Recent updates for designing CCR5 antagonists as anti-retroviral agents

Nucleoside Analog Reverse-Transcriptase Inhibitors in Membrane Environment: Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The behavior of four drugs from the family of nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (zalcitabine, stavudine, didanosine, and apricitabine) in a membrane environment was traced using molecular dynamics simulations. The simulation models included bilayers and monolayers composed of POPC and POPG phospholipids. It was demonstrated that the drugs have a higher affinity towards POPG membranes than POPC membranes due to attractive long-range electrostatic interactions. The results obtained for monolayers were consistent with those obtained for bilayers. The drugs accumulated in the phospholipid polar headgroup region. Two adsorption modes were distinguished. They differed in the degree of penetration of the hydrophilic headgroup region. Hydrogen bonds between drug molecules and phospholipid heads were responsible for adsorption. It was shown that apricitabine penetrated the hydrophilic part of the POPC and POPG membranes more effectively than the other drugs. Van der Waals interactions between S atoms and lipids were responsible for this.

Fluorine in anti-HIV drugs approved by FDA from 1981 to 2023

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Nowadays, FDA has approved over thirty antiretroviral drugs grouped in six categories. Interestingly, one-third of these drugs contain different number of fluorine atoms. The introduction of fluorine to obtain drug-like compounds is a well-accepted strategy in medicinal chemistry. In this review, we summarized 11 fluorine-containing anti-HIV drugs, focusing on their efficacy, resistance, safety, and specific roles of fluorine in the development of each drug. These examples may be of help for the discovery of new drug candidates bearing fluorine in their structures.

Discovery, SAR study and ADME properties of methyl 4-amino-3-cyano-1-(2-benzyloxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylate as an HIV-1 replication inhibitor

Inspired by the antiviral activity of known pyrazole-based HIV inhibitors, we screened our in-house library of pyrazole-based compounds to evaluate their in cellulo activity against HIV-1 replication. Two hits with very similar structures appeared from single and multiple-round infection assays to be non-toxic and active in a dose-dependent manner. Chemical expansion of their series allowed an in-depth and consistent structure-activity-relationship study (SAR) to be built. Further ADME evaluation led to the selection of 4-amino-3-cyano-1-(2-benzyloxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-5-carboxylate with an advantageous pharmacokinetic profile. Finally, examination of its mode of action revealed that this compound does not belong to the three main classes of anti-HIV drugs, a feature of prime interest in the context of viral resistance.

Emerging targets and potential therapeutic agents in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world, which is characterized by liver fat accumulation unrelated to excessive drinking. Indeed, it attracts growing attention and becomes a global health problem. Due to the complexity of the NAFLD pathogenic mechanism, no related drugs were approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) till now. However, it is encouraging that a series of candidate drugs have entered the clinical trial stage with expectation to treat NAFLD. In this review, we summarized the main pathways and pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD, as well as introduced the main potential therapeutic targets and the corresponding compounds involved in metabolism, inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, we also discuss the progress of these compounds, such as drug design and optimization, the choice of pharmacological properties and druglikeness, and the analysis of structure-activity relationship. This review offers a medium on future drug design and development, to be beneficial to relevant studies.

Performance of Geno2Pheno[coreceptor] to infer coreceptor use in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype A

BACKGROUND

Assessment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) coreceptor usage is required prior to treatment with the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc to exclude the presence of CXCR4-using (X4) strains. Genotype-based interpretation systems are mostly designed on subtype B and have been reported to be less accurate for subtype A/CRF02_AG.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the performance of the widely used Geno2Pheno[coreceptor] (G2P[c]) algorithm for prediction of coreceptor usage with subtype A/CRF02_AG vs. subtype B.

STUDY DESIGN

Co-receptor tropism of 24 subtype A/CRF02_AG and 24 subtype B viruses was measured phenotypically by a homebrew single-cycle assay and genotypically by using G2P[c]. Samples with discrepant genotype-phenotype results were analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) and interpreted by the NGS Geno2Pheno algorithm (G2P[454]).

RESULTS

At 10% false positive rate (FPR), the G2P[c]/phenotype discordance rate was 12.5% (n = 3) for subtype A/CRF02_AG and 8.3% (n = 2) for subtype B. Minority X4 species escaping detection by bulk sequencing but documented by NGS explained the two subtype B and possibly one subtype A/CRF02_AG discordant case. The other two subtype A/CRF02_AG miscalled by G2P[c] could be explained by X4 overcalling at borderline FPR and/or by algorithm failure.

DISCUSSION

Our study did not demonstrate relevantly higher G2P[c] inaccuracy with subtype A/CRF02_AG with respect to subtype B. Genotype/phenotype discordances can be due to different reasons, including but not limited to, algorithm inaccuracy. Very large genotype/phenotype correlation panels are required to detect and explain the reason for any consistent difference in genotypic tropism prediction for subtype A/CRF02_AG vs. subtype B.

Current and Future Therapeutic Strategies for Lentiviral Eradication from Macrophage Reservoirs

Macrophages, one of the most abundant populations of leukocytes in the body, function as the first line of defense against pathogen invaders. Human Immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) remains to date one of the most extensively studied viral infections. Naturally occurring lentiviruses in domestic and primate species serve as valuable models to investigate lentiviral pathogenesis and novel therapeutics. Better understanding of the role macrophages play in HIV pathogenesis will aid in the advancement towards a cure. Even with current efficacy of first- and second-line Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) guidelines and future efficacy of Long Acting Slow Effective Release-ART (LASER-ART); ART alone does not lead to a cure. The major challenge of HIV eradication is viral latency. Latency Reversal Agents (LRAs) show promise as a possible means to eradicate HIV-1 from the body. It has become evident that complete eradication will need to include combinations of various effective therapeutic strategies such as LASER-ART, LRAs, and gene editing. Review of the current literature indicates the most promising HIV eradication strategy appears to be LASER-ART in conjunction with viral and receptor gene modifications via the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Graphical abstract A multimodal approach to HIV treatment including gene editing, LASER-ART, and latency reversal agents may provide a means to achieve HIV eradication.