1
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Jitonnom J, Meelua W, Tue-Nguen P, Saparpakorn P, Hannongbua S, Chotpatiwetchkul W. 3D-QSAR and molecular docking studies of peptide-hybrids as dengue virus NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitors. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 396:111040. [PMID: 38735453 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111040] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Global warming and climate change have made dengue disease a global health issue. More than 50 % of the world's population is at danger of dengue virus (DENV) infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, a clinically approved dengue fever vaccination and effective treatment are needed. Peptide medication development is new pharmaceutical research. Here we intend to recognize the structural features inhibiting the DENV NS2B/NS3 serine protease for a series of peptide-hybrid inhibitors (R1-R2-Lys-R3-NH2) by the 3D-QSAR technique. Comparative molecular field analysis (q2 = 0.613, r2 = 0.938, r2pred = 0.820) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (q2 = 0.640, r2 = 0.928, r2pred = 0.693) were established, revealing minor, electropositive, H-bond acceptor groups at the R1 position, minor, electropositive, H-bond donor groups at the R2 position, and bulky, hydrophobic groups at the R3 position for higher inhibitory activity. Docking studies revealed extensive H-bond and hydrophobic interactions in the binding of tripeptide analogues to the NS2B/NS3 protease. This study provides an insight into the key structural features for the design of peptide-based inhibitors of DENV NS2B/NS3 protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitrayut Jitonnom
- Unit of Excellence in Computational Molecular Science and Catalysis, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand; Division of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand.
| | - Wijitra Meelua
- Unit of Excellence in Computational Molecular Science and Catalysis, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand; Division of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand
| | - Panthip Tue-Nguen
- Unit of Excellence in Computational Molecular Science and Catalysis, University of Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand; Program in Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Uttaradit Rajabhat University, Uttaradit, 53000, Thailand
| | | | - Supa Hannongbua
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900 Thailand
| | - Warot Chotpatiwetchkul
- Applied Computational Chemistry Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand.
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2
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Kesavan LR, Kamalan BC, Sivanandan S. Targeting human inosine 5' monophosphate dehydrogenase type 2 for anti-dengue lead identification - a computational approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38517251 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2331094] [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: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Dengue is a rapidly evolving arboviral disease that mainly affects tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The lack of therapeutic drugs and effective vaccines suggests that further resources need to be investigated. The effectiveness of the existing dengue vaccine is improbable as its efficacy depends on prior exposure to the dengue virus(DENV). Although the mechanism underlying the action of bioactive compounds to limit viral replication is less studied and still needs to be further explored, medicinal plants are excellent alternatives to combat DENV infection. In the current study, an in silico screening of phytochemicals from Annona reticulata Linn. against human Impdh2 was performed using Autodock Vina. Daucosterol (-9.0 kcal/mol) and Kaurenoic acid (-8.5 kcal/mol) were chosen as the top hits based on molecular interaction analysis. The hits were further exposed to pharmacokinetics and toxicity properties to determine their drug-like parameters. Molecular dynamics simulation studies of the Impdh2-top hits were carried out to investigate their kinetic behaviour and structural stabilities. The binding free energies of the Impdh2-hit complexes were determined using MM-PBSA analysis. According to the overall conclusions of the study, Daucosterol showed good binding affinity and high structural stability to the binding site residues of the target, therefore it is recommended as a lead compound against dengue.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lekshmi Radha Kesavan
- Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Division, Saraswathy Thangavelu Extension Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, A Research Centre of University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Biju Charuvil Kamalan
- Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Division, Saraswathy Thangavelu Extension Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, A Research Centre of University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Sreekumar Sivanandan
- Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Division, Saraswathy Thangavelu Extension Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, A Research Centre of University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India
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3
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Zogali V, Kiousis D, Voutyra S, Kalyva G, Abdul Mahid MB, Bist P, Ki Chan KW, Vasudevan SG, Rassias G. Carbazole to indolazepinone scaffold morphing leads to potent cell-active dengue antivirals. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 268:116213. [PMID: 38382389 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116213] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
According to WHO, dengue virus is classed among major threats for future pandemics and remains at large an unmet medical need as there are currently no relevant antiviral drugs whereas vaccine developments have met with safety concerns, mostly due to secondary infections caused by antibody-dependant-enhancement in cross infections among the four dengue serotypes. This adds extra complexity in dengue antiviral research and has impeded the progress in this field. Following through our previous effort which born the allosteric, dual-mode inhibitor SP-471P (a carbazole derivative, EC50 1.1 μM, CC50 100 μM) we performed further optimisation while preserving the two arylamidoxime arms and the bromoaryl domain present in SP-471P. Examination of the relative positions of these functionalities within this three-point pharmacophore ultimately led us to an indolazepinone scaffold and our lead compound SP-1769B. SP-1769B is among the most cell-efficacious against all serotypes (DENV2/3 EC50 100 nM, DENV1/4 EC50 0.95-1.25 μM) and safest (CC50 > 100 μM) anti-dengue compounds in the literature that also completely inhibits a secondary ADE-driven infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Zogali
- Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patra, 26504, Greece
| | | | - Stefania Voutyra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patra, 26504, Greece
| | - Georgia Kalyva
- Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patra, 26504, Greece
| | | | - Pradeep Bist
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road 169857, Singapore
| | - Kitti Wing Ki Chan
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road 169857, Singapore
| | - Subhash G Vasudevan
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road 169857, Singapore; Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, 4222, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, 117545, Singapore
| | - Gerasimos Rassias
- Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, Patra, 26504, Greece.
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4
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Farley S, Stein F, Haberkant P, Tafesse FG, Schultz C. Trifunctional Sphinganine: A New Tool to Dissect Sphingolipid Function. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:336-347. [PMID: 38284972 PMCID: PMC10878393 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00554] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Functions and cell biology of the sphingolipids sphingosine and sphinganine in cells are not well understood. While some signaling roles for sphingosine have been elucidated, the closely related sphinganine has been described only insofar as it does not elicit many of the same signaling responses. Here, we prepared multifunctionalized derivatives of the two lipid species that differ only in a single double bond of the carbon backbone. Using these novel probes, we were able to define their spatiotemporal distributions within cells. Furthermore, we used these tools to systematically map the protein interactomes of both lipids. The lipid-protein conjugates, prepared through photo-crosslinking in live cells and extraction via click chemistry to azide beads, revealed significant differences in the captured proteins, highlighting their distinct roles in various cellular processes. This work elucidates mechanistic differences between these critical lipids and sets the foundation for further studies of the cellular functions of sphingosine and sphinganine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scotland Farley
- Department
of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
- Department
of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
| | - Frank Stein
- European
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Proteomics
Core Facility, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | - Per Haberkant
- European
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Proteomics
Core Facility, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | - Fikadu G. Tafesse
- Department
of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
| | - Carsten Schultz
- Department
of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
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5
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Ali ASM, Berg J, Roehrs V, Wu D, Hackethal J, Braeuning A, Woelken L, Rauh C, Kurreck J. Xeno-Free 3D Bioprinted Liver Model for Hepatotoxicity Assessment. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1811. [PMID: 38339088 PMCID: PMC10855587 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is one of the most promising methodologies that are currently in development for the replacement of animal experiments. Bioprinting and most alternative technologies rely on animal-derived materials, which compromises the intent of animal welfare and results in the generation of chimeric systems of limited value. The current study therefore presents the first bioprinted liver model that is entirely void of animal-derived constituents. Initially, HuH-7 cells underwent adaptation to a chemically defined medium (CDM). The adapted cells exhibited high survival rates (85-92%) after cryopreservation in chemically defined freezing media, comparable to those preserved in standard medium (86-92%). Xeno-free bioink for 3D bioprinting yielded liver models with high relative cell viability (97-101%), akin to a Matrigel-based liver model (83-102%) after 15 days of culture. The established xeno-free model was used for toxicity testing of a marine biotoxin, okadaic acid (OA). In 2D culture, OA toxicity was virtually identical for cells cultured under standard conditions and in CDM. In the xeno-free bioprinted liver model, 3-fold higher concentrations of OA than in the respective monolayer culture were needed to induce cytotoxicity. In conclusion, this study describes for the first time the development of a xeno-free 3D bioprinted liver model and its applicability for research purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S. M. Ali
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, TIB 4/3-2, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Berg
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, TIB 4/3-2, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Viola Roehrs
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, TIB 4/3-2, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dongwei Wu
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, TIB 4/3-2, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Albert Braeuning
- Department Food Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 10589 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Lisa Woelken
- Department of Food Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany (C.R.)
| | - Cornelia Rauh
- Department of Food Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany (C.R.)
| | - Jens Kurreck
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin, TIB 4/3-2, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
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6
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Ren P, Li S, Wang S, Zhang X, Bai F. Computer-Aided Prediction of the Interactions of Viral Proteases with Antiviral Drugs: Antiviral Potential of Broad-Spectrum Drugs. Molecules 2023; 29:225. [PMID: 38202808 PMCID: PMC10780089 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29010225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Human society is facing the threat of various viruses. Proteases are promising targets for the treatment of viral infections. In this study, we collected and profiled 170 protease sequences from 125 viruses that infect humans. Approximately 73 of them are viral 3-chymotrypsin-like proteases (3CLpro), and 11 are pepsin-like aspartic proteases (PAPs). Their sequences, structures, and substrate characteristics were carefully analyzed to identify their conserved nature for proposing a pan-3CLpro or pan-PAPs inhibitor design strategy. To achieve this, we used computational prediction and modeling methods to predict the binding complex structures for those 73 3CLpro with 4 protease inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 and 11 protease inhibitors of HCV. Similarly, the complex structures for the 11 viral PAPs with 9 protease inhibitors of HIV were also obtained. The binding affinities between these compounds and proteins were also evaluated to assess their pan-protease inhibition via MM-GBSA. Based on the drugs targeting viral 3CLpro and PAPs, repositioning of the active compounds identified several potential uses for these drug molecules. As a result, Compounds 1-2, modified based on the structures of Ray1216 and Asunaprevir, indicate potential inhibition of DENV protease according to our computational simulation results. These studies offer ideas and insights for future research in the design of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengxuan Ren
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; (P.R.); (S.L.); (S.W.)
| | - Shiwei Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; (P.R.); (S.L.); (S.W.)
| | - Shihang Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; (P.R.); (S.L.); (S.W.)
| | - Xianglei Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; (P.R.); (S.L.); (S.W.)
| | - Fang Bai
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; (P.R.); (S.L.); (S.W.)
- School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China
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7
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Maus H, Gellert A, Englert OR, Chen JX, Schirmeister T, Barthels F. Designing photoaffinity tool compounds for the investigation of the DENV NS2B-NS3 protease allosteric binding pocket. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:2365-2379. [PMID: 37974966 PMCID: PMC10650954 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00331k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) infection still lacks specific antiviral therapy, making the NS2B-NS3 protease an attractive target for drug development. However, allosteric inhibitors that bind to a site other than the active site still need to be better understood. In this study, we designed and synthesised tool compounds for photoaffinity labelling (PAL) to investigate the binding site of allosteric inhibitors on the DENV protease. These tool compounds contained an affinity moiety, a photoreactive group, and a reporter tag for detection. Upon irradiation, the photoreactive group formed a covalent bond with the protease, allowing for binding site identification. SDS-PAGE-based assays confirmed the qualitative binding of the designed inhibitors to the allosteric pocket, and pull-down experiments validated the interaction. Tryptic protein digestion following liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis further supported the binding of the inhibitor to the proposed pocket revealing photo-attachment to an NS3 loop close to the C-terminus. These results enhance our understanding of allosteric inhibitors and their mechanism of action against the DENV protease. The developed tool compounds and PAL are potent tools for future drug discovery efforts and investigations targeting the DENV protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Maus
- IPBS, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Staudingerweg 5 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Andrea Gellert
- IPBS, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Staudingerweg 5 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Olivia R Englert
- IPBS, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Staudingerweg 5 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Jia-Xuan Chen
- IMB, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Ackermannweg 4 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- IPBS, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Staudingerweg 5 55128 Mainz Germany
| | - Fabian Barthels
- IPBS, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz Staudingerweg 5 55128 Mainz Germany
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8
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Saleem HN, Kousar S, Jiskani AH, Sohail I, Faisal A, Saeed M. Repurposing of investigational cancer drugs: Early phase discovery of dengue virus NS2B/NS3 protease inhibitors. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2300292. [PMID: 37582646 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Dengue fever is a neglected vector-borne disease and is more prevalent in Asia. Currently, no specific treatment is available. Given the time and cost of de novo drug discovery and development, an alternative option of drug repurposing is becoming an effective tool. We screened a library of 1127 pharmacologically active, metabolically stable, and structurally diverse small anticancer molecules to identify inhibitors of the dengue virus (DENV) NS2B/NS3 protease. Enzyme kinetics and inhibition data revealed four B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitors, that is, ABT263, ABT737, AT101, and TW37, as potent inhibitors of DENV NS2B/NS3 protease, with IC50 values of 0.86, 1.15, 0.81, and 0.89 µM, respectively. Mode of inhibition experiments and computational docking analyses indicated that ABT263 and ABT737 are competitive inhibitors, whereas AT101 and TW37 are noncompetitive inhibitors of the protease. With further evaluation, the identified inhibitors of the DENV NS2B/NS3 protease have the potential to be developed into specific anti-dengue therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafiza N Saleem
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Summara Kousar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Ammar Hassan Jiskani
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Iqra Sohail
- Department of Life Sciences, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Amir Faisal
- Department of Life Sciences, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Saeed
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, SBA School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan
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9
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Abdullah Z, Chee HY, Yusof R, Mohd Fauzi F. Finding Lead Compounds for Dengue Antivirals from a Collection of Old Drugs through In Silico Target Prediction and Subsequent In Vitro Validation. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:32483-32497. [PMID: 37720780 PMCID: PMC10500654 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) infection is one of the most widely spread flavivirus infections. Despite the fatality it could cause, no antiviral treatment is currently available to treat the disease. Hence, this study aimed to repurpose old drugs as novel DENV NS3 inhibitors. Ligand-based (L-B) and proteochemometric (PCM) prediction models were built using 62,354 bioactivity data to screen for potential NS3 inhibitors. Selected drugs were then subjected to the foci forming unit reduction assay (FFURA) and protease inhibition assay. Finally, molecular docking was performed to validate these results. The in silico studies revealed that both models performed well in the internal and external validations. However, the L-B model showed better accuracy in the external validation in terms of its sensitivity (0.671). In the in vitro validation, all drugs (zileuton, trimethadione, and linalool) were able to moderately inhibit the viral activities at the highest concentration tested. Zileuton showed comparable results with linalool when tested at 2 mM against the DENV NS3 protease, with a reduction of protease activity at 17.89 and 18.42%, respectively. Two new compounds were also proposed through the combination of the selected drugs, which are ziltri (zilueton + trimethadione) and zilool (zileuton + linalool). The molecular docking study confirms the in vitro observations where all drugs and proposed compounds were able to achieve binding affinity ≥ -4.1 kcal/mol, with ziltri showing the highest affinity at -7.7 kcal/mol, surpassing the control, panduratin A. The occupation of both S1 and S2 subpockets of NS2B-NS3 may be essential and a reason for the lower binding energy shown by the proposed compounds compared to the screened drugs. Based on the results, this study provided five potential new lead compounds (ziltri, zilool, zileuton, linalool, and trimethadione) for DENV that could be modified further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zafirah
Liyana Abdullah
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Selangor, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hui-Yee Chee
- Department
of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Rohana Yusof
- Department
of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Fazlin Mohd Fauzi
- Department
of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Selangor, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
- Collaborative
Drug Discovery Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Selangor, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
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10
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N-sulfonyl peptide-hybrids as a new class of dengue virus protease inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 251:115227. [PMID: 36893626 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) from the Flaviviridae family causes an epidemic disease that seriously threatens human life. The viral serine protease NS2B-NS3 is a promising target for drug development against DENV and other flaviviruses. We here report the design, synthesis, and in-vitro characterization of potent peptidic inhibitors of DENV protease with a sulfonyl moiety as N-terminal cap, thereby creating sulfonamide-peptide hybrids. The in-vitro target affinities of some synthesized compounds were in the nanomolar range, with the most promising derivative reaching a Ki value of 78 nM against DENV-2 protease. The synthesized compounds did not have relevant off-target activity nor cytotoxicity. The metabolic stability of compounds against rat liver microsomes and pancreatic enzymes was remarkable. In general, the integration of sulfonamide moieties at the N-terminus of peptidic inhibitors proved to be a promising and attractive strategy for further drug development against DENV infections.
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11
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Maus H, Hinze G, Hammerschmidt SJ, Basché T, Schirmeister T. A competition smFRET assay to study ligand-induced conformational changes of the dengue virus protease. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4526. [PMID: 36461913 PMCID: PMC9793963 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Ligand binding to proteins often is accompanied by conformational transitions. Here, we describe a competition assay based on single molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to investigate the ligand-induced conformational changes of the dengue virus (DENV) NS2B-NS3 protease, which can adopt at least two different conformations. First, a competitive ligand was used to stabilize the closed conformation of the protease. Subsequent addition of the allosteric inhibitor reduced the fraction of the closed conformation and simultaneously increased the fraction of the open conformation, demonstrating that the allosteric inhibitor stabilizes the open conformation. In addition, the proportions of open and closed conformations at different concentrations of the allosteric inhibitor were used to determine its binding affinity to the protease. The KD value observed is in accordance with the IC50 determined in the fluorometric assay. Our novel approach appears to be a valuable tool to study conformational transitions of other proteases and enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Maus
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg‐UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Gerald Hinze
- Department of ChemistryJohannes Gutenberg‐UniversityMainzGermany
| | | | - Thomas Basché
- Department of ChemistryJohannes Gutenberg‐UniversityMainzGermany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg‐UniversityMainzGermany
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12
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Ullah A, Atia-tul-Wahab, Gong P, Khan AM, Choudhary MI. Identification of new inhibitors of NS5 from dengue virus using saturation transfer difference (STD-NMR) and molecular docking studies. RSC Adv 2022; 13:355-369. [PMID: 36605638 PMCID: PMC9768849 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra04836a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid spread of dengue virus has now emerged as a major health problem worldwide, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Nearly half of the human population is at risk of getting infection. Among the proteomes of dengue virus, nonstructural protein NS5 is conserved across the genus Flavivirus. NS5 comprises methyltransferase enzyme (MTase) domain, which helps in viral RNA capping, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain, which is important for the virus replication. Negative modulation of NS5 decreases its activity and associated functions. Despite recent advances, there is still an immense need for effective approaches toward drug discovery against dengue virus. Drug repurposing is an approach to identify the new therapeutic indications of already approved drugs, for the treatment of both common and rare diseases, and can potentially lower the cost, and time required for drug discovery and development. In this study, we evaluated 75 compounds (grouped into 15 mixtures), including 13 natural compounds and 62 drugs, by using biophysical methods, for their ability to interact with NS5 protein, which were further validated by molecular docking and simulation studies. Our current study led to the identification of 12 ligands, including both 9 US-FDA approved drugs and 3 natural products that need to be further studied as potential antiviral agents against dengue virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmat Ullah
- Dr Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center of Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of KarachiKarachi75270Pakistan
| | - Atia-tul-Wahab
- Dr Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center of Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of KarachiKarachi75270Pakistan
| | - Peng Gong
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhanHubei 430071China
| | - Abdul Mateen Khan
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of KarachiKarachi75270Pakistan
| | - M. Iqbal Choudhary
- Dr Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center of Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of KarachiKarachi75270Pakistan,H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of KarachiKarachi75270Pakistan,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz UniversityJeddah-21589Saudi Arabia
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Dharmapalan BT, Biswas R, Sankaran S, Venkidasamy B, Thiruvengadam M, George G, Rebezov M, Zengin G, Gallo M, Montesano D, Naviglio D, Shariati MA. Inhibitory Potential of Chromene Derivatives on Structural and Non-Structural Proteins of Dengue Virus. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122656. [PMID: 36560664 PMCID: PMC9787897 DOI: 10.3390/v14122656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has become a serious health issue across the globe. It is caused by a virus of the Flaviviridae family, and it comprises five different serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-5). As there is no specific medicine or effective vaccine for controlling dengue fever, there is an urgent need to develop potential inhibitors against it. Traditionally, various natural products have been used to manage dengue fever and its co-morbid conditions. A detailed analysis of these plants revealed the presence of various chromene derivatives as the major phytochemicals. Inspired by these observations, authors have critically analyzed the anti-dengue virus potential of various 4H chromene derivatives. Further, in silico, in vitro, and in vivo reports of these scaffolds against the dengue virus are detailed in the present manuscript. These analogues exerted their activity by interfering with various stages of viral entry, assembly, and replications. Moreover, these analogues mainly target envelope protein, NS2B-NS3 protease, and NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, etc. Overall, chromene-containing analogues exerted a potent activity against the dengue virus and the present review will be helpful for the further exploration of these scaffolds for the development of novel antiviral drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babitha Thekkiniyedath Dharmapalan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Amrita School of Pharmacy, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi 682041, India
| | - Raja Biswas
- Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi 682041, India
| | - Sathianarayanan Sankaran
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Karpagam University, Pollachi Main Road, Eachanari Post, Coimbatore 641021, India
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (G.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Baskar Venkidasamy
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Muthu Thiruvengadam
- Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Ginson George
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Amrita School of Pharmacy, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi 682041, India
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (G.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Maksim Rebezov
- Department of Scientific Research, K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (The First Cossack University), 73 Zemlyanoy Val, 109004 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Scientific Research, Russian State Agrarian University—Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, 49 Timiryazevskaya Str., 127550 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Ural State Agricultural University, 42 Karl Liebknecht Str., 620075 Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Gokhan Zengin
- Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Selcuk University, Konya 42130, Turkey
| | - Monica Gallo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (G.G.); (M.G.)
| | - Domenico Montesano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Daniele Naviglio
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Mohammad Ali Shariati
- Department of Scientific Research, K.G. Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management (The First Cossack University), 73 Zemlyanoy Val, 109004 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Scientific Research, Russian State Agrarian University—Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, 49 Timiryazevskaya Str., 127550 Moscow, Russia
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Cheng J, Feng S, Zhang Y, Ding T, Jiang H, Zhang Z, Wang J, Wang X, Cheng M. Discovery of highly potent DENV NS2B-NS3 covalent inhibitors containing a phenoxymethylphenyl residue. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 627:214-219. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.08.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Li Q, Kang C. Dengue virus NS4B protein as a target for developing antivirals. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:959727. [PMID: 36017362 PMCID: PMC9398000 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.959727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus is an important pathogen affecting global population while no specific treatment is available against this virus. Effort has been made to develop inhibitors through targeting viral nonstructural proteins such as NS3 and NS5 with enzymatic activities. No potent inhibitors entering clinical studies have been developed so far due to many challenges. The genome of dengue virus encodes four membrane-bound nonstructural proteins which do not possess any enzymatic activities. Studies have shown that the membrane protein-NS4B is a validated target for drug discovery and several NS4B inhibitors exhibited antiviral activities in various assays and entered preclinical studies.. Here, we summarize the recent studies on dengue NS4B protein. The structure and membrane topology of dengue NS4B derived from biochemical and biophysical studies are described. Function of NS4B through protein-protein interactions and some available NS4B inhibitors are summarized. Accumulated studies demonstrated that cell-based assays play important roles in developing NS4B inhibitors. Although the atomic structure of NS4B is not obtained, target-based drug discovery approach become feasible to develop NS4B inhibitors as recombinant NS4B protein is available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxin Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Biomass High Value Utilization, Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Qingxin Li, ; Congbao Kang,
| | - Congbao Kang
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: Qingxin Li, ; Congbao Kang,
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Behnam MAM, Klein CD. Corona versus Dengue: Distinct Mechanisms for Inhibition of Polyprotein Processing by Antiviral Drugs. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022; 5:508-511. [DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mira A. M. Behnam
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian D. Klein
- Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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17
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In search of suitable protein targets for anti-malarial and anti-dengue drug discovery. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.132520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Darshani P, Sen Sarma S, Srivastava AK, Baishya R, Kumar D. Anti-viral triterpenes: a review. PHYTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS : PROCEEDINGS OF THE PHYTOCHEMICAL SOCIETY OF EUROPE 2022; 21:1761-1842. [PMID: 35283698 PMCID: PMC8896976 DOI: 10.1007/s11101-022-09808-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Triterpenes are naturally occurring derivatives biosynthesized following the isoprene rule of Ruzicka. The triterpenes have been reported to possess a wide range of therapeutic applications including anti-viral properties. In this review, the recent studies (2010-2020) concerning the anti-viral activities of triterpenes have been summarized. The structure activity relationship studies have been described as well as brief biosynthesis of these triterpenes is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Darshani
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja SC Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India
| | - Shreya Sen Sarma
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja SC Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India
| | - Amit K. Srivastava
- Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja SC Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India
| | - Rinku Baishya
- Natural Product Chemistry Group, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), NH-37, Pulibor, Jorhat, Assam India
| | - Deepak Kumar
- Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja SC Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata, India
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19
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Li Q, Kang C. Structures and Dynamics of Dengue Virus Nonstructural Membrane Proteins. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12020231. [PMID: 35207152 PMCID: PMC8880049 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12020231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Dengue virus is an important human pathogen threating people, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The viral genome has one open reading frame and encodes one polyprotein which can be processed into structural and nonstructural (NS) proteins. Four of the seven nonstructural proteins, NS2A, NS2B, NS4A and NS4B, are membrane proteins. Unlike NS3 or NS5, these proteins do not harbor any enzymatic activities, but they play important roles in viral replication through interactions with viral or host proteins to regulate important pathways and enzymatic activities. The location of these proteins on the cell membrane and the functional roles in viral replication make them important targets for antiviral development. Indeed, NS4B inhibitors exhibit antiviral activities in different assays. Structural studies of these proteins are hindered due to challenges in crystallization and the dynamic nature of these proteins. In this review, the function and membrane topologies of dengue nonstructural membrane proteins are presented. The roles of solution NMR spectroscopy in elucidating the structure and dynamics of these proteins are introduced. The success in the development of NS4B inhibitors proves that this class of proteins is an attractive target for antiviral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxin Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory of Biomass High Value Utilization, Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China
- Correspondence: (Q.L.); (C.K.)
| | - Congbao Kang
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 10 Biopolis Road, #5-01, Singapore 138670, Singapore
- Correspondence: (Q.L.); (C.K.)
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Dang M, Lim L, Roy A, Song J. Myricetin Allosterically Inhibits the Dengue NS2B-NS3 Protease by Disrupting the Active and Locking the Inactive Conformations. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:2798-2808. [PMID: 35097276 PMCID: PMC8793048 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The dengue NS2B-NS3 protease existing in equilibrium between the active and inactive forms is essential for virus replication, thus representing a key drug target. Here, myricetin, a plant flavonoid, was characterized to noncompetitively inhibit the dengue protease. Further NMR study identified the protease residues perturbed by binding to myricetin, which were utilized to construct the myricetin-protease complexes. Strikingly, in the active form, myricetin binds to a new allosteric site (AS2) far away from the active site pocket and the allosteric site (AS1) for binding curcumin, while in the inactive form, it binds to both AS1 and AS2. To decipher the mechanism for the allosteric inhibition by myricetin, we conducted molecular dynamics simulations on different forms of dengue NS2B-NS3 proteases. Unexpectedly, the binding of myricetin to AS2 is sufficient to disrupt the active conformation by displacing the characteristic NS2B C-terminal β-hairpin from the active site pocket. By contrast, the binding of myricetin to AS1 and AS2 results in locking the inactive conformation. Therefore, myricetin represents the first small molecule, which allosterically inhibits the dengue protease by both disrupting the active conformation and locking the inactive conformation. The results enforce the notion that a global allosteric network exists in the dengue NS2B-NS3 protease, which is susceptible to allosteric inhibition by small molecules such as myricetin and curcumin. As myricetin has been extensively used as a food additive, it might be directly utilized to fight the dengue infections and as a promising starting material for further design of potent allosteric inhibitors.
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Abstract
Viral proteases are diverse in structure, oligomeric state, catalytic mechanism, and substrate specificity. This chapter focuses on proteases from viruses that are relevant to human health: human immunodeficiency virus subtype 1 (HIV-1), hepatitis C (HCV), human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), flaviviruses, enteroviruses, and coronaviruses. The proteases of HIV-1 and HCV have been successfully targeted for therapeutics, with picomolar FDA-approved drugs currently used in the clinic. The proteases of HTLV-1 and the other virus families remain emerging therapeutic targets at different stages of the drug development process. This chapter provides an overview of the current knowledge on viral protease structure, mechanism, substrate recognition, and inhibition. Particular focus is placed on recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of diverse substrate recognition and resistance, which is essential toward designing novel protease inhibitors as antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueto Zephyr
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Nese Kurt Yilmaz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Celia A Schiffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
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22
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In Silico Studies of Oxadiazole Derivatives as Potent Dengue Virus Inhibitors. CHEMISTRY AFRICA 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42250-021-00255-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Sulfonated and Carboxymethylated β-Glucan Derivatives with Inhibitory Activity against Herpes and Dengue Viruses. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011013. [PMID: 34681671 PMCID: PMC8538634 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011013] [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: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The infection of mammalian cells by enveloped viruses is triggered by the interaction of viral envelope glycoproteins with the glycosaminoglycan, heparan sulfate. By mimicking this carbohydrate, some anionic polysaccharides can block this interaction and inhibit viral entry and infection. As heparan sulfate carries both carboxyl and sulfate groups, this work focused on the derivatization of a (1→3)(1→6)-β-D-glucan, botryosphaeran, with these negatively-charged groups in an attempt to improve its antiviral activity. Carboxyl and sulfonate groups were introduced by carboxymethylation and sulfonylation reactions, respectively. Three derivatives with the same degree of carboxymethylation (0.9) and different degrees of sulfonation (0.1; 0.2; 0.4) were obtained. All derivatives were chemically characterized and evaluated for their antiviral activity against herpes (HSV-1, strains KOS and AR) and dengue (DENV-2) viruses. Carboxymethylated botryosphaeran did not inhibit the viruses, while all sulfonated-carboxymethylated derivatives were able to inhibit HSV-1. DENV-2 was inhibited only by one of these derivatives with an intermediate degree of sulfonation (0.2), demonstrating that the dengue virus is more resistant to anionic β-D-glucans than the Herpes simplex virus. By comparison with a previous study on the antiviral activity of sulfonated botryosphaerans, we conclude that the presence of carboxymethyl groups might have a detrimental effect on antiviral activity.
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Current Trends and Limitations in Dengue Antiviral Research. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6040180. [PMID: 34698303 PMCID: PMC8544673 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue is the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide and affects approximately 2.5 billion people living in over 100 countries. Increasing geographic expansion of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (which transmit the virus) has made dengue a global health concern. There are currently no approved antivirals available to treat dengue, and the only approved vaccine used in some countries is limited to seropositive patients. Treatment of dengue, therefore, remains largely supportive to date; hence, research efforts are being intensified for the development of antivirals. The nonstructural proteins, 3 and 5 (NS3 and NS5), have been the major targets for dengue antiviral development due to their indispensable enzymatic and biological functions in the viral replication process. NS5 is the largest and most conserved nonstructural protein encoded by flaviviruses. Its multifunctionality makes it an attractive target for antiviral development, but research efforts have, this far, not resulted in the successful development of an antiviral targeting NS5. Increase in structural insights into the dengue NS5 protein will accelerate drug discovery efforts focused on NS5 as an antiviral target. In this review, we will give an overview of the current state of therapeutic development, with a focus on NS5 as a therapeutic target against dengue.
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In-silico approaches towards the profiling of some anti-dengue virus as potent inhibitors against dengue NS-5 receptor. SCIENTIFIC AFRICAN 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Structure and Dynamics of Zika Virus Protease and Its Insights into Inhibitor Design. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9081044. [PMID: 34440248 PMCID: PMC8394600 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9081044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV)—a member of the Flaviviridae family—is an important human pathogen. Its genome encodes a polyprotein that can be further processed into structural and non-structural proteins. ZIKV protease is an important target for antiviral development due to its role in cleaving the polyprotein to release functional viral proteins. The viral protease is a two-component protein complex formed by NS2B and NS3. Structural studies using different approaches demonstrate that conformational changes exist in the protease. The structures and dynamics of this protease in the absence and presence of inhibitors were explored to provide insights into the inhibitor design. The dynamic nature of residues binding to the enzyme cleavage site might be important for the function of the protease. Due to the charges at the protease cleavage site, it is challenging to develop small-molecule compounds acting as substrate competitors. Developing small-molecule compounds to inhibit protease activity through an allosteric mechanism is a feasible strategy because conformational changes are observed in the protease. Herein, structures and dynamics of ZIKV protease are summarized. The conformational changes of ZIKV protease and other proteases in the same family are discussed. The progress in developing allosteric inhibitors is also described. Understanding the structures and dynamics of the proteases are important for designing potent inhibitors.
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Naresh P, Pottabatula SS, Selvaraj J. Dengue virus entry/fusion inhibition by small bioactive molecules; A critical review. Mini Rev Med Chem 2021; 22:484-497. [PMID: 34353253 DOI: 10.2174/1389557521666210805105146] [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: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Many flaviviruses are remarkable human pathogens that can be transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. Despite the availability of vaccines for viral infections such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and tick-borne encephalitis, flavivirus-like dengue is still a significant life-threatening illness worldwide. To date, there is no antiviral treatment for dengue therapy. Industry and the research community have been taking ongoing steps to improve anti-flavivirus treatment to meet this clinical need. The successful activity has been involved in the inhibition of the virus entry fusion process in the last two decades. In this study, the latest understanding of the use of small molecules used as fusion inhibitors has been comprehensively presented. We summarized the structure, the process of fusion of dengue virus E protein (DENV E), and the amino acids involved in the fusion process. Special attention has been given to small molecules that allow conformational changes to DENV E protein viz. blocking the pocket of βOG, which is important for fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Podila Naresh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamilnadu. India
| | - Shyam Sunder Pottabatula
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamilnadu. India
| | - Jubie Selvaraj
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamilnadu. India
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Inhibition of Orbivirus Replication by Fluvastatin and Identification of the Key Elements of the Mevalonate Pathway Involved. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081437. [PMID: 34452303 PMCID: PMC8402872 DOI: 10.3390/v13081437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Statin derivatives can inhibit the replication of a range of viruses, including hepatitis C virus (HCV, Hepacivirus), dengue virus (Flavivirus), African swine fever virus (Asfarviridae) and poliovirus (Picornaviridae). We assess the antiviral effect of fluvastatin in cells infected with orbiviruses (bluetongue virus (BTV) and Great Island virus (GIV)). The synthesis of orbivirus outer-capsid protein VP2 (detected by confocal immunofluorescence imaging) was used to assess levels of virus replication, showing a reduction in fluvastatin-treated cells. A reduction in virus titres of ~1.7 log (98%) in fluvastatin-treated cells was detected by a plaque assay. We have previously identified a fourth non-structural protein (NS4) of BTV and GIV, showing that it interacts with lipid droplets in infected cells. Fluvastatin, which inhibits 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl CoA reductase in the mevalonic acid pathway, disrupts these NS4 interactions. These findings highlight the role of the lipid pathways in orbivirus replication and suggest a greater role for the membrane-enveloped orbivirus particles than previously recognised. Chemical intermediates of the mevalonic acid pathway were used to assess their potential to rescue orbivirus replication. Pre-treatment of IFNAR(−/−) mice with fluvastatin promoted their survival upon challenge with live BTV, although only limited protection was observed.
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Insights on Dengue and Zika NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 224:113698. [PMID: 34274831 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Over recent years, many outbreaks caused by (re)emerging RNA viruses have been reported worldwide, including life-threatening Flaviviruses, such as Dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV). Currently, there is only one licensed vaccine against Dengue, Dengvaxia®. However, its administration is not recommended for children under nine years. Still, there are no specific inhibitors available to treat these infectious diseases. Among the flaviviral proteins, NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a metalloenzyme essential for viral replication, suggesting that it is a promising macromolecular target since it has no human homolog. Nowadays, several NS5 RdRp inhibitors have been reported, while none inhibitors are currently in clinical development. In this context, this review constitutes a comprehensive work focused on RdRp inhibitors from natural, synthetic, and even repurposing sources. Furthermore, their main aspects associated with the structure-activity relationship (SAR), proposed mechanisms of action, computational studies, and other topics will be discussed in detail.
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Amidoxime prodrugs convert to potent cell-active multimodal inhibitors of the dengue virus protease. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 224:113695. [PMID: 34298282 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family comprises Dengue, Zika and West-Nile viruses which constitute unmet medical needs as neither appropriate antivirals nor safe vaccines are available. The dengue NS2BNS3 protease is one of the most promising validated targets for developing a dengue treatment however reported protease inhibitors suffer from toxicity and cellular inefficacy. Here we report SAR on our previously reported Zika-active carbazole scaffold, culminating prodrug compound SP-471P (EC50 1.10 μM, CC50 > 100 μM) that generates SP-471; one of the most potent, non-cytotoxic and cell-active protease inhibitors described in the dengue literature. In cell-based assays, SP-471P leads to inhibition of viral RNA replication and complete abolishment of infective viral particle production even when administered 6 h post-infection. Mechanistically, SP-471 appears to inhibit both normal intermolecular protease processes and intramolecular cleavage events at the NS2BNS3 junction, as well as at NS3 internal sites, all critical for virus replication. These render SP-471 a unique to date multimodal inhibitor of the dengue protease.
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Götz C, Hinze G, Gellert A, Maus H, von Hammerstein F, Hammerschmidt SJ, Lauth LM, Hellmich UA, Schirmeister T, Basché T. Conformational Dynamics of the Dengue Virus Protease Revealed by Fluorescence Correlation and Single-Molecule FRET Studies. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6837-6846. [PMID: 34137269 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The dengue virus protease (DENV-PR) represents an attractive target for counteracting DENV infections. It is generally assumed that DENV-PR can exist in an open and a closed conformation and that active site directed ligands stabilize the closed state. While crystal structures of both the open and the closed conformation were successfully resolved, information about the prevalence of these conformations in solution remains elusive. Herein, we address the question of whether there is an equilibrium between different conformations in solution which can be influenced by addition of a competitive inhibitor. To this end, DENV-PR was statistically labeled by two dye molecules constituting a FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) couple. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and photon-burst detection were employed to examine FRET pair labeled DENV-PRs freely diffusing in solution. The measurements were performed with two double mutants and with two dye couples. The data provide strong evidence that an equilibrium of at least two conformations of DENV-PR exists in solution. The competitive inhibitor stabilizes the closed state. Because the open and closed conformations appear to coexist in solution, our results support the picture of a conformational selection rather than that of an induced fit mechanism with respect to the inhibitor-induced formation of the closed state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Götz
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gerald Hinze
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andrea Gellert
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hannah Maus
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Franziska von Hammerstein
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan J Hammerschmidt
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Luca M Lauth
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Ute A Hellmich
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,Centre for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Basché
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Dos Santos Nascimento IJ, de Aquino TM, da Silva-Júnior EF. Drug Repurposing: A Strategy for Discovering Inhibitors against Emerging Viral Infections. Curr Med Chem 2021; 28:2887-2942. [PMID: 32787752 DOI: 10.2174/0929867327666200812215852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Viral diseases are responsible for several deaths around the world. Over the past few years, the world has seen several outbreaks caused by viral diseases that, for a long time, seemed to possess no risk. These are diseases that have been forgotten for a long time and, until nowadays, there are no approved drugs or vaccines, leading the pharmaceutical industry and several research groups to run out of time in the search for new pharmacological treatments or prevention methods. In this context, drug repurposing proves to be a fast and economically viable technique, considering the fact that it uses drugs that have a well-established safety profile. Thus, in this review, we present the main advances in drug repurposing and their benefit for searching new treatments against emerging viral diseases. METHODS We conducted a search in the bibliographic databases (Science Direct, Bentham Science, PubMed, Springer, ACS Publisher, Wiley, and NIH's COVID-19 Portfolio) using the keywords "drug repurposing", "emerging viral infections" and each of the diseases reported here (CoV; ZIKV; DENV; CHIKV; EBOV and MARV) as an inclusion/exclusion criterion. A subjective analysis was performed regarding the quality of the works for inclusion in this manuscript. Thus, the selected works were those that presented drugs repositioned against the emerging viral diseases presented here by means of computational, high-throughput screening or phenotype-based strategies, with no time limit and of relevant scientific value. RESULTS 291 papers were selected, 24 of which were CHIKV; 52 for ZIKV; 43 for DENV; 35 for EBOV; 10 for MARV; and 56 for CoV and the rest (72 papers) related to the drugs repurposing and emerging viral diseases. Among CoV-related articles, most were published in 2020 (31 papers), updating the current topic. Besides, between the years 2003 - 2005, 10 articles were created, and from 2011 - 2015, there were 7 articles, portraying the outbreaks that occurred at that time. For ZIKV, similar to CoV, most publications were during the period of outbreaks between the years 2016 - 2017 (23 articles). Similarly, most CHIKV (13 papers) and DENV (14 papers) publications occur at the same time interval. For EBOV (13 papers) and MARV (4 papers), they were between the years 2015 - 2016. Through this review, several drugs were highlighted that can be evolved in vivo and clinical trials as possible used against these pathogens showed that remdesivir represent potential treatments against CoV. Furthermore, ribavirin may also be a potential treatment against CHIKV; sofosbuvir against ZIKV; celgosivir against DENV, and favipiravir against EBOV and MARV, representing new hopes against these pathogens. CONCLUSION The conclusions of this review manuscript show the potential of the drug repurposing strategy in the discovery of new pharmaceutical products, as from this approach, drugs could be used against emerging viral diseases. Thus, this strategy deserves more attention among research groups and is a promising approach to the discovery of new drugs against emerging viral diseases and also other diseases.
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Evolutionary algorithm-based generation of optimum peptide sequences with dengue virus inhibitory activity. Future Med Chem 2021; 13:993-1000. [PMID: 33890502 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2020-0372] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There is currently no effective dengue virus (DENV) therapeutic. We aim to develop a genetic algorithm-based framework for the design of peptides with possible DENV inhibitory activity. Methods & results: A Python-based tool (denominated AutoPepGEN) based on a DENV support vector machine classifier as the objective function was implemented. AutoPepGEN was applied to the design of three- to seven-amino acid sequences and ten peptides were selected. Peptide-protease (DENV) docking and Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Surface Area calculations were performed for the selected sequences and favorable binding energies were observed. Conclusion: It is hoped that AutoPepGEN will serve as an in silico alternative to the experimental design of positional scanning combinatorial libraries, known to be prone to a combinatorial explosion. AutoPepGEN is available at: https://github.com/sjbarigye/AutoPepGEN.
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Martinez-Gualda B, Saul S, Froeyen M, Schols D, Herdewijn P, Einav S, De Jonghe S. Discovery of 3-phenyl- and 3-N-piperidinyl-isothiazolo[4,3-b]pyridines as highly potent inhibitors of cyclin G-associated kinase. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 213:113158. [PMID: 33497888 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Structural modifications at position 3 of the isothiazolo[4,3-b]pyridine scaffold afforded a new series of cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) inhibitors. It was shown that the insertion of a carboxamide residue at position 3 of a phenyl or piperidinyl moiety generated potent GAK inhibitors with IC50 values in a low nanomolar range. This potent GAK binding affinity was rationalized by molecular modelling demonstrating that the carboxamide moiety engages in an extra hydrogen bond with GAK. Moreover, this new series of compounds was also endowed with antiviral activity against dengue virus, highlighting the potential utility of GAK as a target for the development of antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belén Martinez-Gualda
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sirle Saul
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Mathy Froeyen
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dominique Schols
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shirit Einav
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Steven De Jonghe
- KU Leuven, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Felicetti T, Burali MS, Gwee CP, Ki Chan KW, Alonso S, Massari S, Sabatini S, Tabarrini O, Barreca ML, Cecchetti V, Vasudevan SG, Manfroni G. Sustainable, three-component, one-pot procedure to obtain active anti-flavivirus agents. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 210:112992. [PMID: 33208235 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The mosquito-borne viruses belonging to the genus Flavivirus such as Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) cause human infections ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to hemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis, and neuropathies. To date, there are vaccines only for few flaviviruses while no effective treatments are available. Pyridobenzothiazole (PBTZ) derivatives are a class of compounds endowed with a promising broad-spectrum anti-flavivirus activity and most of them have been reported as potent inhibitors of the flaviviral NS5 polymerase. However, synthesis of PBTZ analogues entails a high number of purification steps, the use of hazardous reagents and environmentally unsustainable generation of waste. Considering the promising antiviral activity of PBTZ analogues which require further exploration, in this work, we report the development of a new and sustainable three-component reaction (3CR) that can be combined with a basic hydrolysis in a one-pot procedure to obtain the PBTZ scaffold, thus reducing the number of synthetic steps, improving yields and saving time. 3CR was significantly explored in order to demonstrate its wide scope by using different starting materials. In addition, taking advantage of these procedures, we next designed and synthesized a new set of PBTZ analogues that were tested as anti-DENV-2 and anti-ZIKV agents. Compound 22 inhibited DENV-2 NS5 polymerase with an IC50 of 10.4 μM and represented the best anti-flavivirus compound of the new series by inhibiting DENV-2- and ZIKV-infected cells with EC50 values of 1.2 and 5.0 μM, respectively, that translates into attractive selectivity indexes (SI - 83 and 20, respectively). These results strongly reaffirm PBTZ derivatives as promising anti-flavivirus agents that now can be synthesized through a convenient and sustainable 3CR in order to obtain more potent compounds for further pre-clinical development studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Felicetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Maria Sole Burali
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Chin Piaw Gwee
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore; Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore
| | - Kitti Wing Ki Chan
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore
| | - Sylvie Alonso
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore; Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, 117545, Singapore
| | - Serena Massari
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Sabatini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Oriana Tabarrini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Maria Letizia Barreca
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Violetta Cecchetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Subhash G Vasudevan
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore; Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore; Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Giuseppe Manfroni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Del Liceo, 1-06123, Perugia, Italy.
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Felicetti T, Manfroni G, Cecchetti V, Cannalire R. Broad-Spectrum Flavivirus Inhibitors: a Medicinal Chemistry Point of View. ChemMedChem 2020; 15:2391-2419. [PMID: 32961008 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202000464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Infections by flaviviruses, such as Dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever and Zika viruses, represent a growing risk for global health. There are vaccines only for few flaviviruses while no effective treatments are available. Flaviviruses share epidemiological, structural, and ecologic features and often different viruses can co-infect the same host. Therefore, the identification of broad-spectrum inhibitors is highly desirable either for known flaviviruses or for viruses that likely will emerge in the future. Strategies targeting both virus and host factors have been pursued to identify broad-spectrum antiflaviviral agents. In this review, we describe the most promising and best characterized targets and their relative broad-spectrum inhibitors, identified by drug repurposing/libraries screenings and by focused medicinal chemistry campaigns. Finally, we discuss about future strategies to identify new broad-spectrum antiflavivirus agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Felicetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, via del Liceo 1, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Manfroni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, via del Liceo 1, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Violetta Cecchetti
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, via del Liceo 1, 06123, Perugia, Italy
| | - Rolando Cannalire
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli "Federico II", via D. Montesano 49, 80131, Napoli, Italy
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Lim L, Dang M, Roy A, Kang J, Song J. Curcumin Allosterically Inhibits the Dengue NS2B-NS3 Protease by Disrupting Its Active Conformation. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:25677-25686. [PMID: 33073093 PMCID: PMC7557217 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Flaviviruses including dengue virus and Zika virus encode a unique two-component NS2B-NS3 protease essential for maturation/infectivity, thus representing a key target for designing antiflavivirus drugs. Here, for the first time, by NMR and molecular docking, we reveal that curcumin allosterically inhibits the dengue protease by binding to a cavity with no overlap with the active site. Further molecular dynamics simulations decode that the binding of curcumin leads to unfolding/displacing the characteristic β-hairpin of the C-terminal NS2B and consequently disrupting the closed (active) conformation of the protease. Our study identified a cavity most likely conserved in all flaviviral NS2B-NS3 proteases, which could thus serve as a therapeutic target for the discovery/design of small-molecule allosteric inhibitors. Moreover, as curcumin has been used as a food additive for thousands of years in many counties, it can be directly utilized to fight the flaviviral infections and as a promising starting for further design of potent allosteric inhibitors.
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Abstract
The 3,5-bis((E)-4-methoxybenzylidene)-1-(2-morpholinoethyl)piperidin-4-one (3) compound was synthesized by a two-step reaction with 92% yield. The chemical structure of compound 3 was confirmed by IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry. The title compound was screened for its anti-dengue activity against DENV2 NS2B-NS3 protease and showed 39.09% inhibitory activity at 200 µg/mL.
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Sanclemente-Alaman I, Moreno-Jiménez L, Benito-Martín MS, Canales-Aguirre A, Matías-Guiu JA, Matías-Guiu J, Gómez-Pinedo U. Experimental Models for the Study of Central Nervous System Infection by SARS-CoV-2. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2163. [PMID: 32983181 PMCID: PMC7485091 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The response to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic requires increased research efforts to expand our knowledge of the disease. Questions related to infection rates and mechanisms, the possibility of reinfection, and potential therapeutic approaches require us not only to use the experimental models previously employed for the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV coronaviruses but also to generate new models to respond to urgent questions. DEVELOPMENT We reviewed the different experimental models used in the study of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in COVID-19 both in different cell lines that have enabled identification of the virus' action mechanisms and in animal models (mice, rats, hamsters, ferrets, and primates) inoculated with the virus. Specifically, we reviewed models used to assess the presence and effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the CNS, including neural cell lines, animal models such as mouse hepatitis virus CoV (especially the 59 strain), and the use of brain organoids. CONCLUSION Given the clear need to increase our understanding of SARS-CoV-2, as well as its potential effects on the CNS, we must endeavor to obtain new information with cellular or animal models, with an appropriate resemblance between models and human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada Sanclemente-Alaman
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lidia Moreno-Jiménez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Soledad Benito-Martín
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Canales-Aguirre
- Preclinical Evaluation Unit, Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, CIATEJ-CONACYT, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Jordi A. Matías-Guiu
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Matías-Guiu
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ulises Gómez-Pinedo
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, San Carlos Institute for Health Research, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Konkolova E, Dejmek M, Hřebabecký H, Šála M, Böserle J, Nencka R, Boura E. Remdesivir triphosphate can efficiently inhibit the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from various flaviviruses. Antiviral Res 2020; 182:104899. [PMID: 32763313 PMCID: PMC7403104 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Remdesivir was shown to inhibit RNA-dependent RNA-polymerases (RdRp) from distinct viral families such as from Filoviridae (Ebola) and Coronaviridae (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, MERS). In this study, we tested the ability of remdesivir to inhibit RdRps from the Flaviviridae family. Instead of remdesivir, we used the active species that is produced in cells from remdesivir, the appropriate triphosphate, which could be directly tested in vitro using recombinant flaviviral polymerases. Our results show that remdesivir can efficiently inhibit RdRps from viruses causing severe illnesses such as Yellow fever, West Nile fever, Japanese and Tick-borne encephalitis, Zika and Dengue. Taken together, this study demonstrates that remdesivir or its derivatives have the potential to become a broad-spectrum antiviral agent effective against many RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Konkolova
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Milan Dejmek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Hubert Hřebabecký
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Šála
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Böserle
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Nencka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Evzen Boura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, V.v.i., Flemingovo Nam. 2, 166 10, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
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Kang MA, Jeon YK, Nam MJ. Auricularia auricula increases an apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells via a regulation of the peroxiredoxin1. J Food Biochem 2020; 44:e13373. [PMID: 32743825 DOI: 10.1111/jfbc.13373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Auricularia auricula (A. auricula) has been reported to have positive health effects. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore possible mechanisms of A. auricula-induced anticancer activity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. First, using proliferative assay including MTT assay and real-time cell electronic sensing technique, we founded that A. auricula has an antiproliferative effect on various cancer cell lines. Among five cancer cell lines, we focused on huh-7 cell line, HCC cell line, due to that A. auricula has most dramatic antiproliferative effects on huh-7 cell line. Following experiments, we founded that its antiproliferative effects was related with apoptosis-inducing activities. For more investigation, a two-dimensional electrophoresis based-proteomic analysis (2DE-GE) was employed for identification of possible target-related proteins of A. auricula-induced apoptosis. Among seven identified proteins, we focused on peroxiredoxin1 (PRDX1), which has been known as an anti-oxidative enzyme. We confirmed downregulation of expression of PRDX1 following A. auricula treatment in mRNA and protein level. In order to obtain a more validation of the correlation of A. auricula-induced cell death and anti-oxidative enzyme. We investigated the level of anti-oxidative enzymes, total glutathione (GSSG/GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in treated cells and PRDX1 gene-silenced cells. GSH and SOD levels were decreased in the treated cells and PRDX1 gene-silenced cells. Our findings suggest that A. auricula is a potent inducer of apoptosis in HCC cells via PRDX1-inhibition pathways. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. The principal treatment is surgical resection or liver transplantation. However, in most patients with HCC the diagnosis is often late, thereby excluding the patients from definitive surgical resection. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are generally ineffective. Newer treatments are needed with several being in development. In this research article, we provide regulation mechanism of PRDX1 in HCC. PRDX1 has a proliferative effect and play a role in cancer development or progression. Overexpression of PRDX1 in cancer cells implies the role of PRDX1 in the cancer therapy. PRDX1 is currently being investigated as a new target for gene therapy in cancer. A. auricula is an apoptotic inducer of HCC cells through PRDX1 pathway. Regulation of PRDX1 in HCC may contribute to cancer treatment. Therefore, the potentials of targeting apoptosis would be a viable therapeutic strategy to improve the outcome of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Ae Kang
- Biological Sciences, Gachon University, Seongnamsi, South Korea
| | - Young Keul Jeon
- Biological Sciences, Gachon University, Seongnamsi, South Korea
| | - Myeong Jin Nam
- Biological Sciences, Gachon University, Seongnamsi, South Korea
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Behnam MA, Klein CD. Conformational selection in the flaviviral NS2B-NS3 protease. Biochimie 2020; 174:117-125. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Computer-Aided Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Evaluation of Novel Acrylamides as Potential Inhibitors of E3-E2-E1 Glycoproteins Complex from Chikungunya Virus. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2020; 13:ph13070141. [PMID: 32629969 PMCID: PMC7407227 DOI: 10.3390/ph13070141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an infectious disease characterized by inflammation and pain of the musculoskeletal tissues accompanied by swelling in the joints and cartilage damage. Currently, there are no licensed vaccines or chemotherapeutic agents to prevent or treat CHIKV infections. In this context, our research aimed to explore the potential in vitro anti-CHIKV activity of acrylamide derivatives. In silico methods were applied to 132 Michael’s acceptors toward the six most important biological targets from CHIKV. Subsequently, the ten most promising acrylamides were selected and synthesized. From the cytotoxicity MTT assay, we verified that LQM330, 334, and 336 demonstrate high cell viability at 40 µM. Moreover, these derivatives exhibited anti-CHIKV activities, highlighting the compound LQM334 which exhibited an inhibition value of 81%. Thus, docking simulations were performed to suggest a potential CHIKV-target for LQM334. It was observed that the LQM334 has a high affinity towards the E3-E2-E1 glycoproteins complex. Moreover, LQM334 reduced the percentage of CHIKV-positive cells from 74.07 to 0.88%, 48h post-treatment on intracellular flow cytometry staining. In conclusion, all virtual simulations corroborated with experimental results, and LQM334 could be used as a promising anti-CHIKV scaffold for designing new drugs in the future.
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Antiviral Activity of Compound L3 against Dengue and Zika Viruses In Vitro and In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21114050. [PMID: 32517029 PMCID: PMC7312370 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21114050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are mosquito-borne flaviviruses that cause severe illness after infection. Currently, there are no specific or effective treatments against DENV and ZIKV. Previous studies have shown that tyrosine kinase activities and signal transduction are involved in flavivirus replication, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for DENV and ZIKV. In this study, we found that compound L3 can significantly reduce viral protein expression and viral titers in HEK-293, MCF-7, HepG2, and Huh-7 cells and exhibits superior therapeutic efficacy against flaviviral infection compared to other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In addition, compound L3 can decrease endogenous HER2 activation and inhibit the phosphorylation of the HER2 downstream signaling molecules Src and ERK1/2, the levels of which have been associated with viral protein expression in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, silencing HER2 diminished DENV-2 and ZIKV expression in MCF-7 cells, which suggests that HER2 activity is involved in flavivirus replication. Furthermore, in DENV-2-infected AG129 mice, treatment with compound L3 increased the survival rates and reduced the viremia levels. Overall, compound L3 demonstrates therapeutic efficacy both in vitro and in vivo and could be developed as a promising antiviral drug against emerging flaviviruses or for concurrent DENV and ZIKV outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Princy Gupta
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Sciences, Central University of Jammu, Rahya-Suchani (Bagla), Jammu, India
| | - Aman Mahajan
- Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, Model Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu, India
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Yokokawa F. Recent progress on phenotype-based discovery of dengue inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:541-551. [PMID: 33479655 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00052c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue fever is the world's most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the four serotypes of dengue virus, which are widely spread throughout tropical and sub-tropical countries. There has been an urgent need to identify an effective and safe dengue inhibitor as a therapeutic and a prophylactic agent for dengue fever. Most clinically approved antiviral drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency syndrome-1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) target virally encoded enzymes such as protease or polymerase. Inhibitors of these enzymes were typically identified by target-based screening followed by optimization via structure-based design. However, due to the lack of success to date of research efforts to identify dengue protease and polymerase inhibitors, alternative strategies for anti-dengue drug discovery need to be considered. As a complementary approach to the target-based drug discovery, phenotypic screening is a strategy often used in identification of new chemical starting points with novel mechanisms of action in the area of infectious diseases such as antibiotics, antivirals, and anti-parasitic agents. This article is an overview of recent reports on dengue phenotypic screens and discusses phenotype-based hit-to-lead chemistry optimization. The challenges encountered and the outlook on dengue phenotype-based lead discovery are discussed at the end of this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Yokokawa
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases , Emeryville , CA 94608 , USA .
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Xu J, Xie X, Chen H, Zou J, Xue Y, Ye N, Shi PY, Zhou J. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of spiropyrazolopyridone derivatives as potent dengue virus inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:127162. [PMID: 32247736 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.127162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The effective treatment for dengue virus infection continues to be a challenge. We herein reported our continued SAR exploration on the spiropyrazolopyridone scaffold. Introducing different substituents at the 3́- or 5́-site of the pyrazolopyridone core or moving the benzyl chain to the adjacent nitrogen led to a significant loss of potency on DENV-2. While a narrow range of substitutions were tolerated at the para-position of the phenyl ring, di-substitution on the phenyl ring is beneficial for DENV-2 potency and has variable influences on DENV-3 potency depending on the exact compound. Among these molecules, compounds 22 (JMX0376) with 4-chloro-3-fluorobenzyl and 24 (JMX0395) with 2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl showed the most potent and broadest inhibitory activities against DENV-1 to -3 with nanomolar to low micromolar EC50 values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimin Xu
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Xuping Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Haiying Chen
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Jing Zou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Yu Xue
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Na Ye
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Pei-Yong Shi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States.
| | - Jia Zhou
- Chemical Biology Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States.
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Hamdani SS, Khan BA, Hameed S, Batool F, Saleem HN, Mughal EU, Saeed M. Synthesis and evaluation of novel S-benzyl- and S-alkylphthalimide- oxadiazole -benzenesulfonamide hybrids as inhibitors of dengue virus protease. Bioorg Chem 2020; 96:103567. [PMID: 32062063 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Direct acting antiviral drugs (DAADs) are becoming therapeutics of choice for the treatment of viral infections. Successful development of anti HIV and HCV drugs by targeting the viral proteases has provided impetus for discovering newer DAADs. Dengue virus (DENV) protease, which is composed of two nonstructural proteins, NS2B and NS3pro, can be likewise exploited for discovering new anti-dengue therapeutics. In this study, we have linked together two pharmaceutically interesting motifs, namely 1,3,4-oxadiazole and benzenesulfonamide in two alternative series to develop novel S-benzylated and S-alkylphthalimidated hybrids. For the first series of hybrids, 4-aminobenzoic acid (1) was reacted with substituted benzenesulfonyl chlorides via its amino group, whereas the carboxylic acid side was elaborated to sulfonamido-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiols (6a/b) in three steps. At this stage, the intermediates 6a/b were bifurcated to either S-alkylphthalimidated (8a-j) or S-benzylated (9a-c) hybrids by reacting with corresponding halides. For the alternative series of hybrids, the carboxylic acid group of probenecid (10) was similarly elaborated to sulfonamido-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiols (13), and diverged to S-alkylphthalimidated (14a-f) and S-benzylated hybrids (15a-e). Bioactivity assays demonstrated that 8g and 8h are the most potent inhibitors among the synthesized analogs, exhibiting the IC50 values of 13.9 μM and 15.1 μM, respectively. Computational assessment predicted the binding of the inhibitors at an allosteric site developed in the open conformation of DENV2 NS2B/NS3pro. Taken together these findings point out that the synthesized hybrid inhibitors possess a great potential for further antiviral drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syeda Shamila Hamdani
- Department of Chemistry, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad 13100 AJK, Pakistan; Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Bilal Ahmad Khan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad 13100 AJK, Pakistan.
| | - Shahid Hameed
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Farwa Batool
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792 Pakistan
| | - Hafiza Nosheen Saleem
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792 Pakistan
| | | | - Muhammad Saeed
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792 Pakistan.
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Spizzichino S, Mattedi G, Lauder K, Valle C, Aouadi W, Canard B, Decroly E, Kaptein SJF, Neyts J, Graham C, Sule Z, Barlow DJ, Silvestri R, Castagnolo D. Design, Synthesis and Discovery of N,N'-Carbazoyl-aryl-urea Inhibitors of Zika NS5 Methyltransferase and Virus Replication. ChemMedChem 2020; 15:385-390. [PMID: 31805205 PMCID: PMC7106487 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900533] [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: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The recent outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection worldwide make the discovery of novel antivirals against flaviviruses a research priority. This work describes the identification of novel inhibitors of ZIKV through a structure-based virtual screening approach using the ZIKV NS5-MTase. A novel series of molecules with a carbazoyl-aryl-urea structure has been discovered and a library of analogues has been synthesized. The new compounds inhibit ZIKV MTase with IC50 between 23-48 μM. In addition, carbazoyl-aryl-ureas also proved to inhibit ZIKV replication activity at micromolar concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Spizzichino
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
- Department of Drug Chemistry and TechnologiesSapienza University of RomeLaboratory Affiliated to Instituto Pasteur Italia – Fondazione Cenci BolognettiPiazzale Aldo Moro 500185RomaItaly
| | - Giulio Mattedi
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Kate Lauder
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Coralie Valle
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Wahiba Aouadi
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Bruno Canard
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Etienne Decroly
- AFMB, CNRSAix-Marseille University UMR 7257, Case 925163 Avenue de Luminy13288Marseille Cedex 09France
| | - Suzanne J. F. Kaptein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation Rega Institute for Medical Research Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyKU LeuvenMinderbroedersstraat 103000LeuvenBelgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation Rega Institute for Medical Research Laboratory of Virology and ChemotherapyKU LeuvenMinderbroedersstraat 103000LeuvenBelgium
| | - Carl Graham
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Zakary Sule
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - David J. Barlow
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
| | - Romano Silvestri
- Department of Drug Chemistry and TechnologiesSapienza University of RomeLaboratory Affiliated to Instituto Pasteur Italia – Fondazione Cenci BolognettiPiazzale Aldo Moro 500185RomaItaly
| | - Daniele Castagnolo
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonSE1 9NHUK
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Abdullah AA, Lee YK, Chin SP, Lim SK, Lee VS, Othman R, Othman S, Rahman NA, Yusof R, Heh CH. Discovery of Dengue Virus Inhibitors. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:4945-5036. [PMID: 30514185 DOI: 10.2174/0929867326666181204155336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
To date, there is still no approved anti-dengue agent to treat dengue infection in the market. Although the only licensed dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia is available, its protective efficacy against serotypes 1 and 2 of dengue virus was reported to be lower than serotypes 3 and 4. Moreover, according to WHO, the risk of being hospitalized and having severe dengue increased in seronegative individuals after they received Dengvaxia vaccination. Nevertheless, various studies had been carried out in search of dengue virus inhibitors. These studies focused on the structural (C, prM, E) and non-structural proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B and NS5) of dengue virus as well as host factors as drug targets. Hence, this article provides an overall up-to-date review of the discovery of dengue virus inhibitors that are only targeting the structural and non-structural viral proteins as drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adib Afandi Abdullah
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yean Kee Lee
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sek Peng Chin
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - See Khai Lim
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Vannajan Sanghiran Lee
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Rozana Othman
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Shatrah Othman
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Noorsaadah Abdul Rahman
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Rohana Yusof
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Choon Han Heh
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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