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Structure-Activity Relationship of New Chimeric Analogs of Mastoparan from the Wasp Venom Paravespula lewisii. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158269. [PMID: 35897844 PMCID: PMC9332802 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mastoparan (MP) is an antimicrobial cationic tetradecapeptide with the primary structure INLKALAALAKKIL-NH2. This amphiphilic α-helical peptide was originally isolated from the venom of the wasp Paravespula lewisii. MP shows a variety of biological activities, such as inhibition of the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as hemolytic activity and activation of mast cell degranulation. Although MP appears to be toxic, studies have shown that its analogs have a potential therapeutic application as antimicrobial, antiviral and antitumor agents. In the present study we have designed and synthesized several new chimeric mastoparan analogs composed of MP and other biologically active peptides such as galanin, RNA III inhibiting peptide (RIP) or carrying benzimidazole derivatives attached to the ε-amino side group of Lys residue. Next, we compared their antimicrobial activity against three reference bacterial strains and conformational changes induced by membrane-mimic environments using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. A comparative analysis of the relationship between the activity of peptides and the structure, as well as the calculated physicochemical parameters was also carried out. As a result of our structure-activity study, we have found two analogs of MP, MP-RIP and RIP-MP, with interesting properties. These two analogs exhibited a relatively high antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to the other MP analogs, making them a potentially attractive target for further studies. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the relationship between peptide activity and structure, as well as the calculated physicochemical parameters, may provide information that may be useful in the design of new MP analogs.
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Ting DSJ, Beuerman RW, Dua HS, Lakshminarayanan R, Mohammed I. Strategies in Translating the Therapeutic Potentials of Host Defense Peptides. Front Immunol 2020; 11:983. [PMID: 32528474 PMCID: PMC7256188 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The golden era of antibiotics, heralded by the discovery of penicillin, has long been challenged by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Host defense peptides (HDPs), previously known as antimicrobial peptides, are emerging as a group of promising antimicrobial candidates for combatting AMR due to their rapid and unique antimicrobial action. Decades of research have advanced our understanding of the relationship between the physicochemical properties of HDPs and their underlying antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial functions, including immunomodulatory, anti-biofilm, and wound healing properties. However, the mission of translating novel HDP-derived molecules from bench to bedside has yet to be fully accomplished, primarily attributed to their intricate structure-activity relationship, toxicity, instability in host and microbial environment, lack of correlation between in vitro and in vivo efficacies, and dwindling interest from large pharmaceutical companies. Based on our previous experience and the expanding knowledge gleaned from the literature, this review aims to summarize the novel strategies that have been employed to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy, proteolytic stability, and cell selectivity, which are all crucial factors for bench-to-bedside translation of HDP-based treatment. Strategies such as residues substitution with natural and/or unnatural amino acids, hybridization, L-to-D heterochiral isomerization, C- and N-terminal modification, cyclization, incorporation with nanoparticles, and "smart design" using artificial intelligence technology, will be discussed. We also provide an overview of HDP-based treatment that are currently in the development pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Shu Jeng Ting
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Roger W Beuerman
- Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Harminder S Dua
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rajamani Lakshminarayanan
- Anti-infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Imran Mohammed
- Larry A. Donoso Laboratory for Eye Research, Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Avram S, Puia A, Udrea AM, Mihailescu D, Mernea M, Dinischiotu A, Oancea F, Stiens J. Natural Compounds Therapeutic Features in Brain Disorders by Experimental, Bioinformatics and Cheminformatics Methods. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:78-98. [PMID: 30378477 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666181031123127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synthetic compounds with pharmaceutical applications in brain disorders are daily designed and synthesized, with well first effects but also seldom severe side effects. This imposes the search for alternative therapies based on the pharmaceutical potentials of natural compounds. The natural compounds isolated from various plants and arthropods venom are well known for their antimicrobial (antibacterial, antiviral) and antiinflammatory activities, but more studies are needed for a better understanding of their structural and pharmacological features with new therapeutic applications. OBJECTIVES Here we present some structural and pharmaceutical features of natural compounds isolated from plants and arthropods venom relevant for their efficiency and potency in brain disorders. We present the polytherapeutic effects of natural compounds belonging to terpenes (limonene), monoterpenoids (1,8-cineole) and stilbenes (resveratrol), as well as natural peptides (apamin, mastoparan and melittin). METHODS Various experimental and in silico methods are presented with special attention on bioinformatics (natural compounds database, artificial neural network) and cheminformatics (QSAR, drug design, computational mutagenesis, molecular docking). RESULTS In the present paper we reviewed: (i) recent studies regarding the pharmacological potential of natural compounds in the brain; (ii) the most useful databases containing molecular and functional features of natural compounds; and (iii) the most important molecular descriptors of natural compounds in comparison with a few synthetic compounds. CONCLUSION Our paper indicates that natural compounds are a real alternative for nervous system therapy and represents a helpful tool for the future papers focused on the study of the natural compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Speranta Avram
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alin Puia
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ana Maria Udrea
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Dan Mihailescu
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Maria Mernea
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Anca Dinischiotu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Florin Oancea
- Bioproducts Lab, Bioresource Department, National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Johan Stiens
- Department of Electronics and Informatics - ETRO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Avram S, Mernea M, Limban C, Borcan F, Chifiriuc C. Potential Therapeutic Approaches to Alzheimer's Disease By Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics And Predicted Adme-Tox Tools. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 18:696-719. [PMID: 31885353 PMCID: PMC7536829 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x18666191230120053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered a severe, irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Currently, the pharmacological management of AD is based on a few clinically approved acethylcholinesterase (AChE) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor ligands, with unclear molecular mechanisms and severe side effects. METHODS Here, we reviewed the most recent bioinformatics, cheminformatics (SAR, drug design, molecular docking, friendly databases, ADME-Tox) and experimental data on relevant structurebiological activity relationships and molecular mechanisms of some natural and synthetic compounds with possible anti-AD effects (inhibitors of AChE, NMDA receptors, beta-secretase, amyloid beta (Aβ), redox metals) or acting on multiple AD targets at once. We considered: (i) in silico supported by experimental studies regarding the pharmacological potential of natural compounds as resveratrol, natural alkaloids, flavonoids isolated from various plants and donepezil, galantamine, rivastagmine and memantine derivatives, (ii) the most important pharmacokinetic descriptors of natural compounds in comparison with donepezil, memantine and galantamine. RESULTS In silico and experimental methods applied to synthetic compounds led to the identification of new AChE inhibitors, NMDA antagonists, multipotent hybrids targeting different AD processes and metal-organic compounds acting as Aβ inhibitors. Natural compounds appear as multipotent agents, acting on several AD pathways: cholinesterases, NMDA receptors, secretases or Aβ, but their efficiency in vivo and their correct dosage should be determined. CONCLUSION Bioinformatics, cheminformatics and ADME-Tox methods can be very helpful in the quest for an effective anti-AD treatment, allowing the identification of novel drugs, enhancing the druggability of molecular targets and providing a deeper understanding of AD pathological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Mernea
- Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 91-95th Spl. Independentei, Bucharest, Romania; Tel/Fax: ++4-021-318-1573; E-mail:
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Limban C, Diţu LM, Măruțescu L, Missir AV, Chifiriuc MC, Căproiu MT, Morusciag L, Chiriţă C, Udrea AM, Nuţă DC, Avram S. Design, Synthesis and Biopharmacological Profile Evaluation of New 2-((4- Chlorophenoxy)Methyl)-N-(Arylcarbamothioyl)Benzamides with Broad Spectrum Antifungal Activity. CURR ORG CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.2174/1385272823666190621162950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The emerging antifungal resistance represents a major challenge for the treatment
of severe fungal infections, highlighting the need to develop novel and efficient antifungal
compounds. This study aimed to synthesize new title compounds and screen them
for their antifungal activity in order to generate highly accurate structure - activity relationships
of 2-((4-chlorophenoxy)methyl)-N-(arylcarbamothioyl)benzamides and their de novo
derivatives and to unveil some of their mechanisms of action by flow cytometry and fluorescence
microscopy. The presence of functional groups was confirmed for nine new 2-((4-
chlorophenoxy) methyl)-N-(arylcarbamothioyl)benzamides, using experimental and in silico
methods. The antifungal activity was assessed against a broad spectrum of 26 yeast and
filamentous fungal strains, using qualitative and quantitative assays. The results showed
that Candida kefyr has been the most susceptible to all tested compounds, while 1b and 1f induced a strong inhibitory
effect on the filamentous fungi Alternaria rubi, Aspergillus ochraceus and A. niger strains growth. The
derivative 1c in subinhibitory concentrations alsoincreased the susceptibility of Candida albicans clinical
strains to azoles. Predicted drug likeness and pharmacokinetics profiles of most active compounds were compared
with the standard antifungal ketoconazole. Furthermore, the potentially more potent 1c and 1f derivatives
were designed and studied regarding the chemical structure-biological activity relationship and pharmacokinetics
profiles versus ketoconazole. The study confirms that the new benzamide derivatives exhibited an improved
pharmacokinetics profile and a good antifungal activity, acting at least by increasing membrane permeability of
fungal cells. Our results are recommending them as promising candidates for the development of novel therapeutic
alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Limban
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia No. 6, Bucharest, 020956, Romania
| | - Lia M. Diţu
- Department of Botanic- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Research Institute of University of Bucharest- ICUB, Spl. Independentei no. 91-95, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Luminița Măruțescu
- Department of Botanic- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Research Institute of University of Bucharest- ICUB, Spl. Independentei no. 91-95, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alexandru V. Missir
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia No. 6, Bucharest, 020956, Romania
| | - Mariana C. Chifiriuc
- Department of Botanic- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Research Institute of University of Bucharest- ICUB, Spl. Independentei no. 91-95, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Miron T. Căproiu
- The Organic Chemistry Center, Romanian Academy “Costin D. Nenitescu, Splaiul Independentei, 202B, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Laurenţiu Morusciag
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia No. 6, Bucharest, 020956, Romania
| | - Cornel Chiriţă
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ana-Maria Udrea
- National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania
| | - Diana C. Nuţă
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia No. 6, Bucharest, 020956, Romania
| | - Speranta Avram
- Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei no. 91-95, Bucharest, Romania
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Irazazabal LN, Porto WF, Ribeiro SM, Casale S, Humblot V, Ladram A, Franco OL. Selective amino acid substitution reduces cytotoxicity of the antimicrobial peptide mastoparan. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2699-2708. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Toropova MA, Veselinović AM, Veselinović JB, Stojanović DB, Toropov AA. QSAR modeling of the antimicrobial activity of peptides as a mathematical function of a sequence of amino acids. Comput Biol Chem 2015; 59 Pt A:126-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2015.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Revised: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Moreno M, Giralt E. Three valuable peptides from bee and wasp venoms for therapeutic and biotechnological use: melittin, apamin and mastoparan. Toxins (Basel) 2015; 7:1126-50. [PMID: 25835385 PMCID: PMC4417959 DOI: 10.3390/toxins7041126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
While knowledge of the composition and mode of action of bee and wasp venoms dates back 50 years, the therapeutic value of these toxins remains relatively unexploded. The properties of these venoms are now being studied with the aim to design and develop new therapeutic drugs. Far from evaluating the extensive number of monographs, journals and books related to bee and wasp venoms and the therapeutic effect of these toxins in numerous diseases, the following review focuses on the three most characterized peptides, namely melittin, apamin, and mastoparan. Here, we update information related to these compounds from the perspective of applied science and discuss their potential therapeutic and biotechnological applications in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Moreno
- Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Baldiri i Reixac, 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
| | - Ernest Giralt
- Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Baldiri i Reixac, 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
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Structure-biological function relationship extended to mitotic arrest-deficient 2-like protein Mad2 native and mutants-new opportunity for genetic disorder control. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:21381-400. [PMID: 25411801 PMCID: PMC4264231 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151121381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Overexpression of mitotic arrest-deficient proteins Mad1 and Mad2, two components of spindle assembly checkpoint, is a risk factor for chromosomal instability (CIN) and a trigger of many genetic disorders. Mad2 transition from inactive open (O-Mad2) to active closed (C-Mad2) conformations or Mad2 binding to specific partners (cell-division cycle protein 20 (Cdc20) or Mad1) were targets of previous pharmacogenomics studies. Here, Mad2 binding to Cdc20 and the interconversion rate from open to closed Mad2 were predicted and the molecular features with a critical contribution to these processes were determined by extending the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) method to large-size proteins such as Mad2. QSAR models were built based on available published data on 23 Mad2 mutants inducing CIN-related functional changes. The most relevant descriptors identified for predicting Mad2 native and mutants action mechanism and their involvement in genetic disorders are the steric (van der Waals area and solvent accessible area and their subdivided) and energetic van der Waals energy descriptors. The reliability of our QSAR models is indicated by significant values of statistical coefficients: Cross-validated correlation q2 (0.53–0.65) and fitted correlation r2 (0.82–0.90). Moreover, based on established QSAR equations, we rationally design and analyze nine de novo Mad2 mutants as possible promoters of CIN.
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