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Kim T, Choi SY, Bae HW, Kim HS, Jeon H, Oh H, Ahn SH, Lee J, Suh YG, Cho YH, Kim SH. Design, synthesis, and evaluation of N 1,N 3-dialkyldioxonaphthoimidazoliums as antibacterial agents against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 272:116454. [PMID: 38704937 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Increasing antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens poses a serious threat to human health worldwide. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the most deleterious bacterial pathogens owing to its multidrug resistance, necessitating the development of new antibacterial agents against it. We previously identified a novel dioxonaphthoimidazolium agent, c5, with moderate antibacterial activity against MRSA from an anticancer clinical candidate, YM155. In this study, we aimed to design and synthesize several novel cationic amphiphilic N1,N3-dialkyldioxonaphthoimidazolium bromides with enhanced lipophilicity of the two side chains in the imidazolium scaffold and improved antibacterial activities compared to those of c5 against gram-positive bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Our new antibacterial lead, N1,N3-n-octylbenzyldioxonaphthoimidazolium bromide (11), exhibited highly potent antibacterial activities against various gram-positive bacterial strains (MICs: 0.19-0.39 μg/mL), including MRSA, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. Moreover, antibacterial mechanism of 11 against MRSA based on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated. Although compound 11 exhibited cytotoxic effects in vitro and lacked a therapeutic index against the HEK293 and HDFa mammalian cell lines, it exhibited low toxicity in the Drosophila animal model. Remarkably, 11 exhibited better in vivo antibacterial efficacy than c5 and the clinically used antibiotic, vancomycin, in SA3-infected Drosophila model. Moreover, the development of bacterial resistance to 11 was not observed after 16 consecutive passages. Therefore, rational design of antibacterial cationic amphiphiles based on ROS-generating pharmacophores with optimized lipophilicity can facilitate the identification of potent antibacterial agents against drug-resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taewoo Kim
- College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
| | - Shin-Yae Choi
- Program of Biopharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 335 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Won Bae
- Program of Biopharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 335 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Su Kim
- College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoon Jeon
- College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
| | - Haejun Oh
- College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hoon Ahn
- College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongkook Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ger Suh
- College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 120 Haeryong-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do 11160, Republic of Korea
| | - You-Hee Cho
- Program of Biopharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CHA University, 335 Pangyo-ro, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13488, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seok-Ho Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea.
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Negatu DA, Aragaw WW, Dartois V, Dick T. A pairwise approach to revitalize β-lactams for the treatment of TB. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024:e0003424. [PMID: 38690896 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00034-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The dual β-lactam approach has been successfully applied to overcome target redundancy in nontuberculous mycobacteria. Surprisingly, this approach has not been leveraged for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, despite the high conservation of peptidoglycan synthesis. Through a comprehensive screen of oral β-lactam pairs, we have discovered that cefuroxime strongly potentiates the bactericidal activity of tebipenem and sulopenem-advanced clinical candidates-and amoxicillin, at concentrations achieved clinically. β-lactam pairs thus have the potential to reduce TB treatment duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dereje A Negatu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Wassihun Wedajo Aragaw
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Véronique Dartois
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Thomas Dick
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
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Cui Q, Huang C, Liu JY, Zhang JT. Small Molecule Inhibitors Targeting the "Undruggable" Survivin: The Past, Present, and Future from a Medicinal Chemist's Perspective. J Med Chem 2023; 66:16515-16545. [PMID: 38092421 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Survivin, a homodimeric protein and a member of the IAP family, plays a vital function in cell survival and cycle progression by interacting with various proteins and complexes. Its expression is upregulated in cancers but not detectable in normal tissues. Thus, it has been regarded and validated as an ideal cancer target. However, survivin is "undruggable" due to its lack of enzymatic activities or active sites for small molecules to bind/inhibit. Academic and industrial laboratories have explored different strategies to overcome this hurdle over the past two decades, with some compounds advanced into clinical testing. These strategies include inhibiting survivin expression, its interaction with binding partners and homodimerization. Here, we provide comprehensive analyses of these strategies and perspective on different small molecule survivin inhibitors to help drug discovery targeting "undruggable" proteins in general and survivin specifically with a true survivin inhibitor that will prevail in the foreseeable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbin Cui
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43614, United States
| | - Caoqinglong Huang
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43614, United States
| | - Jing-Yuan Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43614, United States
| | - Jian-Ting Zhang
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43614, United States
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Finin P, Khan RMN, Oh S, Boshoff HIM, Barry CE. Chemical approaches to unraveling the biology of mycobacteria. Cell Chem Biol 2023; 30:420-435. [PMID: 37207631 PMCID: PMC10201459 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), perhaps more than any other organism, is intrinsically appealing to chemical biologists. Not only does the cell envelope feature one of the most complex heteropolymers found in nature1 but many of the interactions between Mtb and its primary host (we humans) rely on lipid and not protein mediators.2,3 Many of the complex lipids, glycolipids, and carbohydrates biosynthesized by the bacterium still have unknown functions, and the complexity of the pathological processes by which tuberculosis (TB) disease progress offers many opportunities for these molecules to influence the human response. Because of the importance of TB in global public health, chemical biologists have applied a wide-ranging array of techniques to better understand the disease and improve interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Finin
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - R M Naseer Khan
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sangmi Oh
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Helena I M Boshoff
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Clifton E Barry
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Redox Cycling Dioxonaphthoimidazoliums Disrupt Iron Homeostasis in Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0197022. [PMID: 36377959 PMCID: PMC9769636 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01970-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The dioxonaphthoimidazolium scaffold is a novel, highly bactericidal redox cycling antituberculosis chemotype that is reliant on the respiratory enzyme Type II NADH dehydrogenase (NDH2) for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we employed Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (M. bovis BCG) reporter strains to show that ROS generated by the redox cycler SA23 simulated an iron deficient state in the bacteria, which led to a compensatory increase in the expression of the iron acquisition mbtB gene while collaterally reducing the expression of the iron storage bfrB gene. Exacerbating the iron deficiency via the inclusion of an iron chelator or aggravating oxidative stress by deploying a catalase (KatG) loss-of-function mutant strain enhanced the activity of SA23, whereas a combined approach of treating the katG mutant strain with an iron chelator led to even greater gains in activity. Our results support the notion that the activity of SA23 pivots on a vicious cycle of events that involve the derailment of iron homeostasis toward greater acquisition of the metal, overwhelmed oxidative stress defenses due to enhanced Fenton reactivity, and, ultimately, self-inflicted death. Hence, we posit that redox cyclers that concurrently perturb the iron equilibrium and cellular respiration are well-positioned to be potent next-generation anti-tubercular drugs. IMPORTANCE Cellular respiration in mycobacteria is a potentially rich target space for the discovery of novel drug entities. Here, we show that a redox cycling bactericidal small molecule that selectively activates a respiratory complex in mycobacteria has the surprising effect of disrupting iron homeostasis. Our results support the notion that the disruption of cellular respiration is a potent driver of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by the redox cycling molecule. Mycobacteria respond by acquiring iron to restore the levels depleted by the prevailing oxidizing conditions, which inadvertently trigger the compensatory acquisition of the metal. This leads to overwhelmed oxidative stress defenses and yet more iron depletion. For organisms that are unable to break out of this pernicious cycle of events, cell death is the inevitable outcome. Hence, aberrant ROS production by a redox cycling bactericidal agent inflicts a plethora of damaging effects on mycobacteria, including the derailment of iron homeostasis.
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Fridianto KT, Gunawan GA, Hards K, Sarathy JP, Cook GM, Dick T, Go ML, Lam Y. Alkyltriphenylphosphonium turns naphthoquinoneimidazoles into potent membrane depolarizers against mycobacteria. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1605-1613. [PMID: 36545436 PMCID: PMC9749938 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00251e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to its central role in energy generation and bacterial viability, mycobacterial bioenergetics is an attractive therapeutic target for anti-tuberculosis drug discovery. Building upon our work on antimycobacterial dioxonaphthoimidazoliums that were activated by a proximal positive charge and generated reactive oxygen species upon reduction by Type II NADH dehydrogenase, we herein studied the effect of a distal positive charge on the antimycobacterial activity of naphthoquinoneimidazoles by incorporating a trialkylphosphonium cation. The potency-enhancing properties of the linker length were affirmed by structure-activity relationship studies. The most active compound against M. tb H37Rv displayed good selectivity index (SI = 34) and strong bactericidal activity in the low micromolar range, which occurred through rapid bacterial membrane depolarization that resulted in depletion of intracellular ATP. Through this work, we demonstrated a switch of the scaffold's mode-of-action via relocation of positive charge while retaining its excellent antibacterial activity and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kiel Hards
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of OtagoDunedin 9054New Zealand
| | - Jickky Palmae Sarathy
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health & Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Nutley NJ 071110 USA
| | - Gregory M. Cook
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of OtagoDunedin 9054New Zealand
| | - Thomas Dick
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health & Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Nutley NJ 071110 USA .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Washington DC USA
| | - Mei-Lin Go
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore 117543 Singapore
| | - Yulin Lam
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore 117543 Singapore
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Shen BY, Wang MM, Xu SM, Gao C, Wang M, Li S, Ampomah-Wireko M, Chen SC, Yan DC, Qin S, Zhang E. Antibacterial efficacy evaluation and mechanism probe of small lysine chalcone peptide mimics. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 244:114885. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Li C, Liu S, Dong B, Li C, Jian L, He J, Zeng J, Zhou Q, Jia D, Luo Y, Sun Q. Discovery and Mechanistic Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis PafA Inhibitors. J Med Chem 2022; 65:11058-11065. [PMID: 35926511 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and is ranked as the second killer infectious disease after COVID-19. Proteasome accessory factor A (PafA) is considered an attractive target because of its low sequence conservation in humans and its role in virulence. In this study, we designed a mutant of Mtb PafA that enabled large-scale purification of active PafA. Using a devised high-throughput screening assay, two PafA inhibitors were discovered. ST1926 inhibited Mtb PafA by binding in the Pup binding groove, but it was less active against Corynebacterium glutamicum PafA because the ST1926-binding residues are not conserved. Bithionol bound to the conserved ATP-binding pocket, thereby, inhibits PafA in an ATP-competitive manner. Both ST1926 and bithionol inhibited the growth of an attenuated Mtb strain (H37Ra) at micromolar concentrations. Our work thus provides new tools for tuberculosis research and a foundation for future PafA-targeted drug development for treating tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Li
- Department of Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Song Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Baoyu Dong
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Chungen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Lunan Jian
- Department of Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Juan He
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Jumei Zeng
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Qiao Zhou
- Department of Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Da Jia
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Youfu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Qingxiang Sun
- Department of Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
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Dhameliya TM, Devani AA, Patel KA, Shah KC. Comprehensive Coverage on Anti‐mycobacterial Endeavour Reported in 2021. ChemistrySelect 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202200921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aanal A. Devani
- L. M. College of Pharmacy, Navrangpura Ahmedabad 380 009 Gujarat India
| | - Krupa A. Patel
- L. M. College of Pharmacy, Navrangpura Ahmedabad 380 009 Gujarat India
| | - Kashvi C. Shah
- L. M. College of Pharmacy, Navrangpura Ahmedabad 380 009 Gujarat India
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