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Marín M, López M, Gallego-Yerga L, Álvarez R, Peláez R. Experimental structure based drug design (SBDD) applications for anti-leishmanial drugs: A paradigm shift? Med Res Rev 2024; 44:1055-1120. [PMID: 38142308 DOI: 10.1002/med.22005] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a group of neglected tropical diseases caused by at least 20 species of Leishmania protozoa, which are spread by the bite of infected sandflies. There are three main forms of the disease: cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL, the most common), visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also known as kala-azar, the most serious), and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. One billion people live in areas endemic to leishmaniasis, with an annual estimation of 30,000 new cases of VL and more than 1 million of CL. New treatments for leishmaniasis are an urgent need, as the existing ones are inefficient, toxic, and/or expensive. We have revised the experimental structure-based drug design (SBDD) efforts applied to the discovery of new drugs against leishmaniasis. We have grouped the explored targets according to the metabolic pathways they belong to, and the key achieved advances are highlighted and evaluated. In most cases, SBDD studies follow high-throughput screening campaigns and are secondary to pharmacokinetic optimization, due to the majoritarian belief that there are few validated targets for SBDD in leishmaniasis. However, some SBDD strategies have significantly contributed to new drug candidates against leishmaniasis and a bigger number holds promise for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Marín
- Laboratorio de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Marta López
- Laboratorio de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Laura Gallego-Yerga
- Laboratorio de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Raquel Álvarez
- Laboratorio de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Rafael Peláez
- Laboratorio de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Salamanca, Spain
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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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Mohammadi-Ghalehbin B, Shiran JA, Gholizadeh N, Razzaghi-Asl N. Synthesis, antileishmanial activity and molecular modeling of new 1-aryl/alkyl-3-benzoyl/cyclopropanoyl thiourea derivatives. Mol Divers 2023; 27:1531-1545. [PMID: 36001225 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-022-10508-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Due to the lack of effective vaccine(s) against leishmania and also pharmacokinetics issues of current drugs, it is necessary to discover new antileishmanial agents. Within this particular study, a series of novel 1-aryl/alkyl-3-benzoyl/cyclopropanoyl thiourea derivatives were synthesized (yields 69-84%) and evaluated as antileishmanial compounds (1-11). Synthetic derivatives were subjected to in vitro antileishmanial assessment against Leishmania major promastigotes by colorimetric MTT assay. Compounds 3 (IC50 38.54 µg/mL), 5 (IC50 84.75 µg/mL) and 10 (IC50 70.31 µg/mL) exhibited higher activities after 48 h but were less potent than amphotericin B (IC50 0.19 µg/mL). Antileishmanial activities indicated priority of 5-methyl-4-phenyl thiazole over furyl methyl substituents and 4-phenyl thiazole on thiourea nitrogen. N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) was selected as a validated L. major target for molecular docking studies. In silico results indicated the contribution of hydrophobic, π-stacking and H-bond interactions in binding to target. Most of the synthesized derivatives had lower binding affinities to human NMT (hNMT) than leishmanial enzyme. Docking conformations of top-ranked selective binders (compounds 3 and 5) were subjected to 50 ns MD simulations inside L. major HMT (LmNMT) active site. MD trajectories were used to extract RMSD, RMSF, Rg and durability of intramolecular/intermolecular H-bonds of the complex. It was observed that compound 3 escaped from LmNMT binding site during simulation period and no stable complex could be envisaged. Unlike 3, compound 5 attained stable binding conformation with converged stability parameters. Although mechanistic details for antileishmanial effects of synthesized derivatives are to be explored, current results may be implicated in further structure-guided approach toward potent antileishmanial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnam Mohammadi-Ghalehbin
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
- Research Center for Zoonoses, Parasitic and Microbial Diseases, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Jafar Abbasi Shiran
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, 5618953141, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Nastaran Gholizadeh
- Students Research Committee, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Nima Razzaghi-Asl
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, 5618953141, Ardabil, Iran.
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Nascimento IJDS, Cavalcanti MDAT, de Moura RO. Exploring N-myristoyltransferase as a promising drug target against parasitic neglected tropical diseases. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 258:115550. [PMID: 37336067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115550] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) constitute a group of approximately 20 infectious diseases that mainly affect the impoverished population without basic sanitation in tropical countries. These diseases are responsible for many deaths worldwide, costing billions of dollars in public health investment to treat and control these infections. Among them are the diseases caused by protozoa of the Trypanosomatid family, which constitute Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease), Trypanosoma brucei (sleeping sickness), and Leishmaniasis. In addition, there is a classification of other diseases, called the big three, AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which are endemic in countries with tropical conditions. Despite the high mortality rates, there is still a gap in the treatment. The drugs have a high incidence of side effects and protozoan resistance, justifying the investment in developing new alternatives. In fact, the Target-Based Drug Design (TBDD) approach is responsible for identifying several promising compounds, and among the targets explored through this approach, N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) stands out. It is an enzyme related to the co-translational myristoylation of N-terminal glycine in various peptides. The myristoylation process is a co-translation that occurs after removing the initiator methionine. This process regulates the assembly of protein complexes and stability, which justifies its potential as a drug target. In order to propose NMT as a potential target for parasitic diseases, this review will address the entire structure and function of this enzyme and the primary studies demonstrating its promising potential against Leishmaniasis, T. cruzi, T. brucei, and malaria. We hope our information can help researchers worldwide search for potential drugs against these diseases that have been threatening the health of the world's population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor José Dos Santos Nascimento
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil; Cesmac University Center, Pharmacy Departament, Maceió, Brazil; Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil.
| | - Misael de Azevedo Teotônio Cavalcanti
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil; Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Olimpio de Moura
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil; Drug Development and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, State University of Paraíba, Campina Grande, 58429-500, Brazil
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Johri S, Kumar BK, Dey S, Balana-Fouce R, Gowri Chandra Sekhar KV, Kunjiappan S, Murugesan S. Inspection of in-house designed novel thiochromone amino-acid conjugate derivatives as Lm-NMT inhibitor - An in-silico analysis. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 119:108397. [PMID: 36542915 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108397] [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: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a complex neglected tropical disease caused by various leishmanial parasites that primarily affect the world's poorest people. A limited number of standard medications are available for this disease that has been used for several decades, which have drawbacks such as resistance, higher cost, and patient compliance, making it difficult to reach the poor. The search for novel chemical entities to treat leishmaniasis has led to target-based scaffold research. Thiochromone moieties in conjugation with aromatic amino acids have been considered for the study, along with possible substitutions of the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. N-myristoyl transferase (NMT) has been selected as the molecular target for the study responsible for protein-protein interaction and ribosylation of proteins necessary for the growth inside the human body of the parasite. The designed novel thiochromone analogs were docked against the selected leishmanial NMT using thein-silico methods, physicochemical and toxicity properties were predicted, and Structure-Activity Relationship was also established in-silico. Finally, a molecular dynamics simulation study for 100 ns gave an idea about the stability of the protein-ligand complex. A time frame analysis of each 10 ns confirmation was also studied to understand better the putative binding pattern designed analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samridhi Johri
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, 333031, Rajasthan, India
| | - Banoth Karan Kumar
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, 333031, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sanchita Dey
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, 333031, Rajasthan, India
| | | | | | - Selvaraj Kunjiappan
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Krishnankoil, 626126, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Sankaranarayanan Murugesan
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani, 333031, Rajasthan, India.
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Orabi MAA, Alshahrani MM, Sayed AM, Abouelela ME, Shaaban KA, Abdel-Sattar ES. Identification of Potential Leishmania N-Myristoyltransferase Inhibitors from Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal: A Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Investigation. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13010093. [PMID: 36677018 PMCID: PMC9861338 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13010093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a group of infectious diseases caused by Leishmania protozoa. The ineffectiveness, high toxicity, and/or parasite resistance of the currently available antileishmanial drugs has created an urgent need for safe and effective leishmaniasis treatment. Currently, the molecular-docking technique is used to predict the proper conformations of small-molecule ligands and the strength of the contact between a protein and a ligand, and the majority of research for the development of new drugs is centered on this type of prediction. Leishmania N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) has been shown to be a reliable therapeutic target for investigating new anti-leishmanial molecules through this kind of virtual screening. Natural products provide an incredible source of affordable chemical scaffolds that serve in the development of effective drugs. Withania somnifera leaves, roots, and fruits have been shown to contain withanolide and other phytomolecules that are efficient anti-protozoal agents against Malaria, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania spp. Through a review of previously reported compounds from W. somnifera-afforded 35 alkaloid, phenolic, and steroid compounds and 132 withanolides/derivatives, typical of the Withania genus. These compounds were subjected to molecular docking screening and molecular dynamics against L. major NMT. Calycopteretin-3-rutinoside and withanoside IX showed the highest affinity and binding stability to L. major NMT, implying that these compounds could be used as antileishmanial drugs and/or as a scaffold for the design of related parasite NMT inhibitors with markedly enhanced binding affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. A. Orabi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +966-557398835
| | - Mohammed Merae Alshahrani
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed M. Sayed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef 62513, Egypt
| | - Mohamed E. Abouelela
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut-Branch, Assiut 71524, Egypt
- Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Khaled A. Shaaban
- Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - El-Shaymaa Abdel-Sattar
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
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Priyamvada L, Kallemeijn WW, Faronato M, Wilkins K, Goldsmith CS, Cotter CA, Ojeda S, Solari R, Moss B, Tate EW, Satheshkumar PS. Inhibition of vaccinia virus L1 N-myristoylation by the host N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor IMP-1088 generates non-infectious virions defective in cell entry. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010662. [PMID: 36215331 PMCID: PMC9584500 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We have recently shown that the replication of rhinovirus, poliovirus and foot-and-mouth disease virus requires the co-translational N-myristoylation of viral proteins by human host cell N-myristoyltransferases (NMTs), and is inhibited by treatment with IMP-1088, an ultrapotent small molecule NMT inhibitor. Here, we examine the importance of N-myristoylation during vaccinia virus (VACV) infection in primate cells and demonstrate the anti-poxviral effects of IMP-1088. N-myristoylated proteins from VACV and the host were metabolically labelled with myristic acid alkyne during infection using quantitative chemical proteomics. We identified VACV proteins A16, G9 and L1 to be N-myristoylated. Treatment with NMT inhibitor IMP-1088 potently abrogated VACV infection, while VACV gene expression, DNA replication, morphogenesis and EV formation remained unaffected. Importantly, we observed that loss of N-myristoylation resulted in greatly reduced infectivity of assembled mature virus particles, characterized by significantly reduced host cell entry and a decline in membrane fusion activity of progeny virus. While the N-myristoylation of VACV entry proteins L1, A16 and G9 was inhibited by IMP-1088, mutational and genetic studies demonstrated that the N-myristoylation of L1 was the most critical for VACV entry. Given the significant genetic identity between VACV, monkeypox virus and variola virus L1 homologs, our data provides a basis for further investigating the role of N-myristoylation in poxviral infections as well as the potential of selective NMT inhibitors like IMP-1088 as broad-spectrum poxvirus inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lalita Priyamvada
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Wouter W. Kallemeijn
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Monica Faronato
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kimberly Wilkins
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Cynthia S. Goldsmith
- Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Catherine A. Cotter
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Suany Ojeda
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Clinipace, Morrisville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Roberto Solari
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bernard Moss
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EWT); (PSS)
| | - Panayampalli Subbian Satheshkumar
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (EWT); (PSS)
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Pyne N, Paul S. Screening of medicinal plants unraveled the leishmanicidal credibility of Garcinia cowa; highlighting Norcowanin, a novel anti-leishmanial phytochemical through in-silico study. J Parasit Dis 2022; 46:202-214. [PMID: 35299910 PMCID: PMC8901847 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-021-01441-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis, one of the most prevalent yet neglected parasitic causes of death, yearns for therapeutic control and treatment. Severely toxic and inefficient modern-day pentavalent antimonials, caters the search for naturally derived drugs, as efficient alternatives for disease treatment. The anti-promastigote activity of ten different plants selected for their ethnomedicinal properties revealed significant leishmanicidal capacity; the most potent being Garcinia cowa methanolic extract with an IC50 value of 21.4 µg/ml. Garcinia cowa, a plant endemic to North-Eastern India that is of the Clusiaceae family, is replete with such medicinal qualities as antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antiproliferative activities. Computational biology with its tools such as molecular docking has opened new horizons aimed at a better understanding of biological systems, complexes, and their interactions, and subsequently drug discovery via in silico techniques. Therefore, an in-silico study was designed to evaluate the binding capability of six phytochemicals- cowanin, cowanol, cowaxanthone, norcowanin, rubraxanthone, and a basic xanthone, found in Garcinia cowa against Pentamidine, a synthetic anti-leishmanial drug. The active sites of three characteristic enzymes belonging to the Leishmania donovani parasite: O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS), Trypanothione reductase (TryR), and N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) were chosen as target proteins. Results revealed lower binding energies and higher affinities, of nearly all the phytochemicals with respect to Pentamidine, indicating their leishmanicidal potential. Norcowanin showed the lowest average binding of - 9.8 kcal/mol against all the three enzymes under study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nibedita Pyne
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019 India
| | - Santanu Paul
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019 India
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Suazo KF, Park KY, Distefano MD. A Not-So-Ancient Grease History: Click Chemistry and Protein Lipid Modifications. Chem Rev 2021; 121:7178-7248. [PMID: 33821625 PMCID: PMC8820976 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein lipid modification involves the attachment of hydrophobic groups to proteins via ester, thioester, amide, or thioether linkages. In this review, the specific click chemical reactions that have been employed to study protein lipid modification and their use for specific labeling applications are first described. This is followed by an introduction to the different types of protein lipid modifications that occur in biology. Next, the roles of click chemistry in elucidating specific biological features including the identification of lipid-modified proteins, studies of their regulation, and their role in diseases are presented. A description of the use of protein-lipid modifying enzymes for specific labeling applications including protein immobilization, fluorescent labeling, nanostructure assembly, and the construction of protein-drug conjugates is presented next. Concluding remarks and future directions are presented in the final section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiall F. Suazo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Keun-Young Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Mark D. Distefano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
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Fernandes FS, Santos H, Lima SR, Conti C, Rodrigues MT, Zeoly LA, Ferreira LLG, Krogh R, Andricopulo AD, Coelho F. Discovery of highly potent and selective antiparasitic new oxadiazole and hydroxy-oxindole small molecule hybrids. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 201:112418. [PMID: 32590115 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A series of highly active hybrids were discovered as novel antiparasitic agents. Two heterocyclic scaffolds (1,2,4-oxadiazole and 3-hydroxy-2-oxindole) were linked, and the resulting compounds showed in vitro activities against intracellular amastigotes of two protozoan parasites, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania infantum. Their cytotoxicity was assessed using HFF-1 fibroblasts and HepG2 hepatocytes. Compounds 5b, 5d, 8h and 8o showed selectivity against L. infantum (IC50 values of 3.89, 2.38, 2.50 and 2.85 μM, respectively). Compounds 4c, 4q, 8a and 8k were the most potent against T. cruzi, exhibiting IC50 values of 6.20, 2.20, 2.30 and 2.20 μM, respectively. Additionally, the most potent anti-T. cruzi compounds showed in vitro efficacies comparable or superior to that of benznidazole. These easy-to-synthesize molecules represent novel chemotypes for the design of potent and selective lead compounds for Chagas disease and leishmaniasis drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fábio S Fernandes
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Hugo Santos
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Samia R Lima
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Caroline Conti
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Manoel T Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucas A Zeoly
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Leonardo L G Ferreira
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenida Joao Dagnone, 1100, 13563-120, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Renata Krogh
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenida Joao Dagnone, 1100, 13563-120, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Adriano D Andricopulo
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Computational Chemistry, Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Avenida Joao Dagnone, 1100, 13563-120, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fernando Coelho
- Laboratory of Synthesis of Natural Products and Drugs, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas, PO Box 6154, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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11
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Bell AS, Yu Z, Hutton JA, Wright MH, Brannigan JA, Paape D, Roberts SM, Sutherell CL, Ritzefeld M, Wilkinson AJ, Smith DF, Leatherbarrow RJ, Tate EW. Novel Thienopyrimidine Inhibitors of Leishmania N-Myristoyltransferase with On-Target Activity in Intracellular Amastigotes. J Med Chem 2020; 63:7740-7765. [PMID: 32575985 PMCID: PMC7383931 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
![]()
The
leishmaniases, caused by Leishmania species
of protozoan parasites, are neglected tropical diseases with millions
of cases worldwide. Current therapeutic approaches are limited by
toxicity, resistance, and cost. N-Myristoyltransferase
(NMT), an enzyme ubiquitous and essential in all eukaryotes, has been
validated via genetic and pharmacological methods as a promising anti-leishmanial
target. Here we describe a comprehensive structure–activity
relationship (SAR) study of a thienopyrimidine series previously identified
in a high-throughput screen against Leishmania NMT,
across 68 compounds in enzyme- and cell-based assay formats. Using
a chemical tagging target engagement biomarker assay, we identify
the first inhibitor in this series with on-target NMT activity in
leishmania parasites. Furthermore, crystal structure analyses of 12
derivatives in complex with Leishmania major NMT revealed key factors important for future structure-guided optimization
delivering IMP-105 (43), a compound with modest activity
against Leishmania donovani intracellular
amastigotes and excellent selectivity (>660-fold) for Leishmania NMT over human NMTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Bell
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Zhiyong Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Jennie A Hutton
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Megan H Wright
- School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, U.K. LS2 9JT
| | - James A Brannigan
- Structural Biology Laboratory, York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, U.K. YO10 5DD
| | - Daniel Paape
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, U.K. YO10 5NG
| | - Shirley M Roberts
- Structural Biology Laboratory, York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, U.K. YO10 5DD
| | - Charlotte L Sutherell
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Markus Ritzefeld
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Anthony J Wilkinson
- Structural Biology Laboratory, York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, U.K. YO10 5DD
| | - Deborah F Smith
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, U.K. YO10 5NG
| | - Robin J Leatherbarrow
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
| | - Edward W Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, London, U.K. W12 0BZ
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12
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Costa CHSD, Bichara TW, Gomes GC, Dos Santos AM, da Costa KS, Lima AHLE, Alves CN, Lameira J. Unraveling the conformational dynamics of glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzyme of Leishmania mexicana. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 39:2044-2055. [PMID: 32174264 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1742206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Allosteric changes modulate the enzymatic activity, leading to activation or inhibition of the molecular target. Understanding the induced fit accommodation mechanism of a ligand in its lowest-free energy state and the subsequent conformational changes induced in the protein are important questions for drug design. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, binding free energy calculations, and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to analyze the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of Leishmania mexicana (LmGPDH) conformational changes induced by its cofactor and substrate binding. GPDH is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent enzyme, which has been reported as an interesting target for drug discovery and development against leishmaniasis. Despite its relevance for glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways, the structural flexibility and conformational motions of LmGPDH in complex with NADH and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) remain unexplored. Here, we analyzed the conformational dynamics of the enzyme-NADH complex (cofactor), and the enzyme-NADH-DHAP complex (adduct), mapped the hydrogen-bond interactions for the complexes and pointed some structural determinants of the enzyme that emerge from these contacts to NADH and DHAP. Finally, we proposed a consistent mechanism for the conformational changes on the first step of the reversible redox conversion of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to glycerol 3-phosphate, indicating key residues and interactions that could be further explored in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Cláudio Nahum Alves
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Jerônimo Lameira
- Laboratório de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento de Fármacos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
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13
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de Sousa Luis JA, da Silva Souza HD, Lira BF, da Silva Alves F, de Athayde-Filho PF, de Souza Lima TK, Rocha JC, Mendonça Junior FJB, Scotti L, Scotti MT. Combined structure- and ligand-based virtual screening aiding discovery of selenoglycolicamides as potential multitarget agents against Leishmania species. J Mol Struct 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2019.126872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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14
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Kersten C, Fleischer E, Kehrein J, Borek C, Jaenicke E, Sotriffer C, Brenk R. How To Design Selective Ligands for Highly Conserved Binding Sites: A Case Study Using N-Myristoyltransferases as a Model System. J Med Chem 2019; 63:2095-2113. [PMID: 31423787 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b00586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A model system of two related enzymes with conserved binding sites, namely N-myristoyltransferase from two different organisms, was studied to decipher the driving forces that lead to selective inhibition in such cases. Using a combination of computational and experimental tools, two different selectivity-determining features were identified. For some ligands, a change in side-chain flexibility appears to be responsible for selective inhibition. Remarkably, this was observed for residues orienting their side chains away from the ligands. For other ligands, selectivity is caused by interfering with a water molecule that binds more strongly to the off-target than to the target. On the basis of this finding, a virtual screen for selective compounds was conducted, resulting in three hit compounds with the desired selectivity profile. This study delivers a guideline on how to assess selectivity-determining features in proteins with conserved binding sites and to translate this knowledge into the design of selective inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kersten
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Edmond Fleischer
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Josef Kehrein
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5020 Bergen, Norway.,Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Borek
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 5, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Elmar Jaenicke
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Jakob-Welder-Weg 26, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Christoph Sotriffer
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ruth Brenk
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5020 Bergen, Norway
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15
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Schlott AC, Mayclin S, Reers AR, Coburn-Flynn O, Bell AS, Green J, Knuepfer E, Charter D, Bonnert R, Campo B, Burrows J, Lyons-Abbott S, Staker BL, Chung CW, Myler PJ, Fidock DA, Tate EW, Holder AA. Structure-Guided Identification of Resistance Breaking Antimalarial N‑Myristoyltransferase Inhibitors. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:991-1000.e7. [PMID: 31080074 PMCID: PMC6658617 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The attachment of myristate to the N-terminal glycine of certain proteins is largely a co-translational modification catalyzed by N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), and involved in protein membrane-localization. Pathogen NMT is a validated therapeutic target in numerous infectious diseases including malaria. In Plasmodium falciparum, NMT substrates are important in essential processes including parasite gliding motility and host cell invasion. Here, we generated parasites resistant to a particular NMT inhibitor series and show that resistance in an in vitro parasite growth assay is mediated by a single amino acid substitution in the NMT substrate-binding pocket. The basis of resistance was validated and analyzed with a structure-guided approach using crystallography, in combination with enzyme activity, stability, and surface plasmon resonance assays, allowing identification of another inhibitor series unaffected by this substitution. We suggest that resistance studies incorporated early in the drug development process help selection of drug combinations to impede rapid evolution of parasite resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C Schlott
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK; Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.
| | - Stephen Mayclin
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; UCB Pharma, 7869 NE Day Road West, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA
| | - Alexandra R Reers
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Olivia Coburn-Flynn
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Andrew S Bell
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Judith Green
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David Charter
- Structural and Biophysical Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Roger Bonnert
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Brice Campo
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Jeremy Burrows
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, Post Box 1826, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | - Sally Lyons-Abbott
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Bart L Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA
| | - Chun-Wa Chung
- Structural and Biophysical Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK; Crick-GSK Biomedical LinkLabs, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Stevenage, UK
| | - Peter J Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, USA; Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Edward W Tate
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, White City Campus Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.
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16
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Romero AH, Rodríguez N, López SE, Oviedo H. Identification of dehydroxy isoquine and isotebuquine as promising antileishmanial agents. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2019; 352:e1800281. [PMID: 30994941 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.201800281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Traditional antimalarial drugs based on 4-aminoquinolines have exhibited good antiproliferative activities against Leishmania parasites; however, their clinical use is currently limited. To identify new 4-aminoquinolines to combat American cutaneous leishmaniasis, we carried out a full in vitro evaluation of a series of dehydroxy isoquines and isotebuquines against two Leishmania parasites such as Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania mexicana. First, the antiproliferative activity of the quinolines was studied against the promastigote forms of L. braziliensis and L. mexicana parasites, finding that five of them exhibited good antileishmanial responses with micromolar IC50 values ranging from 3.84 to 10 μM. A structure-activity relationship analysis gave evidence that a piperidine or a morpholine attached as N-alkyamino terminal substituent as well as the inclusion of an extra phenyl ring attached at the aniline ring of the isotebuquine core constitute important pharmacophores to generate the most active derivatives, with antileishmanial responses by far superior to those found for the reference drug, glucantime. All compounds showed a relatively low toxicity on human dermis fibroblasts, with CC50 ranging from 69 to >250 μM. The five most active compounds displayed moderate to good antileishmanial activity against the intracellular amastigote form of L. braziliensis, compared to the reference drug. In particular, compound 2j was identified as the most potent agent against antimony-resistant amastigotes of L. braziliensis with acceptable biological response and selectivity, emerging as a promising candidate for further in vivo antileishmanial evaluation. Diverse mechanism-of-action studies and molecular docking simulations were performed for the most active 4-aminoquinoline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel H Romero
- Cátedra de Química, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.,Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Noris Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Simón E López
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Henry Oviedo
- Laboratorio de Ingeniería Genética, Instituto de Biomedicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
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17
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Ramu D, Jain R, Kumar RR, Sharma V, Garg S, Ayana R, Luthra T, Yadav P, Sen S, Singh S. Design and synthesis of imidazolidinone derivatives as potent anti‐leishmanial agents by bioisosterism. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2019; 352:e1800290. [DOI: 10.1002/ardp.201800290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dandugudumula Ramu
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Ravi Jain
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Ravi R. Kumar
- Department of Bioscience and BiotechnologyBanasthali Vidyapeeth UniversityVanasthaliIndia
- Special Centre for Molecular MedicineJawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew DelhiIndia
| | - Veena Sharma
- Department of Bioscience and BiotechnologyBanasthali Vidyapeeth UniversityVanasthaliIndia
| | - Swati Garg
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Rajagopal Ayana
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Tania Luthra
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Preeti Yadav
- Special Centre for Molecular MedicineJawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew DelhiIndia
| | - Subhabrata Sen
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural SciencesShiv Nadar UniversityGreater NoidaIndia
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular MedicineJawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew DelhiIndia
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18
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Tahir M, Sirajuddin M, Haider A, Ali S, Nadhman A, Rizzoli C. Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, crystal structure, interaction with DNA, CTAB as well as evaluation of biological potency, docking and Molecular Dynamics studies of N-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)-2, 3-dimethylbenzenamine. J Mol Struct 2019; 1178:29-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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19
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Corpas-Lopez V, Moniz S, Thomas M, Wall RJ, Torrie LS, Zander-Dinse D, Tinti M, Brand S, Stojanovski L, Manthri S, Hallyburton I, Zuccotto F, Wyatt PG, De Rycker M, Horn D, Ferguson MAJ, Clos J, Read KD, Fairlamb AH, Gilbert IH, Wyllie S. Pharmacological Validation of N-Myristoyltransferase as a Drug Target in Leishmania donovani. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:111-122. [PMID: 30380837 PMCID: PMC6332449 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by the protozoan parasites Leishmania donovani and L. infantum, is responsible for ∼30 000 deaths annually. Available treatments are inadequate, and there is a pressing need for new therapeutics. N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) remains one of the few genetically validated drug targets in these parasites. Here, we sought to pharmacologically validate this enzyme in Leishmania. A focused set of 1600 pyrazolyl sulfonamide compounds was screened against L. major NMT in a robust high-throughput biochemical assay. Several potent inhibitors were identified with marginal selectivity over the human enzyme. There was little correlation between the enzyme potency of these inhibitors and their cellular activity against L. donovani axenic amastigotes, and this discrepancy could be due to poor cellular uptake due to the basicity of these compounds. Thus, a series of analogues were synthesized with less basic centers. Although most of these compounds continued to suffer from relatively poor antileishmanial activity, our most potent inhibitor of LmNMT (DDD100097, K i of 0.34 nM) showed modest activity against L. donovani intracellular amastigotes (EC50 of 2.4 μM) and maintained a modest therapeutic window over the human enzyme. Two unbiased approaches, namely, screening against our cosmid-based overexpression library and thermal proteome profiling (TPP), confirm that DDD100097 (compound 2) acts on-target within parasites. Oral dosing with compound 2 resulted in a 52% reduction in parasite burden in our mouse model of VL. Thus, NMT is now a pharmacologically validated target in Leishmania. The challenge in finding drug candidates remains to identify alternative strategies to address the drop-off in activity between enzyme inhibition and in vitro activity while maintaining sufficient selectivity over the human enzyme, both issues that continue to plague studies in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoriano Corpas-Lopez
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sonia Moniz
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Thomas
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J. Wall
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Leah S. Torrie
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Dorothea Zander-Dinse
- Leishmaniasis Group, Bernhard Nocht Institute
for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg D-20359, Germany
| | - Michele Tinti
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Brand
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Laste Stojanovski
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Sujatha Manthri
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Irene Hallyburton
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Fabio Zuccotto
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Paul G. Wyatt
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Manu De Rycker
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - David Horn
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Michael A. J. Ferguson
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Joachim Clos
- Leishmaniasis Group, Bernhard Nocht Institute
for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg D-20359, Germany
| | - Kevin D. Read
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Alan H. Fairlamb
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Wyllie
- The Wellcome Trust
Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
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20
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de Carvalho Gallo JC, de Mattos Oliveira L, Araújo JSC, Santana IB, Dos Santos Junior MC. Virtual screening to identify Leishmania braziliensis N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors: pharmacophore models, docking, and molecular dynamics. J Mol Model 2018; 24:260. [PMID: 30159742 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-018-3791-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is caused by several protozoa species belonging to genus Leishmania that are hosted by humans and other mammals. Millions of new cases are recorded every year and the drugs available on the market do not show satisfactory efficacy and safety. A hierarchical virtual screening approach based on the pharmacophore model, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics was conducted to identify possible Leishmania braziliensis N-misristoyltransferase (LbNMT) inhibitors. The adopted pharmacophore model had three main features: four hydrophobic centers, four hydrogen-bond acceptor atoms, and one positive nitrogen center. The molecules (n=15,000) were submitted to alignment with the pharmacophore model and only 27 molecules aligned to model. Six molecules were submitted to molecular docking, using receptor PDB ID 5A27. After docking, the ZINC35426134 was a top-ranked molecule (- 64.61 kcal/mol). The molecule ZINC35426134 shows hydrophobic interactions with Phe82, Tyr209, Val370, and Leu391 and hydrogen bonds with Asn159, Tyr318, and Val370. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed with the protein in its APO and HOLO forms for 37 ns in order to assess the stability of the protein-ligand complex. Results showed that the HOLO form was more stable than the APO one, and it suggests that the ZINC35426134 binding stabilizes the enzyme. Therefore, the selected molecule has the potential to meet the herein proposed target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Cecília de Carvalho Gallo
- Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil. .,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.
| | - Larissa de Mattos Oliveira
- Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
| | - Janay Stefany Carneiro Araújo
- Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
| | - Isis Bugia Santana
- Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
| | - Manoelito Coelho Dos Santos Junior
- Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
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New developments in probing and targeting protein acylation in malaria, leishmaniasis and African sleeping sickness. Parasitology 2017; 145:157-174. [PMID: 28270257 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182017000282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Infections by protozoan parasites, such as Plasmodium falciparum or Leishmania donovani, have a significant health, social and economic impact and threaten billions of people living in tropical and sub-tropical regions of developing countries worldwide. The increasing range of parasite strains resistant to frontline therapeutics makes the identification of novel drug targets and the development of corresponding inhibitors vital. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important modulators of biology and inhibition of protein lipidation has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of parasitic diseases. In this review we summarize the latest insights into protein lipidation in protozoan parasites. We discuss how recent chemical proteomic approaches have delivered the first global overviews of protein lipidation in these organisms, contributing to our understanding of the role of this PTM in critical metabolic and cellular functions. Additionally, we highlight the development of new small molecule inhibitors to target parasite acyl transferases.
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22
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Abstract
Cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis are amongst the most devastating infectious diseases of our time, affecting millions of people worldwide. The treatment of these serious diseases rely on a few chemotherapeutic agents, most of which are of parenteral use and induce severe side-effects. Furthermore, rates of treatment failure are high and have been linked to drug resistance in some areas. Here, we reviewed data on current chemotherapy practice in leishmaniasis. Drug resistance and mechanisms of resistance are described as well as the prospects for applying drug combinations for leishmaniasis chemotherapy. It is clear that efforts for discovering new drugs applicable to leishmaniasis chemotherapy are essential. The main aspects on the various steps of drug discovery in the field are discussed.
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23
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Wright MH, Paape D, Price HP, Smith DF, Tate EW. Global Profiling and Inhibition of Protein Lipidation in Vector and Host Stages of the Sleeping Sickness Parasite Trypanosoma brucei. ACS Infect Dis 2016; 2:427-441. [PMID: 27331140 PMCID: PMC4906374 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6b00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) catalyzes the essential fatty acylation of substrate proteins with myristic acid in eukaryotes and is a validated drug target in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). N-Myristoylation typically mediates membrane localization of proteins and is essential to the function of many. However, only a handful of proteins are experimentally validated as N-myristoylated in T. brucei. Here, we perform metabolic labeling with an alkyne-tagged myristic acid analogue, enabling the capture of lipidated proteins in insect and host life stages of T. brucei. We further compare this with a longer chain palmitate analogue to explore the chain length-specific incorporation of fatty acids into proteins. Finally, we combine the alkynyl-myristate analogue with NMT inhibitors and quantitative chemical proteomics to globally define N-myristoylated proteins in the clinically relevant bloodstream form parasites. This analysis reveals five ARF family small GTPases, calpain-like proteins, phosphatases, and many uncharacterized proteins as substrates of NMT in the parasite, providing a global view of the scope of this important protein modification and further evidence for the crucial and pleiotropic role of NMT in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan H. Wright
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Paape
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Helen P. Price
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah F. Smith
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department
of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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