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Wang Q, Song Y, Yuan S, Zhu Y, Wang W, Chu L. Prodrug activation by 4,4'-bipyridine-mediated aromatic nitro reduction. Nat Commun 2024; 15:8643. [PMID: 39368987 PMCID: PMC11455939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52604-y] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 10/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Unleashing prodrugs through nitro-reduction is a promising strategy in cancer treatment. In this study, we present a unique bioorthogonal reaction for aromatic nitro reduction, mediated by 4,4'-bipyridine. The reaction is a rare example of organocatalyst-mediated bioorthogonal reaction. This bioorthogonal reaction demonstrates broad substrate scope and proceeds at low micromolar concentrations under biocompatible conditions. Our mechanistic study reveals that water is essential for the reaction to proceed at biorelevant substrate concentrations. We illustrate the utility of our reaction for controlled prodrug activation in mammalian cells, bacteria, and mouse models. Furthermore, a nitro-reduction-annulation cascade is developed for the synthesis of indole derivatives in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yikang Song
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shuowei Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yaoji Zhu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ling Chu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences MOE Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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2
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Moreth D, Stevens-Cullinane L, Rees TW, Müller VVL, Pasquier A, Song OR, Warchal S, Howell M, Hess J, Schatzschneider U. Antibacterial activity of Au(I), Pt(II), and Ir(III) biotin conjugates prepared by the iClick reaction: influence of the metal coordination sphere on the biological activity. J Biol Inorg Chem 2024; 29:573-582. [PMID: 39198276 PMCID: PMC7616682 DOI: 10.1007/s00775-024-02073-x] [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: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
A series of biotin-functionalized transition metal complexes was prepared by iClick reaction from the corresponding azido complexes with a novel alkyne-functionalized biotin derivative ([Au(triazolatoR,R')(PPh3)], [Pt(dpb)(triazolatoR,R')], [Pt(triazolatoR,R')(terpy)]PF6, and [Ir(ppy)(triazolatoR,R')(terpy)]PF6 with dpb = 1,3-di(2-pyridyl)benzene, ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, and terpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine and R = C6H5, R' = biotin). The complexes were compared to reference compounds lacking the biotin moiety. The binding affinity toward avidin and streptavidin was evaluated with the HABA assay as well as isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). All compounds exhibit the same binding stoichiometry of complex-to-avidin of 4:1, but the ITC results show that the octahedral Ir(III) compound exhibits a higher binding affinity than the square-planar Pt(II) complex. The antibacterial activity of the compounds was evaluated on a series of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. In particular, the neutral Au(I) and Pt(II) complexes showed significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium at very low micromolar concentrations. The cytotoxicity against a range of eukaryotic cell lines was studied and revealed that the octahedral Ir(III) complex was non-toxic, while the square-planar Pt(II) and linear Au(I) complexes displayed non-selective micromolar activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Moreth
- Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lars Stevens-Cullinane
- Biological Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, London, SE1 1DB, UK
| | - Thomas W Rees
- Biological Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Victoria V L Müller
- Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Adrien Pasquier
- High Throughput Screening Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ok-Ryul Song
- High Throughput Screening Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Scott Warchal
- High Throughput Screening Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Michael Howell
- High Throughput Screening Science and Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jeannine Hess
- Biological Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, London, SE1 1DB, UK
| | - Ulrich Schatzschneider
- Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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3
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Zhang GD, Wang MM, Su Y, Fang H, Xue XL, Liu HK, Su Z. Mitochondria-targeted ruthenium complexes can be generated in vitro and in living cells to target triple-negative breast cancer cells by autophagy inhibition. J Inorg Biochem 2024; 256:112574. [PMID: 38677004 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2024.112574] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, which owned severe resistance to platinum-based anticancer agents. Herein, we report a new metal-arene complex, Ru-TPE-PPh3, which can be synthesized in vitro and in living cells with copper catalyzed the cycloaddition reaction of Ru-azide and alkynyl (CuAAC). The complex Ru-TPE-PPh3 exhibited superior inhibition of the proliferation of TNBC MDA-MB-231 cells with an IC50 value of 4.0 μM. Ru-TPE-PPh3 could induce the over production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to initiate the oxidative stress, and further damage the mitochondria both functionally and morphologically, as loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cutting the supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the disappearance of cristae structure. Moreover, the damaged mitochondria evoked the occurrence of mitophagy with the autophagic flux blockage and cell death. The complex Ru-TPE-PPh3 also demonstrated excellent anti-proliferative activity in 3D MDA-MB-231 multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs), indicating the potential to inhibit solid tumors in living cells. This study not only provided a potent agent for the TNBC treatment, but also demonstrated the universality of the bioorthogonally catalyzed lethality (BCL) strategy through CuAAC reation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Dong Zhang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Meng-Meng Wang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yan Su
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, China.
| | - Hongbao Fang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xu-Ling Xue
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Hong-Ke Liu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Zhi Su
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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Scaccaglia M, Birbaumer MP, Pinelli S, Pelosi G, Frei A. Discovery of antibacterial manganese(i) tricarbonyl complexes through combinatorial chemistry. Chem Sci 2024; 15:3907-3919. [PMID: 38487233 PMCID: PMC10935722 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05326a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The continuous rise of antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to human health and already causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. While natural products and synthetic organic small molecules have provided the majority of our current antibiotic arsenal, they are falling short in providing new drugs with novel modes of action able to treat multidrug resistant bacteria. Metal complexes have recently shown promising results as antimicrobial agents, but the number of studied compounds is still vanishingly small, making it difficult to identify promising compound classes or elucidate structure-activity relationships. To accelerate the pace of discovery we have applied a combinatorial chemistry approach to the synthesis of metalloantibiotics. Utilizing robust Schiff-base chemistry and combining 7 picolinaldehydes with 10 aniline derivatives, and 6 axial ligands, either imidazole/pyridine-based or solvent, we have prepared a library of 420 novel manganese tricarbonyl complexes. All compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial properties and 10 lead compounds were identified, re-synthesised and fully characterised. All 10 compounds showed high and broad activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The best manganese complex displayed low toxicity against human cells with a therapeutic index of >100. In initial mode of action studies, we show that it targets the bacterial membrane without inducing pore formation or depolarisation. Instead, it releases its carbon monoxide ligands around the membrane and inhibits the bacterial respiratory chain. This work demonstrates that large numbers of metal complexes can be accessed through combinatorial synthesis and evaluated for their antibacterial potential, allowing for the rapid identification of promising metalloantibiotic lead compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Scaccaglia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma 43124 Parma Italy
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Michael P Birbaumer
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Silvana Pinelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma Via Gramsci 14 43126 Parma Italy
| | - Giorgio Pelosi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma 43124 Parma Italy
| | - Angelo Frei
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern Freiestrasse 3 3012 Bern Switzerland
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5
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Orsi M, Shing Loh B, Weng C, Ang WH, Frei A. Using Machine Learning to Predict the Antibacterial Activity of Ruthenium Complexes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317901. [PMID: 38088924 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317901] [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: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and lack of innovation in the antibiotic pipeline necessitate novel approaches to discovering new drugs. Metal complexes have proven to be promising antimicrobial compounds, but the number of studied compounds is still low compared to the millions of organic molecules investigated so far. Lately, machine learning (ML) has emerged as a valuable tool for guiding the design of small organic molecules, potentially even in low-data scenarios. For the first time, we extend the application of ML to the discovery of metal-based medicines. Utilising 288 modularly synthesized ruthenium arene Schiff-base complexes and their antibacterial properties, a series of ML models were trained. The models perform well and are used to predict the activity of 54 new compounds. These displayed a 5.7x higher hit-rate (53.7 %) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compared to the original library (9.4 %), demonstrating that ML can be applied to improve the success-rates in the search of new metalloantibiotics. This work paves the way for more ambitious applications of ML in the field of metal-based drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Orsi
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Boon Shing Loh
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Cheng Weng
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Wee Han Ang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School - Integrated Science and Engineering Programme (ISEP), National University of Singapore, 21 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore, 119077, Singapore
| | - Angelo Frei
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
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Yang W, Zhou W, Gou S. Discovery of Efficient Hypoxia-Targeted NO Donor Compounds to Alleviate Hypoxia Cardiac Disease. J Med Chem 2023; 66:15977-15989. [PMID: 37971897 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
In order to obtain efficient NO donor drugs to treat hypoxic cardiac disease, a series of hypoxia-targeted NO donor compounds were prepared and screened. Among them, a representative compound H3 was found to selectively release NO under hypoxia with a higher ratio than isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN). In vitro study indicated that H3 had a strong capability of alleviating vascular dilation and reducing myocardial hypoxic injury due to its effective regulation of vascular dilatation and myocardial injury-related proteins in H9c2 cells even at low concentrations. By intraperitoneal injection or intragastric administration, in vivo animal tests revealed that H3 possessed a potent antimyocardial hypoxic injury effect superior to ISDN. These findings suggest that H3 has a better effect on alleviating hypoxic cardiac disease than the conventional drug, owing to its hypoxia-targeted release of NO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanxiang Yang
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Shaohua Gou
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
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Weng C, Tan YLK, Koh WG, Ang WH. Harnessing Transition Metal Scaffolds for Targeted Antibacterial Therapy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202310040. [PMID: 37621226 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202310040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance, caused by persistent adaptation and growing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to overprescribed antibiotics, poses one of the most serious and urgent threats to global public health. The limited pipeline of experimental antibiotics in development further exacerbates this looming crisis and new drugs with alternative modes of action are needed to tackle evolving pathogenic adaptation. Transition metal complexes can replenish this diminishing stockpile of drug candidates by providing compounds with unique properties that are not easily accessible using pure organic scaffolds. We spotlight four emerging strategies to harness these unique properties to develop new targeted antibacterial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Weng
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 4 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117544, Singapore
| | | | - Wayne Gareth Koh
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 4 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117544, Singapore
| | - Wee Han Ang
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 4 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117544, Singapore
- NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117456, Singapore
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