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New Compounds with Bioisosteric Replacement of Classic Choline Kinase Inhibitors Show Potent Antiplasmodial Activity. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13111842. [PMID: 34834257 PMCID: PMC8621770 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13111842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the fight against Malaria, new strategies need to be developed to avoid resistance of the parasite to pharmaceutics and other prevention barriers. Recently, a Host Directed Therapy approach based on the suppression of the starting materials uptake from the host by the parasite has provided excellent results. In this article, we propose the synthesis of bioisosteric compounds that are capable of inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum Choline Kinase and therefore to reduce choline uptake, which is essential for the development of the parasite. Of the 41 bioisosteric compounds reported herein, none showed any influence of the linker on the antimalarial and enzyme inhibitory activity, whereas an effect of the type of cationic heads used could be observed. SARs determined that the thienopyrimidine substituted in 4 by a pyrrolidine is the best scaffold, independently of the chosen linker. The decrease in lipophilicity seems to improve the antimalarial activity but to cause an opposite effect on the inhibition of the enzyme. While potent compounds with similar good inhibitory values have been related to the proposed mechanism of action, some of them still show discrepancies and further studies are needed to determine their specific molecular target.
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Rubio-Ruiz B, Serrán-Aguilera L, Hurtado-Guerrero R, Conejo-García A. Recent advances in the design of choline kinase α inhibitors and the molecular basis of their inhibition. Med Res Rev 2020; 41:902-927. [PMID: 33103259 DOI: 10.1002/med.21746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Upregulated choline metabolism, characterized by an increase in phosphocholine (PCho), is a hallmark of oncogenesis and tumor progression. Choline kinase (ChoK), the enzyme responsible for PCho synthesis, has consequently become a promising drug target for cancer therapy and as such a significant number of ChoK inhibitors have been developed over the last few decades. More recently, due to the role of this enzyme in other pathologies, ChoK inhibitors have also been used in new therapeutic approaches against malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we review research results in the field of ChoKα inhibitors from their synthesis to the molecular basis of their binding mode. Strategies for the development of inhibitors and their selectivity on ChoKα over ChoKβ, the plasticity of the choline-binding site, the discovery of new exploitable binding sites, and the allosteric properties of this enzyme are highlighted. The outcomes summarized in this review will be a useful guide to develop new multifunctional potent drugs for the treatment of various human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belén Rubio-Ruiz
- Department of Medicinal and Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Pfizer-University of Granada-Andalusian Regional Government Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain.,Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Lucía Serrán-Aguilera
- Department of Medicinal and Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ramón Hurtado-Guerrero
- Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Laboratorio de Microscopías Avanzada, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,ARAID Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ana Conejo-García
- Department of Medicinal and Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Du Y, Valenciano AL, Dai Y, Zheng Y, Zhang F, Zhang Y, Clement J, Goetz M, Kingston DGI, Cassera MB. Anibamine and Its Analogues: Potent Antiplasmodial Agents from Aniba citrifolia. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2020; 83:569-577. [PMID: 31577436 PMCID: PMC7103529 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In our continuing search for novel natural products with antiplasmodial activity, an extract of Aniba citrifolia was found to have good activity, with an IC50 value less than 1.25 μg/mL. After bioassay-directed fractionation, the known indolizinium alkaloid anibamine (1) and the new indolizinium alkaloid anibamine B (2) were isolated as the major bioactive constituents, with antiplasmodial IC50 values of 0.170 and 0.244 μM against the drug-resistant Dd2 strain of Plasmodium falciparum. The new coumarin anibomarin A (3), the new norneolignan anibignan A (5), and six known neolignans (7-12) were also obtained. The structures of all the isolated compounds were determined based on analyses of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data, and the absolute configuration of anibignan A (5) was assigned from its ECD spectrum. Evaluation of a library of 28 anibamine analogues (13-40) indicated that quaternary charged analogues had IC50 values as low as 58 nM, while uncharged analogues were inactive or significantly less active. Assessment of the potential effects of anibamine and its analogues on the intraerythrocytic stages and morphological development of P. falciparum revealed substantial activity against ring stages for compounds with two C-10 side chains, while those with only one C-10 side chain exhibited substantial activity against trophozoite stages, suggesting different mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongle Du
- Department of Chemistry and Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, M/C 0212, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Ana Lisa Valenciano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD), University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Yumin Dai
- Department of Chemistry and Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, M/C 0212, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Yi Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Feng Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, United States
| | - Jason Clement
- Natural Products Discovery Institute, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, 3805 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18902, United States
| | - Michael Goetz
- Natural Products Discovery Institute, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, 3805 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18902, United States
| | - David G. I. Kingston
- Department of Chemistry and Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, M/C 0212, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Maria B. Cassera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD), University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
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Chibli LA, Schmidt TJ, Nonato MC, Calil FA, Da Costa FB. Natural products as inhibitors of Leishmania major dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 157:852-866. [PMID: 30145372 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The flavoenzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) catalyzes the fourth reaction of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, which exerts vital functions in the cells, especially within DNA and RNA biosynthesis. Thus, this enzyme stands out as a new key molecular target for parasites causing Neglected Diseases (NDs). Focused on contributing to the development of new therapeutic alternatives for NDs, in this study, for the first time, a screening of 57 natural products for in vitro inhibition of Leishmania major DHODH (LmDHODH) was carried out, including cross validation against the human DHODH (HsDHODH). A subset of natural products consisting of 21 sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) was submitted to QSAR studies. Additionally, thermostability studies by differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) were performed to determine whether the STLs are effectively or not binding to the enzyme. The IC50 values against LmDHODH varied from 27 to 1200 μM; only irrelevant inhibition was obtained on HsDHODH. DSF assays confirmed binding of STLs to LmDHODH; moreover, it is suggested that such inhibitors might act in a different site other than the active site. A reliable QSAR model based on molecular descriptors was obtained (R2: 0.83; Q2CV: 0.69 and Q2EXT/F2: 0.66) indicating that stronger inhibition requires a balanced distribution of the hydrophobic regions across the molecular surface, as well as higher width and lower hydrophobicity of the molecules. A pharmacophore-based 3D-QSAR approach also afforded a useful model (R2: 0.72; Q2CV: 0.50 and Q2EXT/F2: 0.62), which confirmed the importance of proper orientation of the ligands, molecular surface features and shape for stronger inhibition, reflecting properties of a putative common binding site. These data indicated for the first time that natural products can actually inhibit LmDHODH and highlighted some metabolites as potentially interesting starting points for the discovery of more potent LmDHODH inhibitors, ultimately aiming at new effective therapeutic alternatives for leishmaniasis and, possibly, other NDs caused by trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas A Chibli
- AsterBioChem Research Team, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Thomas J Schmidt
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry (IPBP), University of Münster, PharmaCampus, Corrensstraße 48, Münster D-48149, Germany.
| | - M Cristina Nonato
- Laboratory of Protein Crystallography, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Felipe A Calil
- Laboratory of Protein Crystallography, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fernando B Da Costa
- AsterBioChem Research Team, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Schiafino-Ortega S, Baglioni E, Pérez-Moreno G, Marco PR, Marco C, González-Pacanowska D, Ruiz-Pérez LM, Carrasco-Jiménez MP, López-Cara LC. 1,2-Diphenoxiethane salts as potent antiplasmodial agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2018; 28:2485-2489. [PMID: 29880399 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In this article we present a series of non-cytotoxic potent human choline kinase (CK) inhibitors that exhibit nanomolar antiplasmodial activity in vitro. The most active antiplasmodial compounds, 10a-b, bearing a pyridinium cationic head were inactive against CK, while compounds 10g and 10j with a quinolinium moiety exhibit moderate inhibition of both the parasite and the enzyme. The results point towards an additional mechanism of action unrelated to CK inhibition that remains to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Schiafino-Ortega
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Eleonora Baglioni
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Guiomar Pérez-Moreno
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Pablo Rios Marco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Marco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Dolores González-Pacanowska
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Ruiz-Pérez
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - María Paz Carrasco-Jiménez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Luisa Carlota López-Cara
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain.
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Plasmodium falciparum Choline Kinase Inhibition Leads to a Major Decrease in Phosphatidylethanolamine Causing Parasite Death. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33189. [PMID: 27616047 PMCID: PMC5018819 DOI: 10.1038/srep33189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by different species of the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, with P. falciparum being the deadliest. Increasing parasitic resistance to existing antimalarials makes the necessity of novel avenues to treat this disease an urgent priority. The enzymes responsible for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are attractive drug targets to treat malaria as their selective inhibition leads to an arrest of the parasite's growth and cures malaria in a mouse model. We present here a detailed study that reveals a mode of action for two P. falciparum choline kinase inhibitors both in vitro and in vivo. The compounds present distinct binding modes to the choline/ethanolamine-binding site of P. falciparum choline kinase, reflecting different types of inhibition. Strikingly, these compounds primarily inhibit the ethanolamine kinase activity of the P. falciparum choline kinase, leading to a severe decrease in the phosphatidylethanolamine levels within P. falciparum, which explains the resulting growth phenotype and the parasites death. These studies provide an understanding of the mode of action, and act as a springboard for continued antimalarial development efforts selectively targeting P. falciparum choline kinase.
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