalarial drug discovery. Several semi-synthetic derivatives of natural quinones, synthetic quinones (naphtho-/benzo-quinone, anthraquinones, thiazinoquinones), and quinone-based hybrids were explored for their in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activities. A careful literature survey revealed that this topic has not been compiled as a review article so far. Therefore, we herein summarise the recent discovery (the year 2009-2020) of quinone based antimalarial compounds in chronological order. This compilation would be very useful towards the exploration of novel quinone-derived compounds against malarial parasites with promising efficacy and lesser side effects.

Molecular Hydrogen Metabolism: a Widespread Trait of Pathogenic Bacteria and Protists

Pathogenic microorganisms use various mechanisms to conserve energy in host tissues and environmental reservoirs. One widespread but often overlooked means of energy conservation is through the consumption or production of molecular hydrogen (H2). Here, we comprehensively review the distribution, biochemistry, and physiology of H2 metabolism in pathogens. Over 200 pathogens and pathobionts carry genes for hydrogenases, the enzymes responsible for H2 oxidation and/or production. Furthermore, at least 46 of these species have been experimentally shown to consume or produce H2 Several major human pathogens use the large amounts of H2 produced by colonic microbiota as an energy source for aerobic or anaerobic respiration. This process has been shown to be critical for growth and virulence of the gastrointestinal bacteria Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter concisus, and Helicobacter pylori (including carcinogenic strains). H2 oxidation is generally a facultative trait controlled by central regulators in response to energy and oxidant availability. Other bacterial and protist pathogens produce H2 as a diffusible end product of fermentation processes. These include facultative anaerobes such as Escherichia coli, S Typhimurium, and Giardia intestinalis, which persist by fermentation when limited for respiratory electron acceptors, as well as obligate anaerobes, such as Clostridium perfringens, Clostridioides difficile, and Trichomonas vaginalis, that produce large amounts of H2 during growth. Overall, there is a rich literature on hydrogenases in growth, survival, and virulence in some pathogens. However, we lack a detailed understanding of H2 metabolism in most pathogens, especially obligately anaerobic bacteria, as well as a holistic understanding of gastrointestinal H2 transactions overall. Based on these findings, we also evaluate H2 metabolism as a possible target for drug development or other therapies.

Phthalimide Derivatives with Bioactivity against Plasmodium falciparum: Synthesis, Evaluation, and Computational Studies Involving bc 1 Cytochrome Inhibition

We describe herein the design and synthesis of N-phenyl phthalimide derivatives with inhibitory activities against Plasmodium falciparum (sensitive and resistant strains) in the low micromolar range and noticeable selectivity indices against human cells. The best inhibitor, 4-amino-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione (10), showed a slow-acting mechanism similar to that of atovaquone. Enzymatic assay indicated that 10 inhibited P. falciparum cytochrome bc ₁ complex. Molecular docking studies suggested the binding mode of the best hit to Qo site of the cytochrome bc ₁ complex. Our findings suggest that 10 is a promising candidate for hit-to-lead development.

Three-component reductive alkylation of 2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinones with lactols

Lactols II, obtained by DIBAL reduction of their corresponding lactones I, in equilibrium with their hydroxyaldehyde tautomers III were used in a three-component reductive alkylation with 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to give a series of 3-alkylated 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives IV.

Structural basis of resistance to anti-cytochrome bc₁ complex inhibitors: implication for drug improvement

The emergence of drug resistance has devastating economic and social consequences, a testimonial of which is the rise and fall of inhibitors against the respiratory component cytochrome bc₁ complex, a time tested and highly effective target for disease control. Unfortunately, the mechanism of resistance is a multivariate problem, including primarily mutations in the gene of the cytochrome b subunit but also activation of alternative pathways of ubiquinol oxidation and pharmacokinetic effects. There is a considerable interest in designing new bc₁ inhibitors with novel modes of binding and lower propensity to induce the development of resistance. The accumulation of crystallographic data of bc₁ complexes with and without inhibitors bound provides the structural basis for rational drug design. In particular, the cytochrome b subunit offers two distinct active sites that can be targeted for inhibition - the quinol oxidation site and the quinone reduction site. This review brings together available structural information of inhibited bc₁ by various quinol oxidation- and reductionsite inhibitors, the inhibitor binding modes, conformational changes upon inhibitor binding of side chains in the active site and large scale domain movements of the iron-sulfur protein subunit. Structural data analysis provides a clear understanding of where and why existing inhibitors fail and points towards promising alternatives.

Biological evaluation of hydroxynaphthoquinones as anti-malarials

BACKGROUND

The hydroxynaphthoquinones have been extensively investigated over the past 50 years for their anti-malarial activity. One member of this class, atovaquone, is combined with proguanil in Malarone®, an important drug for the treatment and prevention of malaria.

METHODS

Anti-malarial activity was assessed in vitro for a series of 3-alkyl-2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones (N1-N5) evaluating the parasitaemia after 48 hours of incubation. Potential cytotoxicity in HEK293T cells was assessed using the MTT assay. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential of Plasmodium were measured using the fluorescent dye Mitrotracker Red CMXROS.

RESULTS

Four compounds demonstrated IC50s in the mid-micromolar range, and the most active compound, N3, had an IC50 of 443 nM. N3 disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential, and after 1 hour presented an IC50ΔΨmit of 16 μM. In an in vitro cytotoxicity assay using HEK 293T cells N3 demonstrated no cytotoxicity at concentrations up to 16 μM.

CONCLUSIONS

N3 was a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport, had nanomolar activity against cultured Plasmodium falciparum and showed minimal cytotoxicity. N3 may serve as a starting point for the design of new hydroxynaphthoquinone anti-malarials.

A proteomic insight into the effects of the immunomodulatory hydroxynaphthoquinone lapachol on activated macrophages

We report the effect of an immunomodulatory and anti-mycobacterial naphthoquinone, lapachol, on the bi-dimensional patterns of protein expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-agonised and IFN-γ-treated THP-1 macrophages. This non-hypothesis driven proteomic analysis intends to shed light on the cellular functions lapachol may be affecting. Proteins of both cytosol and membrane fractions were analysed. After quantification of the protein spots, the protein levels corresponding to macrophages activated in the absence or presence of lapachol were compared. A number of proteins were identified, the levels of which were appreciably and significantly increased or decreased as a result of the action of lapachol on the activated macrophages: cofilin-1, fascin, plastin-2, glucose-6-P-dehydrogenase, adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1, pyruvate kinase, sentrin-specific protease 6, cathepsin B, cathepsin D, cytosolic aminopeptidase, proteasome β type-4 protease, tryptophan-tRNA ligase, DnaJ homolog and protein disulphide isomerase. Altogether, the comparative analysis performed indicates that lapachol could be hypothetically causing an impairment of cell migration and/or phagocytic capacity, an increase in NADPH availability, a decrease in pyruvate concentration, protection from proteosomal protein degradation, a decrease in lysosomal protein degradation, an impairment of cytosolic peptide generation, and an interference with NOS2 activation and grp78 function. The present proteomic results suggest issues that should be experimentally addressed ex- and in-vivo, to establish more accurately the potential of lapachol as an anti-infective drug. This study also constitutes a model for the pre-in-vivo evaluation of drug actions.

Design of anti-parasitic and anti-fungal hydroxy-naphthoquinones that are less susceptible to drug resistance

Atovaquone is a hydroxy-naphthoquinone that is used to treat parasitic and fungal infections including Plasmodium falciparum (malaria), Pneumocystis jivorecii (pneumonia) and Toxoplasma gondii (toxoplasmosis). It blocks mitochondrial oxidation of ubiquinol in these organisms by binding to the ubiquinol oxidation site of the cytochrome bc(1) complex. Failure of atovaquone treatment has been linked to the appearance of mutations in the mitochondrially encoded gene for cytochrome b. In order to determine the optimal parameters required for inhibition of respiration in parasites and pathogenic fungi and overcome drug resistance, we have synthesized and tested the inhibitory activity of novel hydroxy-naphthoquinones against blood stage P. falciparum and liver stage P. berghei and against cytochrome bc(1) complexes isolated from yeast strains bearing mutations in cytochrome b associated with resistance in Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, and Toxoplasma. One of the new inhibitors is highly effective against an atovaquone resistant Plasmodium and illustrates the type of modification to the hydroxy-naphthoquinone ring of atovaquone that might mitigate drug resistance.

The hydroxy-naphthoquinone lapachol arrests mycobacterial growth and immunomodulates host macrophages

The present study reports the anti-mycobacterial activity of 2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (lapachol) as well as its influence on macrophage functions. Lapachol (L) did not induce apoptosis/necrosis of THP-1 macrophages at ≤32 μg/mL. Mycobacterium avium liquid growth was arrested by ≥32 μg/mL and intra-macrophage proliferation by ≥16 μg/mL lapachol. The main immuno-modulatory effects of lapachol observed were an up-regulation of interferon-γ-receptor 1 (IFN-γR1) and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) surface expression, and a marked inhibition of IL-10 secretion. Lapachol did not affect resting, IFN-γ- or toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-induced levels of oxygen and nitrogen metabolism key proteins nor the TLR2-mediated secretion of TNF-α, nor induced either oxidative or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Lapachol inhibited the surface expression of the co-stimulatory molecule CD86 but not that of CD80 and CD83. The results obtained indicate that the substituted naphthoquinone lapachol exhibits an anti-mycobacterial activity that is more efficient intra- than extra-cellularly, and exerts immuno-modulatory effects some of which may enhance the capacity of the host cell to control mycobacterial growth. The immune-modulatory action of lapachol could contribute to its more efficient intra-macrophage anti-mycobacterial activity.

Combination of chiroptical, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic methods reveals multiple, hydrophobicity-driven human serum albumin binding of the antimalarial atovaquone and related hydroxynaphthoquinone compounds

High-affinity human serum albumin (HSA) binding of the C3-substituted antimalarial 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivative atovaquone (ATQ) has been demonstrated and studied by circular dichroism (CD), UV/VIS absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy and affinity chromatography methods. The analysis of induced CD data generated upon HSA binding of ATQ revealed two high-affinity binding sites (K(a) ≈ 2 × 10(6) M(-1)). CD interaction studies and displacement of specific fluorescent and radioactive marker ligands indicated the contribution of both principal drug binding sites of HSA to complexation of ATQ, and also suggested the possibility of simultaneous binding of ATQ and some other drugs (e.g. warfarin, phenylbutazone, diazepam). Comparison of UV/VIS spectra of ATQ measured in aqueous solutions indicated the prevalence of the anionic species formed by dissociation of the 2-hydroxyl group. HSA binding of related natural hydroxynaphthoquinones, lapachol and lawsone also induces similar CD spectra. The much weaker binding affinity of lawsone (K(a) ≈ 10(4) M(-1)) bearing no C3 substituent highlights the importance of hydrophobic interactions in the strong HSA binding of ATQ and lapachol. Since neither drug exhibited significant binding to serum α(1)-acid glycoprotein, HSA must be the principal plasma protein for the binding and transportation of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone-type compounds which are ionized at physiological pH values.