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González JEH, Salas-Sarduy E, Alvarez LH, Valiente PA, Arni RK, Pascutti PG. Three Decades of Targeting Falcipains to Develop Antiplasmodial Agents: What have we Learned and What can be Done Next? Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2234-2263. [PMID: 37711130 DOI: 10.2174/0929867331666230913165219] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating infectious disease that affects large swathes of human populations across the planet's tropical regions. It is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, with Plasmodium falciparum being responsible for the most lethal form of the disease. During the intraerythrocytic stage in the human hosts, malaria parasites multiply and degrade hemoglobin (Hb) using a battery of proteases, which include two cysteine proteases, falcipains 2 and 3 (FP-2 and FP-3). Due to their role as major hemoglobinases, FP-2 and FP-3 have been targeted in studies aiming to discover new antimalarials and numerous inhibitors with activity against these enzymes, and parasites in culture have been identified. Nonetheless, cross-inhibition of human cysteine cathepsins remains a serious hurdle to overcome for these compounds to be used clinically. In this article, we have reviewed key functional and structural properties of FP-2/3 and described different compound series reported as inhibitors of these proteases during decades of active research in the field. Special attention is also paid to the wide range of computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques successfully applied to discover new active compounds. Finally, we provide guidelines that, in our understanding, will help advance the rational discovery of new FP-2/3 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Enrique Hernández González
- Multiuser Center for Biomolecular Innovation, IBILCE/UNESP, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UZA II, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Emir Salas-Sarduy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, CONICET, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnología (EByN), Universidad de San Martín (UNSAM), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Pedro Alberto Valiente
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Pedro Geraldo Pascutti
- Laboratório de Modelagem e Dinâmica Molecular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Paul S, Ghodake BM, Bhattacharya AK. Late-Stage C(sp 2 )-H Arylation of Artemisinic Acid and Arteannuin B: Effect of Olefin Migration Towards Synthesis of C-13 Arylated Artemisinin Derivatives. Chem Asian J 2023; 18:e202300162. [PMID: 36867394 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202300162] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, C-H bond functionalization has emerged as a pivotal tool for late-stage functionalization of complex natural products for the synthesis of potent biologically active derivatives. Artemisinin and its C-12 functionalized semi-synthetic derivatives are well-known clinically used anti-malarial drugs due to the presence of the essential 1,2,4-trioxane pharmacophore. However, in the wake of parasite developing resistance against artemisinin-based drugs, we conceptualized the synthesis of C-13 functionalized artemisinin derivatives as new antimalarials. In this regard, we envisaged that artemisinic acid could be a suitable precursor for the synthesis of C-13 functionalized artemisinin derivatives. Herein, we report C-13 arylation of artemisinic acid, a sesquiterpene acid and our attempts towards synthesis of C-13 arylated artemisinin derivatives. However, all our efforts resulted in the formation of a novel ring-contracted rearranged product. Additionally, we have extended our developed protocol for C-13 arylation of arteannuin B, a sesquiterpene lactone epoxide considered to be the biogenetic precursor of artemisinic acid. Indeed, the synthesis of C-13 arylated arteannuin B renders our developed protocol to be effective in sesquiterpene lactone as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayantan Paul
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201 002, India
| | - Balaji M Ghodake
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201 002, India
| | - Asish K Bhattacharya
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201 002, India
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Fang J, Song F, Wang F. The antimalarial activity of 1,2,4-trioxolane/trioxane hybrids and dimers: A review. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2022; 355:e2200077. [PMID: 35388499 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic infection caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium, is a dangerous disease that contributes to millions of hospital visits and hundreds and thousands of deaths across the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Antimalarial agents are vital for treating malaria and controlling transmission, and 1,2,4-trioxolane/trioxane-containing agents, especially artemisinin and its derivatives, own antimalarial efficacy and low toxicity with unique mechanisms of action. Moreover, artemisinin-based combination therapies were recommended by the World Health Organization as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria infection and have remained as the mainstay of the treatment of malaria, demonstrating that 1,2,4-trioxolane/trioxane derivatives are useful prototypes for the control and eradication of malaria. However, malaria parasites have already developed resistance to almost all of the currently available antimalarial agents, creating an urgent need for the search of novel pharmaceutical interventions for malaria. The purpose of this review article is to provide an emphasis on the current scenario (January 2012 to January 2022) of 1,2,4-trioxolane/trioxane hybrids and dimers with potential antimalarial activity and the structure-activity relationships are also discussed to facilitate further rational design of more effective candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junman Fang
- College of Life Sciences, Engineering Research Center of the Chinese Ministry of Education for Bioreactor and Pharmaceutical Development, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin, China.,Shandong Key Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics, Dezhou University, Dezhou, Shandong, China
| | - Feng Song
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics, Dezhou University, Dezhou, Shandong, China
| | - Fawei Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Engineering Research Center of the Chinese Ministry of Education for Bioreactor and Pharmaceutical Development, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin, China
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Aratikatla EK, Kalamuddin M, Rana KC, Datta G, Asad M, Sundararaman S, Malhotra P, Mohmmed A, Bhattacharya AK. Combating multi-drug resistant malaria parasite by inhibiting falcipain-2 and heme-polymerization: Artemisinin-peptidyl vinyl phosphonate hybrid molecules as new antimalarials. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 220:113454. [PMID: 33901900 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113454] [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: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been able to reduce the clinical and pathological malaria cases in endemic areas around the globe. However, recent reports have shown a progressive decline in malaria parasite clearance in South-east Asia after ACT treatment, thus envisaging a need for new artemisinin (ART) derivatives and combinations. To address the emergence of drug resistance to current antimalarials, here we report the synthesis of artemisinin-peptidyl vinyl phosphonate hybrid molecules that show superior efficacy than artemisinin alone against chloroquine-resistant as well as multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains with EC50 in pico-molar ranges. Further, the compounds effectively inhibited the survival of ring-stage parasite for laboratory-adapted artemisinin-resistant parasite lines as compared to artemisinin. These hybrid molecules showed complete parasite clearance in vivo using P. berghei mouse malaria model in comparison to artemisinin alone. Studies on the mode of action of hybrid molecules suggested that these artemisinin-peptidyl vinyl phosphonate hybrid molecules possessed dual activities: inhibited falcipain-2 (FP-2) activity, a P. falciparum cysteine protease involved in hemoglobin degradation, and also blocked the hemozoin formation in the food-vacuole, a step earlier shown to be blocked by artemisinin. Since these hybrid molecules blocked multiple steps of a pathway and showed synergistic efficacies, we believe that these lead compounds can be developed as effective antimalarials to prevent the spread of resistance to current antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eswar K Aratikatla
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune, 411 008, India
| | - Md Kalamuddin
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India
| | - Kalpeshkumar C Rana
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India
| | - Gaurav Datta
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India
| | - Mohd Asad
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India
| | - Srividhya Sundararaman
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India
| | - Pawan Malhotra
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India
| | - Asif Mohmmed
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asif Ali Marg, New Delhi, 100 067, India.
| | - Asish K Bhattacharya
- Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL, Pune, 411 008, India.
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