1
|
Singh G, Monga V. Peptide Nucleic Acids: Recent Developments in the Synthesis and Backbone Modifications. Bioorg Chem 2023; 141:106860. [PMID: 37748328 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106860] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid represents the ideal drug candidate for protein targets that are hard to target or against which drug development is not easy. Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are synthesized by attaching modified peptide backbones generally derived from repetitive N-2-aminoethyl glycine units in place of the regular phosphodiester backbone and represent synthetic impersonator of nucleic acids that offers an exciting research field due to their fascinating spectrum of biotechnological, diagnostic and potential therapeutic applications. The semi-rigid peptide nucleic acid backbone serves as a nearly-perfect template for attaching complimentary base pairs on DNA or RNA in a sequence-dependent manner as described by Watson-Crick models. PNAs and their analogues are endowed with exceptionally high affinity and specificity for receptor sites, essentially due to their polyamide backbone's uncharged and flexible nature. The present review compiled various strategies to modify the polypeptide backbone for improving the target selectivity and stability of the PNAs in the body. The investigated biological activities carried out on PNAs have also been summarized in the present review.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gurpreet Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, ISF College of Pharmacy, GT Road, Ghal Kalan, Moga 142001, Punjab, India
| | - Vikramdeep Monga
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Natural Products, Central University of Punjab, VPO-Ghudda, Bathinda 151401, Punjab, India.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bege M, Singh V, Sharma N, Debreczeni N, Bereczki I, Poonam, Herczegh P, Rathi B, Singh S, Borbás A. In vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial evaluation of sugar-modified nucleoside analogues. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12228. [PMID: 37507429 PMCID: PMC10382589 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39541-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infections are a major burden on the population and the healthcare system. The establishment of Pf resistance to most existing antimalarial therapies has complicated the problem, and the emergence of resistance to artemisinin derivatives is even more concerning. It is increasingly difficult to cure malaria patients due to the limited availability of effective antimalarial drugs, resulting in an urgent need for more efficacious and affordable treatments to eradicate this disease. Herein, new nucleoside analogues including morpholino-nucleoside hybrids and thio-substituted nucleoside derivatives were prepared and evaluated for in vitro and in vivo antiparasitic activity that led a few hits especially nucleoside-thiopyranoside conjugates, which are highly effective against Pf3D7 and PfRKL-9 strains in submicromolar concentration. One adenosine derivative and four pyrimidine nucleoside analogues significantly reduced the parasite burden in mouse models infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Importantly, no significant hemolysis and cytotoxicity towards human cell line (RAW) was observed for the hits, suggesting their safety profile. Preliminary research suggested that these thiosugar-nucleoside conjugates could be used to accelerate the antimalarial drug development pipeline and thus deserve further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miklós Bege
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- Institute of Healthcare Industry, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei Körút 98, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- MTA-DE Molecular Recognition and Interaction Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Vigyasa Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Neha Sharma
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Nóra Debreczeni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Ilona Bereczki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság Útja 20, Pécs, 7624, Hungary
| | - Poonam
- Department of Chemistry, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
- Delhi School of Public Health, Institution of Eminence (IoE), University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Pál Herczegh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Brijesh Rathi
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
- Delhi School of Public Health, Institution of Eminence (IoE), University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Anikó Borbás
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem Tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
- National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság Útja 20, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bege M, Kiss A, Bereczki I, Hodek J, Polyák L, Szemán-Nagy G, Naesens L, Weber J, Borbás A. Synthesis and Anticancer and Antiviral Activities of C-2′-Branched Arabinonucleosides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012566. [PMID: 36293420 PMCID: PMC9603951 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
d-Arabinofuranosyl-pyrimidine and -purine nucleoside analogues containing alkylthio-, acetylthio- or 1-thiosugar substituents at the C2’ position were prepared from the corresponding 3’,5’-O-silylene acetal-protected nucleoside 2’-exomethylenes by photoinitiated, radical-mediated hydrothiolation reactions. Although the stereochemical outcome of the hydrothiolation depended on the structure of both the thiol and the furanoside aglycone, in general, high d-arabino selectivity was obtained. The cytotoxic effect of the arabinonucleosides was studied on tumorous SCC (mouse squamous cell) and immortalized control HaCaT (human keratinocyte) cell lines by MTT assay. Three pyrimidine nucleosides containing C2’-butylsulfanylmethyl or -acetylthiomethyl groups showed promising cytotoxicity at low micromolar concentrations with good selectivity towards tumor cells. SAR analysis using a methyl β-d-arabinofuranoside reference compound showed that the silyl-protecting group, the nucleobase and the corresponding C2’ substituent are crucial for the cell growth inhibitory activity. The effects of the three most active nucleoside analogues on parameters indicative of cytotoxicity, such as cell size, division time and cell generation time, were investigated by near-infrared live cell imaging, which showed that the 2’-acetylthiomethyluridine derivative induced the most significant functional and morphological changes. Some nucleoside analogues also exerted anti-SARS-CoV-2 and/or anti-HCoV-229E activity with low micromolar EC50 values; however, the antiviral activity was always accompanied by significant cytotoxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miklós Bege
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Institute of Healthcare Industry, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- MTA-DE Molecular Recognition and Interaction Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Alexandra Kiss
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Ilona Bereczki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság útja 20, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Jan Hodek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nam. 2, CZ-16000 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lenke Polyák
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Gábor Szemán-Nagy
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Lieve Naesens
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Weber
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nam. 2, CZ-16000 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anikó Borbás
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság útja 20, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +36-52512900
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bege M, Borbás A. The Medicinal Chemistry of Artificial Nucleic Acids and Therapeutic Oligonucleotides. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15080909. [PMID: 35893733 PMCID: PMC9330994 DOI: 10.3390/ph15080909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acids play a central role in human biology, making them suitable and attractive tools for therapeutic applications. While conventional drugs generally target proteins and induce transient therapeutic effects, nucleic acid medicines can achieve long-lasting or curative effects by targeting the genetic bases of diseases. However, native oligonucleotides are characterized by low in vivo stability due to nuclease sensitivity and unfavourable physicochemical properties due to their polyanionic nature, which are obstacles to their therapeutic use. A myriad of synthetic oligonucleotides have been prepared in the last few decades and it has been shown that proper chemical modifications to either the nucleobase, the ribofuranose unit or the phosphate backbone can protect the nucleic acids from degradation, enable efficient cellular uptake and target localization ensuring the efficiency of the oligonucleotide-based therapy. In this review, we present a summary of structure and properties of artificial nucleic acids containing nucleobase, sugar or backbone modifications, and provide an overview of the structure and mechanism of action of approved oligonucleotide drugs including gene silencing agents, aptamers and mRNA vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miklós Bege
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
- Institute of Healthcare Industry, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei körút 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- MTA-DE Molecular Recognition and Interaction Research Group, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Anikó Borbás
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
- National Laboratory of Virology, University of Pécs, Ifjúság útja 20, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Debreczeni N, Bege M, Borbás A. Synthesis of Potential Glycosyl Transferase Inhibitors by Thio‐Click Reactions. European J Org Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202101220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nóra Debreczeni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1 Hungary
- Doctoral School of Chemistry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1 Hungary
- Institute of Healthcare Industry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Nagyerdei körút 98 Hungary
| | - Miklós Bege
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1 Hungary
- Institute of Healthcare Industry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Nagyerdei körút 98 Hungary
- MTA-DE Molecular Recognition and Interaction Research Group University of Debrecen Egyetem tér 1 4032 Debrecen Hungary
| | - Anikó Borbás
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of Debrecen 4032 Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1 Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The Very First Modification of Pleuromutilin and Lefamulin by Photoinitiated Radical Addition Reactions-Synthesis and Antibacterial Studies. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13122028. [PMID: 34959310 PMCID: PMC8704873 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13122028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pleuromutilin is a fungal diterpene natural product with antimicrobial properties, semisynthetic derivatives of which are used in veterinary and human medicine. The development of bacterial resistance to pleuromutilins is known to be very slow, which makes the tricyclic diterpene skeleton of pleuromutilin a very attractive starting structure for the development of new antibiotic derivatives that are unlikely to induce resistance. Here, we report the very first synthetic modifications of pleuromutilin and lefamulin at alkene position C19–C20, by two different photoinduced addition reactions, the radical thiol-ene coupling reaction, and the atom transfer radical additions (ATRAs) of perfluoroalkyl iodides. Pleuromutilin were modified with the addition of several alkyl- and aryl-thiols, thiol-containing amino acids and nucleoside and carbohydrate thiols, as well as perfluoroalkylated side chains. The antibacterial properties of the novel semisynthetic pleuromutilin derivatives were investigated on a panel of bacterial strains, including susceptible and multiresistant pathogens and normal flora members. We have identified some novel semisynthetic pleuromutilin and lefamulin derivatives with promising antimicrobial properties.
Collapse
|