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Mittal L, Tonk RK, Awasthi A, Asthana S. Harnessing the druggability at orthosteric and allosteric sites of PD-1 for small molecule discovery by an integrated in silico pipeline. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 107:107965. [PMID: 37826990 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107965] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The PD-1/PD-L1 interaction is a promising target for small molecule inhibitors in cancer immunotherapy, but targeting this interface has been challenging. While efforts have been made to identify compounds that target the orthosteric sites, no reports have explored the potential of small molecules to target the allosteric region of PD-1. Therefore, our study aims to establish a pipeline to identify small molecules that can effectively bind to either the orthosteric or allosteric pockets of PD-1. We categorized the PD-1 interface into two hot-spot zones (P-and N-zones) based on extensive analysis of its structural, dynamical, and energetic properties. These zones correspond to the orthosteric and allosteric PPI sites, respectively, targeted by monoclonal antibodies. We used a guided virtual screening workflow to identify hits from ∼7 million compounds library, which were then clustered based on structural similarity and assessed by interaction fingerprinting. The selective and diverse chemical representatives were subjected to MD simulations and binding energetics calculations to filter out false positives and identify actual binders. Binding poses metadynamics calculations confirmed the stability of the final hits in the pocket. This study emphasizes the need for an integrated pipeline that uses molecular dynamics simulations and binding energetics to identify potential binders for the dynamic PD-1/PD-L1 interface, due to the lack of small molecule co-crystals. Only a few potential binders were discovered from a large pool of molecules targeting both the allosteric and orthosteric zones. Our results suggest that the allosteric site has more potential than the orthosteric site for inhibitor design. The identified "computational hits" hold potential as starting points for in vitro evaluations followed by hit-to-lead optimization. Overall, this study represents an effort to establish a computational pipeline for exploring and enriching both the allosteric and orthosteric sites of PPI interfaces, "a tough but indispensable nut to crack".
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovika Mittal
- Computational Biophysics and CADD group, Computational and Mathematical Biology Center (CMBC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, India; Delhi Pharmaceutical Science Research University (DPSRU), New Delhi, India
| | - Rajiv K Tonk
- Delhi Pharmaceutical Science Research University (DPSRU), New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Computational Biophysics and CADD group, Computational and Mathematical Biology Center (CMBC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Computational Biophysics and CADD group, Computational and Mathematical Biology Center (CMBC), Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, Haryana, India.
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Ratajczak K, Grel H, Olejnik P, Jakiela S, Stobiecka M. Current progress, strategy, and prospects of PD-1/PDL-1 immune checkpoint biosensing platforms for cancer diagnostics, therapy monitoring, and drug screening. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 240:115644. [PMID: 37660460 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Recent technological advancements in testing and monitoring instrumentation have greatly contributed to the progress in cancer treatment by surgical, chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic interventions. However, the mortality rate still remains high, calling for the development of new treatment strategies with higher efficacy. Extensive efforts driven in this direction have included broadening of early cancer screening and applying innovative theranostic nanotechnologies. They have been supported by platforms introduced to enable the detection and monitoring of cancer biomarkers, inhibitors, and other agents, able to slow down cancer progression and prevent metastasis. Despite of the well-recognized principles of the immune checkpoint blockade, the efficacy of immunotherapy achieved so far does not meet the well-founded expectations. For a successful cancer treatment, highly sensitive, robust, and inexpensive multiplex biosensors have to be designed to aid in the biomarkers monitoring and in the development of new inhibitors. In this review, we provide an overview of the efforts undertaken to aid in the development and monitoring of anticancer immunotherapy, based on the programmed cell-death immune checkpoint (PD-1/PDL-1) blockade, by designing biosensors for the detection of relevant cancer biomarkers and their inhibitors screening. This review also emphasizes alternative targets made by exosomes carrying PD-L1 overexpressed in cancer cells and passed into the excreted exosomes. Evaluated are also novel targeted drug delivery nanocarriers, providing simultaneous biosensing, thereby contributing to the emerging immune checkpoint cancer therapy. On the basis of the current trends and the emerging technologies, future perspectives of cancer diagnostics and treatment monitoring using biosensing platforms are projected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Ratajczak
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hubert Grel
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Olejnik
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Slawomir Jakiela
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02776, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Stobiecka
- Department of Physics and Biophysics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02776, Warsaw, Poland.
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DiFrancesco M, Hofer J, Aradhya A, Rufinus J, Stoddart J, Finocchiaro S, Mani J, Tevis S, Visconti M, Walawender G, DiFlumeri J, Fattakhova E, Patil SP. Discovery of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 antagonists through combined virtual screening and experimental validation. Comput Biol Chem 2023; 102:107804. [PMID: 36610303 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2022.107804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of the interaction between the PD-1 protein on activated lymphocytes and the PD-L1 protein on tumors represents a novel therapeutic approach for selective activation of the innate immune response against a variety of cancers. Therefore, the present study utilized a combined virtual and experimental screening approach to screen databases of both lead-like and larger molecules for identification of novel inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. First, high-throughput virtual screening of ∼3.7 million lead-like molecules using a rigid-receptor docking approach against both human PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins revealed possible small-molecule tractability of PD-1, but not PD-L1, binding interface. The subsequent work, therefore, involved screening of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) compound database against the PD-1 pocket. Several NCI compounds were identified with potential to bind to the PD-1 pocket and in turn inhibit the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. The dynamic binding behavior of these molecules was further investigated using long 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) stimulation revealing NSC631535 to be a potentially stable binder at PD-1 interface pocket. In support of these MD data, the experimental testing of NSC631535 exhibited 50% inhibition at ∼15 μM test concentration. The observed activity of this compound is promising as despite its relatively low molecular weight (415.5 g/mol) it is still capable of inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction having a large interface area (∼1970 Å2). In summary, our integrated computational and experimental screening led to identification of a novel PD-1 antagonist that may serve as a starting point for further optimization into more potent small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeremy Hofer
- Department of Computer Science, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Abhay Aradhya
- Department of Computer Science, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Rufinus
- Department of Computer Science, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - John Stoddart
- Department of Computer Science, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Stephen Finocchiaro
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Jabari Mani
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Sean Tevis
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Michael Visconti
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Griffin Walawender
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Juliette DiFlumeri
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Elena Fattakhova
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA
| | - Sachin P Patil
- NanoBio Laboratory, School of Engineering, Widener University, Chester, PA, USA.
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Mittal L, Tonk R, Awasthi A, Asthana S. Traversing through the Dynamic Protein-Protein Interaction Landscape and Conformational Plasticity of PD-1 for Small-Molecule Discovery. J Med Chem 2022; 65:5941-5953. [PMID: 35420421 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 interface have shown remarkable success in treating malignancies, but they may also initiate lethal immune-related adverse events. Small molecules may circumvent the mAb limitations; however, none has entered clinical trials targeting PD-1. Its complex protein-protein interaction interfaces necessitate an atomic-level understanding of recognition and binding mechanisms. Hence, we have aimed to highlight the PD-1's sequence-structure-dynamic-function link with its cognate ligands and diversely reported inhibitors. We focus primarily on the anti-PD-1 mAbs, their mode of actions, and interactions with PD-1 epitopes. The comparison of co-crystals showed that these ligands/inhibitors harness the PD-1's conformational plasticity and structural determinants differentially. The relationship between modulator binding patterns and biological activity is demonstrated using interaction fingerprinting of all reported human PD-1 co-crystals. The significant dynamical events and hot-spot residues underpinned from crystallographic wealth and computational studies have been highlighted to expedite small-molecule discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovika Mittal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Haryana 121001, India.,Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), Delhi 110017, India
| | - Rajiv Tonk
- Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), Delhi 110017, India
| | - Amit Awasthi
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Haryana 121001, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Haryana 121001, India
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Awadasseid A, Wu Y, Zhang W. Advance investigation on synthetic small-molecule inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway. Life Sci 2021; 282:119813. [PMID: 34256042 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade has displayed substantial anti-tumor resistance in a variety of forms of cancer, but the fundamental regulation role remains unclear, and several questions continue to be addressed. PD-1/PD-L1 has been recognized as an anti-cancer drug target for several years, and through targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway, many monoclonal antibodies have thus far produced promising results in cancer therapy. The discovery of small-molecule inhibitors focused on the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway is steadily reviving over decades, owing to the intrinsic shortcomings of the antibodies. PD-1 function and its PD-L1 or PD-L2 ligands are essential for the activation, proliferation, and cytotoxic secretion of T-cells in cancer to degenerate anti-tumor immune response. The axis PD-1/PD-L1 is important for the immune escape of cancer which has an immense impact on cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the function of PD-1 and PD-L1 in cancer and aiming to enhance cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annoor Awadasseid
- Lab of Chemical Biology and Molecular Drug Design, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China; Institute of Drug Development & Chemical Biology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China; Department of Biochemistry & Food Sciences, University of Kordofan, El-Obeid 51111, Sudan
| | - Yanling Wu
- Lab of Molecular Immunology, Virus Inspection Department, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China.
| | - Wen Zhang
- Lab of Chemical Biology and Molecular Drug Design, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China; Institute of Drug Development & Chemical Biology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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Peptide-based and small molecule PD-1 and PD-L1 pharmacological modulators in the treatment of cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2021; 227:107870. [PMID: 33895183 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is an option to enhance physiological defence mechanism to fight cancer, where natural substances (e.g., antigen/antibody) or small synthetic molecule can be utilized to improve and restore the immune system to stop or slacken the development of malignant cells, stop metastasis and/or help the immune response with synthetic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and tumour-agnostic therapy to eliminate cancer cells. Interaction between the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and its receptor (programmed cell death protein 1, PD-1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) linked signalling pathways have been identified as perilous towards the body's immune mechanism in regulating the progression of cancer. It is known that certain cancers use these pathways to evade the body's defence mechanism. The immune system is capable of responding to cancer by stalling these trails with specific synthetic antibodies or immune checkpoint inhibitors, which can ultimately either stop or slow cancer cell development. Recent findings and data suggested that using such inhibitors invigorated a new approach to cancer treatment. These inhibitors usually activate the immune system to identify and eliminate cancer cells rather than attacking tumour cells directly. PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have already been substantiated for their efficacy in over twenty variations of cancer through different clinical trials. Studies on molecular interaction with existing PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors that are mainly dominated by antibodies are constantly generating new ideas to develop novel inhibitors. This review has summarised information on reported and/or patented small molecules and peptides for their ability to interact with the PD-1/PD-L1 as a potential anticancer strategy.
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Jiao P, Geng Q, Jin P, Su G, Teng H, Dong J, Yan B. Small Molecules as PD-1/PD-L1 Pathway Modulators for Cancer Immunotherapy. Curr Pharm Des 2019; 24:4911-4920. [PMID: 30417781 DOI: 10.2174/1381612824666181112114958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions using PD-1/PD-L1 pathway modulators has shown unprecedented clinical efficacy in various cancer models. Current PD-1/PD-L1 modulators approved by FDA are exclusively dominated by therapeutic antibodies. Nevertheless, therapeutic antibodies also exhibit several disadvantages such as low tumor penetration, difficulty in crossing physiological barriers, lacking oral bioavailability, high manufacturing costs, inaccessible to intracellular targets, immunogenicity, immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Modulation of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway using small molecules may be an alternative approach to mobilize immune system to fight against cancers. In this review, we focus on summarizing the recently disclosed chemical structures and preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) of small molecules as PD-1/PD-L1 modulators for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peifu Jiao
- Department of Chemistry, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250013, China
| | - Qiaohong Geng
- Department of Chemistry, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250013, China
| | - Peng Jin
- Department of Chemistry, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250013, China
| | - Gaoxing Su
- School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
| | - Houyun Teng
- Department of Chemistry, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250013, China
| | - Jinlong Dong
- Jinan T aorui Pharma & Tech Co., Ltd., Jinan, Shandong 250101, China
| | - Bing Yan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, China
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8
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Progress in PD-1/PD-L1 pathway inhibitors: From biomacromolecules to small molecules. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 186:111876. [PMID: 31761384 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a negative immune checkpoint pathway that inhibit immune responses, and upregulation of this pathway has implications in many malignancies. The search for effective PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has been at the forefront of academic and industrial medicinal chemistry, leading to 16 clinical candidates and the launch of six monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) drugs. Despite the unprecedented success achieved, the limitations of mAbs, including poor tissue and tumor penetration, long half-life time, poor oral bioavailability, and expensive production costs, impelled researchers to turn their attention to the development of peptide-based and non-peptide small-molecule inhibitors as potential alternatives or supplements to mAbs. However, no small-molecule inhibitors have been approved so far, indicating a challenging process of developing marketable small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 targeted therapeutics. This review will summarize and provide insight into recent advances in the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, including its structural basis and biology, along with the crystal structures with mAbs, peptides and small molecules. We place great emphasis on design strategies underlying reported small-molecule inhibitors and attempt to provide an outlook at the future of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1inhibitors.
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Shi D, An X, Bai Q, Bing Z, Zhou S, Liu H, Yao X. Computational Insight Into the Small Molecule Intervening PD-L1 Dimerization and the Potential Structure-Activity Relationship. Front Chem 2019; 7:764. [PMID: 31781546 PMCID: PMC6861162 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, small-molecule compounds have been reported to block the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by inducing the dimerization of PD-L1. All these inhibitors had a common scaffold and interacted with the cavity formed by two PD-L1 monomers. This special interactive mode provided clues for the structure-based drug design, however, also showed limitations for the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors with new scaffolds. In this study, we revealed the structure-activity relationship of the current small-molecule inhibitors targeting dimerization of PD-L1 by predicting their binding and unbinding mechanism via conventional molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulation. During the binding process, the representative inhibitors (BMS-8 and BMS-1166) tended to have a more stable binding mode with one PD-L1 monomer than the other and the small-molecule inducing PD-L1 dimerization was further stabilized by the non-polar interaction of Ile54, Tyr56, Met115, Ala121, and Tyr123 on both monomers and the water bridges involved in ALys124. The unbinding process prediction showed that the PD-L1 dimerization kept stable upon the dissociation of ligands. It's indicated that the formation and stability of the small-molecule inducing PD-L1 dimerization was the key factor for the inhibitory activities of these ligands. The contact analysis, R-group based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis and molecular docking further suggested that each attachment point on the core scaffold of ligands had a specific preference for pharmacophore elements when improving the inhibitory activities by structural modifications. Taken together, the results in this study could guide the structural optimization and the further discovery of novel small-molecule inhibitors targeting PD-L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danfeng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoli An
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qifeng Bai
- School of Basic Medical Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhitong Bing
- School of Basic Medical Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Institute of Modern Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shuangyan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huanxiang Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
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10
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Patil SP, Yoon SC, Aradhya AG, Hofer J, Fink MA, Enley ES, Fisher JE, Herb MC, Klingos A, Proulx JT, Fedorky MT. Macrocyclic Compounds from Ansamycin Antibiotic Class as Inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 Protein-Protein Interaction. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2019; 66:773-778. [PMID: 30068796 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c17-00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The ability of tumors to escape from immune destruction is attributed to the protein-protein interaction between programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1) proteins expressed by immune T cells and cancer cells, respectively. Therefore, pharmacological inhibition of the PD1-PDL1 interaction presents an important therapeutic target against a variety of tumors expressing PDL1 on their cell surface. Recently, five antibodies have been approved and several are in clinical trials against the PD1-PDL1 protein-protein interaction target. In contrast, there are very few reports of small-molecule inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 interaction, and most of them have relatively modest or weak inhibition activities, emphasizing the difficulty in designing small-molecule inhibitors against this challenging target. Therefore, we focused our attention on macrocycles that are known to exhibit target activity comparable to large macromolecules despite having molecular weights closer to small, drug-like molecules. In this context, our present study led to the identification of several macrocyclic compounds from the ansamycin antibiotics class to be inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 interaction. Importantly, one of these macrocyclic antibiotics, Rifabutin, showed an IC50 value of ca. 25 µM. This is remarkable considering it has a relatively low molecular weight and still is capable of inhibiting PD1-PDL1 protein-protein interaction whose binding interface spans over ca. 1970 Å2. Thus, these macrocycles may serve as guiding points for discovery and optimization of more potent, selective small-molecule inhibitors of PD1-PDL1 interaction, one of the most promising therapeutic targets against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin P Patil
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | | | | | - Jeremy Hofer
- Department of Computer Science, Widener University
| | - Madison A Fink
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | - Erika S Enley
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | - James E Fisher
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | - Marie C Herb
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | - Anthony Klingos
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
| | - James T Proulx
- NanoBio Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Widener University
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Udhwani T, Mukherjee S, Sharma K, Sweta J, Khandekar N, Nayarisseri A, Singh SK. Design of PD-L1 inhibitors for lung cancer. Bioinformation 2019; 15:139-150. [PMID: 31435160 PMCID: PMC6677907 DOI: 10.6026/97320630015139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The progression of lung cancer is associated with inactivation of programmed cell death protein 1, abbreviated as PD- 1 which regulates the suppression of the body's immune system by suppressing T- cell inflammatory activity and is responsible for preventing cancer cell growth. It is of interest to identify inhibitors for PD-L1 dimeric structure through molecular docking and virtual screening. The virtual screened compound XGIQBUNWFCCMAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N (PubChem CID: 127263272) displays a high affinity with the target protein. ADMET analysis and cytotoxicity studies further add weight to this compound as a potential inhibitor of PD-L1. The established compound BMS-202 still shows the high re-rank score, but the virtual screened drug possesses a better ADMET profile with a higher intestinal absorption value and lower toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trishang Udhwani
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
| | - Sourav Mukherjee
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
| | - Khushboo Sharma
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
| | - Jajoriya Sweta
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
| | - Natasha Khandekar
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
| | - Anuraj Nayarisseri
- In silico Research Laboratory, Eminent Biosciences, Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
- Bioinformatics Research Laboratory,LeGene Biosciences Pvt Ltd., Mahalakshmi Nagar,Indore 452010,Madhya Pradesh,India
- Computer Aided Drug Designing and Molecular Modeling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Singh
- Computer Aided Drug Designing and Molecular Modeling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India
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Cheng B, Yuan WE, Su J, Liu Y, Chen J. Recent advances in small molecule based cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 157:582-598. [PMID: 30125720 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has been increasingly utilized for the treatment of cancer. Currently available cancer immunotherapies mainly involve the use of antibodies, which have advantages in terms of pharmacodynamics such as efficacy and specificity, however, they exhibit disadvantages in regard to the pharmacokinetics including but not limited to poor tissue and tumor penetration, very long half-life, and the lack of oral bioavailability. Also they are immunogenic and may cause undesired side effects. In addition, they are difficult and expensive to produce. In contrast to therapeutic antibodies, small molecule immuno-oncology agents generally have favorable pharmacokinetics, for example, better oral bioavailability, higher tissue and tumor penetration, reasonable half-lives etc. Furthermore, some small molecules are highly selective and efficacious with benign toxicity profiles. Therefore, small molecule immuno-oncology agents have the potential to overcome the drawbacks of therapeutic antibodies, and they can complement existing therapeutic antibodies and may also be used in combination with antibodies to achieve synergistic effects. In this article, we summarize the current advances in the field of small molecule approaches in tumor immunology which include the small molecules in clinical trials and preclinical studies, and the reported crystal structures of small molecules and their target proteins as well as the binding interactions between small molecules and the targets. The tumorigenesis mechanism of different targets (the programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD1/PD-L1), retinoic acid-related orphan receptor-gamma t (RORγt), Chemokine receptor, Stimulator of Interferon Genes (Sting), Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), toll-like receptors (TLR) etc.) are also elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Wei-En Yuan
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univerisity, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jing Su
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univerisity, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yao Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jianjun Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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13
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Patil SP, Fink MA, Enley ES, Fisher JE, Herb MC, Klingos A, Proulx JT, Fedorky MT. Identification of Small-Molecule Inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1 Protein-Protein Interaction. ChemistrySelect 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201800095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sachin P. Patil
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - Madison A. Fink
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - Erika S. Enley
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - James E. Fisher
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - Marie C. Herb
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - Anthony Klingos
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - James T. Proulx
- NanoBio Laboratory; Department of Chemical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
| | - Megan T. Fedorky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; Widener University; Chester PA 19013 USA
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14
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Li K, Tian H. Development of small-molecule immune checkpoint inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1 as a new therapeutic strategy for tumour immunotherapy. J Drug Target 2018; 27:244-256. [PMID: 29448849 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2018.1440400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has been increasingly utilised to treat advanced malignancies. The signalling network of immune checkpoints has attracted considerable attention. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are revolutionising the treatment options and expectations for patients with cancer. The reported clinical success of targeting the T-cell immune checkpoint receptors PD-1/PD-L1 has demonstrated the importance of immune modulation. Indeed, antibodies binding to PD-1 or PD-L1 have shown remarkable efficacy. However, antibody drugs have many disadvantages, such as their production cost, stability, and immunogenicity and, therefore, small-molecule inhibitors of PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 are being introduced. Small-molecule inhibitors could offer inherent advantages in terms of pharmacokinetics and druggability, thereby providing additional methods for cancer treatment and achieving better therapeutic effects. In this review, we first discuss how PD-1/PD-L1-targeting inhibitors modulate the relationship between immune cells and tumour cells in tumour immunotherapy. Second, we discuss how the immunomodulatory potential of these inhibitors can be exploited via rational combinations with immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Third, this review is the first to summarise the current clinical and preclinical evidence regarding small-molecule inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint, considering features and responses related to the tumours and to the host immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Li
- a Tianjin Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine , Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College , Tianjin , China
| | - Hongqi Tian
- a Tianjin Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine , Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College , Tianjin , China
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