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Warren WG, Osborn M, Duffy P, Yates A, O'Sullivan SE. Potential safety implications of fatty acid-binding protein inhibition. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2024; 491:117079. [PMID: 39218163 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2024.117079] [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] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are small intracellular proteins that regulate fatty acid metabolism, transport, and signalling. There are ten known human isoforms, many of which are upregulated and involved in clinical pathologies. As such, FABP inhibition may be beneficial in disease states such as cancer, and those involving the cardiovascular system, metabolism, immunity, and cognition. Recently, a potent, selective FABP5 inhibitor (ART26.12), with 90-fold selectivity to FABP3 and 20-fold selectivity to FABP7, was found to be remarkably benign, with a no-observed-adverse-effect level of 1000 mg/kg in rats and dogs, showing no genotoxicity, cardiovascular, central, or respiratory toxicity. To understand the potential implication of FABP inhibition more fully, this review systematically assessed literature investigating genetic knockout, knockdown, and pharmacological inhibition of FABP3, FABP4, FABP5, or FABP7. Analysis of the literature revealed that animals bred not to express FABPs showed the most biological effects, suggesting key roles of these proteins during development. FABP ablation sometimes exacerbated symptoms of disease models, particularly those linked to metabolism, inflammatory and immune responses, cardiac contractility, neurogenesis, and cognition. However, FABP inhibition (genetic silencing or pharmacological) had a positive effect in many more disease conditions. Several polymorphisms of each FABP gene have also been linked to pathological conditions, but it was unclear how several polymorphisms affected protein function. Overall, analysis of the literature to date suggests that pharmacological inhibition of FABPs in adults is of low risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Warren
- Artelo Biosciences Limited, Alderley Park, Cheshire SK10 4TG, United Kingdom.
| | - Myles Osborn
- Artelo Biosciences Limited, Alderley Park, Cheshire SK10 4TG, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Duffy
- Apconix Ltd., Alderley Park, Cheshire SK10 4TG, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Yates
- Artelo Biosciences Limited, Alderley Park, Cheshire SK10 4TG, United Kingdom
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2
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Chen S, Pan Z, Liu M, Guo L, Jiang X, He G. Recent Advances on Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Lipocalin-like Proteins. J Med Chem 2024; 67:5144-5167. [PMID: 38525852 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00086] [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: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are crucial players in nonvesicular lipid trafficking. LTPs sharing a lipocalin lipid transfer domain (lipocalin-like proteins) have a wide range of biological functions, such as regulating immune responses and cell proliferation, differentiation, and death as well as participating in the pathogenesis of inflammatory, metabolic, and neurological disorders and cancer. Therefore, the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting these LTPs is important and has potential clinical applications. Herein, we summarize the structure and function of lipocalin-like proteins, mainly including retinol-binding proteins, lipocalins, and fatty acid-binding proteins and discuss the recent advances on small-molecule inhibitors for these protein families and their applications in disease treatment. The findings of our Perspective can provide guidance for the development of inhibitors of these LTPs and highlight the challenges that might be faced during the procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siliang Chen
- Department of Dermatology & Venerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Zhaoping Pan
- Department of Dermatology & Venerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Mingxia Liu
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Linghong Guo
- Department of Dermatology & Venerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xian Jiang
- Department of Dermatology & Venerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Gu He
- Department of Dermatology & Venerology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Grosser B, Emmerson J, Reitsam NG, Cunningham D, Nankivell M, Langley RE, Allum WH, Trepel M, Märkl B, Grabsch HI. Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) improves prognostic risk stratification of perioperative chemotherapy treated oesophagogastric cancer patients from the MAGIC and the ST03 trial. Br J Cancer 2024; 130:457-466. [PMID: 38123705 PMCID: PMC10844337 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02515-4] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tumour-associated fat cells without desmoplastic stroma reaction at the invasion front (Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA)) is a prognostic biomarker in gastric and colon cancer. The clinical utility of the SARIFA status in oesophagogastric cancer patients treated with perioperative chemotherapy is currently unknown. METHODS The SARIFA status was determined in tissue sections from patients recruited into the MAGIC (n = 292) or ST03 (n = 693) trials treated with surgery alone (S, MAGIC) or perioperative chemotherapy (MAGIC, ST03). The relationship between SARIFA status, clinicopathological factors, overall survival (OS) and treatment was analysed. RESULTS The SARIFA status was positive in 42% MAGIC trial S patients, 28% MAGIC and 48% ST03 patients after pre-operative chemotherapy. SARIFA status was related to OS in MAGIC trial S patients and was an independent prognostic biomarker in ST03 trial patients (HR 1.974, 95% CI 1.555-2.507, p < 0.001). ST03 patients with lymph node metastasis (ypN + ) and SARIFA-positive tumours had poorer OS than patients with ypN+ and SARIFA-negative tumours (plogrank < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The SARIFA status has clinical utility as prognostic biomarker in oesophagogastric cancer patients irrespective of treatment modality. Whilst underlying biological mechanisms warrant further investigation, the SARIFA status might be used to identify new drug targets, potentially enabling repurposing of existing drugs targeting lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Grosser
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Jake Emmerson
- Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Nic G Reitsam
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - David Cunningham
- Department of Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, UK
| | - Matthew Nankivell
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth E Langley
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, London, UK
| | - William H Allum
- Department of Oncology and Department of Surgery, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Martin Trepel
- Haematology and Oncology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Märkl
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Heike I Grabsch
- Department of Pathology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Division of Pathology and Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's University, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Grosser B, Heyer CM, Austgen J, Sipos E, Reitsam NG, Hauser A, VanSchoiack A, Kroeppler D, Vlasenko D, Probst A, Novotny A, Weichert W, Keller G, Schlesner M, Märkl B. Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) proves prognostic relevance in gastric carcinoma and is based on a tumor-adipocyte interaction indicating an altered immune response. Gastric Cancer 2024; 27:72-85. [PMID: 37874427 PMCID: PMC10761465 DOI: 10.1007/s10120-023-01436-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, we presented Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) as a new histomorphologic negative prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer. It is defined as direct contact between tumor cells and fat cells. The aim of this study was to further elucidate the underlying genomic, transcriptional, and immunological mechanisms of the SARIFA phenomenon. METHODS To address these questions, SARIFA was classified on H&E-stained tissue sections of three cohorts: an external cohort (n = 489, prognostic validation), the TCGA-STAD cohort (n = 194, genomic and transcriptomic analysis), and a local cohort (n = 60, digital spatial profiling (whole transcriptome) and double RNA in situ hybridization/immunostaining of cytokines). RESULTS SARIFA status proved to be an independent negative prognostic factor for overall survival in an external cohort of gastric carcinomas. In TCGA-STAD cohort, SARIFA is not driven by distinct genomic alterations, whereas the gene expression analyses showed an upregulation of FABP4 in SARIFA-positive tumors. In addition, the transcriptional regulations of white adipocyte differentiation, triglyceride metabolism, and catabolism were upregulated in pathway analyses. In the DSP analysis of SARIFA-positive tumors, FABP4 and the transcriptional regulation of white adipocyte differentiation were upregulated in macrophages. Additionally, a significantly lower expression of the cytokines IL6 and TNFα was observed at the invasion front. CONCLUSIONS SARIFA proves to be a strong negative prognostic biomarker in advanced gastric cancer, implicating an interaction of tumor cells with tumor-promoting adipocytes with crucial changes in tumor cell metabolism. SARIFA is not driven by tumor genetics but is very likely driven by an altered immune response as a causative mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Grosser
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstraße 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany.
| | - Christian M Heyer
- Biomedical Informatics, Data Mining and Data Analytics, Faculty of Applied Computer Science and Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Austgen
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstraße 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Eva Sipos
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstraße 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Nic G Reitsam
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstraße 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hauser
- Biomedical Informatics, Data Mining and Data Analytics, Faculty of Applied Computer Science and Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Dmytro Vlasenko
- General and Visceral Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Probst
- Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Novotny
- Department of Surgery, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Wilko Weichert
- Institute of Pathology, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gisela Keller
- Institute of Pathology, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Schlesner
- Biomedical Informatics, Data Mining and Data Analytics, Faculty of Applied Computer Science and Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Märkl
- Pathology, Medical Faculty Augsburg, Institute of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstraße 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany
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Floresta G, Crocetti L, Silva RRDO, Patamia V, Mazzacuva F, Chen YCS, Vergelli C, Cilibrizzi A. Optimization of 4-amino-pyridazin-3(2H)-one as a valid core scaffold for FABP4 inhibitors. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2300314. [PMID: 37518500 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300314] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Current clinical research suggests that fatty acid-binding protein 4 inhibitors (FABP4is), which are of biological and therapeutic interest, may show potential in treating cancer and other illnesses. We sought to uncover new structures through the optimization of the previously reported 4-amino and 4-ureido pyridazinone-based series of FABP4is as part of a larger research effort to create more potent FABP4 inhibitors. This led to the identification of 14e as the most potent analog with IC50 = 1.57 μM, which is lower than the IC50 of the positive control. Advanced modeling investigations and in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion - toxicity calculations suggested that 14e represents a potential candidate for in vivo studies such as FABP4i.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Floresta
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Letizia Crocetti
- Department of NEUROFARBA-Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Patamia
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Francesca Mazzacuva
- School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London, UK
| | | | - Claudia Vergelli
- Department of NEUROFARBA-Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Agostino Cilibrizzi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, UK
- Medicines Development, Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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6
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Patamia V, Zagni C, Brullo I, Saccullo E, Coco A, Floresta G, Rescifina A. Computer-Assisted Design of Peptide-Based Radiotracers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6856. [PMID: 37047831 PMCID: PMC10095039 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076856] [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] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In medical imaging, techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, contrast-enhanced computerized tomography, positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are extensively available and routinely used for disease diagnosis. PET probes with peptide-based targeting are typically composed of small peptides especially developed to have high affinity and specificity for a range of cellular and tissue targets. These probes' key benefits include being less expensive than traditional antibody-based PET tracers and having an effective chemical modification process that allows them to be radiolabeled with almost any radionuclide, making them highly appealing for clinical usage. Currently, as with every pharmaceutical design, the use of in silico strategies is steadily growing in this field, even though it is not part of the standard toolkit used during radiopharmaceutical design. This review describes the recent applications of computational design approaches in the design of novel peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Floresta
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; (V.P.); (C.Z.)
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; (V.P.); (C.Z.)
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7
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Tomarchio R, Patamia V, Zagni C, Crocetti L, Cilibrizzi A, Floresta G, Rescifina A. Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulations Study on FABP4 Inhibitors. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28062731. [PMID: 36985701 PMCID: PMC10058326 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Ordinary small molecule de novo drug design is time-consuming and expensive. Recently, computational tools were employed and proved their efficacy in accelerating the overall drug design process. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and a derivative of MD, steered molecular dynamics (SMD), turned out to be promising rational drug design tools. In this paper, we report the first application of SMD to evaluate the binding properties of small molecules toward FABP4, considering our recent interest in inhibiting fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4). FABP4 inhibitors (FABP4is) are small molecules of therapeutic interest, and ongoing clinical studies indicate that they are promising for treating cancer and other diseases such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Tomarchio
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Patamia
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Zagni
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Letizia Crocetti
- Department Neurofarba, Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Agostino Cilibrizzi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Giuseppe Floresta
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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Heparan Sulfate and Enoxaparin Interact at the Interface of the Spike Protein of HCoV-229E but Not with HCoV-OC43. Viruses 2023; 15:v15030663. [PMID: 36992372 PMCID: PMC10056857 DOI: 10.3390/v15030663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is known that the spike protein of human coronaviruses can bind to a secondary receptor, or coreceptor, to facilitate the virus entry. While HCoV-229E uses human aminopeptidase N (hAPN) as a receptor, HCoV-OC43 binds to 9-O-acetyl-sialic acid (9-O-Ac-Sia), which is linked in a terminal way to the oligosaccharides that decorate glycoproteins and gangliosides on the surface of the host cell. Thus, evaluating the possible inhibitory activity of heparan sulfate, a linear polysaccharide found in animal tissues, and enoxaparin sodium on these viral strains can be considered attractive. Therefore, our study also aims to evaluate these molecules’ antiviral activity as possible adsorption inhibitors against non-SARS-CoV. Once the molecules’ activity was verified in in vitro experiments, the binding was studied by molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations confirming the interactions at the interface of the spike proteins.
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9
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Patamia V, Floresta G, Zagni C, Pistarà V, Punzo F, Rescifina A. 1,2-Dibenzoylhydrazine as a Multi-Inhibitor Compound: A Morphological and Docking Study. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:1425. [PMID: 36674938 PMCID: PMC9864281 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In the framework of the multitarget inhibitor study, we report an in silico analysis of 1,2-dibenzoylhydrazine (DBH) with respect to three essential receptors such as the ecdysone receptor (EcR), urease, and HIV-integrase. Starting from a crystallographic structural study of accidentally harvested crystals of this compound, we performed docking studies to evaluate the inhibitory capacity of DBH toward three selected targets. A crystal morphology prediction was then performed. The results of our molecular modeling calculations indicate that DBH is an excellent candidate as a ligand to inhibit the activity of EcR receptors and urease. Docking studies also revealed the activity of DBH on the HIV integrase receptor, providing an excellent starting point for developing novel inhibitors using this molecule as a starting lead compound.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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10
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Fuochi V, Spampinato M, Distefano A, Palmigiano A, Garozzo D, Zagni C, Rescifina A, Li Volti G, Furneri PM. Soluble peptidoglycan fragments produced by Limosilactobacillus fermentum with antiproliferative activity are suitable for potential therapeutic development: A preliminary report. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1082526. [PMID: 36876040 PMCID: PMC9975264 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1082526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, the use of probiotic strains and their products represents a promising innovative approach as an antagonist treatment against many human diseases. Previous studies showed that a strain of Limosilactobacillus fermentum (LAC92), previously defined as Lactobacillus fermentum, exhibited a suitable amensalistic property. The present study aimed to purify the active components from LAC92 to evaluate the biological properties of soluble peptidoglycan fragments (SPFs). The cell-free supernatant (CFS) and bacterial cells were separated after 48 h of growth in MRS medium broth and treated for isolation of SPFs. Antimicrobial activity and proliferation analysis on the human cell line HTC116 were performed using technologies such as xCELLigence, count and viability, and clonogenic analysis. MALDI-MS investigation and docking analysis were performed to determine the molecular structure and hypothetical mode of action, respectively. Our results showed that the antimicrobial activity was mainly due to SPFs. Moreover, the results obtained when investigating the SPF effect on the cell line HCT116 showed substantial preliminary evidence, suggesting their significant cytostatic and quite antiproliferative properties. Although MALDI was unable to identify the molecular structure, it was subsequently revealed by analysis of the bacterial genome. The amino acid structure is called peptide 92. Furthermore, we confirmed by molecular docking studies the interaction of peptide 92 with MDM2 protein, the negative regulator of p53. This study showed that SPFs from the LAC92 strain exerted anticancer effects on the human colon cancer HCT116 cell line via antiproliferation and inducing apoptosis. These findings indicated that this probiotic strain might be a potential candidate for applications in functional products in the future. Further examination is needed to understand the specific advantages of this probiotic strain and improve its functional features to confirm these data. Moreover, deeper research on peptide 92 could increase our knowledge and help us understand if it will be possible to apply to specific diseases such as CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Fuochi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche (BIOMETEC), Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Mariarita Spampinato
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche (BIOMETEC), Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Alfio Distefano
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche (BIOMETEC), Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Angelo Palmigiano
- CNR, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), Catania, Italy
| | - Domenico Garozzo
- CNR, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Zagni
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Giovanni Li Volti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche (BIOMETEC), Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Pio Maria Furneri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologiche (BIOMETEC), Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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11
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Crocetti L, Floresta G, Zagni C, Merugu D, Mazzacuva F, de Oliveira Silva RR, Vergelli C, Giovannoni MP, Cilibrizzi A. Ligand Growing Experiments Suggested 4-amino and 4-ureido pyridazin-3(2 H)-one as Novel Scaffold for FABP4 Inhibition. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1335. [PMID: 36355506 PMCID: PMC9697826 DOI: 10.3390/ph15111335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) inhibitors are of synthetic and therapeutic interest and ongoing clinical studies indicate that they may be a promise for the treatment of cancer, as well as other diseases. As part of a broader research effort to develop more effective FABP4 inhibitors, we sought to identify new structures through a two-step computing assisted molecular design based on the established scaffold of a co-crystallized ligand. Novel and potent FABP4 inhibitors have been developed using this approach and herein we report the synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of the 4-amino and 4-ureido pyridazinone-based series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Crocetti
- Dipartimento NEUROFARBA—Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Floresta
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Zagni
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Divya Merugu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
| | - Francesca Mazzacuva
- School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, University of East London, London E15 4LZ, UK
| | | | - Claudia Vergelli
- Dipartimento NEUROFARBA—Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Giovannoni
- Dipartimento NEUROFARBA—Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Section, via Ugo Schiff 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
| | - Agostino Cilibrizzi
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK
- Medicines Development, Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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12
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Floresta G, Patamia V, Zagni C, Rescifina A. Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) inhibitors. An update from 2017 to early 2022. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 240:114604. [PMID: 35849941 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114604] [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: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a protein predominantly expressed in macrophages and adipose tissue, where it regulates fatty acids storage and lipolysis and is an essential mediator of inflammation. Small molecule inhibitors of FABP4 have attracted interest following the recent publications of beneficial pharmacological effects of these compounds for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and, more recently, for other pathologies. Since the synthesis of the BMS309403, one of the first selective and effective FABP4 inhibitors, hundreds of other inhibitors have been synthesized (i.e., derivatives of niacin, quinoxaline, aryl-quinoline, bicyclic pyridine, urea, aromatic compounds and other novel heterocyclic compounds). This review updates the recently reported (2017 to early 2022) molecules as adipocyte fatty acid binding protein 4 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Floresta
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
| | - Vincenzo Patamia
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Zagni
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università di Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
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13
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Synthesis and inverse virtual screening of new bi-cyclic structures towards cancer-relevant cellular targets. Struct Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-022-01889-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWe report here synthetic approaches to access new classes of small molecules based on three heterocyclic scaffolds, i.e. 3,7-dihydropyrimido[4,5-d]pyridazine-4,8-dione, 1,8-naphthyridin-4(1H)-one and 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one. The bi-cyclic structure 3,7-dihydropyrimido[4,5-d]pyridazine-4,8-dione is a new heterocycle, described here for the first time. In silico methodologies of inverse virtual screening have been used to preliminary analyse the molecules, in order to explore their potential as hits for chemical biology investigations. Our computational study has been conducted with 43 synthetically accessible small molecules towards 31 cellular proteins involved in cancer pathogenesis. Binding energies were quantified using molecular docking calculations, allowing to define the relative affinities of the ligands for the cellular targets. Through this methodology, 16 proteins displayed effective interactions with distinct small molecules within the matrix. In addition, 23 ligands have demonstrated high affinity for at least one cellular protein, using as reference the co-crystallised ligand in the X-ray structure. The evaluation of ADME and drug score for selected hits also highlights that these new molecular series can serve as sources of lead candidates for further structure optimisation and biological studies.
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14
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Seleem MA, Wood NA, Brinkworth AJ, Manam S, Carabeo RA, Murthy AK, Ouellette SP, Conda-Sheridan M. In Vitro and In Vivo Activity of (Trifluoromethyl)pyridines as Anti- Chlamydia trachomatis Agents. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:227-241. [PMID: 34935346 PMCID: PMC9516413 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading pathogen in sexually transmitted bacterial infections across the globe. The development of a selective treatment against this pathogen could be an attractive therapeutic option that will reduce the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Previously, we reported some sulfonylpyridine-based compounds that showed selectivity against C. trachomatis. Here, we describe a set of related compounds that display enhanced anti-chlamydial potency when compared to our early leads. We found that the active molecules are bactericidal and have no impact on Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli strains. Importantly, the molecules were not toxic to mammalian cells. Furthermore, a combination of molecule 20 (the most active molecule) and azithromycin at subinhibitory concentrations acted synergistically to inhibit chlamydial growth. Molecule 20 also eradicated Chlamydia in a 3D infection model and accelerated the recovery of Chlamydia-infected mice. This work presents compounds that could be further developed to be used alone or in combination with existing treatment regimens against chlamydial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Seleem
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Nicholas A. Wood
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Amanda J. Brinkworth
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Srikanth Manam
- Department of Pathology and Population Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona 85308, United States
| | - Rey A. Carabeo
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Ashlesh K. Murthy
- Department of Pathology and Population Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona 85308, United States
| | - Scot P. Ouellette
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Martin Conda-Sheridan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
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15
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Fallica A, Sorrenti V, D’Amico AG, Salerno L, Romeo G, Intagliata S, Consoli V, Floresta G, Rescifina A, D’Agata V, Vanella L, Pittalà V. Discovery of Novel Acetamide-Based Heme Oxygenase-1 Inhibitors with Potent In Vitro Antiproliferative Activity. J Med Chem 2021; 64:13373-13393. [PMID: 34472337 PMCID: PMC8474116 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) promotes heme catabolism exercising cytoprotective roles in normal and cancer cells. Herein, we report the design, synthesis, molecular modeling, and biological evaluation of novel HO-1 inhibitors. Specifically, an amide linker in the central spacer and an imidazole were fixed, and the hydrophobic moiety required by the pharmacophore was largely modified. In many tumors, overexpression of HO-1 correlates with poor prognosis and chemoresistance, suggesting the inhibition of HO-1 as a possible antitumor strategy. Accordingly, compounds 7i and 7l-p emerged for their potency against HO-1 and were investigated for their anticancer activity against prostate (DU145), lung (A549), and glioblastoma (U87MG, A172) cancer cells. The selected compounds showed the best activity toward U87MG cells. Compound 7l was further investigated for its in-cell enzymatic HO-1 activity, expression levels, and effects on cell invasion and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) extracellular release. The obtained data suggest that 7l can reduce cell invasivity acting through modulation of HO-1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino
N. Fallica
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Sorrenti
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Agata G. D’Amico
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Loredana Salerno
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Romeo
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Valeria Consoli
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Floresta
- Department
of Analytics, Environmental & Forensics, King’s College London, Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, U.K.
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Velia D’Agata
- Sections
of Human Anatomy and Histology, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological
Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Luca Vanella
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Pittalà
- Department
of Drug and Health Sciences, University
of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
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16
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Fu L, Chen Y, Xu CM, Wu T, Guo HM, Lin ZH, Wang R, Shu M. 3D-QSAR, HQSAR, molecular docking, and new compound design study of 1,3,6-trisubstituted 1,4-diazepan-7-ones as human KLK7 inhibitors. Med Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-020-02542-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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17
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Floresta G, Patamia V, Gentile D, Molteni F, Santamato A, Rescifina A, Vecchio M. Repurposing of FDA-Approved Drugs for Treating Iatrogenic Botulism: A Paired 3D-QSAR/Docking Approach †. ChemMedChem 2019; 15:256-262. [PMID: 31774239 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is widely used for the treatment of spasticity, focal dystonia, chronic migraine, facial hemispasm, and facial aesthetic treatments. Generally, treatment with botulinum toxin is a safe procedure when conducted by clinicians with expertise, and local side effects are rare and transient. However, occasionally adverse effects can occur due to the spread of the drug to nontargeted muscles and organs, producing dry mouth, fatigue, and flu-like symptoms, up to signs of systemic botulism, which appears to be more frequent in children treated for spasticity than in adults. In silico 3D-QSAR and molecular docking studies were performed to build a structure-based model on selected potent known botulinum neurotoxin type A inhibitors; this was used to screen the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database. Thirty molecules were identified as possible light-chain BoNT/A inhibitors. In this study, we applied a well-established ligand- and structure-based methodology for the identification of hit compounds among a database of FDA-approved drugs. The identification of budesonide, protirelin, and ciclesonide followed by other compounds can be considered a starting point for investigations of selected compounds that could bypass much of the time and costs involved in the drug approval process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Floresta
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Patamia
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Davide Gentile
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Franco Molteni
- Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Valduce Hospital, 23845, Costa Masnaga, Lecco, Italy
| | - Andrea Santamato
- Spasticity and Movement Disorders "ReSTaRt" Unit, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Section, OORR Hospital, University of Foggia, 71122, Foggia, Italy
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125, Catania, Italy.,Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale di ricerca in Metodologie e Processi Innovativi di Sintesi (C.I.N.M.P.S.), Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Michele Vecchio
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 67, 95123, Catania, Italy
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18
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Computational Tools in the Discovery of FABP4 Ligands: A Statistical and Molecular Modeling Approach. Mar Drugs 2019; 17:md17110624. [PMID: 31683588 PMCID: PMC6891735 DOI: 10.3390/md17110624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Small molecule inhibitors of adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) have received interest following the recent publication of their pharmacologically beneficial effects. Recently, it was revealed that FABP4 is an attractive molecular target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, other metabolic diseases, and some type of cancers. In past years, hundreds of effective FABP4 inhibitors have been synthesized and discovered, but, unfortunately, none have reached the clinical research phase. The field of computer-aided drug design seems to be promising and useful for the identification of FABP4 inhibitors; hence, different structure- and ligand-based computational approaches have been used for their identification. In this paper, we searched for new potentially active FABP4 ligands in the Marine Natural Products (MNP) database. We retrieved 14,492 compounds from this database and filtered through them with a statistical and computational filter. Seven compounds were suggested by our methodology to possess a potential inhibitory activity upon FABP4 in the range of 97–331 nM. ADMET property prediction was performed to validate the hypothesis of the interaction with the intended target and to assess the drug-likeness of these derivatives. From these analyses, three molecules that are excellent candidates for becoming new drugs were found.
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19
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Structure-Based Approach for the Prediction of Mu-opioid Binding Affinity of Unclassified Designer Fentanyl-Like Molecules. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092311. [PMID: 31083294 PMCID: PMC6539757 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Three quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for predicting the affinity of mu-opioid receptor (μOR) ligands have been developed. The resulted models, exploiting the accessibility of the QSAR modeling, generate a useful tool for the investigation and identification of unclassified fentanyl-like structures. The models have been built using a set of 115 molecules using Forge as a software, and the quality was confirmed by statistical analysis, resulting in being effective for their predictive and descriptive capabilities. The three different approaches were then combined to produce a consensus model and were exploited to explore the chemical landscape of 3000 fentanyl-like structures, generated by a theoretical scaffold-hopping approach. The findings of this study should facilitate the identification and classification of new μOR ligands with fentanyl-like structures.
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20
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Floresta G, Dichiara M, Gentile D, Prezzavento O, Marrazzo A, Rescifina A, Amata E. Morphing of Ibogaine: A Successful Attempt into the Search for Sigma-2 Receptor Ligands. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20030488. [PMID: 30678129 PMCID: PMC6386901 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ibogaine is a psychoactive indole alkaloid with high affinity for several targets including the σ2 receptor. Indeed, extensive data support the involvement of the σ2 receptor in neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse and pain. Due to its serious side effects which prevent ibogaine from potential clinical applications, novel ibogaine derivatives endowed with improved σ2 receptor affinity may be particularly beneficial. With the purpose to facilitate the investigation of iboga alkaloid derivatives which may serve as templates for the design of selective σ2 receptor ligands, here we report a deconstruction study on the ibogaine tricyclic moiety and a successive scaffold-hopping of the indole counterpart. A 3D-QSAR model has been applied to predict the σ2 pKi values of the new compounds, whereas a molecular docking study conducted upon the σ2 receptor built by homology modeling was used to further validate the best-scored molecules. We eventually evaluated pinoline, a carboline derivative, for σ2 receptor affinity through radioligand binding assay and the results confirmed the predicted high µM range of affinity and good selectivity. The obtained results could be helpful in the drug design process of new ibogaine simplified analogs with improved σ2 receptor binding capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Floresta
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Maria Dichiara
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Davide Gentile
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Orazio Prezzavento
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Agostino Marrazzo
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale di ricerca in Metodologie e Processi Innovativi di Sintesi (C.I.N.M.P.S.), Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy.
| | - Emanuele Amata
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125 Catania, Italy.
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