Identification of Novel Inhibitors of Dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase of Leishmania donovani via Ligand-Based Virtual Screening and Biological Evaluation

Revisiting the dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase inhibitor captopril as a source of pan anti-trypanosomatid agents

The protozoan parasites Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. are responsible for continued propagation of neglected tropical diseases such as African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis respectively. Following a report that captopril targets Leishmania donovani dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase, a series of simple proline amides and captopril analogues were synthesized and found to exhibit 1-2 μM in vitro inhibition and selectivity against Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. The results were corroborated with computational docking studies. Arguably, the synthetic proline amides represent the structurally simplest examples of in vitro pan antiprotozoal compounds.

Genome-wide analysis reveals allelic variation and chromosome copy number variation in paromomycin-resistant Leishmania donovani

In the absence of adequate diagnosis and treatment, leishmaniasis remains a major public health concern on a global scale. Drug resistance remains a key obstacle in controlling and eliminating visceral leishmaniasis. The therapeutic gap due to lack of target-specific medicine and vaccine can be minimized by obtaining parasite's genomic information. This study compared whole-genome sequence of paromomycin-resistant parasite (K133PMM) developed through in vitro adaptation and selection with sensitive Leishmania clinical isolate (K133WT). We found a large number of upstream and intergenic gene variations in K133PMM. There were 259 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 187 insertion-deletion (InDels), and 546 copy number variations (CNVs) identified. Most of the genomic variations were found in the gene's upstream and non-coding regions. Ploidy estimation revealed chromosome 5 in tetrasomy and 6, 9, and 12 in trisomy, uniquely in K133PMM. These contain the genes for protein degradation, parasite motility, autophagy, cell cycle maintenance, and drug efflux membrane transporters. Furthermore, we also observed reduction in ploidy of chromosomes 15, 20, and 23, in the resistant parasite containing mostly the genes for hypothetical proteins and membrane transporters. We chronicled correlated genomic conversion and aneuploidy in parasites and hypothesize that this led to rapid evolutionary changes in response to drug induced pressure, which causes them to become resistant.

Leishmania donovani Dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase Inhibitor as a Potential Oral Treatment for Visceral Leishmaniasis

Chemotherapy is the key intervention to control visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a neglected tropical disease. Current regimens include not only a few drugs but also present several drawbacks, including moderate to severe toxicity, cost, long-term administration, patient compliance, and growing drug resistance. Thus, the need for better treatment options against VL is a priority. In an endeavor to find an orally active and affordable antileishmanial agent, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of compounds belonging to the (2Z,2'Z)-3,3'-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(azanediyl))bis(1-(4-halophenyl)-6-hydroxyhex-2-en-1-ones) series, identified as inhibitor(s) of Leishmania donovani dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase, a novel drug target. Among them, compound 3c exhibited best in vivo antileishmanial efficacy via both intraperitoneal and oral routes. Therefore, the present study led to the identification of compound 3c as the lead candidate for treating VL.

Antileishmanial assessment of isoxazole derivatives against L. donovani

A chemical library comprising substituted 3-nitroisoxazoles and 3-aminoisoxazoles was prepared and screened for their antileishmanial activity against L. donovani. As compared to Miltefosine, the standard drug used in bioassays, several compounds displayed remarkably better inhibition of the promastigote and amastigote stages of parasites. The in vivo evaluation of a few compounds in a golden hamster model showed significant reduction of the parasite load post treatment via the intraperitoneal route by several compounds. The preliminary pharmacokinetic evaluation of a representative compound 4mf via the oral route, however, indicated high systemic clearance from the body.

In vitro and in silico Activity of Iridoids Against Leishmania amazonensis

BACKGROUND

Leishmaniasis reaches millions of people around the world. The control of the disease is difficult due to the restricted access to the diagnosis and medication, and low adherence to the treatment. Thus, more efficient drugs are needed and natural products are good alternatives. Iridoids, natural products with reported leishmanicidal activity, can be exploited for the development of anti- Leishmania drugs. The aim of this study was to isolate and to investigate the in vitro activity of iridoids against Leishmania amazonensis and to compare the activity in silico of these compounds with those reported as active against this parasite.

METHODS

Iridoids were isolated by chromatographic methods. The in vitro activity of asperuloside (1) and geniposide (2) from Escalonia bifida, galiridoside (3) from Angelonia integerrima and theveridoside (4) and ipolamiide (5) from Amphilophium crucigerum was investigated against promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis. Molecular modeling studies of 1-5 and iridoids cited as active against Leishmania spp. were performed.

RESULTS

Compounds 1-5 (5-100 µM) did not inhibit the parasite survival. Physicochemical parameters predicted for 1-5 did not show differences compared to those described in literature. The SAR and the pharmacophoric model confirmed the importance of maintaining the cyclopentane[C]pyran ring of the iridoid, of oxygen-linked substituents at the C1 and C6 positions and of bulky substituents attached to the iridoid ring to present leishmanicidal activity.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained in this study indicate that iridoids are a promising group of secondary metabolites and should be further investigated in the search for new anti-Leishmania drugs.

Computational approaches for drug discovery against trypanosomatid-caused diseases

During three decades, only about 20 new drugs have been developed for malaria, tuberculosis and all neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This critical situation was reached because NTDs represent only 10% of health research investments; however, they comprise about 90% of the global disease burden. Computational simulations applied in virtual screening (VS) strategies are very efficient tools to identify pharmacologically active compounds or new indications for drugs already administered for other diseases. One of the advantages of this approach is the low time-consuming and low-budget first stage, which filters for testing experimentally a group of candidate compounds with high chances of binding to the target and present trypanocidal activity. In this work, we review the most common VS strategies that have been used for the identification of new drugs with special emphasis on those applied to trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Computational simulations based on the selected protein targets or their ligands are explained, including the method selection criteria, examples of successful VS campaigns applied to NTDs, a list of validated molecular targets for drug development and repositioned drugs for trypanosomatid-caused diseases. Thereby, here we present the state-of-the-art of VS and drug repurposing to conclude pointing out the future perspectives in the field.

In silico Tools for Target Identification and Drug Molecular Docking in Leishmania

Neglected tropical diseases represent a significant health burden in large parts of the world. Drug discovery is currently a key bottleneck in the pipeline of these diseases. In this chapter, the in silico approaches used for the processes involved in drug discovery, identification and validation of druggable Leishmania targets, and design and optimisation of new anti-leishmanial drugs are discussed. We also provide a general view of the different computational tools that can be employed in pursuit of this aim, along with the most interesting cases found in the literature.

Chemotherapy of leishmaniasis: present challenges

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.

Novel approaches for the identification of inhibitors of leishmanial dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase

INTRODUCTION

Leishmaniasis imposes a substantial burden of mortality and morbidity affecting 12 million globally and continues to be a neglected tropical disease. Control of the disease is mainly based on chemotherapy, which relies on a handful of drugs with serious limitations. Over the last decade, target-based drug discovery is also being employed in addition to the random screening of compounds. Leishmanial dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase (LDCP), an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) related metallopeptidase, has been recently identified as a novel drug target for antileishmanial chemotherapy.

AREAS COVERED

This article examines dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase (DCP) of Leishmania donovani and of other sources from the international literature regarding their biochemical and structural characterization in comparison to mammalian ACE. Furthermore, the author discusses the identification of LdDCP specific inhibitors by virtual screening and their effect on parasite multiplication. Finally, the review looks ahead at areas for further exploration of DCP inhibitors in Leishmania chemotherapy.

EXPERT OPINION

The first step in targeted screening is to identify a suitable drug target and its validation followed by its use in high throughput screening of compounds. Limited studies on LDCP inhibitors have established a good correlation between parasite enzyme inhibition and their biological activity. This suggests that there is a potential for LDCP inhibitors as new antileishmanial drugs.

Development of luciferase expressing Leishmania donovani axenic amastigotes as primary model for in vitro screening of antileishmanial compounds

The development of new therapeutic leads against leishmaniasis relies primarily on screening of a large number of compounds on multiplication of clinically irrelevant transgenic promastigotes. The advent of the successful in vitro culture of axenic amastigotes allows the development of transgenic axenic amastigotes as a primary screen which can test compounds in a high throughput mode like promastigotes, still representative of the clinically relevant mammalian amastigotes stage. The present study reports the development of luciferase-tagged axenic amastigotes of Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of Indian Kala-azar, for in vitro drug screening. Luciferase expressing promastigotes were transformed to axenic amastigotes at a low pH and high temperature without the loss of luciferase expression. As compared to transgenic promastigotes, the luciferase expressing axenic amastigotes exhibited more sensitivity to antileishmanial drugs, particularly to pentavalent antimony (~2.8-fold) and also to the test compounds. Hence, the developed luciferase expressing axenic amastigotes make an ideal choice for high throughput drug screening for antileishmanial compounds.