1
|
Jin Y, Basu S, Feng M, Ning Y, Munasinghe I, Joachim AM, Li J, Madden R, Burks H, Gao P, Perera C, Werbovetz KA, Zhang K, Wang MZ. CYP5122A1 encodes an essential sterol C4-methyl oxidase in Leishmania donovani and determines the antileishmanial activity of antifungal azoles. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3185204. [PMID: 37546914 PMCID: PMC10402201 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3185204/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania donovani, is a life-threatening parasitic disease, but current antileishmanial drugs are limited and have severe drawbacks. There have been efforts to repurpose antifungal azole drugs for the treatment of Leishmania infection. Antifungal azoles are known to potently inhibit the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 51 enzymes which are responsible for removing the C14α-methyl group of lanosterol, a key step in ergosterol biosynthesis in Leishmania. However, they exhibit varying degrees of antileishmanial activities in culture, suggesting the existence of unrecognized molecular targets for these compounds. Our previous study reveals that, in Leishmania, lanosterol undergoes parallel C4- and C14-demethylation reactions to form 4α,14α-dimethylzymosterol and T-MAS, respectively. In the current study, CYP5122A1 is identified as a sterol C4-methyl oxidase that catalyzes the sequential oxidation of lanosterol to form C4-oxidation metabolites. CYP5122A1 is essential for both L. donovani promastigotes in culture and intracellular amastigotes in infected mice. Overexpression of CYP5122A1 results in growth delay, differentiation defects, increased tolerance to stress, and altered expression of lipophosphoglycan and proteophosphoglycan. CYP5122A1 also helps to determine the antileishmanial effect of antifungal azoles in vitro. Dual inhibitors of CYP51 and CYP5122A1, e.g., clotrimazole and posaconazole, possess superior antileishmanial activity against L. donovani promastigotes whereas CYP51-selective inhibitors, e.g., fluconazole and voriconazole, have little effect on promastigote growth. Our findings uncover the critical biochemical and biological role of CYP5122A1 in L. donovani and provide an important foundation for developing new antileishmanial drugs by targeting both CYP enzymes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiru Jin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Somrita Basu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Mei Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Yu Ning
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Indeewara Munasinghe
- Synthetic Chemical Biology Core Laboratory, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Arline M. Joachim
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Junan Li
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - Robert Madden
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Hannah Burks
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Philip Gao
- Protein Production Group, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Chamani Perera
- Synthetic Chemical Biology Core Laboratory, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| | - Karl A. Werbovetz
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Michael Zhuo Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Feng M, Jin Y, Yang S, Joachim AM, Ning Y, Mori-Quiroz LM, Fromm J, Perera C, Zhang K, Werbovetz KA, Wang MZ. Sterol profiling of Leishmania parasites using a new HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry-based method and antifungal azoles as chemical probes reveals a key intermediate sterol that supports a branched ergosterol biosynthetic pathway. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2022; 20:27-42. [PMID: 35994895 PMCID: PMC9418051 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2022.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Human leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by Leishmania protozoan parasites. Current chemotherapeutic options against the deadly disease have significant limitations. The ergosterol biosynthetic pathway has been identified as a drug target in Leishmania. However, remarkable differences in the efficacy of antifungal azoles that inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis have been reported for the treatment of leishmaniasis. To better understand the sterol biosynthetic pathway in Leishmania and elucidate the mechanism underlying the differential efficacy of antifungal azoles, we developed a new LC-MS/MS method to study sterol profiles in promastigotes of three Leishmania species, including two L. donovani, one L. major and one L. tarentolae strains. A combination of distinct precursor ion masses and LC retention times allowed for specific detection of sixteen intermediate sterols between lanosterol and ergosterol using the newly developed LC-MS/MS method. Although both posaconazole and fluconazole are known inhibitors of fungal lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51), only posaconazole led to a substantial accumulation of lanosterol in azole-treated L. donovani promastigotes. Furthermore, a key intermediate sterol accumulated by 40- and 7-fold when these parasites were treated with posaconazole and fluconazole, respectively, which was determined as 4α,14α-dimethylzymosterol by high resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The identification of 4α,14α-dimethylzymosterol supports a branched ergosterol biosynthetic pathway in Leishmania, where lanosterol C4- and C14-demethylation reactions occur in parallel rather than sequentially. Our results suggest that selective inhibition of leishmanial CYP51 is insufficient to effectively prevent parasite growth and dual inhibitors of both CYP51 and the unknown sterol C4-demethylase may be required for optimal antiparasitic effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mei Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Yiru Jin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Sihyung Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Arline M Joachim
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Yu Ning
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Luis M Mori-Quiroz
- Synthetic Chemical Biology Core Laboratory, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jacob Fromm
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Chamani Perera
- Synthetic Chemical Biology Core Laboratory, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Karl A Werbovetz
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael Zhuo Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abdelhameed A, Feng M, Joice AC, Zywot EM, Jin Y, La Rosa C, Liao X, Meeds HL, Kim Y, Li J, McElroy CA, Wang MZ, Werbovetz KA. Synthesis and Antileishmanial Evaluation of Arylimidamide-Azole Hybrids Containing a Phenoxyalkyl Linker. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:1901-1922. [PMID: 33538576 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Due to the limitations of existing medications, there is a critical need for new drugs to treat visceral leishmaniasis. Since arylimidamides and antifungal azoles both show oral activity in murine visceral leishmaniasis models, a molecular hybridization approach was employed where arylimidamide and azole groups were separated by phenoxyalkyl linkers in an attempt to capitalize on the favorable antileishmanial properties of both series. Among the target compounds synthesized, a greater antileishmanial potency against intracellular Leishmania donovani was observed as the linker length increased from two to eight carbons and when an imidazole ring was employed as the terminal group compared to a 1,2,4-triazole group. Compound 24c (N-(4-((8-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)octyl)oxy)-2-isopropoxyphenyl) picolinimidamide) displayed activity against L. donovani intracellular amastigotes with an IC50 value of 0.53 μM. When tested in a murine visceral leishmaniasis model, compound 24c at a dose of 75 mg/kg/day p.o. for five consecutive days resulted in a modest 33% decrease in liver parasitemia compared to the control group, indicating that further optimization of these molecules is needed. While potent hybrid compounds bearing an imidazole terminal group were also strong inhibitors of recombinant CYP51 from L. donovani, as assessed by a fluorescence-based assay, additional targets are likely to play an important role in the antileishmanial action of these compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Abdelhameed
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt
| | - Mei Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - April C. Joice
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Emilia M. Zywot
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Yiru Jin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Chris La Rosa
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Xiaoping Liao
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Heidi L. Meeds
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Yena Kim
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Junan Li
- College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Craig A. McElroy
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Michael Zhuo Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
| | - Karl A. Werbovetz
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Effect of Itraconazole-Ezetimibe-Miltefosine Ternary Therapy in Murine Visceral Leishmaniasis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:AAC.02676-20. [PMID: 33619058 PMCID: PMC8092893 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02676-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug combination therapy is an interesting approach to increase the success of drug repurposing for neglected diseases. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate binary and ternary therapies composed of itraconazole, ezetimibe and miltefosine for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Intracellular Leishmania infantum amastigotes were incubated with the drugs alone or in combination for 72 h. For in vivo experiments, we tested a long-course (21 days, once per day) and a short-course treatment (5 days, twice per day) for the binary combination with itraconazole and ezetimibe. For the ternary therapy including miltefosine, we adopted the short-course treatment and varied the vehicle. None of the combinations were toxic to macrophages. Binary combination of itraconazole plus ezetimibe and ternary combination of itraconazole, ezetimibe and miltefosine had synergistic effects in intracellular amastigotes, in some of the proportions evaluated. Although the in vivo long-course therapy had been more effective than the short-course protocol, it showed hepatic toxicity signs. Ezetimibe has proven to be able to reduce the parasite burden alone or in combination. Both suspensions of the ternary combination were active, but when the drugs were suspended in the commercial ORA-Plus formulation instead of purified water, the parasite burden was reduced by 98% in the liver and spleen. Altogether, the results demonstrate for the first time the activity of ezetimibe in a viscerotropic species of Leishmania and indicate that ternary treatment composed of miltefosine, itraconazole, and ezetimibe at low doses is a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.
Collapse
|
5
|
Shilling AJ, Witowski CG, Maschek JA, Azhari A, Vesely BA, Kyle DE, Amsler CD, McClintock JB, Baker BJ. Spongian Diterpenoids Derived from the Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla antarctica Are Potent Inhibitors of the Leishmania Parasite. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2020; 83:1553-1562. [PMID: 32281798 PMCID: PMC8351534 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
From the CH2Cl2 extract of the Antarctic sponge Dendrilla antarctica we found spongian diterpenes, including previously reported aplysulphurin (1), tetrahydroaplysulphurin-1 (2), membranolide (3), and darwinolide (4), utilizing a CH2Cl2/MeOH extraction scheme. However, the extracts also yielded diterpenes bearing one or more methyl acetal functionalities (5-9), two of which are previously unreported, while others are revised here. Further investigation of diterpene reactivity led to additional new metabolites (10-12), which identified them as well as the methyl acetals as artifacts from methanolysis of aplysulphurin. The bioactivity of the methanolysis products, membranoids A-H (5-12), as well as natural products 1-4, were assessed for activity against Leishmania donovani-infected J774A.1 macrophages, revealing insights into their structure/activity relationships. Four diterpenes, tetrahydroaplysulphurin-1 (2) as well as membranoids B (6), D (8), and G (11), displayed low micromolar activity against L. donovani with no discernible cytotoxicity against uninfected J774A.1 cells. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects one million people every year and can be fatal if left untreated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Shilling
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CHE205, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Christopher G Witowski
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CHE205, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - J Alan Maschek
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CHE205, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Ala Azhari
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Parasitology, King Abdulaziz University, 7393 Al-Murtada Street, Jeddah 22252, Saudi Arabia
| | - Brian A Vesely
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Charles D Amsler
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - James B McClintock
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Bill J Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CHE205, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
de Souza ML, Gonzaga da Costa LA, Silva EDO, de Sousa ALMD, Dos Santos WM, Rolim Neto PJ. Recent strategies for the development of oral medicines for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Drug Dev Res 2020; 81:803-814. [PMID: 32394440 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Considered prevalent in many countries on five continents, especially in low-income regions, leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease classified by World Health Organization as one of the diseases for which the development of new treatments is a priority. It is an infectious disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, whose species may cause different clinical manifestations, such as cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Treatment is exclusively by drug therapy, as it has not been possible to develop vaccines yet. Currently available drugs are not fully effective in all cases; they have parenteral administration and exhibit a number of serious and very common adverse effects. The only oral drug available is expensive and it is not available in many endemic countries. Injectable administration is the main problem of treatments, since it requires patients to go to health centers, hospitalization and professional administration, which are conditions that are not adapted to the reality of the poverty conditions of patients with the disease. In this context, the development of an oral medicine has become a focus as it may solve many of these issues. Based on this scenario, this review aimed to investigate which therapeutic alternatives have been studied for the development of oral drugs directed to the treatment of human VL.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myla Lôbo de Souza
- Laboratory of Technology of Medicines, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Emerson de Oliveira Silva
- Laboratory of Technology of Medicines, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Widson Michael Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Technology of Medicines, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Pedro José Rolim Neto
- Laboratory of Technology of Medicines, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abdelhameed A, Liao X, McElroy CA, Joice AC, Rakotondraibe L, Li J, Slebodnick C, Guo P, Wilson WD, Werbovetz KA. Synthesis and antileishmanial evaluation of thiazole orange analogs. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:126725. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2019.126725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|
8
|
Persaud AK, Li J, Johnson JA, Seligson N, Sborov DW, Duah E, Cho YK, Wang D, Phelps MA, Hofmeister CC, Poi MJ. XRCC1‐mediated DNA repair is associated with progression‐free survival of multiple myeloma patients after autologous stem cell transplant. Mol Carcinog 2019; 58:2327-2339. [DOI: 10.1002/mc.23121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Avinash K. Persaud
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Junan Li
- Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
- Comprehensive Cancer CenterThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Jasmine A. Johnson
- Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Nathan Seligson
- Department of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio
| | - Douglas W. Sborov
- Division of Hematology and Hematologic MalignanciesUniversity of Utah—Huntsman Cancer Institute Salt Lake City Utah
| | - Ernest Duah
- Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Yu Kyoung Cho
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Danxin Wang
- Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research, College of PharmacyUniversity of Florida Gainesville Florida
| | - Mitch A. Phelps
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
- Comprehensive Cancer CenterThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
| | - Craig C. Hofmeister
- Department of Hematology and OncologyWinship Cancer Institute of Emory University Atlanta Georgia
| | - Ming J. Poi
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
- Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
- Department of PharmacyThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus Ohio
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lepesheva GI, Friggeri L, Waterman MR. CYP51 as drug targets for fungi and protozoan parasites: past, present and future. Parasitology 2018; 145:1820-1836. [PMID: 29642960 PMCID: PMC6185833 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018000562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The efficiency of treatment of human infections with the unicellular eukaryotic pathogens such as fungi and protozoa remains deeply unsatisfactory. For example, the mortality rates from nosocomial fungemia in critically ill, immunosuppressed or post-cancer patients often exceed 50%. A set of six systemic clinical azoles [sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) inhibitors] represents the first-line antifungal treatment. All these drugs were discovered empirically, by monitoring their effects on fungal cell growth, though it had been proven that they kill fungal cells by blocking the biosynthesis of ergosterol in fungi at the stage of 14α-demethylation of the sterol nucleus. This review briefs the history of antifungal azoles, outlines the situation with the current clinical azole-based drugs, describes the attempts of their repurposing for treatment of human infections with the protozoan parasites that, similar to fungi, also produce endogenous sterols, and discusses the most recently acquired knowledge on the CYP51 structure/function and inhibition. It is our belief that this information should be helpful in shifting from the traditional phenotypic screening to the actual target-driven drug discovery paradigm, which will rationalize and substantially accelerate the development of new, more efficient and pathogen-oriented CYP51 inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Galina I. Lepesheva
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Laura Friggeri
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Michael R. Waterman
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| |
Collapse
|