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Smith MM, Moran GR. Building on a theme: The redox hierarchy of pyridine nucleotide-disulfide oxidoreductases. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 755:109966. [PMID: 38537870 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.109966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/24/2024]
Abstract
Flavin disulfide reductases (FDRs) are FAD-dependent enzymes that transmit electrons from NAD(P)H to reduce specific oxidant substrate disulfides. These enzymes have been studied extensively, most particularly the paradigm examples: glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase. The common, though not universal, traits of the family include a tyrosine- or phenylalanine-gated binding pocket for NAD(P) nicotinamides adjacent to the FAD isoalloxazine re-face, and a disulfide stacked against the si-face of the isoalloxazine whose dithiol form is activated for subsequent exchange reactions by a nearby histidine acting as a base. This arrangement promotes transduction of the reducing equivalents for disulfide exchange relay reactions. From an observational standpoint the proximal parallel stacking of three redox moieties induces up to three opportunities for unique charge transfer interactions (NAD(P)H FAD, NAD(P)+•FADH2, and FAD•thiolate). In transient state, the charge transfer transitions provide discrete signals to assign reaction sequences. This review summarizes the lineage of observations for the FDR enzymes that have been extensively studied. Where applicable and in order to chart a consistent interpretation of the record, only data derived from studies that used anaerobic methods are cited. These data reveal a recurring theme for catalysis that is elaborated with specific additional functionalities for each oxidant substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison M Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1068 W Sheridan Rd, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60660, United States
| | - Graham R Moran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1068 W Sheridan Rd, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60660, United States.
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2
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de Souza Neto LR, Montoya BO, Brandão-Neto J, Verma A, Bowyer S, Moreira-Filho JT, Dantas RF, Neves BJ, Andrade CH, von Delft F, Owens RJ, Furnham N, Silva-Jr FP. Fragment library screening by X-ray crystallography and binding site analysis on thioredoxin glutathione reductase of Schistosoma mansoni. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1582. [PMID: 38238498 PMCID: PMC10796382 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52018-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is caused by parasites of the genus Schistosoma, which infect more than 200 million people. Praziquantel (PZQ) has been the main drug for controlling schistosomiasis for over four decades, but despite that it is ineffective against juvenile worms and size and taste issues with its pharmaceutical forms impose challenges for treating school-aged children. It is also important to note that PZQ resistant strains can be generated in laboratory conditions and observed in the field, hence its extensive use in mass drug administration programs raises concerns about resistance, highlighting the need to search for new schistosomicidal drugs. Schistosomes survival relies on the redox enzyme thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR), a validated target for the development of new anti-schistosomal drugs. Here we report a high-throughput fragment screening campaign of 768 compounds against S. mansoni TGR (SmTGR) using X-ray crystallography. We observed 49 binding events involving 35 distinct molecular fragments which were found to be distributed across 16 binding sites. Most sites are described for the first time within SmTGR, a noteworthy exception being the "doorstop pocket" near the NADPH binding site. We have compared results from hotspots and pocket druggability analysis of SmTGR with the experimental binding sites found in this work, with our results indicating only limited coincidence between experimental and computational results. Finally, we discuss that binding sites at the doorstop/NADPH binding site and in the SmTGR dimer interface, should be prioritized for developing SmTGR inhibitors as new antischistosomal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauro Ribeiro de Souza Neto
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bogar Omar Montoya
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Brandão-Neto
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
| | - Anil Verma
- Division of Structural Biology, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sebastian Bowyer
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - José Teófilo Moreira-Filho
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Rafael Ferreira Dantas
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bruno Junior Neves
- Laboratory of Cheminformatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
- CRAFT - Center for Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Frank von Delft
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Raymond J Owens
- Division of Structural Biology, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Floriano Paes Silva-Jr
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Moraes B, Martins R, Lopes C, Martins R, Arcanjo A, Nascimento J, Konnai S, da Silva Vaz I, Logullo C. G6PDH as a key immunometabolic and redox trigger in arthropods. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1287090. [PMID: 38046951 PMCID: PMC10693429 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1287090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) plays crucial roles in glucose homeostasis and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), being also involved in redox metabolism. The PPP is an important metabolic pathway that produces ribose and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), which are essential for several physiologic and biochemical processes, such as the synthesis of fatty acids and nucleic acids. As a rate-limiting step in PPP, G6PDH is a highly conserved enzyme and its deficiency can lead to severe consequences for the organism, in particular for cell growth. Insufficient G6PDH activity can lead to cell growth arrest, impaired embryonic development, as well as a reduction in insulin sensitivity, inflammation, diabetes, and hypertension. While research on G6PDH and PPP has historically focused on mammalian models, particularly human disorders, recent studies have shed light on the regulation of this enzyme in arthropods, where new functions were discovered. This review will discuss the role of arthropod G6PDH in regulating redox homeostasis and immunometabolism and explore potential avenues for further research on this enzyme in various metabolic adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Moraes
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renato Martins
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cintia Lopes
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ronald Martins
- Programa de Computação Científica, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, IOC, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Angélica Arcanjo
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jhenifer Nascimento
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Satoru Konnai
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro de Biotecnologia and Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carlos Logullo
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular–INCT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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4
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Smith MM, Moran GR. Assigning function to active site residues of Schistosoma mansoni thioredoxin/glutathione reductase from analysis of transient state reductive half-reactions with variant forms of the enzyme. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1258333. [PMID: 37780207 PMCID: PMC10535113 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1258333] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Thioredoxin/glutathione reductase (TGR) from the platyhelminthic parasitic worms has recently been identified as a drug target for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Schistosomes lack catalase, and so are heavily reliant on the regeneration of reduced thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione (GSH) to reduce peroxiredoxins that ameliorate oxidative damage from hydrogen peroxide generated by the host immune response. This study focuses on the characterization of the catalytic mechanism of Schistosoma mansoni TGR (SmTGR). Variant forms of SmTGR were studied to assign the function of residues that participate in the electron distribution chain within the enzyme. Using anaerobic transient state spectrophotometric methods, redox changes for the FAD and NADPH were observed and the function of specific residues was defined from observation of charge transfer absorption transitions that are indicative of specific complexations and redox states. The C159S variant prevented distribution of electrons beyond the flavin and as such did not accumulate thiolate-FAD charge transfer absorption. The lack of this absorption facilitated observation of a new charge transfer absorption consistent with proximity of NADPH and FAD. The C159S variant was used to confine electrons from NADPH at the flavin, and it was shown that NADPH and FAD exchange hydride in both directions and come to an equilibrium that yields only fractional FAD reduction, suggesting that both have similar reduction potentials. Mutation of U597 to serine resulted in sustained thiolate-FAD charge transfer absorption and loss of the ability to reduce Trx, indicating that the C596-U597 disulfide functions in the catalytic sequence to receive electrons from the C154 C159 pair and distribute them to Trx. No kinetic evidence for a loss or change in function associated with the distal C28-C31 disulfide was observed when the C31S variant reductive half-reaction was observed. The Y296A variant was shown to slow the rate of but increase extent of reduction of the flavin, and the dissociation of NADP+. The H571 residue was confirmed to be the residue responsible for the deprotonation of the C159 thiol, increasing its reactivity and generating the prominent thiolate-FAD charge transfer absorption that accumulates with oxidation of the flavin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham R. Moran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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5
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Petukhova VZ, Aboagye SY, Ardini M, Lullo RP, Fata F, Byrne ME, Gabriele F, Martin LM, Harding LNM, Gone V, Dangi B, Lantvit DD, Nikolic D, Ippoliti R, Effantin G, Ling WL, Johnson JJ, Thatcher GRJ, Angelucci F, Williams DL, Petukhov PA. Non-covalent inhibitors of thioredoxin glutathione reductase with schistosomicidal activity in vivo. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3737. [PMID: 37349300 PMCID: PMC10287695 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39444-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Only praziquantel is available for treating schistosomiasis, a disease affecting more than 200 million people. Praziquantel-resistant worms have been selected for in the lab and low cure rates from mass drug administration programs suggest that resistance is evolving in the field. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) is essential for schistosome survival and a validated drug target. TGR inhibitors identified to date are irreversible and/or covalent inhibitors with unacceptable off-target effects. In this work, we identify noncovalent TGR inhibitors with efficacy against schistosome infections in mice, meeting the criteria for lead progression indicated by WHO. Comparisons with previous in vivo studies with praziquantel suggests that these inhibitors outperform the drug of choice for schistosomiasis against juvenile worms.
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Grants
- R33 AI127635 NIAID NIH HHS
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID)
- Oncomelania hupensis subsp. hupensis, Chinese strain, infected with S. japonicum, Chinese strain, and Biomphalaria glabrata, strain NMRI, infected with S. mansoni, strain NMRI, were provided by the NIAID Schistosomiasis Resource Center for distribution through BEI Resources, NIAID, NIH. We are grateful to Dr. Guy Schoehn (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble, France), Prof. Beatrice Vallone (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) and Dr. Linda C. Montemiglio (IBPM, National Research Council, Italy) for helpful discussions of the cryo-EM studies. We acknowledge the Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy) for support in X-ray data collections and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for provision of microscope time on CM01. The study was funded in part by US NIH/NIAID R33AI127635 to F.A., P.A.P., G.R.T. and D.L.W. This work benefited from access to Research Resources Centre and UICentre at University of Illinois at Chicago and used the platforms of the Grenoble Instruct-ERIC center (ISBG; UAR 3518 CNRS-CEA-UGA-EMBL) within the Grenoble Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB), supported by FRISBI (ANR-10-INBS-0005-02) and GRAL, financed within the University Grenoble Alpes graduate school (Ecoles Universitaires de Recherche) CBH-EUR-GS (ANR-17-EURE-0003). The IBS Electron Microscope facility is supported by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, the Fonds Feder, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale and GIS-IBiSA. The IBS acknowledges integration into the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble (IRIG, CEA). M.A. has been supported by MIUR - Ministero dell'Istruzione Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (Ministry of Education, University and Research) under the national project FSE/FESR - PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020 (N° AIM1887574, CUP: E18H19000350007). We acknowledge OpenEye/Cadence for providing us with an academic license for the software used in these studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Z Petukhova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sammy Y Aboagye
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Rachel P Lullo
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francesca Fata
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Margaret E Byrne
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Federica Gabriele
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Lucy M Martin
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Luke N M Harding
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Vamshikrishna Gone
- UICentre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bikash Dangi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel D Lantvit
- UICentre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dejan Nikolic
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Grégory Effantin
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Wai Li Ling
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, F-38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Jeremy J Johnson
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gregory R J Thatcher
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
| | - David L Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Pavel A Petukhov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Koner D, Nag N, Kalita P, Padhi AK, Tripathi T, Saha N. Functional expression, localization, and biochemical characterization of thioredoxin glutathione reductase from air-breathing magur catfish, Clarias magur. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 230:123126. [PMID: 36603726 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.123126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The glutathione (GSH) and thioredoxin (Trx) systems regulate cellular redox homeostasis and maintain antioxidant defense in most eukaryotes. We earlier reported the absence of gene coding for the glutathione reductase (GR) enzyme of the GSH system in the facultative air-breathing catfish, Clarias magur. Here, we identified three thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) genes, one of which was later confirmed as a thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR). We then characterized the novel recombinant TGR enzyme of C. magur (CmTGR). The tissue-specific expression of the txnrd genes and the tissue-specific activity of the TrxR enzyme were analyzed. The recombinant CmTGR is a dimer of ~133 kDa. The protein showed TrxR activity with 5,5'-diothiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) reduction assay with a Km of 304.40 μM and GR activity with a Km of 58.91 μM. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the CmTGR was related to the TrxRs of fishes and distantly related to the TGRs of platyhelminth parasites. The structural analysis revealed the conserved glutaredoxin active site and FAD- and NADPH-binding sites. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of a TGR in any fish. This unusual presence of TGR in C. magur is crucial as it helps maintain redox homeostasis under environmental stressors-induced oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debaprasad Koner
- Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Niharika Nag
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Parismita Kalita
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Aditya K Padhi
- Laboratory for Computational Biology & Biomolecular Design, School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Timir Tripathi
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India.
| | - Nirmalendu Saha
- Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India.
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Gencheva R, Cheng Q, Arnér ESJ. Thioredoxin reductase selenoproteins from different organisms as potential drug targets for treatment of human diseases. Free Radic Biol Med 2022; 190:320-338. [PMID: 35987423 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Human thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) is a selenoprotein with a central role in cellular redox homeostasis, utilizing a highly reactive and solvent-exposed selenocysteine (Sec) residue in its active site. Pharmacological modulation of TrxR can be obtained with several classes of small compounds showing different mechanisms of action, but most often dependent upon interactions with its Sec residue. The clinical implications of TrxR modulation as mediated by small compounds have been studied in diverse diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis and ischemia to cancer and parasitic infections. The possible involvement of TrxR in these diseases was in some cases serendipitously discovered, by finding that existing clinically used drugs are also TrxR inhibitors. Inhibiting isoforms of human TrxR is, however, not the only strategy for human disease treatment, as some pathogenic parasites also depend upon Sec-containing TrxR variants, including S. mansoni, B. malayi or O. volvulus. Inhibiting parasite TrxR has been shown to selectively kill parasites and can thus become a promising treatment strategy, especially in the context of quickly emerging resistance towards other drugs. Here we have summarized the basis for the targeting of selenoprotein TrxR variants with small molecules for therapeutic purposes in different human disease contexts. We discuss how Sec engagement appears to be an indispensable part of treatment efficacy and how some therapeutically promising compounds have been evaluated in preclinical or clinical studies. Several research questions remain before a wider application of selenoprotein TrxR inhibition as a first-line treatment strategy might be developed. These include further mechanistic studies of downstream effects that may mediate treatment efficacy, identification of isoform-specific enzyme inhibition patterns for some given therapeutic compounds, and the further elucidation of cell-specific effects in disease contexts such as in the tumor microenvironment or in host-parasite interactions, and which of these effects may be dependent upon the specific targeting of Sec in distinct TrxR isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radosveta Gencheva
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden
| | - Qing Cheng
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden
| | - Elias S J Arnér
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden; Department of Selenoprotein Research, National Tumor Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Oncology, 1122, Budapest, Hungary.
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Evolutionary Adaptations of Parasitic Flatworms to Different Oxygen Tensions. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11061102. [PMID: 35739999 PMCID: PMC9220675 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11061102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During the evolution of the Earth, the increase in the atmospheric concentration of oxygen gave rise to the development of organisms with aerobic metabolism, which utilized this molecule as the ultimate electron acceptor, whereas other organisms maintained an anaerobic metabolism. Platyhelminthes exhibit both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism depending on the availability of oxygen in their environment and/or due to differential oxygen tensions during certain stages of their life cycle. As these organisms do not have a circulatory system, gas exchange occurs by the passive diffusion through their body wall. Consequently, the flatworms developed several adaptations related to the oxygen gradient that is established between the aerobic tegument and the cellular parenchyma that is mostly anaerobic. Because of the aerobic metabolism, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is produced in abundance. Catalase usually scavenges H2O2 in mammals; however, this enzyme is absent in parasitic platyhelminths. Thus, the architecture of the antioxidant systems is different, depending primarily on the superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and peroxiredoxin enzymes represented mainly in the tegument. Here, we discuss the adaptations that parasitic flatworms have developed to be able to transit from the different metabolic conditions to those they are exposed to during their life cycle.
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9
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Biochemical and structural characterizations of thioredoxin reductase selenoproteins of the parasitic filarial nematodes Brugia malayi and Onchocerca volvulus. Redox Biol 2022; 51:102278. [PMID: 35276442 PMCID: PMC8914392 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Enzymes in the thiol redox systems of microbial pathogens are promising targets for drug development. In this study we characterized the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) selenoproteins from Brugia malayi and Onchocerca volvulus, filarial nematode parasites and causative agents of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, respectively. The two filarial enzymes showed similar turnover numbers and affinities for different thioredoxin (Trx) proteins, but with a clear preference for the autologous Trx. Human TrxR1 (hTrxR1) had a high and similar specific activity versus the human and filarial Trxs, suggesting that, in vivo, hTrxR1 could possibly be the reducing agent of parasite Trxs once they are released into the host. Both filarial TrxRs were efficiently inhibited by auranofin and by a recently described inhibitor of human TrxR1 (TRi-1), but not as efficiently by the alternative compound TRi-2. The enzyme from B. malayi was structurally characterized also in complex with NADPH and auranofin, producing the first crystallographic structure of a nematode TrxR. The protein represents an unusual fusion of a mammalian-type TrxR protein architecture with an N-terminal glutaredoxin-like (Grx) domain lacking typical Grx motifs. Unlike thioredoxin glutathione reductases (TGRs) found in platyhelminths and mammals, which are also Grx–TrxR domain fusion proteins, the TrxRs from the filarial nematodes lacked glutathione disulfide reductase and Grx activities. The structural determinations revealed that the Grx domain of TrxR from B. malayi contains a cysteine (C22), conserved in TrxRs from clade IIIc nematodes, that directly interacts with the C-terminal cysteine-selenocysteine motif of the homo-dimeric subunit. Interestingly, despite this finding we found that altering C22 by mutation to serine did not affect enzyme catalysis. Thus, although the function of the Grx domain in these filarial TrxRs remains to be determined, the results obtained provide insights on key properties of this important family of selenoprotein flavoenzymes that are potential drug targets for treatment of filariasis.
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First In Silico Screening of Insect Molecules for Identification of Novel Anti-Parasitic Compounds. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020119. [PMID: 35215232 PMCID: PMC8877563 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. In silico screenings of compounds for the identification of novel anti-parasitic drug candidates have received considerable attention in recent years, including the screening of natural compounds. For the first time, we investigated molecules from insects, a rather neglected source in drug discovery, in an in silico screening approach to find novel antischistosomal compounds. Based on the Dictionary of Natural Products (DNP), we created a library of 1327 insect compounds suitable for molecular docking. A structure-based virtual screening against the crystal structure of a known druggable target in Schistosoma mansoni, the thioredoxin glutathione reductase (SmTGR), was performed. The top ten compounds predominantly originated from beetles and were predicted to interact particularly with amino acids in the doorstop pocket of SmTGR. For one compound from a jewel beetle, buprestin H, we tested and confirmed antischistosomal activity against adult and juvenile parasites in vitro. At concentrations with anti-parasitic activity, we could also exclude any unspecific cytotoxic activity against human HepG2 cells. This study highlights the potential of insect molecules for the identification of novel antischistosomal compounds. Our library of insect-derived molecules could serve not only as basis for future in silico screenings against additional target proteins of schistosomes, but also of other parasites.
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Engineering a Pseudo-26-kDa Schistosoma Glutathione Transferase from bovis/ haematobium for Structure, Kinetics, and Ligandin Studies. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121844. [PMID: 34944488 PMCID: PMC8699318 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are the main detoxification enzymes in schistosomes. These parasitic enzymes tend to be upregulated during drug treatment, with Schistosoma haematobium being one of the species that mainly affect humans. There is a lack of complete sequence information on the closely related bovis and haematobium 26-kDa GST isoforms in any database. Consequently, we engineered a pseudo-26-kDa S. bovis/haematobium GST (Sbh26GST) to understand structure–function relations and ligandin activity towards selected potential ligands. Sbh26GST was overexpressed in Escherichia coli as an MBP-fusion protein, purified to homogeneity and catalyzed 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene-glutathione (CDNB-GSH) conjugation activity, with a specific activity of 13 μmol/min/mg. This activity decreased by ~95% in the presence of bromosulfophthalein (BSP), which showed an IC50 of 27 µM. Additionally, enzyme kinetics revealed that BSP acts as a non-competitive inhibitor relative to GSH. Spectroscopic studies affirmed that Sbh26GST adopts the canonical GST structure, which is predominantly α-helical. Further extrinsic 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) spectroscopy illustrated that BSP, praziquantel (PZQ), and artemisinin (ART) might preferentially bind at the dimer interface or in proximity to the hydrophobic substrate-binding site of the enzyme. The Sbh26GST-BSP interaction is both enthalpically and entropically driven, with a stoichiometry of one BSP molecule per Sbh26GST dimer. Enzyme stability appeared enhanced in the presence of BSP and GSH. Induced fit ligand docking affirmed the spectroscopic, thermodynamic, and molecular modelling results. In conclusion, BSP is a potent inhibitor of Sbh26GST and could potentially be rationalized as a treatment for schistosomiasis.
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Peter Ventura AM, Haeberlein S, Konopka L, Obermann W, Grünweller A, Grevelding CG, Schlitzer M. Synthesis and antischistosomal activity of linker- and thiophene-modified biaryl alkyl carboxylic acid derivatives. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2021; 354:e2100259. [PMID: 34523746 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202100259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma and causes severe morbidity in infected patients. In 2018, 290.8 million people required treatment, and 200,000 deaths are reported per year. Treatment of this disease depends on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ). However, in the past few years, reduced sensitivity of the parasites toward PZQ has been reported. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new drugs against this disease. In the past few years, we have focused on a new substance class called biaryl alkyl carboxylic acid derivatives, which showed promising antischistosomal activity in vitro. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of the carboxylic acid moiety led to three promising carboxylic amides (morpholine, thiomorpholine, and methyl sulfonyl piperazine) with an antischistosomal activity down to 10 µM (morpholine derivative) and no cytotoxicity up to 100 µM. Here, we show our continued work on this substance class. We investigated, in extended SAR studies, whether modification of the linker and the thiophene ring could improve the antischistosomal activity. We found that the exchange of the alkyl linker by a pentadienyl or benzyl linker was tolerated and led to similar antischistosomal effects, whereas the exchange of the thiophene ring was not tolerated. Our data suggest that the thiophene ring is important for the antischistosomal activity of this compound class.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simone Haeberlein
- BFS, Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Leonie Konopka
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Obermann
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Arnold Grünweller
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Martin Schlitzer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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13
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Fata F, Silvestri I, Ardini M, Ippoliti R, Di Leandro L, Demitri N, Polentarutti M, Di Matteo A, Lyu H, Thatcher GR, Petukhov PA, Williams DL, Angelucci F. Probing the Surface of a Parasite Drug Target Thioredoxin Glutathione Reductase Using Small Molecule Fragments. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:1932-1944. [PMID: 33950676 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Fragment screening is a powerful drug discovery approach particularly useful for enzymes difficult to inhibit selectively, such as the thiol/selenol-dependent thioredoxin reductases (TrxRs), which are essential and druggable in several infectious diseases. Several known inhibitors are reactive electrophiles targeting the selenocysteine-containing C-terminus and thus often suffering from off-target reactivity in vivo. The lack of structural information on the interaction modalities of the C-terminus-targeting inhibitors, due to the high mobility of this domain and the lack of alternative druggable sites, prevents the development of selective inhibitors for TrxRs. In this work, fragments selected from actives identified in a large screen carried out against Thioredoxin Glutathione Reductase from Schistosoma mansoni (SmTGR) were probed by X-ray crystallography. SmTGR is one of the most promising drug targets for schistosomiasis, a devastating, neglected disease. Utilizing a multicrystal method to analyze electron density maps, structural analysis, and functional studies, three binding sites were characterized in SmTGR: two sites are close to or partially superposable with the NADPH binding site, while the third one is found between two symmetry related SmTGR subunits of the crystal lattice. Surprisingly, one compound bound to this latter site stabilizes, through allosteric effects mediated by the so-called guiding bar residues, the crucial redox active C-terminus of SmTGR, making it finally visible at high resolution. These results further promote fragments as small molecule probes for investigating functional aspects of the target protein, exemplified by the allosteric effect on the C-terminus, and providing fundamental chemical information exploitable in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Fata
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Ilaria Silvestri
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Luana Di Leandro
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Nicola Demitri
- Elettra − Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34149 Basovizza − Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Polentarutti
- Elettra − Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34149 Basovizza − Trieste, Italy
| | - Adele Di Matteo
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council of Italy, c/o Department of Biochemical Sciences “A Rossi Fanelli” - Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Haining Lyu
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Gregory R.J. Thatcher
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Pavel A. Petukhov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - David L. Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
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Li G, Guo Q, Feng C, Chen H, Zhao W, Li S, Hong Y, Sun D. Synthesis of oxadiazole-2-oxide derivatives as potential drug candidates for schistosomiasis targeting SjTGR. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:225. [PMID: 33902686 PMCID: PMC8074465 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04634-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease that affects millions of people's health worldwide. Because of the increasing drug resistance to praziquantel (PZQ), which is the primary drug for schistosomiasis, developing new drugs to treat schistosomiasis is crucial. Oxadiazole-2-oxides have been identified as potential anti-schistosomiasis reagents targeting thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR). METHODS In this work, one of the oxadiazole-2-oxides derivatives furoxan was used as the lead compound to exploit a series of novel furoxan derivatives for studying inhibitory activity against both recombinant Schistosoma japonicum TGR containing selenium (rSjTGR-Sec) and soluble worm antigen protein (SWAP) containing wild-type Schistosoma japonicum TGR (wtSjTGR), in order to develop a new leading compound for schistosomiasis. Thirty-nine novel derivatives were prepared to test their activity toward both enzymes. The docking method was used to detect the binding site between the active molecule and SjTGR. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these novel furoxan derivatives was preliminarily analyzed. RESULTS It was found that several new derivatives, including compounds 6a-6d, 9ab, 9bd and 9be, demonstrated greater activity toward rSjTGR-Sec or SWAP containing wtSjTGR than did furoxan. Interestingly, all intermediates bearing hydroxy (6a-6d) showed excellent inhibitory activity against both enzymes. In particular, compound 6d with trifluoromethyl on a pyridine ring was found to have much higher inhibition toward both rSjTGR-Sec (half-maximal inhibitory concentration, IC50,7.5nM) and SWAP containing wtSjTGR (IC50 55.8nM) than furoxan. Additionally, the docking method identified the possible matching sites between 6d and Schistosoma japonicum TGR (SjTGR), which theoretically lends support to the inhibitory activity of 6d. CONCLUSION The data obtained herein showed that 6d with trifluoromethyl on a pyridine ring could be a valuable leading compound for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongming Li
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 China
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, 264209 China
| | - Qingqing Guo
- National Reference Laboratory of Animal Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, 264209 China
| | - Chao Feng
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 China
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, 264209 China
| | - Huan Chen
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 China
| | - Wenjiao Zhao
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 China
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, 264209 China
| | - Shu Li
- Marine College, Shandong University (Weihai), Weihai, 264209 China
| | - Yang Hong
- National Reference Laboratory of Animal Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Dequn Sun
- School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, 621010 China
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15
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Sabadin GA, Salomon TB, Leite MS, Benfato MS, Oliveira PL, da Silva Vaz I. An insight into the functional role of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in adult Rhipicephalus microplus female ticks. Parasitol Int 2020; 81:102274. [PMID: 33352319 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Ticks have developed physiological adaptations to transport, store, metabolize and secrete toxic components from the diet and environment. Different classes of enzymes are involved in these processes, however, the role of several of them is not yet characterized in Rhipicephalus microplus. In this context, this work investigated the action of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, as well as the levels of essential cellular reductants in R. microplus partially engorged females (PEF) and fully engorged females (FEF). Results demonstrated that enzymes transcriptional levels and enzymatic activity from ovary and fat body were higher in PEF than in FEF, except for ovary Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), which was the only enzyme showing highest activity in the FEF stage. These results indicated a higher demand for antioxidant potential in these organs at the initial feeding phase than during egg-laying. In midgut, however, there was more variability in the transcriptional levels and activity of the different enzymes between the PEF and FEF phases. Similar NADPH levels were found in PEF and FEF phases, suggesting a remarkable capacity to maintain a regular supply of reducing power, despite the developmental changes and large intake of heme and iron. However, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were variable between PEF and FEF when distinct organs were compared. Taken together, our data suggest a higher demand for reducing potential in FEF ticks. The silencing of catalase (CAT) or thioredoxin reductase (TRx) genes in females did not impair feeding, egg-laying capacity, or larvae hatching. CAT-silenced ticks had increased ovary peroxidase activity, a possible compensatory antioxidant mechanism. Altogether, the results shed light on the complexity of the antioxidant and detoxification enzyme system in ticks and its involvement in different physiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela A Sabadin
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiago B Salomon
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Milane S Leite
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mara S Benfato
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Brazil
| | - Itabajara da Silva Vaz
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular (INCT-EM), Brazil; Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9090 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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16
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Feng L, Pomel S, Latre de Late P, Taravaud A, Loiseau PM, Maes L, Cho-Ngwa F, Bulman CA, Fischer C, Sakanari JA, Ziniel PD, Williams DL, Davioud-Charvet E. Repurposing Auranofin and Evaluation of a New Gold(I) Compound for the Search of Treatment of Human and Cattle Parasitic Diseases: From Protozoa to Helminth Infections. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25215075. [PMID: 33139647 PMCID: PMC7663263 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25215075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neglected parasitic diseases remain a major public health issue worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Human parasite diversity is very large, ranging from protozoa to worms. In most cases, more effective and new drugs are urgently needed. Previous studies indicated that the gold(I) drug auranofin (Ridaura®) is effective against several parasites. Among new gold(I) complexes, the phosphole-containing gold(I) complex {1-phenyl-2,5-di(2-pyridyl)phosphole}AuCl (abbreviated as GoPI) is an irreversible inhibitor of both purified human glutathione and thioredoxin reductases. GoPI-sugar is a novel 1-thio-β-d-glucopyranose 2,3,4,6-tetraacetato-S-derivative that is a chimera of the structures of GoPI and auranofin, designed to improve stability and bioavailability of GoPI. These metal-ligand complexes are of particular interest because of their combined abilities to irreversibly target the essential dithiol/selenol catalytic pair of selenium-dependent thioredoxin reductase activity, and to kill cells from breast and brain tumors. In this work, screening of various parasites—protozoans, trematodes, and nematodes—was undertaken to determine the in vitro killing activity of GoPI-sugar compared to auranofin. GoPI-sugar was found to efficiently kill intramacrophagic Leishmania donovani amastigotes and adult filarial and trematode worms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwen Feng
- UMR 7042 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg-Université Haute-Alsace, Laboratoire d’Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Team, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Sébastien Pomel
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Perle Latre de Late
- INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Cochin Institute, Faculté de Medecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75014 Paris, France;
| | - Alexandre Taravaud
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Philippe M. Loiseau
- BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France; (S.P.); (A.T.); (P.M.L.)
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium;
| | - Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon;
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (C.A.B.); (C.F.); (J.A.S.)
| | - Peter D. Ziniel
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - David L. Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
- Correspondence: (D.L.W.); (E.D.-C.)
| | - Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet
- UMR 7042 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg-Université Haute-Alsace, Laboratoire d’Innovation Moléculaire et Applications (LIMA), Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Team, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg, France;
- Correspondence: (D.L.W.); (E.D.-C.)
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17
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Prum S, Plumworasawat S, Chaiyadet S, Saichua P, Thanan R, Laha T, Laohaviroj M, Sripa B, Suttiprapa S. Characterization and in vitro functional analysis of thioredoxin glutathione reductase from the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini. Acta Trop 2020; 210:105621. [PMID: 32659283 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The carcinogenic liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini causes several hepatobiliary diseases including a bile duct cancer-cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which is a major public health problem in many countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Praziquantel is the main drug against this parasite, however, reduced drug efficacy has been observed in some endemic areas. Therefore, alternative drugs are needed to prepare for praziquantel resistance in the future. The selenoprotein thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) enzyme, which plays a crucial role in cellular redox balance of parasitic flatworms, has been shown as a potential drug target against these parasites. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the TGR of O. viverrini and assess its potential as a drug target. An open reading frame (ORF) that encodes O. viverrini TGR (Ov-TGR) was cloned from an O. viverrini cDNA library and the nucleotide were sequenced. The 1,812 nucleotides of the Ov-TGR full ORF encoded a polypeptide of 603 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 66 kDa. The putative amino acid sequence shared 55-96.8% similarities with TGRs from other helminths and mammals. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship of Ov-TGR with that of other trematodes. The ORF of Ov-TGR was inserted into pABC2 plasmid and transformed into Escherichia coli strain C321.ΔA to facilitate selenocysteine incorporation. The recombinant Ov-TGR (rOv-TGR-SEC) was expressed as a soluble protein and detected as a dimer form in the non-reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Its thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were detected using DTNB, Trx and GSSG substrates with the Michaelis constant (Km) of 292.6 ± 52.3 µM, 8.09 ± 1.91 µM and 13.74 ± 1.2 µM, respectively. The TGR enzyme activities were effectively inhibited by a well-known inhibitor, auranofin in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, auranofin expressed a lethal toxic effect on both newly excysted juveniles (NEJs) and adult worms of O. viverrini in vitro. Taken together, these results indicated that Ov-TGR is crucial for O. viverrini survival and maybe a potential target for the development of novel agents against opisthorschiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satya Prum
- Tropical Medicine Graduate Program, Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Sirikanya Plumworasawat
- Medical Proteomics Unit, Office for Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Sujittra Chaiyadet
- Tropical Medicine Graduate Program, Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Prasert Saichua
- Tropical Medicine Graduate Program, Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Raynoo Thanan
- Department of Biochemistry, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | | | | | - Banchob Sripa
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; Pathology Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Sutas Suttiprapa
- Tropical Medicine Graduate Program, Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Control of Opisthorchiasis (Southeast Asian Liver fluke Disease), Tropical Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
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18
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Riches A, Hart CJS, Trenholme KR, Skinner-Adams TS. Anti- Giardia Drug Discovery: Current Status and Gut Feelings. J Med Chem 2020; 63:13330-13354. [PMID: 32869995 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Giardia parasites are ubiquitous protozoans of global importance that impact a wide range of animals including humans. They are the most common enteric pathogen of cats and dogs in developed countries and infect ∼1 billion people worldwide. While Giardia infections can be asymptomatic, they often result in severe and chronic diseases. There is also mounting evidence that they are linked to postinfection disorders. Despite growing evidence of the widespread morbidity associated with Giardia infections, current treatment options are limited to compound classes with broad antimicrobial activity. Frontline anti-Giardia drugs are also associated with increasing drug resistance and treatment failures. To improve the health and well-being of millions, new selective anti-Giardia drugs are needed alongside improved health education initiatives. Here we discuss current treatment options together with recent advances and gaps in drug discovery. We also propose criteria to guide the discovery of new anti-Giardia compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Riches
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Biomedical Manufacturing, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Christopher J S Hart
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Katharine R Trenholme
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia.,School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Tina S Skinner-Adams
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
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19
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Dziwornu GA, Attram HD, Gachuhi S, Chibale K. Chemotherapy for human schistosomiasis: how far have we come? What's new? Where do we go from here? RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:455-490. [PMID: 33479649 PMCID: PMC7593896 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00062k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Globally, schistosomiasis threatens more than 700 million lives, mostly children, in poor localities of tropical and sub-tropical areas with morbidity due to acute and chronic pathological manifestations of the disease. After a century since the first antimonial-based drugs were introduced to treat the disease, anti-schistosomiasis drug development is again at a bottleneck with only one drug, praziquantel, available for treatment purposes. This review focuses on promising chemotypes as potential starting points in a drug discovery effort to meet the urgent need for new schistosomicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godwin Akpeko Dziwornu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa . ; Tel: +27 21 6502553
| | - Henrietta Dede Attram
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa . ; Tel: +27 21 6502553
| | - Samuel Gachuhi
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa . ; Tel: +27 21 6502553
| | - Kelly Chibale
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa . ; Tel: +27 21 6502553
- Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit , University of Cape Town , Rondebosch 7701 , South Africa
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20
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Lyu H, Petukhov PA, Banta PR, Jadhav A, Lea WA, Cheng Q, Arnér ESJ, Simeonov A, Thatcher GRJ, Angelucci F, Williams DL. Characterization of Lead Compounds Targeting the Selenoprotein Thioredoxin Glutathione Reductase for Treatment of Schistosomiasis. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:393-405. [PMID: 31939288 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a widespread human parasitic disease currently affecting over 200 million people. Chemotherapy for schistosomiasis relies exclusively on praziquantel. Although significant advances have been made in recent years to reduce the incidence and intensity of schistosome infections, these gains will be at risk should drug-resistant parasites evolve. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) is a selenoprotein of the parasite essential for the survival of schistosomes in the mammalian host. Several high-throughput screening campaigns have identified inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni TGR. Follow up analyses of select active compounds form the basis of the present study. We identified eight compounds effective against ex vivo worms. Compounds 1-5 are active against all major species and development stages. The ability of these compounds to target immature worms is especially critical because praziquantel is poorly active against this stage. Compounds 1-5, 7, and 8 displayed schistosomicidal activity even after only 1 h incubation with the worms. Compounds 1-4 meet or exceed standards set by the World Health Organization for leads for schistosomiasis therapy activity. The mechanism of TGR inhibition was studied further with wild-type and mutant TGR proteins. Compounds 4-6 were found to induce an nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity in TGR, leading to the production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Collectively, this effort has identified several active compound series that may serve as the basis for the development of new schistosomicidal compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haining Lyu
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Pavel A. Petukhov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Paul R. Banta
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Ajit Jadhav
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Wendy A. Lea
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Qing Cheng
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elias S. J. Arnér
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anton Simeonov
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Gregory R. J. Thatcher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - David L. Williams
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
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21
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Sebastian-Perez V, García-Rubia A, Seif El-Din SH, Sabra ANA, El-Lakkany NM, William S, Blundell TL, Maes L, Martinez A, Campillo NE, Botros SS, Gil C. Deciphering the enzymatic target of a new family of antischistosomal agents bearing a quinazoline scaffold using complementary computational tools. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2020; 35:511-523. [PMID: 31939312 PMCID: PMC7717570 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2020.1712595] [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] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A previous phenotypic screening campaign led to the identification of a quinazoline derivative with promising in vitro activity against Schistosoma mansoni. Follow-up studies of the antischistosomal potential of this candidate are presented here. The in vivo studies in a S. mansoni mouse model show a significant reduction of total worms and a complete disappearance of immature eggs when administered concomitantly with praziquantel in comparison with the administration of praziquantel alone. This fact is of utmost importance because eggs are responsible for the pathology and transmission of the disease. Subsequently, the chemical optimisation of the structure in order to improve the metabolic stability of the parent compound was carried out leading to derivatives with improved drug-like properties. Additionally, the putative target of this new class of antischistosomal compounds was envisaged by using computational tools and the binding mode to the target enzyme, aldose reductase, was proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Samia William
- Parasitology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
| | - Tom L Blundell
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ana Martinez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Sanaa S Botros
- Pharmacology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
| | - Carmen Gil
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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22
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Silvestri I, Lyu H, Fata F, Banta PR, Mattei B, Ippoliti R, Bellelli A, Pitari G, Ardini M, Petukhova V, Thatcher GRJ, Petukhov PA, Williams DL, Angelucci F. Ectopic suicide inhibition of thioredoxin glutathione reductase. Free Radic Biol Med 2020; 147:200-211. [PMID: 31870799 PMCID: PMC7583042 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Selective suicide inhibitors represent a seductively attractive approach for inactivation of therapeutically relevant enzymes since they are generally devoid of off-target toxicity in vivo. While most suicide inhibitors are converted to reactive species at enzyme active sites, theoretically bioactivation can also occur in ectopic (secondary) sites that have no known function. Here, we report an example of such an "ectopic suicide inhibition", an unprecedented bioactivation mechanism of a suicide inhibitor carried out by a non-catalytic site of thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR). TGR is a promising drug target to treat schistosomiasis, a devastating human parasitic disease. Utilizing hits selected from a high throughput screening campaign, time-resolved X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics, mass spectrometry, molecular modeling, protein mutagenesis and functional studies, we find that 2-naphtholmethylamino derivatives bound to this novel ectopic site of Schistosoma mansoni (Sm)TGR are transformed to covalent modifiers and react with its mobile selenocysteine-containing C-terminal arm. In particular, one 2-naphtholmethylamino compound is able to specifically induce the pro-oxidant activity in the inhibited enzyme. Since some 2-naphtholmethylamino analogues show worm killing activity and the ectopic site is not conserved in human orthologues, a general approach to development of novel and selective anti-parasitic therapeutics against schistosoma is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Silvestri
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Haining Lyu
- Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francesca Fata
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Paul R Banta
- Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Benedetta Mattei
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Andrea Bellelli
- Dept. of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Pitari
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Valentina Petukhova
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gregory R J Thatcher
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pavel A Petukhov
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - David L Williams
- Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
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23
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Drug resistance in Giardia: Mechanisms and alternative treatments for Giardiasis. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2020; 107:201-282. [PMID: 32122530 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2019.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The use of chemotherapeutic drugs is the main resource against clinical giardiasis due to the lack of approved vaccines. Resistance of G. duodenalis to the most used drugs to treat giardiasis, metronidazole and albendazole, is a clinical issue of growing concern and yet unknown impact, respectively. In the search of new drugs, the completion of the Giardia genome project and the use of biochemical, molecular and bioinformatics tools allowed the identification of ligands/inhibitors for about one tenth of ≈150 potential drug targets in this parasite. Further, the synthesis of second generation nitroimidazoles and benzimidazoles along with high-throughput technologies have allowed not only to define overall mechanisms of resistance to metronidazole but to screen libraries of repurposed drugs and new pharmacophores, thereby increasing the known arsenal of anti-giardial compounds to some hundreds, with most demonstrating activity against metronidazole or albendazole-resistant Giardia. In particular, cysteine-modifying agents which include omeprazole, disulfiram, allicin and auranofin outstand due to their pleiotropic activity based on the extensive repertoire of thiol-containing proteins and the microaerophilic metabolism of this parasite. Other promising agents derived from higher organisms including phytochemicals, lactoferrin and propolis as well as probiotic bacteria/fungi have also demonstrated significant potential for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes in giardiasis. In this context the present chapter offers a comprehensive review of the current knowledge, including commonly prescribed drugs, causes of therapeutic failures, drug resistance mechanisms, strategies for the discovery of new agents and alternative drug therapies.
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24
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Peter Ventura AM, Haeberlein S, Lange-Grünweller K, Grünweller A, Hartmann RK, Grevelding CG, Schlitzer M. Development of Biarylalkyl Carboxylic Acid Amides with Improved Anti-schistosomal Activity. ChemMedChem 2019; 14:1856-1862. [PMID: 31454168 PMCID: PMC7687077 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The parasitic disease schistosomiasis is the cause of more than 200 000 human deaths per year. Although the disease is treatable, there is one major shortcoming: praziquantel has been the only drug used to combat these parasites since 1977. The risk of the emergence of resistant schistosomes is known to be increasing, as a reduced sensitivity of these parasites toward praziquantel has been observed. We developed a new class of substances, which are derived from inhibitors of human aldose reductase, and which showed promising activity against Schistosoma mansoni couples in vitro. Further optimisation of the compounds led to an increase in anti‐schistosomal activity with observed phenotypes such as reduced egg production, vitality, and motility as well as tegumental damage and gut dilatation. Here, we performed structure–activity relationship studies on the carboxylic acid moiety of biarylalkyl carboxylic acids. Out of 82 carboxylic acid amides, we identified 10 compounds that are active against S. mansoni at 25 μm. The best five compounds showed an anti‐schistosomal activity up to 10 μm and induced severe phenotypes. Cytotoxicity tests in human cell lines showed that two derivatives had no cytotoxicity at 50 or 100 μm. These compounds are promising candidates for further optimisation toward the new anti‐schistosomal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra M Peter Ventura
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Simone Haeberlein
- BFS, Institute of Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Lange-Grünweller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Arnold Grünweller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Roland K Hartmann
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christoph G Grevelding
- BFS, Institute of Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Martin Schlitzer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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25
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Maccesi M, Aguiar PHN, Pasche V, Padilla M, Suzuki BM, Montefusco S, Abagyan R, Keiser J, Mourão MM, Caffrey CR. Multi-center screening of the Pathogen Box collection for schistosomiasis drug discovery. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:493. [PMID: 31640761 PMCID: PMC6805474 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3747-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past five years, as a public service to encourage and accelerate drug discovery for diseases of poverty, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has released box sets of 400 compounds named the Malaria, Pathogen and Stasis Boxes. Here, we screened the Pathogen Box against the post-infective larvae (schistosomula) of Schistosoma mansoni using assays particular to the three contributing institutions, namely, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the USA, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Switzerland, and the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) in Brazil. With the same set of compounds, the goal was to determine the degree of inter-assay variability and identify a core set of active compounds common to all three assays. New drugs for schistosomiasis would be welcome given that current treatment and control strategies rely on chemotherapy with just one drug, praziquantel. METHODS Both the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays utilize daily observational scoring methodologies over 72 h, whereas the FIOCRUZ assay employs XTT (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide) at 72 h to measure viability as a function of NAD+/NADH redox state. Raw and transformed data arising from each assay were assembled for comparative analysis. RESULTS For the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays, there was strong concordance of at least 87% in identifying active and inactive compounds on one or more of the three days. When all three assays were compared at 72 h, concordance remained a robust 74%. Further, robust Pearson's correlations (0.48-0.68) were measured between the assays. Of those actives at 72 h, the UCSD, Swiss TPH and FIOCRUZ assays identified 86, 103 and 66 compounds, respectively, of which 35 were common. Assay idiosyncrasies included the identification of unique compounds, the differential ability to identify known antischistosomal compounds and the concept that compounds of interest might include those that increase metabolic activity above baseline. CONCLUSIONS The inter-assay data generated were in good agreement, including with previously reported data. A common set of antischistosomal molecules for further exploration has been identified .
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Maccesi
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pedro H N Aguiar
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Valérian Pasche
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Melody Padilla
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sandro Montefusco
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Ruben Abagyan
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marina M Mourão
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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26
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Nava G, Maldonado G, Plancarte A. Cloning, expression, purification, and kinetic characterization of mitochondrial thioredoxin (TsTrx2), cytosolic thioredoxin (TsTrx1), and glutaredoxin (TsGrx1) from Taenia solium. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:1785-1797. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06336-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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27
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Mäder P, Rennar GA, Ventura AMP, Grevelding CG, Schlitzer M. Chemotherapy for Fighting Schistosomiasis: Past, Present and Future. ChemMedChem 2018; 13:2374-2389. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mäder
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Georg A. Rennar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Alejandra M. Peter Ventura
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Christoph G. Grevelding
- Institute of Parasitology, BFS; Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen; Schubertstraße 81 35392 Gießen Germany
| | - Martin Schlitzer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
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28
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Eweas AF, Allam G. Targeting thioredoxin glutathione reductase as a potential antischistosomal drug target. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2018; 225:94-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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29
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Insight into the Mechanistic Basis of the Hysteretic-Like Kinetic Behavior of Thioredoxin-Glutathione Reductase (TGR). Enzyme Res 2018; 2018:3215462. [PMID: 30254758 PMCID: PMC6145155 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3215462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A kinetic study of thioredoxin-glutathione reductase (TGR) from Taenia crassiceps metacestode (cysticerci) was carried out. The results obtained from both initial velocity and product inhibition experiments suggest the enzyme follows a two-site ping-pong bi bi kinetic mechanism, in which both substrates and products are bound in rapid equilibrium fashion. The substrate GSSG exerts inhibition at moderate or high concentrations, which is concomitant with the observation of hysteretic-like progress curves. The effect of NADPH on the apparent hysteretic behavior of TGR was also studied. At low concentrations of NADPH in the presence of moderate concentrations of GSSG, atypical time progress curves were observed, consisting of an initial burst-like stage, followed by a lag whose amplitude and duration depended on the concentration of both NADPH and GSSG. Based on all the kinetic and structural evidence available on TGR, a mechanism-based model was developed. The model assumes a noncompetitive mode of inhibition by GSSG in which the disulfide behaves as an affinity label-like reagent through its binding and reduction at an alternative site, leading the enzyme into an inactive state. The critical points of the model are the persistence of residual GSSG reductase activity in the inhibited GSSG-enzyme complexes and the regeneration of the active form of the enzyme by GSH. Hence, the hysteretic-like progress curves of GSSG reduction by TGR are the result of a continuous competition between GSH and GSSG for driving the enzyme into active or inactive states, respectively. By using an arbitrary but consistent set of rate constants, the experimental full progress curves were successfully reproduced in silico.
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30
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Silvestri I, Lyu H, Fata F, Boumis G, Miele AE, Ardini M, Ippoliti R, Bellelli A, Jadhav A, Lea WA, Simeonov A, Cheng Q, Arnér ESJ, Thatcher GR, Petukhov PA, Williams DL, Angelucci F. Fragment-Based Discovery of a Regulatory Site in Thioredoxin Glutathione Reductase Acting as "Doorstop" for NADPH Entry. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:2190-2202. [PMID: 29800515 PMCID: PMC6905387 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Members of the FAD/NAD-linked reductase family are recognized as crucial targets in drug development for cancers, inflammatory disorders, and infectious diseases. However, individual FAD/NAD reductases are difficult to inhibit in a selective manner with off-target inhibition reducing usefulness of identified compounds. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR), a high molecular weight thioredoxin reductase-like enzyme, has emerged as a promising drug target for the treatment of schistosomiasis, a parasitosis afflicting more than 200 million people. Taking advantage of small molecules selected from a high-throughput screen and using X-ray crystallography, functional assays, and docking studies, we identify a critical secondary site of the enzyme. Compounds binding at this site interfere with well-known and conserved conformational changes associated with NADPH reduction, acting as a doorstop for cofactor entry. They selectively inhibit TGR from Schistosoma mansoni and are active against parasites in culture. Since many members of the FAD/NAD-linked reductase family have similar catalytic mechanisms, the unique mechanism of inhibition identified in this study for TGR broadly opens new routes to selectively inhibit homologous enzymes of central importance in numerous diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Silvestri
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy,These authors contributed equally
| | - Haining Lyu
- Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Francesca Fata
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Giovanna Boumis
- Dept. of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Adriana E. Miele
- Dept. of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy,UMR5246 ICBMS – CNRS – UCBL, Université de Lyon, France
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Andrea Bellelli
- Dept. of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Ajit Jadhav
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wendy A. Lea
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA,Current address: The Jared Grantham Kidney Institute, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160
| | - Anton Simeonov
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Qing Cheng
- Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elias S. J. Arnér
- Dept. of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gregory R. Thatcher
- Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Pavel A. Petukhov
- Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - David L. Williams
- Dept. of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA,Senior authors,To whom correspondence should be addressed: David L. Williams (), Francesco Angelucci ()
| | - Francesco Angelucci
- Dept. of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy,Senior authors,To whom correspondence should be addressed: David L. Williams (), Francesco Angelucci ()
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Biochemical and thermodynamic comparison of the selenocysteine containing and non-containing thioredoxin glutathione reductase of Fasciola gigantica. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Brandstaedter C, Fritz‐Wolf K, Weder S, Fischer M, Hecker B, Rahlfs S, Becker K. Kinetic characterization of wild‐type and mutant human thioredoxin glutathione reductase defines its reaction and regulatory mechanisms. FEBS J 2017; 285:542-558. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.14357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Brandstaedter
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
| | - Karin Fritz‐Wolf
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
- Max‐Planck Institute for Medical Research Heidelberg Germany
| | - Stine Weder
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
| | - Marina Fischer
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
| | - Beate Hecker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Research Center Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany
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Shukla R, Shukla H, Kalita P, Tripathi T. Structural insights into natural compounds as inhibitors of Fasciola gigantica thioredoxin glutathione reductase. J Cell Biochem 2017; 119:3067-3080. [PMID: 29052925 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Fascioliasis is caused by the helminth parasites of genus Fasciola. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) is an important enzyme in parasitic helminths and plays an indispensable role in its redox biology. In the present study, we conducted a structure-based virtual screening of natural compounds against the Fasciola gigantica TGR (FgTGR). The compounds were docked against FgTGR in four sequential docking modes. The screened ligands were further assessed for Lipinski and ADMET prediction so as to evaluate drug proficiency and likeness property. After refinement, three potential inhibitors were identified that were subjected to 50 ns molecular dynamics simulation and free energy binding analyses to evaluate the dynamics of protein-ligand interaction and the stability of the complexes. Key residues involved in the interaction of the selected ligands were also determined. The results suggested that three top hits had a negative binding energy greater than GSSG (-91.479 KJ · mol-1 ), having -152.657, -141.219, and -92.931 kJ · mol-1 for compounds with IDs ZINC85878789, ZINC85879991, and ZINC36369921, respectively. Further analysis showed that the compound ZINC85878789 and ZINC85879991 displayed substantial pharmacological and structural properties to be a drug candidate. Thus, the present study might prove useful for the future design of new derivatives with higher potency and specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Shukla
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India
| | - Harish Shukla
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India
| | - Parismita Kalita
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India
| | - Timir Tripathi
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India
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Li Q, Zhao N, Liu M, Shen H, Huang L, Mo X, Xu B, Zhang X, Hu W. Comparative Analysis of Proteome-Wide Lysine Acetylation in Juvenile and Adult Schistosoma japonicum. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2248. [PMID: 29250037 PMCID: PMC5715381 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a devastating parasitic disease caused by tremotodes of the genus Schistosoma. Eggs produced by sexually mature schistosomes are the causative agents of for pathogenesis and transmission. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of schistosome development and sexual maturation would facilitate the prevention and control of schistosomiasis. Acetylation of lysine is a dynamic and reversible post-translational modification playing keys role in many biological processes including development in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. To investigate the impacts of lysine acetylation on Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) development and sexual maturation, we used immunoaffinity-based acetyllysine peptide enrichment combined with mass spectrometry (MS), to perform the first comparative analysis of proteome-wide lysine acetylation in both female and male, juvenile (18 days post infection, 18 dpi) and adult (28 dpi) schistosome samples. In total, we identified 874 unique acetylated sites in 494 acetylated proteins. The four samples shared 47 acetylated sites and 46 proteins. More acetylated sites and proteins shared by both females and males were identified in 28 dpi adults (189 and 143, respectively) than in 18 dpi schistosomula (76 and 59, respectively). More stage-unique acetylated sites and proteins were also identified in 28 dpi adults (494 and 210, respectively) than in 18 dpi schistosomula (73 and 44, respectively). Functional annotation showed that in different developmental stages and genders, a number of proteins involving in muscle movement, glycometabolism, lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, environmental stress resistance, antioxidation, etc., displayed distinct acetylation profiles, which was in accordance with the changes of their biological functions during schistosome development, suggesting that lysine acetylation modification exerted important regulatory roles in schistosome development. Taken together, our data provided the first comparative global survey of lysine acetylation in juvenile and adult S. japonicum, which would deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanism of schistosome development and sexual maturation, and provide clues for the development of new anti-schistosome strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haimo Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojin Mo
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Xu
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
| | - Xumin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China
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Tripathi T, Suttiprapa S, Sripa B. Unusual thiol-based redox metabolism of parasitic flukes. Parasitol Int 2017; 66:390-395. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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36
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Gold D, Alian M, Domb A, Karawani Y, Jbarien M, Chollet J, Haynes RK, Wong HN, Buchholz V, Greiner A, Golenser J. Elimination of Schistosoma mansoni in infected mice by slow release of artemisone. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2017; 7:241-247. [PMID: 28511056 PMCID: PMC5430492 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The current treatment of schistosomiasis is based on the anti-helminthic drug praziquantel (PZQ). PZQ affects only the adult stages of schistosomes. In addition, resistance to PZQ is emerging. We suggest a drug, which could serve as a potential alternative or complement to PZQ, and as a means of treating infections at earlier, pre-granuloma stage. Derivatives of the peroxidic antimalarial drug artemisinin have been indicated as alternatives, because both plasmodia and schistosomes are blood-feeding parasites. The mechanism of action of artemisinins is related to oxidative effects of the artemisinins on intracellular reductants leading to formation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species. We used artemisone, which has improved pharmacokinetics and anti-plasmodial activity, and reduced toxicity compared to other artemisinins in clinical use against malaria. We infected adult mice by subcutaneous injection of S. mansoni cercariae (about 200) and treated them at various times post infection by the following methods: i. artemisone suspension administered by gavage (400-450 mg/kg); ii. subcutaneous injection of a gel containing a known concentration of artemisone (115-120 mg/kg); iii. subcutaneous insertion of the drug incorporated in a solid polymer (56-60 mg/kg); iv. intraperitoneal injection of the drug solubilized in DMSO (115-120 mg/kg). Drug administration in polymers was performed to enable slow release of the artemisone that was verified in vivo and in vitro bioassays using drug-sensitive malaria parasites. We found superior strong anti-schistosome effects up to a total reduction of worm number, mainly following repetitive treatments with the drug absorbed in the polymers (73.1% and 95.9% reduction in mice treated with artemisone in gel 7 and 14, and 21, 28 and 35 days post infection, respectively). The results indicate that artemisone has a potent anti-schistosome activity. Its main importance in this context is its effectiveness in treating hosts harboring juvenile schistosomes, before egg-deposition and induction of deleterious immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gold
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Mohammed Alian
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Avraham Domb
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yara Karawani
- The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Hadassah Medical School, Israel
| | - Maysa Jbarien
- The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Hadassah Medical School, Israel
| | - Jacques Chollet
- Swiss Tropical Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Richard K Haynes
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Ho Ning Wong
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Viola Buchholz
- Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Andreas Greiner
- Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jacob Golenser
- The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Hadassah Medical School, Israel.
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37
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The Architecture of Thiol Antioxidant Systems among Invertebrate Parasites. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22020259. [PMID: 28208651 PMCID: PMC6155587 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22020259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of oxygen as the final electron acceptor in aerobic organisms results in an improvement in the energy metabolism. However, as a byproduct of the aerobic metabolism, reactive oxygen species are produced, leaving to the potential risk of an oxidative stress. To contend with such harmful compounds, living organisms have evolved antioxidant strategies. In this sense, the thiol-dependent antioxidant defense systems play a central role. In all cases, cysteine constitutes the major building block on which such systems are constructed, being present in redox substrates such as glutathione, thioredoxin, and trypanothione, as well as at the catalytic site of a variety of reductases and peroxidases. In some cases, the related selenocysteine was incorporated at selected proteins. In invertebrate parasites, antioxidant systems have evolved in a diversity of both substrates and enzymes, representing a potential area in the design of anti-parasite strategies. The present review focus on the organization of the thiol-based antioxidant systems in invertebrate parasites. Differences between these taxa and its final mammal host is stressed. An understanding of the antioxidant defense mechanisms in this kind of parasites, as well as their interactions with the specific host is crucial in the design of drugs targeting these organisms.
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Eissa MM, Mossallam SF, Amer EI, Younis LK, Rashed HA. Repositioning of chlorambucil as a potential anti-schistosomal agent. Acta Trop 2017; 166:58-66. [PMID: 27836498 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2016] [Revised: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
As parasites and cancer cells share many lifestyle and behavioral resemblances, repositioning of anti-cancerous agents as anti-parasitic is quite trendy, especially those sharing the same therapeutic targets. Therefore, the current study investigated the in vitro efficacy of ascending concentrations of chlorambucil (0.5-20μg/ml) against adult Schistosoma mansoni worms, over 72h. Additionally, its in vivo effects against the different developmental stages of the worm were assessed, after an oral dose of 2.5mg/kg/day for five successive days, through evaluating the worm load reduction and worms' morphological alterations and oogram changes. In addition to tissue egg count, a histopathological study of the liver was conducted. In vitro, chlorambucil demonstrated noticeable anti-schistosomal effects in the form of progressive reductions of the worms' viability in a dose dependent manner. Complete worm death was achieved at 72h incubation with 5μg/ml drug concentration. In vivo, chlorambucil induced a significant reduction in the total worm load against all developmental stages. Its highest impact was evident against the juvenile stage, where it induced 75.8% total worm load reduction, and 89.2% and 86.7% intestinal and hepatic egg counts reduction, respectively, along with ogram alterations. Besides, it induced significant shortening of both male and female worms and promoted an amelioration of hepatic histopathology. Results show that chlorambucil possesses favorable in vitro and in vivo anti-schistosomal activity. The highest in vivo efficacy was against the juvenile stage of S. mansoni, significantly superior to praziquantel, with extended potency to the adult stage. Further studies are recommended for chlorambucil target verification and to enhance its therapeutic efficacy.
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Neves BJ, Dantas RF, Senger MR, Melo-Filho CC, Valente WCG, de Almeida ACM, Rezende-Neto JM, Lima EFC, Paveley R, Furnham N, Muratov E, Kamentsky L, Carpenter AE, Braga RC, Silva-Junior FP, Andrade CH. Discovery of New Anti-Schistosomal Hits by Integration of QSAR-Based Virtual Screening and High Content Screening. J Med Chem 2016; 59:7075-88. [PMID: 27396732 PMCID: PMC5844225 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b02038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a debilitating neglected tropical disease, caused by flatworms of Schistosoma genus. The treatment relies on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ), making the discovery of new compounds extremely urgent. In this work, we integrated QSAR-based virtual screening (VS) of Schistosoma mansoni thioredoxin glutathione reductase (SmTGR) inhibitors and high content screening (HCS) aiming to discover new antischistosomal agents. Initially, binary QSAR models for inhibition of SmTGR were developed and validated using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidance. Using these models, we prioritized 29 compounds for further testing in two HCS platforms based on image analysis of assay plates. Among them, 2-[2-(3-methyl-4-nitro-5-isoxazolyl)vinyl]pyridine and 2-(benzylsulfonyl)-1,3-benzothiazole, two compounds representing new chemical scaffolds have activity against schistosomula and adult worms at low micromolar concentrations and therefore represent promising antischistosomal hits for further hit-to-lead optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno J. Neves
- LabMol—Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 240, Qd.87, Setor Leste Universitário, Goiânia 74605-510, Brazil
| | - Rafael F. Dantas
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mario R. Senger
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cleber C. Melo-Filho
- LabMol—Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 240, Qd.87, Setor Leste Universitário, Goiânia 74605-510, Brazil
| | - Walter C. G. Valente
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana C. M. de Almeida
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - João M. Rezende-Neto
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elid F. C. Lima
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ross Paveley
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene Muratov
- Laboratory for Molecular Modeling, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill North Carolina 27955-7568, United States
| | - Lee Kamentsky
- Imaging Platform, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Anne E. Carpenter
- Imaging Platform, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Rodolpho C. Braga
- LabMol—Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 240, Qd.87, Setor Leste Universitário, Goiânia 74605-510, Brazil
| | - Floriano P. Silva-Junior
- LaBECFar—Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol—Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 240, Qd.87, Setor Leste Universitário, Goiânia 74605-510, Brazil
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Fasciola gigantica thioredoxin glutathione reductase: Biochemical properties and structural modeling. Int J Biol Macromol 2016; 89:152-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2016.04.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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41
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Oliveira MP, Correa Soares JBR, Oliveira MF. Sexual Preferences in Nutrient Utilization Regulate Oxygen Consumption and Reactive Oxygen Species Generation in Schistosoma mansoni: Potential Implications for Parasite Redox Biology. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158429. [PMID: 27380021 PMCID: PMC4933344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosoma mansoni, one of the causative agents of human schistosomiasis, has a unique antioxidant network that is key to parasite survival and a valuable chemotherapeutic target. The ability to detoxify and tolerate reactive oxygen species increases along S. mansoni development in the vertebrate host, suggesting that adult parasites are more exposed to redox challenges than young stages. Indeed, adult parasites are exposed to multiple redox insults generated from blood digestion, activated immune cells, and, potentially, from their own parasitic aerobic metabolism. However, it remains unknown how reactive oxygen species are produced by S. mansoni metabolism, as well as their biological effects on adult worms. Here, we assessed the contribution of nutrients and parasite gender to oxygen utilization pathways, and reactive oxygen species generation in whole unpaired adult S. mansoni worms. We also determined the susceptibilities of both parasite sexes to a pro-oxidant challenge. We observed that glutamine and serum importantly contribute to both respiratory and non-respiratory oxygen utilization in adult worms, but with different proportions among parasite sexes. Analyses of oxygen utilization pathways revealed that respiratory rates were high in male worms, which contrast with high non-respiratory rates in females, regardless nutritional sources. Interestingly, mitochondrial complex I-III activity was higher than complex IV specifically in females. We also observed sexual preferences in substrate utilization to sustain hydrogen peroxide production towards glucose in females, and glutamine in male worms. Despite strikingly high oxidant levels and hydrogen peroxide production rates, female worms were more resistant to a pro-oxidant challenge than male parasites. The data presented here indicate that sexual preferences in nutrient metabolism in adult S. mansoni worms regulate oxygen utilization and reactive oxygen species production, which may differently contribute to redox biology among parasite sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus P. Oliveira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Resposta ao Estresse, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Juliana B. R. Correa Soares
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Resposta ao Estresse, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcus F. Oliveira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Resposta ao Estresse, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Mäder P, Blohm AS, Quack T, Lange-Grünweller K, Grünweller A, Hartmann RK, Grevelding CG, Schlitzer M. Biarylalkyl Carboxylic Acid Derivatives as Novel Antischistosomal Agents. ChemMedChem 2016; 11:1459-68. [PMID: 27159334 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201600127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic platyhelminths are responsible for serious infectious diseases, such as schistosomiasis, which affect humans as well as animals across vast regions of the world. The drug arsenal available for the treatment of these diseases is limited; for example, praziquantel is the only drug currently used to treat ≥240 million people each year infected with Schistosoma spp., and there is justified concern about the emergence of drug resistance. In this study, we screened biarylalkyl carboxylic acid derivatives for their antischistosomal activity against S. mansoni. These compounds showed significant influence on egg production, pairing stability, and vitality. Tegumental lesions or gut dilatation was also observed. Substitution of the terminal phenyl residue in the biaryl scaffold with a 3-hydroxy moiety and derivatization of the terminal carboxylic acid scaffold with carboxamides yielded compounds that displayed significant antischistosomal activity at concentrations as low as 10 μm with satisfying cytotoxicity values. The present study provides detailed insight into the structure-activity relationships of biarylalkyl carboxylic acid derivatives and thereby paves the way for a new drug-hit moiety for fighting schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mäder
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ariane S Blohm
- BFS, Institute for Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Schubertstraße 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Thomas Quack
- BFS, Institute for Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Schubertstraße 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Lange-Grünweller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Arnold Grünweller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Roland K Hartmann
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christoph G Grevelding
- BFS, Institute for Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Schubertstraße 81, 35392, Gießen, Germany.
| | - Martin Schlitzer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
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Li T, Ziniel PD, He PQ, Kommer VP, Crowther GJ, He M, Liu Q, Van Voorhis WC, Williams DL, Wang MW. High-throughput screening against thioredoxin glutathione reductase identifies novel inhibitors with potential therapeutic value for schistosomiasis. Infect Dis Poverty 2015; 4:40. [PMID: 26341081 PMCID: PMC4560900 DOI: 10.1186/s40249-015-0071-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease also known as bilharzia and snail fever, is caused by different species of flatworms, such as Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni). Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) from S. mansoni (SmTGR) is a well-characterized drug target for schistosomiasis, yet no anti-SmTGR compounds have reached clinical trials, suggesting that therapeutic development against schistosomiasis might benefit from additional scaffolds targeting this enzyme. METHODS A high-throughput screening (HTS) assay in vitro against SmTGR was developed and applied to a diverse compound library. SmTGR activity was quantified with ThioGlo®, a reagent that fluoresces upon binding to the free sulfhydryl groups of the reaction product GSH (reduced glutathione). RESULTS We implemented an HTS effort against 59,360 synthetic compounds. In the primary screening, initial hits (928 or 1.56 %) showing greater than 90 % inhibition on SmTGR activity at a final concentration of 10 μM for each compound were identified. Further tests were carried out to confirm the effects of these hits and to explore the concentration-dependent response characteristics. As a result, 74 of them (0.12 %) representing 17 chemical scaffolds were confirmed and showed a great concentration-dependent inhibitory trend against SmTGR, including structures previously shown to be lethal to schistosomal growth. Of these, two scaffolds displayed a limited structure-activity relationship. When tested in cultured larvae, 39 compounds had cidal activity in 48 h, and five of them killed larvae completely at 3.125 μM. Of these, three compounds also killed adult worms ex vivo at concentrations between 5 μM and 10 μM. CONCLUSION These confirmed hits may serve as starting points for the development of novel therapeutics to combat schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Li
- The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Peter D Ziniel
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Pan-Qing He
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Valerie P Kommer
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Gregory J Crowther
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Min He
- The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Qing Liu
- The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Wesley C Van Voorhis
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - David L Williams
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Ming-Wei Wang
- The National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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Johann L, Belorgey D, Huang HH, Day L, Chessé M, Becker K, Williams DL, Davioud-Charvet E. Synthesis and evaluation of 1,4-naphthoquinone ether derivatives as SmTGR inhibitors and new anti-schistosomal drugs. FEBS J 2015; 282:3199-217. [PMID: 26111549 DOI: 10.1111/febs.13359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Investigations regarding the chemistry and mechanism of action of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (or menadione) derivatives revealed 3-phenoxymethyl menadiones as a novel anti-schistosomal chemical series. These newly synthesized compounds (1-7) and their difluoromethylmenadione counterparts (8, 9) were found to be potent and specific inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni thioredoxin-glutathione reductase (SmTGR), which has been identified as a potential target for anti-schistosomal drugs. The compounds were also tested in enzymic assays using both human flavoenzymes, i.e. glutathione reductase (hGR) and selenium-dependent human thioredoxin reductase (hTrxR), to evaluate the specificity of the inhibition. Structure-activity relationships as well as physico- and electro-chemical studies showed a high potential for the 3-phenoxymethyl menadiones to inhibit SmTGR selectively compared to hGR and hTrxR enzymes, in particular those bearing an α-fluorophenol methyl ether moiety, which improves anti-schistosomal action. Furthermore, the (substituted phenoxy)methyl menadione derivative (7) displayed time-dependent SmTGR inactivation, correlating with unproductive NADPH-dependent redox cycling of SmTGR, and potent anti-schistosomal action in worms cultured ex vivo. In contrast, the difluoromethylmenadione analog 9, which inactivates SmTGR through an irreversible non-consuming NADPH-dependent process, has little killing effect in worms cultured ex vivo. Despite ex vivo activity, none of the compounds tested was active in vivo, suggesting that the limited bioavailability may compromise compound activity. Therefore, future studies will be directed toward improving pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Johann
- UMR 7509, CNRS and University of Strasbourg, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials, Strasbourg, France
| | - Didier Belorgey
- UMR 7509, CNRS and University of Strasbourg, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials, Strasbourg, France
| | - Hsin-Hung Huang
- Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Latasha Day
- Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Matthieu Chessé
- UMR 7509, CNRS and University of Strasbourg, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials, Strasbourg, France
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany
| | - David L Williams
- Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elisabeth Davioud-Charvet
- UMR 7509, CNRS and University of Strasbourg, European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials, Strasbourg, France
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Huang J, Hua W, Li J, Hua Z. Molecular docking to explore the possible binding mode of potential inhibitors of thioredoxin glutathione reductase. Mol Med Rep 2015; 12:5787-95. [PMID: 26239395 PMCID: PMC4581810 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.4119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Praziquantel (PZQ) is the treatment of choice for schistosomiasis, one of the most important but neglected tropical diseases. Recently, however, Schistosoma have exhibited reduced susceptibility to PZQ, and an urgent need to develop new drugs to treat schistosomiasis has emerged. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) plays a crucial role in the redox balance of the parasite, combining glutaredoxin (Grx), glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase (TR) activities. Several compounds, including oxadiazole 2-oxides, phosphinic acid amides, isoxazolones and phosphoramidites, have been identified as agents that inhibit TGR from Schistosoma mansoni (smTGR) and exhibit anti-schistosomal activity. 4-Phenyl-1,2,5-oxadiazole-3-carbonitrile-2-oxide has also been shown to be active against TGR from Schistosoma japonicum (sjTGR). The binding sites of these inhibitors, however, remain unclear. To explore the binding interactions of these compounds, we selected six compounds to dock into the NADPH binding site, the active site of the TR domain and the Grx active site of both smTGR and sjTGR using AutoDock 4.2.5.1. The results suggested that the most favoured binding site for all compounds in either sjTGR or smTGR was the oxidised glutathione-binding pocket of the TR domain. Although all of the compounds could fit into the sjTGR site, the inhibition efficiency of these compounds towards sjTGR was marginally lower than it was towards smTGR, suggesting that it would be necessary to design specific inhibitors of TGR for different Schistosoma species. The docking results showed that all compounds docking in smTGR and sjTGR adopted similar binding modes in the TR domain. Two peptide fragments from another subunit, Phe505′–Leu508′ and Pro572′–Thr577′, played a critical role in the interactions with the inhibitors. In conclusion, the present study has revealed binding mechanisms for potential inhibitors of Schistosoma TGRs and could lead to structure-based ligand design and the development of new anti-schistosomiasis drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Huang
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, P.R. China
| | - Weijuan Hua
- Department of Biology, Jiangsu Second Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210013, P.R. China
| | - Jiahuang Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, P.R. China
| | - Zichun Hua
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, P.R. China
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Inhibition of Tapeworm Thioredoxin and Glutathione Pathways by an Oxadiazole N-Oxide Leads to Reduced Mesocestoides vogae Infection Burden in Mice. Molecules 2015; 20:11793-807. [PMID: 26132905 PMCID: PMC6332120 DOI: 10.3390/molecules200711793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Revised: 06/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic flatworms cause serious infectious diseases that affect humans and livestock in vast regions of the world, yet there are few effective drugs to treat them. Thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) is an essential enzyme for redox homeostasis in flatworm parasites and a promising pharmacological target. We purified to homogeneity and characterized the TGR from the tapeworm Mesocestoides vogae (syn. M. corti). This purification revealed absence of conventional TR and GR. The glutathione reductase activity of the purified TGR exhibits a hysteretic behavior typical of flatworm TGRs. Consistently, M. vogae genome analysis revealed the presence of a selenocysteine-containing TGR and absence of conventional TR and GR. M. vogae thioredoxin and glutathione reductase activities were inhibited by 3,4-bis(phenylsulfonyl)-1,2,5-oxadiazole N2-oxide (VL16E), an oxadiazole N-oxide previously identified as an inhibitor of fluke and tapeworm TGRs. Finally, we show that mice experimentally infected with M. vogae tetrathyridia and treated with either praziquantel, the reference drug for flatworm infections, or VL16E exhibited a 28% reduction of intraperitoneal larvae numbers compared to vehicle treated mice. Our results show that oxadiazole N-oxide is a promising chemotype in vivo and highlights the convenience of M. vogae as a model for rapid assessment of tapeworm infections in vivo.
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Martínez-González JJ, Guevara-Flores A, Rendón JL, Arenal IPD. Auranofin-induced oxidative stress causes redistribution of the glutathione pool in Taenia crassiceps cysticerci. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2015; 201:16-25. [PMID: 26024834 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Revised: 03/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we have studied the effect of the gold-compound auranofin (AF) on both thioredoxin-glutathione reductasa (TGR) activity and viability of Taenia crassiceps cysticerci. It was demonstrated that micromolar concentrations of AF were high enough to fully inhibit TGR and kill the parasites. In this work, the dynamics of changes in the glutathione pool of T. crassiceps cysticerci following the addition of AF, was analyzed. A dose-dependent decrease in the internal glutathione concentration, concomitant with an increase in ROS production was observed. These changes were simultaneous with the formation of glutathione-protein complexes and the export of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to the culture medium. Incubation of cysticerci in the presence of both AF and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) prevents all the above changes, maintaining cysticerci viability. By contrast, the presence of both AF and buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) resulted in a potentiation of the effects of the gold compound, jeopardizing cysticerci viability. These results suggest the lethal effect of AF on T. crassiceps cysticerci, observed at micromolar concentrations, can be explained as a consequence of major changes in the glutathione status, which results in a significant increase in the oxidative stress of the parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Martínez-González
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70-159, 04510 Mexico, DF, Mexico
| | - A Guevara-Flores
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70-159, 04510 Mexico, DF, Mexico
| | - J L Rendón
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70-159, 04510 Mexico, DF, Mexico
| | - I P Del Arenal
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Apartado Postal 70-159, 04510 Mexico, DF, Mexico.
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Expression, characterization and crystal structure of thioredoxin from Schistosoma japonicum. Parasitology 2015; 142:1044-52. [PMID: 25810021 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182015000244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Schistosoma japonicum, a human blood fluke, causes a parasitic disease affecting millions of people in Asia. Thioredoxin-glutathione system of S. japonicum plays a critical role in maintaining the redox balance in parasite, which is a potential target for development of novel antischistosomal agents. Here we cloned the gene of S. japonicum thioredoxin (SjTrx), expressed and purified the recombinant SjTrx in Escherichia coli. Functional assay shows that SjTrx catalyses the dithiothreitol (DTT) reduction of insulin disulphide bonds. The coupling assay of SjTrx with its endogenous reductase, thioredoxin glutathione reductase from S. japonicum (SjTGR), supports its biological function to maintain the redox homeostasis in the cell. Furthermore, the crystal structure of SjTrx in the oxidized state was determined at 2.0 Å resolution, revealing a typical architecture of thioredoxin fold. The structural information of SjTrx provides us important clues for understanding the maintenance function of redox homeostasis in S. japonicum and pathogenesis of this chronic disease.
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Molecular cloning and characterization of Fasciola gigantica thioredoxin-glutathione reductase. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:2119-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4400-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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50
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Purification and kinetic analysis of cytosolic and mitochondrial thioredoxin glutathione reductase extracted from Taenia solium cysticerci. Exp Parasitol 2015; 149:65-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2014.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2014] [Revised: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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