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Lin M, Cai J, Wei Y, Peng X, Luo Q, Li B, Chen Y, Wang L. MalariaFlow: A comprehensive deep learning platform for multistage phenotypic antimalarial drug discovery. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 277:116776. [PMID: 39173285 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116776] [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: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant global health challenge due to the growing drug resistance of Plasmodium parasites and the failure to block transmission within human host. While machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methods have shown promise in accelerating antimalarial drug discovery, the performance of deep learning models based on molecular graph and other co-representation approaches warrants further exploration. Current research has overlooked mutant strains of the malaria parasite with varying degrees of sensitivity or resistance, and has not covered the prediction of inhibitory activities across the three major life cycle stages (liver, asexual blood, and gametocyte) within the human host, which is crucial for both treatment and transmission blocking. In this study, we manually curated a benchmark antimalarial activity dataset comprising 407,404 unique compounds and 410,654 bioactivity data points across ten Plasmodium phenotypes and three stages. The performance was systematically compared among two fingerprint-based ML models (RF::Morgan and XGBoost:Morgan), four graph-based DL models (GCN, GAT, MPNN, and Attentive FP), and three co-representations DL models (FP-GNN, HiGNN, and FG-BERT), which reveal that: 1) The FP-GNN model achieved the best predictive performance, outperforming the other methods in distinguishing active and inactive compounds across balanced, more positive, and more negative datasets, with an overall AUROC of 0.900; 2) Fingerprint-based ML models outperformed graph-based DL models on large datasets (>1000 compounds), but the three co-representations DL models were able to incorporate domain-specific chemical knowledge to bridge this gap, achieving better predictive performance. These findings provide valuable guidance for selecting appropriate ML and DL methods for antimalarial activity prediction tasks. The interpretability analysis of the FP-GNN model revealed its ability to accurately capture the key structural features responsible for the liver- and blood-stage activities of the known antimalarial drug atovaquone. Finally, we developed a web server, MalariaFlow, incorporating these high-quality models for antimalarial activity prediction, virtual screening, and similarity search, successfully predicting novel triple-stage antimalarial hits validated through experimental testing, demonstrating its effectiveness and value in discovering potential multistage antimalarial drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mujie Lin
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Junxi Cai
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yuancheng Wei
- School of Software Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xinru Peng
- School of Software Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qianhui Luo
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Biaoshun Li
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yihao Chen
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ling Wang
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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2
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Calic PPS, Ashton TD, Mansouri M, Loi K, Jarman KE, Qiu D, Lehane AM, Roy S, Rao GP, Maity B, Wittlin S, Crespo B, Gamo FJ, Deni I, Fidock DA, Chowdury M, de Koning-Ward TF, Cowman AF, Jackson PF, Baud D, Brand S, Laleu B, Sleebs BE. Optimization of pyrazolopyridine 4-carboxamides with potent antimalarial activity for which resistance is associated with the P. falciparum transporter ABCI3. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 276:116677. [PMID: 39024967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116677] [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: 06/13/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Emerging resistance to current antimalarials is reducing their effectiveness and therefore there is a need to develop new antimalarial therapies. Toward this goal, high throughput screens against the P. falciparum asexual parasite identified the pyrazolopyridine 4-carboxamide scaffold. Structure-activity relationship analysis of this chemotype defined that the N1-tert-butyl group and aliphatic foliage in the 3- and 6-positions were necessary for activity, while the inclusion of a 7'-aza-benzomorpholine on the 4-carboxamide motif resulted in potent anti-parasitic activity and increased aqueous solubility. A previous report that resistance to the pyrazolopyridine class is associated with the ABCI3 transporter was confirmed, with pyrazolopyridine 4-carboxamides showing an increase in potency against parasites when the ABCI3 transporter was knocked down. The low metabolic stability intrinsic to the pyrazolopyridine scaffold and the slow rate by which the compounds kill asexual parasites resulted in poor performance in a P. berghei asexual blood stage mouse model. Lowering the risk of resistance and mitigating the metabolic stability and cytochrome P450 inhibition will be challenges in the future development of the pyrazolopyrimidine antimalarial class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar P S Calic
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Trent D Ashton
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Mahta Mansouri
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Katie Loi
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Kate E Jarman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Deyun Qiu
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia
| | - Adele M Lehane
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia
| | - Sayantan Roy
- TCG Lifesciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Gunturu P Rao
- TCG Lifesciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Bikash Maity
- TCG Lifesciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Benigno Crespo
- Global Health Medicines R&D, GSK, Tres Cantos, 28760, Spain
| | | | - Ioanna Deni
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York, 10032, NY, USA; Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York, 10032, NY, USA
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York, 10032, NY, USA; Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York, 10032, NY, USA
| | - Mrittika Chowdury
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, 3216, Australia; Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, 3216, Australia
| | - Tania F de Koning-Ward
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, 3216, Australia; Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, 3216, Australia
| | - Alan F Cowman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Paul F Jackson
- Global Public Health, Janssen R&D LLC, La Jolla, 92121, USA
| | - Delphine Baud
- MMV Medicines for Malaria Venture, ICC, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stephen Brand
- MMV Medicines for Malaria Venture, ICC, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Laleu
- MMV Medicines for Malaria Venture, ICC, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brad E Sleebs
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia.
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3
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Zhang YM, Li T, Xu CC, Qian JY, Guo H, Zhang X, Zhan ZJ, Lu JJ. Uncover the anticancer potential of lycorine. Chin Med 2024; 19:121. [PMID: 39245716 PMCID: PMC11382518 DOI: 10.1186/s13020-024-00989-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural products have a long history in drug discovery. Lycorine is an alkaloid derived from Amaryllidaceae plants, demonstrating significant pharmacological potential. Lycorine and its hydrochloride salt, lycorine hydrochloride, have shown outstanding anticancer effects both in vitro and in vivo. PURPOSE This review aims to comprehensively summarize recent research advancements regarding the anticancer potential of lycorine and lycorine hydrochloride. It intends to elucidate current research limitations, optimization strategies, and future research directions to guide clinical translation. METHODS Various databases, e.g., Web of Science, PubMed, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, are systematically searched for relevant articles using keywords such as lycorine, cancer, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity. The retrieved literature is then categorized and summarized to provide an overview of the research advancements in the anticancer potential of lycorine and lycorine hydrochloride. RESULTS Lycorine and lycorine hydrochloride demonstrate significant anticancer activities against various types of cancer both in vitro and in vivo, employing diverse mechanisms such as inducing cell cycle arrest, triggering cellular senescence, regulating programmed cell death, inhibiting angiogenesis, suppressing metastasis, and modulating immune system. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic profiles and toxicity data are summarized. Additionally, this review discusses the druggability, limitations, optimization strategies, and target identification of lycorine, offering insights for future preclinical studies. CONCLUSION The anticancer effects and safety profile of lycorine and lycorine hydrochloride suggest promising potential for clinical applications. Further research on their in-depth mechanisms and optimization strategies targeting their limitations will enhance the understanding and druggability of lycorine and lycorine hydrochloride.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Ting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Chun-Cao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China
| | - Jia-Yu Qian
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Hongwei Guo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules Research and Evaluation & Pharmaceutical College, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Druggability and New Drug Evaluation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zha-Jun Zhan
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
| | - Jin-Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macao SAR, 999078, China.
- MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, 999078, China.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, 999078, China.
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4
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Manaranche J, Laurent M, Tressieres R, Nguyen M, Salim M, Ouji M, Reyser T, Egwu CO, Robert A, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F, Paloque L. In vitro evaluation of ganaplacide/lumefantrine combination against Plasmodium falciparum in a context of artemisinin resistance. J Antimicrob Chemother 2024:dkae300. [PMID: 39206510 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkae300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ganaplacide, also known as KAF156, is among the new antimalarial drug candidates that have successfully reached Phase III clinical trials, and is proposed in combination with lumefantrine. This combination could replace the current front-line artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in case of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to both artemisinins and partner drugs. Indeed, the African continent, where the malaria burden is the highest, is currently experiencing worrying multiple emergences and spread of artemisinin resistance, which urges for the exploration of the antiparasitic properties of KAF156 in this context. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS The objectives of this work were firstly to evaluate the risk of cross-resistance between artemisinins and KAF156 alone, and in combination with lumefantrine, using a panel of artemisinin-resistant strains carrying different pfk13 mutations and markers of other antiplasmodial drug resistances; secondly to explore in vitro the relevance of combining KAF156 and lumefantrine with artemisinins, based on the model of triple ACTs. RESULTS Our results highlighted that KAF156 activity was not impaired by mutations in pfk13, pfcrt, pfmdr1, pfmdr2, pfdhps and pfdhfr genes or by pfmdr1 amplification. Moreover, we demonstrated that KAF156 alone and in combination with lumefantrine was active against artemisinin-resistant parasites, including when they are quiescent. CONCLUSIONS All these in vitro results evidence that multi-drug resistant parasites currently in circulation in the field might not affect KAF156 efficacy, and are encouraging signs for KAF156 use in a triple ACT to preserve the use of artemisinins for as long as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Manaranche
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Marion Laurent
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Roxane Tressieres
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Maryam Salim
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Thibaud Reyser
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Chinedu O Egwu
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Anne Robert
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
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Min H, Lucky AB, Madsen JJ, Chim-Ong A, Li X, Cui L, Miao J. Onametostat, a PfPRMT5 inhibitor, exhibits antimalarial activity to Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024:e0017624. [PMID: 39194263 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00176-24] [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: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) play critical roles in Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan causing the deadliest form of malaria, making them potential targets for novel antimalarial drugs. Here, we screened 11 novel PRMT inhibitors against P. falciparum asexual growth and found that onametostat, an inhibitor for type II PRMTs, exhibited strong antimalarial activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 1.69 ± 0.04 µM. In vitro methyltransferase activities of purified PfPRMT5 were inhibited by onametostat, and a shift of IC50 to onametostat was found in the PfPRTM5 disruptant parasite line, indicating that PfPRTM5 is the primary target of onametostat. Consistent with the function of PfPRMT5 in mediating symmetric dimethylation of histone H3R2 (H3R2me2s) and in regulating invasion-related genes, onametostat treatment led to the reduction of H3R2me2s level in P. falciparum and caused the defects on the parasite's invasion of red blood cells. This study provides a starting point for identifying specific PRMT inhibitors with the potential to serve as novel antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Min
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Amuza Byaruhanga Lucky
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jesper J Madsen
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Anongruk Chim-Ong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Xiaolian Li
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jun Miao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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6
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Sheokand PK, Pradhan S, Maclean AE, Mühleip A, Sheiner L. Plasmodium falciparum Mitochondrial Complex III, the Target of Atovaquone, Is Essential for Progression to the Transmissible Sexual Stages. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9239. [PMID: 39273187 PMCID: PMC11394760 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179239] [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: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium falciparum mitochondrial electron transport chain (mETC) is responsible for essential metabolic pathways such as de novo pyrimidine synthesis and ATP synthesis. The mETC complex III (cytochrome bc1 complex) is responsible for transferring electrons from ubiquinol to cytochrome c and generating a proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, which is necessary for the function of ATP synthase. Recent studies have revealed that the composition of Plasmodium falciparum complex III (PfCIII) is divergent from humans, highlighting its suitability as a target for specific inhibition. Indeed, PfCIII is the target of the clinically used anti-malarial atovaquone and of several inhibitors undergoing pre-clinical trials, yet its role in parasite biology has not been thoroughly studied. We provide evidence that the universally conserved subunit, PfRieske, and the new parasite subunit, PfC3AP2, are part of PfCIII, with the latter providing support for the prediction of its divergent composition. Using inducible depletion, we show that PfRieske, and therefore, PfCIII as a whole, is essential for asexual blood stage parasite survival, in line with previous observations. We further found that depletion of PfRieske results in gametocyte maturation defects. These phenotypes are linked to defects in mitochondrial functions upon PfRieske depletion, including increased sensitivity to mETC inhibitors in asexual stages and decreased cristae abundance alongside abnormal mitochondrial morphology in gametocytes. This is the first study that explores the direct role of the PfCIII in gametogenesis via genetic disruption, paving the way for a better understanding of the role of mETC in the complex life cycle of these important parasites and providing further support for the focus of antimalarial drug development on this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Kumar Sheokand
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Sabyasachi Pradhan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Andrew E Maclean
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Alexander Mühleip
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Lilach Sheiner
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, School of Infection and Immunity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
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7
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Lawong A, Gahalawat S, Ray S, Ho N, Han Y, Ward KE, Deng X, Chen Z, Kumar A, Xing C, Hosangadi V, Fairhurst KJ, Tashiro K, Liszczak G, Shackleford DM, Katneni K, Chen G, Saunders J, Crighton E, Casas A, Robinson JJ, Imlay LS, Zhang X, Lemoff A, Zhao Z, Angulo-Barturen I, Jiménez-Díaz MB, Wittlin S, Campbell SF, Fidock DA, Laleu B, Charman SA, Ready JM, Phillips MA. Identification of potent and reversible piperidine carboxamides that are species-selective orally active proteasome inhibitors to treat malaria. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:1503-1517.e19. [PMID: 39084225 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.07.001] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains a global health concern as drug resistance threatens treatment programs. We identified a piperidine carboxamide (SW042) with anti-malarial activity by phenotypic screening. Selection of SW042-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) parasites revealed point mutations in the Pf_proteasome β5 active-site (Pfβ5). A potent analog (SW584) showed efficacy in a mouse model of human malaria after oral dosing. SW584 had a low propensity to generate resistance (minimum inoculum for resistance [MIR] >109) and was synergistic with dihydroartemisinin. Pf_proteasome purification was facilitated by His8-tag introduction onto β7. Inhibition of Pfβ5 correlated with parasite killing, without inhibiting human proteasome isoforms or showing cytotoxicity. The Pf_proteasome_SW584 cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure showed that SW584 bound non-covalently distal from the catalytic threonine, in an unexplored pocket at the β5/β6/β3 subunit interface that has species differences between Pf and human proteasomes. Identification of a reversible, species selective, orally active series with low resistance propensity provides a path for drugging this essential target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aloysus Lawong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Sneha Ray
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Nhi Ho
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yan Han
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kurt E Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xiaoyi Deng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Zhe Chen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Department of Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Department of Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Varun Hosangadi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kate J Fairhurst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kyuto Tashiro
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Glen Liszczak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - David M Shackleford
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Kasiram Katneni
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Gong Chen
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Jessica Saunders
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Elly Crighton
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Arturo Casas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Joshua J Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Leah S Imlay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Zhiyu Zhao
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Iñigo Angulo-Barturen
- The Art of Discovery, Biscay Science and Technology Park, Astrondo Bidea, BIC Bizkaia Bd 612, Derio, 48160 Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - María Belén Jiménez-Díaz
- The Art of Discovery, Biscay Science and Technology Park, Astrondo Bidea, BIC Bizkaia Bd 612, Derio, 48160 Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Susan A Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Joseph M Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Margaret A Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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8
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Jia X, Wang Y, Wang M, Min H, Fang Z, Lu H, Li J, Cao Y, Bai L, Lu J. The phosphatase inhibitor BVT-948 can be used to efficiently screen functional sexual development proteins in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2024; 26:100563. [PMID: 39153438 PMCID: PMC11378252 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100563] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying and discovering the molecular mechanism of Plasmodium sexual development is crucial for the development of transmission blocking drugs and malaria eradication. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using phosphatase inhibitors as a tool for screening proteins essential for Plasmodium sexual development and to discover proteins affecting the sexual development of malaria parasites. METHODS Differences in protein phosphorylation among Plasmodium gametocytes incubated with BVT-948 under in vitro ookinete culture conditions were evaluated using phosphoproteomic methods. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to predict the mechanism by which BVT-948 affected gametocyte-ookinete conversion. The functions of 8 putative proteins involved in Plasmodium berghei sexual development were evaluated. Bioinformatic analysis was used to evaluate the possible mechanism of PBANKA_0100800 in gametogenesis and subsequent sexual development. RESULTS The phosphorylation levels of 265 proteins decreased while those of 67 increased after treatment with BVT-948. Seven of the 8 genes selected for phenotype screening play roles in P. berghei sexual development, and 4 of these were associated with gametocytogenesis. PBANKA_0100800 plays essential roles in gametocyte-ookinete conversion and transmission to mosquitoes. CONCLUSIONS Seven proteins identified by screening affect P. berghei sexual development, suggesting that phosphatase inhibitors can be used for functional protein screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xitong Jia
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110000, China; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China; Department of Family Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110000, China
| | - Meilian Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Hui Min
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Zehou Fang
- The Second Clinical College of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Haifeng Lu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Jiao Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China.
| | - Lunhao Bai
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110000, China.
| | - Jinghan Lu
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110000, China.
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9
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Dorsey MA, Dsouza K, Ranganath D, Harris JS, Lane TR, Urbina F, Ekins S. Near-Term Quantum Classification Algorithms Applied to Antimalarial Drug Discovery. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:5922-5930. [PMID: 39013438 PMCID: PMC11338495 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Computational approaches are widely applied in drug discovery to explore properties related to bioactivity, physiochemistry, and toxicology. Over at least the last 20 years, the exploitation of machine learning on molecular data sets has been used to understand the structure-activity relationships that exist between biomolecules and druggable targets. More recently, these methods have also seen application for phenotypic screening data for neglected diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Herein, we apply machine learning to build quantum Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship models from antimalarial data sets. There is a continual need for new antimalarials to address drug resistance, and the readily available in vitro data sets could be utilized with newer machine learning approaches as these develop. Furthermore, quantum machine learning is a relatively new method that uses a quantum computer to perform the calculations. First, we present a classical-quantum hybrid computational approach by building a Latent Bernoulli Autoencoder machine learning model for compressing bit-vector descriptors to a size that can be adapted to quantum computers for classification tasks with limited loss of embedded information. Second, we apply our method for feature map compression to quantum classification algorithms, including a completely novel machine learning algorithm with no analogy in classical computers: the Quantum Fourier Transform Classifier. We apply both these approaches to build quantum machine learning models for small-molecule antimalarials with quantum simulation software and then benchmark these quantum models against classical machine learning approaches. While there are many challenges currently facing the development of reliable quantum computers, our results demonstrate that there is potential for the use of this technology in the field of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Dorsey
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Kelvin Dsouza
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Dhruv Ranganath
- Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, United States
| | - Joshua S. Harris
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Thomas R. Lane
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Fabio Urbina
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Sean Ekins
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
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10
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Lawrence N, Handley TNG, de Veer SJ, Harding MD, Andraszek A, Hall L, Raven KD, Duffy S, Avery VM, Craik DJ, Malins LR, McMorran BJ. Enhancing the Intrinsic Antiplasmodial Activity and Improving the Stability and Selectivity of a Tunable Peptide Scaffold Derived from Human Platelet Factor 4. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:2899-2912. [PMID: 39087267 PMCID: PMC11320574 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00276] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
The control of malaria, a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that kills over half a million people every year, is threatened by the continual emergence and spread of drug resistance. Therefore, new molecules with different mechanisms of action are needed in the antimalarial drug development pipeline. Peptides developed from host defense molecules are gaining traction as anti-infectives due to theood of inducing drug resistance. Human platelet factor 4 (PF4) has intrinsic activity against P. falciparum, and a macrocyclic helix-loop-helix peptide derived from its active domain recapitulates this activity. In this study, we used a stepwise approach to optimize first-generation PF4-derived internalization peptides (PDIPs) by producing analogues with substitutions to charged and hydrophobic amino acid residues or with modifications to terminal residues including backbone cyclization. We evaluated the in vitro activity of PDIP analogues against P. falciparum compared to their overall helical structure, resistance to breakdown by serum proteases, selective binding to negatively charged membranes, and hemolytic activity. Next, we combined antiplasmodial potency-enhancing substitutions that retained favorable membrane and cell-selective properties onto the most stable scaffold to produce a backbone cyclic PDIP analogue with four-fold improved activity against P. falciparum compared to first-generation peptides. These studies demonstrate the ability to modify PDIP to select for and combine desirable properties and further validate the suitability of this unique peptide scaffold for developing a new molecule class that is distinct from existing antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Lawrence
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas N. G. Handley
- Department
of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, Cancer Imaging, The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria 3000, Australia
- Sir
Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Simon J. de Veer
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Maxim D. Harding
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Alicja Andraszek
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lachlan Hall
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Karoline D. Raven
- The
John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Sandra Duffy
- Discovery
Biology, Centre for Cellular Phenomics, School of Environment and
Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Vicky M. Avery
- Discovery
Biology, Centre for Cellular Phenomics, School of Environment and
Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience and Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lara R. Malins
- Research
School of Chemistry and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence
for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Brendan J. McMorran
- The
John Curtin School of Medical Research, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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11
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Novita R, Suprayogi A, Agusta A, Nugraha AB, Nozaki T, Agustini K, Darusman HS. Antimalarial activity of borrelidin and fumagilin in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Open Vet J 2024; 14:2007-2015. [PMID: 39308722 PMCID: PMC11415897 DOI: 10.5455/ovj.2024.v14.i8.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria remains a significant global health burden, with drug resistance posing a major challenge to its control. The emergence of resistance to antimalarial drugs represents a critical issue in malaria management, as it heightens the likelihood of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. There is an urgent requirement for a novel candidate drug with a distinct mechanism of action. Aim In light of the ongoing challenges in malaria management, particularly the emergence of drug resistance, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a novel combination therapy of borrelidin and fumagilin against Plasmodium berghei infection on Swiss Webster mice. The findings of this study could contribute to developing new and effective antimalarial treatments. Methods This study employed a unique approach, using Swiss Webster mice aged 6-8 weeks and dividing them into five groups, each with five mice. The therapeutic efficacy of the combination treatment was evaluated through a comprehensive assessment of parasitemia levels, survival rates, and histological changes in the liver and spleen. This rigorous methodology ensures the reliability and validity of our findings. Results The combination of borrelidin and fumagilin led to the lowest parasitemia at 5%, contrasting with the control group reaching 15%. Moreover, the combination group exhibited the highest inhibition rate of 69.6% on day nine post-infection. Histopathological alterations were limited to sinusoid dilation, hepatocyte ballooning, and the presence of hemozoin. Conclusion These findings suggest that the combination of borrelidin and fumagilin holds promise as a potential antimalarial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Risqa Novita
- Primatology Study Program, Graduate School of IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Center, Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Agik Suprayogi
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Andria Agusta
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Center, Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Arifin Budiman Nugraha
- Division of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Tomoyoshi Nozaki
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kurnia Agustini
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Center, Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Huda Shalahudin Darusman
- Primatology Study Program, Graduate School of IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- Primate Research Center, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
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12
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Morrison LJ, Barrett MP, Steketee PC, Cecchi G, Kijanga O, Mramba F, Auty HK. What is needed to achieve effective and sustainable control of African animal trypanosomosis? Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:679-686. [PMID: 39048503 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.06.013] [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: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
A welcome resurgence in African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) research has resulted in advances in capabilities, foundational datasets, and understanding. Additionally, there is the prospect of the first new trypanocide in >60 years. However, it is vital to ensure that advances translate to improved and sustainable control in the field. A recent meeting, the Symposium on African Livestock Trypanosomes - Tanzania, convened stakeholders from across the spectrum of AAT research and control to ask how this can be achieved. Current constraints on progress were defined, as were critical gaps and opportunities that need addressing. There is a requirement and opportunity for the AAT research community to communicate, collaborate, and coordinate to maintain momentum and achieve the ultimate goal of sustainable AAT control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Giuliano Cecchi
- Animal Production and Health Division (NSA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy
| | - Oliver Kijanga
- Vector and Vector-Borne Diseases Institute, Tanga, Tanzania
| | | | - Harriet K Auty
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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13
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Withers-Martinez C, Lidumniece E, Hackett F, Collins CR, Taha Z, Blackman MJ, Jirgensons A. Peptidic Boronic Acid Plasmodium falciparum SUB1 Inhibitors with Improved Selectivity over Human Proteasome. J Med Chem 2024. [PMID: 39051854 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum subtilisin-like serine protease 1 (PfSUB1) is essential for egress of invasive merozoite forms of the parasite, rendering PfSUB1 an attractive antimalarial target. Here, we report studies aimed to improve drug-like properties of peptidic boronic acid PfSUB1 inhibitors including increased lipophilicity and selectivity over human proteasome (H20S). Structure-activity relationship investigations revealed that lipophilic P3 amino acid side chains as well as N-capping groups were well tolerated in retaining PfSUB1 inhibitory potency. At the P1 position, replacing the methyl group with a carboxyethyl substituent led to boralactone PfSUB1 inhibitors with remarkably improved selectivity over H20S. Combining lipophilic end-capping groups with the boralactone reduced the selectivity over H20S. However, compound 4c still showed >60-fold selectivity versus H20S and low nanomolar PfSUB1 inhibitory potency. Importantly, this compound inhibited the growth of a genetically modified P. falciparum line expressing reduced levels of PfSUB1 13-fold more efficiently compared to a wild-type parasite line.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fiona Hackett
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K
| | - Christine R Collins
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K
| | - Zahie Taha
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, U.K
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, U.K
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14
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Bhatt S, Dasgupta S, Tupe C, Prashar C, Adhikari U, Pandey KC, Kundu S, Chakraborti S. Antimalarial Delivery with a Ferritin-Based Protein Cage: A Step toward Developing Smart Therapeutics against Malaria. Biochemistry 2024; 63:1738-1751. [PMID: 38975628 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00692] [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: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the utilization of protein cages has witnessed exponential growth driven by their extensive applications in biotechnology and therapeutics. In the context of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, protein-cage-based scaffolds played a pivotal role in vaccine development. Beyond vaccines, these protein cages have proven valuable in diverse drug delivery applications thanks to their distinctive architecture and structural stability. Among the various types of protein cages, ferritin-based cages have taken the lead in drug delivery applications. This is primarily attributed to their ease of production, exceptional thermal stability, and nontoxic nature. While ferritin-based cages are commonly employed in anticancer drug delivery and contrast agent delivery, their efficacy in malarial drug delivery had not been explored until this study. In this investigation, several antimalarial drugs were encapsulated within horse spleen ferritin, and the binding and loading processes were validated through both experimental and computational techniques. The data unequivocally demonstrate the facile incorporation of antimalarial drugs into ferritin without disrupting its three-dimensional structure. Computational docking and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to pinpoint the precise location of the drug binding site within ferritin. Subsequent efficacy testing on Plasmodium revealed that the developed nanoconjugate, comprising the drug-ferritin conjugate, exhibited significant effectiveness in eradicating the parasite. In conclusion, the findings strongly indicate that ferritin-based carrier systems hold tremendous promise for the future of antimalarial drug delivery, offering high selectivity and limited side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti Bhatt
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India
| | - Subrata Dasgupta
- Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Chiging Tupe
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP 201002, India
| | - Cherish Prashar
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP 201002, India
| | - Utpal Adhikari
- National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, West Bengal 713209, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, UP 201002, India
| | - Suman Kundu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa 403726, India
| | - Soumyananda Chakraborti
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
- Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad 500078, India
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15
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Barber BE, Webster R, Potter AJ, Llewellyn S, Sahai N, Leelasena I, Mathison S, Kuritz K, Flynn J, Chalon S, Marrast AC, Gobeau N, Moehrle JJ. Characterising the blood-stage antimalarial activity of pyronaridine in healthy volunteers experimentally infected with Plasmodium falciparum. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2024; 64:107196. [PMID: 38734217 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2024.107196] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
With the spread of artemisinin resistance throughout Southeast Asia and now in Africa, the antimalarial drug pyronaridine is likely to become an increasingly important component of new antimalarial drug regimens. However, the antimalarial activity of pyronaridine in humans has not been completely characterised. This volunteer infection study aimed to determine the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship of pyronaridine in malaria naïve adults. Volunteers were inoculated with Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes on day 0 and administered different single oral doses of pyronaridine on day 8. Parasitaemia and concentrations of pyronaridine were measured and standard safety assessments performed. Curative artemether-lumefantrine therapy was administered if parasite regrowth occurred, or on day 47 ± 2. Outcomes were parasite clearance kinetics, PK and PK/PD parameters from modelling. Ten participants were inoculated and administered 360 mg (n = 4), 540 mg (n = 4) or 720 mg (n = 1) pyronaridine. One participant was withdrawn without receiving pyronaridine. The time to maximum pyronaridine concentration was 1-2 h, the elimination half-life was 8-9 d, and the parasite clearance half-life was approximately 5 h. Parasite regrowth occurred with 360 mg (4/4 participants) and 540 mg (2/4 participants). Key efficacy parameters including the minimum inhibitory concentration (5.5 ng/mL) and minimum parasiticidal concentration leading to 90% of maximum effect (MPC90: 8 ng/mL) were derived from the PK/PD model. Adverse events considered related to pyronaridine were predominantly mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms. There were no serious adverse events. Data obtained in this study will support the use of pyronaridine in new antimalarial combination therapies by informing partner drug selection and dosing considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget E Barber
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia; University of the Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials, Morayfield, QLD, Australia; Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Rebecca Webster
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Adam J Potter
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Stacey Llewellyn
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Nischal Sahai
- University of the Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials, Morayfield, QLD, Australia
| | - Indika Leelasena
- University of the Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials, Morayfield, QLD, Australia
| | - Susan Mathison
- University of the Sunshine Coast Clinical Trials, Morayfield, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Julia Flynn
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
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16
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Gupta AK, Eliasen AM, Andahazy W, Zhou F, Henson K, Chi V, Woods AK, Joseph SB, Kuhen KL, Wisler J, Ramachandruni H, Duffy J, Burrows JN, Vadas E, Slade A, Schultz PG, McNamara CW, Chatterjee AK. A Prodrug Strategy to Reposition Atovaquone as a Long-Acting Injectable for Malaria Chemoprotection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.08.579395. [PMID: 38979188 PMCID: PMC11230151 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.08.579395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Recent malaria drug discovery approaches have been extensively focused on the development of oral, smallmolecule inhibitors for disease treatment whereas parenteral routes of administration have been avoided due to limitations in deploying a shelf-stable injectable even though it could be dosed less frequently. However, an updated target candidate profile from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and stakeholders have advocated for long-acting injectable chemopreventive agents as an important interventive tool to improve malaria prevention. Here, we present strategies for the development of a long-acting, intramuscular, injectable atovaquone prophylactic therapy. We have generated three prodrug approaches that are contrasted by their differential physiochemical properties and pharmacokinetic profiles: mCBK068, a docosahexaenoic acid ester of atovaquone formulated in sesame oil, mCKX352, a heptanoic acid ester of atovaquone formulated as a solution in sesame oil, and mCBE161, an acetic acid ester of atovaquone formulated as an aqueous suspension. As a result, from a single 20 mg/kg intramuscular injection, mCKX352 and mCBE161 maintain blood plasma exposure of atovaquone above the minimal efficacious concentration for >70 days and >30 days, respectively, in cynomolgus monkeys. The differences in plasma exposure are reflective of the prodrug strategy, which imparts altered chemical properties that ultimately influence aqueous solubility and depot release kinetics. On the strength of the pharmacokinetic and safety profiles, mCBE161 is being advanced as a first-in-class clinical candidate for first-in-human trials.
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17
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McLellan JL, Hanson KK. Differential effects of translation inhibitors on Plasmodium berghei liver stage parasites. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302540. [PMID: 38575357 PMCID: PMC10994859 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302540] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Increasing numbers of antimalarial compounds are being identified that converge mechanistically at inhibition of cytoplasmic translation, regardless of the molecular target or mechanism. A deeper understanding of how their effectiveness as liver stage translation inhibitors relates to their chemoprotective potential could prove useful. Here, we probed that relationship using the Plasmodium berghei-HepG2 liver stage infection model. After determining translation inhibition EC50s for five compounds, we tested them at equivalent effective concentrations to compare the parasite response to, and recovery from, a brief period of translation inhibition in early schizogony, followed by parasites to 120 h post-infection to assess antiplasmodial effects of the treatment. We show compound-specific heterogeneity in single parasite and population responses to translation inhibitor treatment, with no single metric strongly correlated to the release of hepatic merozoites for all compounds. We also demonstrate that DDD107498 is capable of exerting antiplasmodial effects on translationally arrested liver stage parasites and uncover unexpected growth dynamics during the liver stage. Our results demonstrate that translation inhibition efficacy does not determine antiplasmodial efficacy for these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L McLellan
- https://ror.org/01kd65564 Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and STCEID, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kirsten K Hanson
- https://ror.org/01kd65564 Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and STCEID, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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18
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Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Calderón F. Ending Malaria: Where Are We? ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1429-1430. [PMID: 38656180 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Joana Tavares
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- Host-Parasite Interactions Group, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto 4099-002, Portugal
| | - Félix Calderón
- Global Health Medicines R&D, GSK, Tres Cantos 28760, Spain
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Trirattanaporn N, Rattanajak R, Dokladda K, Kamchonwongpaisan S, Thongyoo P. Design, synthesis and Anti-Plasmodial activity of Mortiamide-Lugdunin conjugates. Bioorg Chem 2024; 146:107307. [PMID: 38537337 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107307] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
In this study, two linear and corresponding cyclic heptapeptide versions of mortiamide A-lugdunin hybrids were designed and synthesized by integrating an anti-malarial peptide epitope derived from Mortiamide A, combined with four residues known for their membrane interactions. Using this synthetic strategy, the sequence of mortiamide A was partly re-engineered with an epitope sequence of lugdunin along with an amino acid replacement using all-L and D/L configurations. Importantly, the re-engineered cyclic mortiamides with all-L (3) and D/L (4) configurations exhibited promising anti-malarial activities against the P. falciparum drug-sensitive TM4/8 strain with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 6.2 ± 0.5 and 4.8 ± 0.1 μM, respectively. Additionally, they exhibited anti-malarial activities against the P. falciparum multidrug-resistant V1/S strain with IC50 values of 5.0 ± 2.6 and 3.7 ± 0.7 μM, respectively. Interestingly, a linear re-engineered mortiamide with D/L configuration (2) exhibited promising anti-malarial activities, surpassing those of the re-engineered cyclic mortiamides (3 and 4), against both the P. falciparum sensitive TM4/8 and multidrug-resistant V1/S strains with IC50 values of 3.6 ± 0.5 and 2.8 ± 0.7 μM (IC50 of Mortiamide A = 7.85 ± 0.97, 5.31 ± 0.24 μM against 3D7 and Dd2 strains) without any cytotoxicity at >100 µM. The presence of D/L forms in a linear structure significantly impacted the anti-malarial activity against both the P. falciparum sensitive TM4/8 strain and the multidrug-resistant V1/S strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nattamon Trirattanaporn
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Unit, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Roonglawan Rattanajak
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Science Park, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Kanchana Dokladda
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Science Park, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Sumalee Kamchonwongpaisan
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Science Park, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Panumart Thongyoo
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Unit, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand.
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20
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Fonte M, Rôla C, Santana S, Avalos-Padilla Y, Fernàndez-Busquets X, Prudêncio M, Gomes P, Teixeira C. Disclosure of cinnamic acid/4,9-diaminoacridine conjugates as multi-stage antiplasmodial hits. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 104:117714. [PMID: 38582046 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
4,9-diaminoacridines with reported antiplasmodial activity were coupled to different trans-cinnamic acids, delivering a new series of conjugates inspired by the covalent bitherapy concept. The new compounds were more potent than primaquine against hepatic stages of Plasmodium berghei, although this was accompanied by cytotoxic effects on Huh-7 hepatocytes. Relevantly, the conjugates displayed nanomolar activities against blood stage P. falciparum parasites, with no evidence of hemolytic effects below 100 µM. Moreover, the new compounds were at least 25-fold more potent than primaquine against P. falciparum gametocytes. Thus, the new antiplasmodial hits disclosed herein emerge as valuable templates for the development of multi-stage antiplasmodial drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Fonte
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Catarina Rôla
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sofia Santana
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Yunuen Avalos-Padilla
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Spain; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Spain
| | - Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Nanomalaria Group, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Spain; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Spain; Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute (IN2UB), University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Paula Gomes
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
| | - Cátia Teixeira
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
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21
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Asuquo DE, Attai KF, Johnson EA, Obot OU, Adeoye OS, Akwaowo CD, Ekpenyong N, Isiguzo C, Ekanem U, Motilewa O, Dan E, Umoh E, Ekpin V, Uzoka FME. Multi-criteria decision analysis method for differential diagnosis of tropical febrile diseases. Health Informatics J 2024; 30:14604582241260659. [PMID: 38860564 DOI: 10.1177/14604582241260659] [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] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
This paper employs the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to enhance the accuracy of differential diagnosis for febrile diseases, particularly prevalent in tropical regions where misdiagnosis may have severe consequences. The migration of health workers from developing countries has resulted in frontline health workers (FHWs) using inadequate protocols for the diagnosis of complex health conditions. The study introduces an innovative AHP-based Medical Decision Support System (MDSS) incorporating disease risk factors derived from physicians' experiential knowledge to address this challenge. The system's aggregate diagnostic factor index determines the likelihood of febrile illnesses. Compared to existing literature, AHP models with risk factors demonstrate superior prediction accuracy, closely aligning with physicians' suspected diagnoses. The model's accuracy ranges from 85.4% to 96.9% for various diseases, surpassing physicians' predictions for Lassa, Dengue, and Yellow Fevers. The MDSS is recommended for use by FHWs in communities lacking medical experts, facilitating timely and precise diagnoses, efficient application of diagnostic test kits, and reducing overhead expenses for administrators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Asuquo
- Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Computing, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Kingsley F Attai
- Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria
| | - Ekemini A Johnson
- Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria
| | - Okure U Obot
- Department of Software Engineering, Faculty of Computing, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Olufemi S Adeoye
- Department of Data Science, Faculty of Computing, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Christie Divine Akwaowo
- Community Medicine Department, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- Health Systems Research Hub, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Nnette Ekpenyong
- Community Health Department, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
| | | | - Uwemedimbuk Ekanem
- Community Medicine Department, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- Institute of Health Research and Development, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Olugbemi Motilewa
- Community Medicine Department, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
- Health Systems Research Hub, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
- Institute of Health Research and Development, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Emem Dan
- Health Systems Research Hub, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Edidiong Umoh
- Health Systems Research Hub, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Victory Ekpin
- Health Systems Research Hub, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria
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22
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Andrade C, Sousa BKDP, Sigurdardóttir S, Bourgard C, Borba J, Clementino L, Salazar-Alvarez LC, Groustra S, Zigweid R, Khim M, Staker B, Costa F, Eriksson L, Sunnerhagen P. Selective Bias Virtual Screening for Discovery of Promising Antimalarial Candidates targeting Plasmodium N-Myristoyltransferase. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3963523. [PMID: 38463971 PMCID: PMC10925453 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3963523/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, with Plasmodium vivax being the species responsible for the most prevalent form of the disease. Given the limited therapeutic options available, the search for new antimalarials against P. vivax is urgent. This study aims to identify new inhibitors for P. vivax N-myristoyltransferase (PvNMT), an essential drug target against malaria. Through a validated virtual screening campaign, we prioritized 23 candidates for further testing. In the yeast NMT system, seven compounds exhibit a potential inhibitor phenotype. In vitro antimalarial phenotypic assays confirmed the activity of four candidates while demonstrating an absence of cytotoxicity. Enzymatic assays reveal LabMol-394 as the most promising inhibitor, displaying selectivity against the parasite and a strong correlation within the yeast system. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations shed some light into its binding mode. This study constitutes a substantial contribution to the exploration of a selective quinoline scaffold and provides valuable insights into the development of new antimalarial candidates.
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23
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Cheuka PM, Njaria P, Mayoka G, Funjika E. Emerging Drug Targets for Antimalarial Drug Discovery: Validation and Insights into Molecular Mechanisms of Function. J Med Chem 2024; 67:838-863. [PMID: 38198596 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01828] [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: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Approximately 619,000 malaria deaths were reported in 2021, and resistance to recommended drugs, including artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs), threatens malaria control. Treatment failure with ACTs has been found to be as high as 93% in northeastern Thailand, and parasite mutations responsible for artemisinin resistance have already been reported in some African countries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify alternative treatments with novel targets. In this Perspective, we discuss some promising antimalarial drug targets, including enzymes involved in proteolysis, DNA and RNA metabolism, protein synthesis, and isoprenoid metabolism. Other targets discussed are transporters, Plasmodium falciparum acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase, N-myristoyltransferase, and the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase G. We have outlined mechanistic details, where these are understood, underpinning the biological roles and hence druggability of such targets. We believe that having a clear understanding of the underlying chemical interactions is valuable to medicinal chemists in their quest to design appropriate inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mubanga Cheuka
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
| | - Paul Njaria
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Kenyatta University, P.O. Box 14548-00400, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Godfrey Mayoka
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000-00200, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Evelyn Funjika
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka 10101, Zambia
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24
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Kornicka A, Balewski Ł, Lahutta M, Kokoszka J. Umbelliferone and Its Synthetic Derivatives as Suitable Molecules for the Development of Agents with Biological Activities: A Review of Their Pharmacological and Therapeutic Potential. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1732. [PMID: 38139858 PMCID: PMC10747342 DOI: 10.3390/ph16121732] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Umbelliferone (UMB), known as 7-hydroxycoumarin, hydrangine, or skimmetine, is a naturally occurring coumarin in the plant kingdom, mainly from the Umbelliferae family that possesses a wide variety of pharmacological properties. In addition, the use of nanoparticles containing umbelliferone may improve anti-inflammatory or anticancer therapy. Also, its derivatives are endowed with great potential for therapeutic applications due to their broad spectrum of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antipsychotic, antiepileptic, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antiproliferative effects. Moreover, 7-hydroxycoumarin ligands have been implemented to develop 7-hydroxycoumarin-based metal complexes with improved pharmacological activity. Besides therapeutic applications, umbelliferone analogues have been designed as fluorescent probes for the detection of biologically important species, such as enzymes, lysosomes, and endosomes, or for monitoring cell processes and protein functions as well various diseases caused by an excess of hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, 7-hydroxy-based chemosensors may serve as a highly selective tool for Al3+ and Hg2+ detection in biological systems. This review is devoted to a summary of the research on umbelliferone and its synthetic derivatives in terms of biological and pharmaceutical properties, especially those reported in the literature during the period of 2017-2023. Future potential applications of umbelliferone and its synthetic derivatives are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Kornicka
- Department of Chemical Technology of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland; (Ł.B.); (M.L.); (J.K.)
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25
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Rayala R, Chaudhari P, Bunnell A, Roberts B, Chakrabarti D, Nefzi A. Parallel Synthesis of Piperazine Tethered Thiazole Compounds with Antiplasmodial Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17414. [PMID: 38139243 PMCID: PMC10743568 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417414] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Thiazole and piperazine are two important heterocyclic rings that play a prominent role in nature and have a broad range of applications in agricultural and medicinal chemistry. Herein, we report the parallel synthesis of a library of diverse piperazine-tethered thiazole compounds. The reaction of piperazine with newly generated 4-chloromethyl-2-amino thiazoles led to the desired piperazine thiazole compounds with high purities and good overall yields. Using a variety of commercially available carboxylic acids, the parallel synthesis of a variety of disubstituted 4-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)thiazol-2-amine derivatives is described. the screening of the compounds led to the identification of antiplasmodial compounds that exhibited interesting antimalarial activity, primarily against the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain. The hit compound 2291-61 demonstrated an antiplasmodial EC50 of 102 nM in the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain and a selectivity of over 140.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramanjaneyulu Rayala
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (R.R.); (P.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Prakash Chaudhari
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (R.R.); (P.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Ashley Bunnell
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (R.R.); (P.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Bracken Roberts
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA; (B.R.); (D.C.)
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA; (B.R.); (D.C.)
| | - Adel Nefzi
- Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; (R.R.); (P.C.); (A.B.)
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26
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McLellan JL, Hanson KK. Translation inhibition efficacy does not determine the Plasmodium berghei liver stage antiplasmodial efficacy of protein synthesis inhibitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.07.570699. [PMID: 38106175 PMCID: PMC10723475 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.07.570699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Protein synthesis is a core cellular process, necessary throughout the complex lifecycle of Plasmodium parasites, thus specific translation inhibitors would be a valuable class of antimalarial drugs, capable of both treating symptomatic infections in the blood and providing chemoprotection by targeting the initial parasite population in the liver, preventing both human disease and parasite transmission back to the mosquito host. As increasing numbers of antiplasmodial compounds are identified that converge mechanistically at inhibition of cytoplasmic translation, regardless of molecular target or mechanism, it would be useful to gain deeper understanding of how their effectiveness as liver stage translation inhibitors relates to their chemoprotective potential. Here, we probed that relationship using the P. berghei-HepG2 liver stage infection model. Using o-propargyl puromycin-based labeling of the nascent proteome in P. berghei-infected HepG2 monolayers coupled with automated confocal feedback microscopy to generate unbiased, single parasite image sets of P. berghei liver stage translation, we determined translation inhibition EC50s for five compounds, encompassing parasite-specific aminoacyl tRNA synthetase inhibitors, compounds targeting the ribosome in both host and parasite, as well as DDD107498, which targets Plasmodium eEF2, and is a leading antimalarial candidate compound being clinically developed as cabamiquine. Compounds were then tested at equivalent effective concentrations to compare the parasite response to, and recovery from, a brief period of translation inhibition in early schizogony, with parasites followed up to 120 hours post-infection to assess liver stage antiplasmodial effects of the treatment. Our data conclusively show that translation inhibition efficacy per se does not determine a translation inhibitor's antiplasmodial efficacy. DDD107498 was the least effective translation inhibitor, yet exerted the strongest antimalarial effects at both 5x- and 10x EC50 concentrations. We show compound-specific heterogeneity in single parasite and population responses to translation inhibitor treatment, with no single metric strongly correlated to release of hepatic merozoites for all compound, demonstrate that DDD107498 is capable of exerting antiplasmodial effects on translationally arrested liver stage parasites, and uncover unexpected growth dynamics during the liver stage. Our results demonstrate that translation inhibition efficacy cannot function as a proxy for antiplasmodial effectiveness, and highlight the importance of exploring the ultimate, as well as proximate, mechanisms of action of these compounds on liver stage parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L. McLellan
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and STCEID, San Antonio TX, USA
| | - Kirsten K. Hanson
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and STCEID, San Antonio TX, USA
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27
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Baldassarri C, Spinozzi E, Ferrati M, Rossi P, Maggi F, Petrelli R. Editorial for the Special Issue "Antiprotozoal Activity of Natural Products". Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1650. [PMID: 38136684 PMCID: PMC10741136 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12121650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a diverse group of infectious diseases, represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the world's low-income populations [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Baldassarri
- Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (C.B.); (E.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Eleonora Spinozzi
- Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (C.B.); (E.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Marta Ferrati
- Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (C.B.); (E.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Paolo Rossi
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy;
| | - Filippo Maggi
- Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (C.B.); (E.S.); (M.F.)
| | - Riccardo Petrelli
- Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP) Research Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (C.B.); (E.S.); (M.F.)
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28
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Sakata K, Lowe MA, Xuan M, Bruffaerts J, Stasi LP, Lallemand B, Cardenas A, Taylor RD, Vidler LR, King L, Valentin JP, Laleu B, de Haro T. Design of Novel Series of Antimalarial PMX Inhibitors with Increased Half-Life via Molecular Property Optimization. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1582-1588. [PMID: 37974949 PMCID: PMC10641918 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmepsin X (PMX) has been identified as a multistage antimalarial target. PMX is a malarial aspartyl protease essential for merozoite egress from infected red blood cells and invasion of the host erythrocytes. Previously, we reported the identification of PMX inhibitors by structure-based optimization of a cyclic guanidine core. Preclinical assessment of UCB7362, which displayed both in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity, revealed a suboptimal dose paradigm (once daily dosing of 50 mg for 7 days for treatment of uncomplicated malaria) relative to current standard of care (three-dose regime). We report here the efforts toward extending the half-life (t1/2) by reducing metabolic clearance and increasing volume of distribution (Vss). Our efforts culminated in the identification of a biaryl series, with an expected longer t1/2 in human than UCB7362 while maintaining a similar in vitro off-target hit rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komei Sakata
- UCB, 216 Bath Road, Slough SL1 3WE, United
Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lloyd King
- UCB, 216 Bath Road, Slough SL1 3WE, United
Kingdom
| | | | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines
for Malaria Venture, ICC, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
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Gehlot P, Vyas VK. Recent advances on patents of Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase ( PfDHODH) inhibitors as antimalarial agents. Expert Opin Ther Pat 2023; 33:579-596. [PMID: 37942637 DOI: 10.1080/13543776.2023.2280596] [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: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pyrimidine nucleotides are essential for the parasite's growth and replication. Parasites have only a de novo pathway for the biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) enzyme is involved in the rate-limiting step of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. DHODH is a biochemical target for the discovery of new antimalarial agents. AREA COVERED This review discussed the development of patented PfDHODH inhibitors published between 2007 and 2023 along with their chemical structures and activities. EXPERT OPINION PfDHODH enzyme is involved in the rate-limiting fourth step of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. Thus, inhibition of PfDHODH using species-selective inhibitors has drawn much attention for treating malaria because they inhibit parasite growth without affecting normal human functions. Looking at the current scenario of antimalarial drug resistance with most of the available antimalarial drugs, there is a huge need for targeted newer agents. Newer agents with unique mechanisms of action may be devoid of drug toxicity, adverse effects, and the ability of parasites to quickly gain resistance, and PfDHODH inhibitors can be those newer agents. Many PfDHODH inhibitors were patented in the past, and the dependency of Plasmodium on de novo pyrimidine provided a new approach for the development of novel antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinky Gehlot
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Vivek K Vyas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India
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