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Kumar K, Sihag B, Patil MT, Singh R, Sakala IG, Honda-Okubo Y, Singh KN, Petrovsky N, Salunke DB. Design and Synthesis of Polyphenolic Imidazo[4,5- c]quinoline Derivatives to Modulate Toll Like Receptor-7 Agonistic Activity and Adjuvanticity. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2024; 7:2063-2079. [PMID: 39022355 PMCID: PMC11249636 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.4c00163] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
TLR-7/8 agonists are a well-known class of vaccine adjuvants, with a leading example now included in Covaxin, a licensed human COVID-19 vaccine. This thereby provides the opportunity to develop newer, more potent adjuvants based on structure-function studies of these classes of compounds. Imidazoquinoline-based TLR7/8 agonists are the most potent, but when used as a vaccine adjuvant side effects can arise due to diffusion from the injection site into a systemic circulation. In this work, we sought to address this issue through structural modifications in the agonists to enhance their adsorption capacity to the classic adjuvant alum. We selected a potent TLR7-selective agonist, BBIQ (EC50 = 0.85 μM), and synthesized polyphenolic derivatives to assess their TLR7 agonistic activity and adjuvant potential alone or in combination with alum. Most of the phenolic derivatives were more active than BBIQ and, except for 12b, all were TLR7 specific. Although the synthesized compounds were less active than resiquimod, the immunization data on combination with alum, specifically the IgG1, IgG2b and IgG2c responses, were superior in comparison to BBIQ as well as the reference standard resiquimod. Compound 12b was 5-fold more potent (EC50 = 0.15 μM in TLR7) than BBIQ and induced double the IgG response to SARS-CoV-2 and hepatitis antigens. Similarly, compound 12c (EC50 = 0.31 μM in TLR7) was about 3-fold more potent than BBIQ and doubled the IgG levels. Even though compound 12d exhibited low TLR7 activity (EC50 = 5.13 μM in TLR7), it demonstrated superior adjuvant results, which may be attributed to its enhanced alum adsorption capability as compared with BBIQ and resiquimod. Alum-adsorbed polyphenolic TLR7 agonists thereby represent promising combination adjuvants resulting in a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kushvinder Kumar
- Department
of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Binita Sihag
- Department
of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Madhuri T. Patil
- Mehr
Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Sector 36A, Chandigarh 160 036, India
| | - Rahul Singh
- Department
of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Isaac G. Sakala
- Vaxine
Pty Ltd, 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College
of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders
University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Yoshikazu Honda-Okubo
- Vaxine
Pty Ltd, 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College
of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders
University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Kamal Nain Singh
- Department
of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine
Pty Ltd, 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College
of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders
University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Deepak B. Salunke
- Department
of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
- National
Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials
(NICOVIA), Panjab University, Chandigarh 160 014, India
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2
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Kaushik D, Kaur A, Patil MT, Sihag B, Piplani S, Sakala I, Honda-Okubo Y, Ramakrishnan S, Petrovsky N, Salunke DB. Structure-Activity Relationships toward the Identification of a High-Potency Selective Human Toll-like Receptor-7 Agonist. J Med Chem 2024; 67:8346-8360. [PMID: 38741265 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00464] [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: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Toll-like receptor (TLR)-7 agonists are immunostimulatory vaccine adjuvants. A systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of TLR7-active 1-benzyl-2-butyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine led to the identification of a potent hTLR7-specific p-hydroxymethyl IMDQ 23 with an EC50 value of 0.22 μM. The SAR investigation also resulted in the identification of TLR7 selective carboxamide 12 with EC50 values of 0.32 μM for hTLR7 and 18.25 μM for hTLR8. In the vaccination study, TLR7-specific compound 23 alone or combined with alum (aluminum hydroxide wet gel) showed adjuvant activity for a spike protein immunogen in mice, with enhanced anti-spike antibody production. Interestingly, the adjuvant system comprising carboxamide 12 and alum showed prominent adjuvant activity with high levels of IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG2c in immunized mice, confirming a balanced Th1/Th2 response. In the absence of any apparent toxicity, the TLR7 selective agonists in combination with alum may make a suitable vaccine adjuvant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepender Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Arshpreet Kaur
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Madhuri T Patil
- Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Sector 36A, Chandigarh 160 036, India
| | - Binita Sihag
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
| | - Sakshi Piplani
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Isaac Sakala
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Yoshikazu Honda-Okubo
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | | | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., 11 Walkley Avenue, Warradale, South Australia 5046, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
- National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccines, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials (NICOVIA), Panjab University, Chandigarh 160 014, India
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3
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Yang Q, Zhou L, Tan Z, Zhu Y, Mo L, Fang C, Li J, Chen C, Luo Y, Wei H, Yin W, Huang J. TLR7 enhancing follicular helper T (Tfh) cells response in C57BL/6 mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii NSM TLR7 mediated Tfh cells in P. yoelii infected mice. Immunology 2024; 171:413-427. [PMID: 38150744 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in inducing innate and acquired immune responses against infection. However, the effect of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) on follicular helper T (Tfh) cells in mice infected with Plasmodium is still not clear. The results showed that the splenic CD4+ CXCR5+ PD-1+ Tfh cells were accumulated after Plasmodium yoelii NSM infection, the content of splenic Tfh cells was correlated to parasitemia and/or the red blood cells (RBCs) counts in the blood. Moreover, the expression of TLR7 was found higher than TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 in splenic Tfh cells of the WT mice. TLR7 agonist R848 and the lysate of red blood cells of infected mice (iRBCs) could induce the activation and differentiation of splenic Tfh cells. Knockout of TLR7 leads to a decrease in the proportion of Tfh cells, down-regulated expression of functional molecules CD40L, IFN-γ, IL-21 and IL-10 in Tfh cells; decreased the proportion of plasma cells and antibody production and reduces the expression of STAT3 and Ikzf2 in Tfh cells. Administration of R848 could inhibit parasitemia, enhance splenic Tfh cell activation and increase STAT3 and Ikzf2 expression in Tfh cells. In summary, this study shows that TLR7 could regulate the function of Tfh cells, affecting the immune response in the spleen of Plasmodium yoelii NSM-infected mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lu Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhengrong Tan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiqiang Zhu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lengshan Mo
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Fang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiajie Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
| | - Ying Luo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
| | - Haixia Wei
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiguo Yin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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4
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Avoni A, Vemireddy S, Sambyal S, Shafi S, Khan I, Khan A, Sampath Kumar HM. Synthesis and immunopharmacological evaluation of novel TLR7 agonistic triazole tethered imidazoquinolines. RSC Adv 2023; 13:1066-1077. [PMID: 36686935 PMCID: PMC9811562 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra06395f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Toll-like receptors-7 and -8 are expressed abundantly on antigen-presenting cells, and their agonists make potential adjuvant candidates for the development of new efficacious vaccines. In view of the importance of new efficacious imidazoquinoline based adjuvants, herein we have synthesized a focused library of a new class of imidazoquinolines retaining the N-isobutyl substitution of an imidazole moiety as in imiquimod and introduced a 1,2,3-triazolyl moiety upon alkyl substitution at the imidazolemethyne carbon employing triazolyl click chemistry. All the novel analogues were characterized using various spectroscopic techniques and the target specificity of these molecules was determined using HEK TLR7/8 transfected cell lines. TLR7/8 activity and also the molecular docking results correlated primarily to the position of the substituent for aromatic groups and also to the chain length in alkyl substitutions. The immunomodulatory properties of these analogues were evaluated using murine DC activation and also with hPBMC activation markers, cytokines which revealed that these analogues after modification were able to target the TLR7 receptors and also had a pro-inflammatory immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayyappa Avoni
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, OSPC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical TechnologyHyderabad 500007India+91-40-27160387+914027191824,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)GhaziabadUttar Pradesh 201 002India
| | - Sravanthi Vemireddy
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, OSPC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical TechnologyHyderabad 500007India+91-40-27160387+914027191824
| | - Shainy Sambyal
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, OSPC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical TechnologyHyderabad 500007India+91-40-27160387+914027191824
| | - Syed Shafi
- Department of Chemistry, Hamdard UniversityHamdard NagarNew DelhiDelhi 110062India
| | - Imran Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Hamdard UniversityHamdard NagarNew DelhiDelhi 110062India
| | - Aarif Khan
- Department of Chemistry, Hamdard UniversityHamdard NagarNew DelhiDelhi 110062India
| | - Halmuthur M. Sampath Kumar
- Vaccine Immunology Laboratory, OSPC Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical TechnologyHyderabad 500007India+91-40-27160387+914027191824,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)GhaziabadUttar Pradesh 201 002India
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5
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Rathee J, Kaur A, Kanwar R, Kaushik D, Kumar R, Salunke DB, Mehta S. Polymeric Nanoparticles as a Promising Drug Delivery Platform for the Efficacious Delivery of Toll-Like Receptor 7/8 Agonists and IDO-Inhibitor. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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6
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Feng Y, Xie H, Shi F, Chen D, Xie A, Li J, Fang C, Wei H, Huang H, Pan X, Tang X, Huang J. Roles of TLR7 in Schistosoma japonicum Infection-Induced Hepatic Pathological Changes in C57BL/6 Mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:754299. [PMID: 34692568 PMCID: PMC8531751 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.754299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
S. japonicum infection can induce granulomatous inflammation in the liver of the host. Granulomatous inflammation limits the spread of infection and plays a role in host protection. Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is an endosomal TLR that recognizes single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). In this study, the role of TLR7 in S. japonicum infection-induced hepatitis was investigated in both normal and TLR7 knockout (KO) C57BL/6 mice. The results indicated that TLR7 KO could aggravate S. japonicum infection-induced damage in the body, with less granuloma formation in the tissue, lower WBCs in blood, and decreased ALT and AST in the serum. Then, the expression of TLR7 was detected in isolated hepatic lymphocytes. The results indicated that the percentage of TLR7+ cells was increased in the infected mice. Hepatic macrophages, DCs, and B cells could express TLR7, and most of the TLR7-expressing cells in the liver of infected mice were macrophages. The percentage of TLR7-expressing macrophages was also increased after infection. Moreover, macrophages, T cells, and B cells showed significant changes in the counts, activation-associated molecule expression, and cytokine secretion between S. japonicum-infected WT and TLR7 KO mice. Altogether, this study indicated that TLR7 could delay the progression of S. japonicum infection-induced hepatitis mainly through macrophages. DCs, B cells, and T cells were involved in the TLR7-mediated immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfa Feng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongyan Xie
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feihu Shi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dianhui Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anqi Xie
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiajie Li
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Fang
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haixia Wei
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - He Huang
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xingfei Pan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Tang
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Huang
- China Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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7
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Kaushik D, Granato JT, Macedo GC, Dib PRB, Piplani S, Fung J, da Silva AD, Coimbra ES, Petrovsky N, Salunke DB. Toll-like receptor-7/8 agonist kill Leishmania amazonensis by acting as pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory agent. J Pharm Pharmacol 2021; 73:1180-1190. [PMID: 33940589 PMCID: PMC8359742 DOI: 10.1093/jpp/rgab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Evaluation of the anti-Leishmanial activity of imidazoquinoline-based TLR7/8 agonists. METHODS TLR7/8-active imidazoquinolines (2 and 3) were synthesized and assessed for activity against Leishmania amazonensis-intracellular amastigotes using mouse peritoneal macrophages. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines was determined in infected and non-infected macrophages. KEY FINDINGS The imidazoquinolines, 2 and 3, were primarily agonists of TLR7 with compound 3 also showing modest TLR8 activity. Docking studies showed them to occupy the same binding pocket on TLR7 and 8 as the known agonists, imiquimod and resiquimod. Compounds 2 and 3 inhibited the growth of L. amazonensis-intracellular amastigotes with the most potent compound (3, IC50 = 5.93 µM) having an IC50 value close to miltefosine (IC50 = 4.05 µM), a known anti-Leishmanial drug. Compound 3 induced macrophages to produce ROS, NO and inflammatory cytokines that likely explain the anti-Leishmanial effects. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that activating TLR7 using compounds 2 or 3 induces anti-Leishmanial activity associated with induction of free radicals and inflammatory cytokines able to kill the parasites. While 2 and 3 had a very narrow cytotoxicity window for macrophages, this identifies the possibility to further develop this chemical scaffold to less cytotoxic TLR7/8 agonist for potential use as anti-Leishmanial drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepender Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Juliana T Granato
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Microbiologia e Imunologia, I.C.B., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gilson C Macedo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Microbiologia e Imunologia, I.C.B., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paula R B Dib
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Microbiologia e Imunologia, I.C.B., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Sakshi Piplani
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., Warradale, South Australia, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Johnson Fung
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., Warradale, South Australia, Australia
| | - Adilson D da Silva
- Departamento de Química, I.C.E., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elaine S Coimbra
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Microbiologia e Imunologia, I.C.B., Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Campus Universitário, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd., Warradale, South Australia, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
- National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccine, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials (NICOVIA), Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
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8
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Wang Z, Gao Y, He L, Sun S, Xia T, Hu L, Yao L, Wang L, Li D, Shi H, Liao X. Structure-Based Design of Highly Potent Toll-like Receptor 7/8 Dual Agonists for Cancer Immunotherapy. J Med Chem 2021; 64:7507-7532. [PMID: 34048243 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the toll-like receptors 7 and 8 has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a series of pyrido[3,2-d]pyrimidine-based toll-like receptor 7/8 dual agonists that exhibited potent and near-equivalent agonistic activities toward TLR7 and TLR8. In vitro, compounds 24e and 25a significantly induced the secretion of IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-12p40, and IP-10 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell assays. In vivo, compounds 24e, 24m, and 25a significantly suppressed tumor growth in CT26 tumor-bearing mice by remodeling the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, compounds 24e, 24m, and 25a markedly improved the antitumor activity of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. In particular, compound 24e combined with the anti-PD-L1 antibody led to complete tumor regression. These results demonstrated that TLR7/8 agonists (24e, 24m, and 25a) held great potential as single agents or in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhisong Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.,Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yan Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.,Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100026, China
| | - Lei He
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shuhao Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tingting Xia
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Lu Hu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Licheng Yao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Liangliang Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Dan Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Hui Shi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.,Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xuebin Liao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.,Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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9
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Kaushik D, Kaur A, Petrovsky N, Salunke DB. Structural evolution of toll-like receptor 7/8 agonists from imidazoquinolines to imidazoles. RSC Med Chem 2021; 12:1065-1120. [PMID: 34355178 DOI: 10.1039/d1md00031d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Several synthetic heterocyclic small molecules like imiquimod, resiquimod, CL097, CL075, bromopirone, tilorone, loxoribine and isatoribine demonstrated TLR7/8 agonistic activity and relatively modest structural changes in such molecules result in major variation in the TLR7 and/or TLR8 activity. A strict dependency of the electronic configuration of the heterocyclic system was also observed to influence the agonistic activity. In the present review, an evolution of imidazole based TLR7/8 agonist from imidazoquinoline based scaffold is delineated along with the elaboration of detailed structure activity relationship (SAR) in each chemotype. The structural and activity details of not only the active compounds but also the related inactive compounds are included to better understand the SAR. TLR7/8 agonists are emerging as promising vaccine adjuvant candidates and the present SAR and structural information will provide a road map towards the identification of more potent and appropriate candidates for further drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepender Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
| | - Arshpreet Kaur
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd 11 Walkley Avenue Warradale 5046 Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Bedford Park 5042 Australia
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University Chandigarh 160014 India .,National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccine, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials, Panjab University Chandigarh 160014 India
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10
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Gao W, Sun X, Li D, Sun L, He Y, Wei H, Jin F, Cao Y. Toll-like receptor 4, Toll-like receptor 7 and Toll-like receptor 9 agonists enhance immune responses against blood-stage Plasmodium chabaudi infection in BALB/c mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2020; 89:107096. [PMID: 33091818 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.107096] [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: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toll-like receptor (TLR) signals play vital roles during the blood-stage of malaria infections. However, the roles of TLR agonists in the regulation of immune responses and the development of protective immunity to malaria remain poorly understood. METHOD BALB/c mice were pre-treated with TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonists, followed by infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. After infection, splenic dendritic cells (DCs), Th1 cells and programmed death-1 (PD-1) expressed on Th1 cells, as well as regulatory T cells (Tregs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β and IL-10 in splenocytes and IgG1 and IgG2a in serum were measured by ELISA. RESULT Administration of TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonists prior to infection improved disease outcomes. All TLR agonists promoted DC activation, and the proportions of Th1 cells increased. In TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonist treated groups the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α were elevated, and IgG1 and IgG2a serum levels were also significantly increased. TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonists diminished the activation of Tregs and down-regulated the anti-inflammatory cytokines TGF-β and IL-10. Finally, PD-1 expressed on Th1 cells were decreased in TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonist treated groups compared with control groups. CONCLUSION TLR4, TLR7 and TLR9 agonists activated DC-mediated innate immune responses and adaptive immune response, which against the blood-stage of Plasmodium and might be applied to malaria protection and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Gao
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China; Department of Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning, China.
| | - Xiaodan Sun
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Danni Li
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Lin Sun
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Yang He
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Huanping Wei
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China.
| | - Feng Jin
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning, China.
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China.
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11
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Kaushik D, Dhingra S, Patil MT, Piplani S, Khanna V, Honda-Okubo Y, Li L, Fung J, Sakala IG, Salunke DB, Petrovsky N. BBIQ, a pure TLR7 agonist, is an effective influenza vaccine adjuvant. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:1989-1996. [PMID: 32298200 PMCID: PMC7482670 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2019.1710409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Better adjuvants are needed for vaccines against seasonal influenza. TLR7 agonists are potent activators of innate immune responses and thereby may be promising adjuvants. Among the imidazoquinoline compounds, 1-benzyl-2-butyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine (BBIQ) was reported to be a highly active TLR7 agonist but has remained relatively unexplored because of its commercial unavailability. Indeed, in silico molecular modeling studies predicted that BBIQ had a higher TLR7 docking score and binding free energy than imiquimod, the gold standard TLR7 agonist. To circumvent the availability issue, we developed an improved and higher yield method to synthesize BBIQ. Testing BBIQ on human and mouse TLR7 reporter cell lines confirmed it to be TLR7 specific with significantly higher potency than imiquimod. To test its adjuvant potential, BBIQ or imiquimod were admixed with recombinant influenza hemagglutinin protein and administered to mice as two intramuscular immunizations 2 weeks apart. Serum anti-influenza IgG responses assessed by ELISA 2 weeks after the second immunization confirmed that the mice that received vaccine admixed with BBIQ had significantly higher anti-influenza IgG1 and IgG2c responses than mice immunized with antigen alone or admixed with imiquimod. This confirmed BBIQ to be a TLR7-specific adjuvant able to enhance humoral immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepender Kaushik
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Simran Dhingra
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Madhuri T Patil
- Department of Chemistry, Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women , Chandigarh, India
| | - Sakshi Piplani
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Varun Khanna
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Yoshikazu Honda-Okubo
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Lei Li
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | | | - Isaac G Sakala
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
| | - Deepak B Salunke
- Department of Chemistry and Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University , Chandigarh, India.,National Interdisciplinary Centre of Vaccine, Immunotherapeutics and Antimicrobials (NICOVIA), Panjab University , Chandigarh, India
| | - Nikolai Petrovsky
- Vaxine Pty Ltd , Warradale, Australia.,College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University , Adelaide, Australia
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12
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Gao W, Sun X, Li D, Sun L, He Y, Wei H, Jin F, Cao Y. Toll-like receptor 7 and Toll-like receptor 9 agonists effectively enhance immunological memory in Plasmodium chabaudi infected BALB/c mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2020; 81:106248. [PMID: 32007799 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.106248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Gao
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China; Department of Obstetrics, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning, China
| | - Xiaodan Sun
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Danni Li
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Lin Sun
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Yang He
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Huanping Wei
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China
| | - Feng Jin
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning, China
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, Basic Medicine College of China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning, China.
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