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Pei P, Chen L, Fan R, Zhou XR, Feng S, Liu H, Guo Q, Yin H, Zhang Q, Sun F, Peng L, Wei P, He C, Qiao R, Wang Z, Luo SZ. Computer-Aided Design of Lasso-like Self-Assembling Anticancer Peptides with Multiple Functions for Targeted Self-Delivery and Cancer Treatments. ACS NANO 2022; 16:13783-13799. [PMID: 36099446 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides are promising drug candidates for cancer treatment, but the short circulation time and low delivery efficiency limit their clinical applications. Herein, we designed several lasso-like self-assembling anticancer peptides (LASAPs) integrated with multiple functions by a computer-aided approach. Among these LASAPs, LASAP1 (CRGDKGPDCGKAFRRFLGALFKALSHLL, 1-9 disulfide bond) was determined to be superior to the others because it can self-assemble into homogeneous nanoparticles and exhibits improved stability in serum. Thus, LASAP1 was chosen for proving the design idea. LASAP1 can self-assemble into nanoparticles displaying iRGD on the surface because of its amphiphilic structure and accumulate to the tumor site after injection because of the EPR effect and iRGD targeting to αVβ3 integrin. The nanoparticles could disassemble in the acidic microenvironment of the solid tumor, and cleaved by the overexpressed hK2, which was secreted by prostate tumor cells, to release the effector peptide PTP-7b (FLGALFKALSHLL), which was further activated by the acidic pH. Therefore, LASAP1 could target the orthotopic prostate tumor in the model mice after intraperitoneal injection and specifically inhibit tumor growth, with low systematic toxicity. Combining the multiple targeting functions, LASAP1 represents a promising design of self-delivery of peptide drugs for targeted cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Pei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Long Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Ruru Fan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Xi-Rui Zhou
- Division of Metrology in Chemistry, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Shan Feng
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Hangrui Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Quanqiang Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Huiwei Yin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Fude Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Liang Peng
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Peng Wei
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Chengzhi He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Renzhong Qiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Zai Wang
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Shi-Zhong Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
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Loessner D, Goettig P, Preis S, Felber J, Bronger H, Clements JA, Dorn J, Magdolen V. Kallikrein-related peptidases represent attractive therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2018; 22:745-763. [PMID: 30114962 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2018.1512587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aberrant levels of kallikrein-related peptidases (KLK1-15) have been linked to cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. In ovarian cancer, the KLK proteolytic network has a crucial role in the tissue and tumor microenvironment. Publically available ovarian cancer genome and expression data from multiple patient cohorts show an upregulation of most KLKs. Areas covered: Here, we review the expression levels of all 15 members of this family in normal and ovarian cancer tissues, categorizing them into highly and moderately or weakly expressed KLKs, and their association with patient prognosis and survival. We summarize their tumor-biological functions determined in cell-based assays and xenograft models, further highlighting their suitability as cancer biomarkers and attractive candidates for drug development. Finally, we discuss some different pharmaceutical approaches, including peptide-based and small molecule inhibitors, cyclic peptides, depsipeptides, engineered natural inhibitors, antibodies, RNA/DNA-based aptamers, prodrugs, miRNA and siRNA. Expert opinion: In light of the results from clinical and tumor-biological studies, together with the available pharmaceutical tools, we suggest KLK4, KLK5, KLK6 and possibly KLK7 as preferred targets for inhibition in ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Loessner
- a Barts Cancer Institute , Queen Mary University of London , London , UK.,b Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation , Queensland University of Technology (QUT) , Brisbane , Australia
| | - Peter Goettig
- c Department of Biosciences , University of Salzburg , Salzburg , Austria
| | - Sarah Preis
- d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Johanna Felber
- d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Holger Bronger
- d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Judith A Clements
- b Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation , Queensland University of Technology (QUT) , Brisbane , Australia.,e Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland , Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute , Brisbane , Australia
| | - Julia Dorn
- d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
| | - Viktor Magdolen
- d Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Technical University of Munich , Munich , Germany
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Zimmermann T, Christensen SB, Franzyk H. Preparation of Enzyme-Activated Thapsigargin Prodrugs by Solid-Phase Synthesis. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23061463. [PMID: 29914143 PMCID: PMC6100299 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23061463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Since cells in solid tumors divide less rapidly than cells in the bone marrow or cells of the immune system, mitotic inhibitors often cause severe side effects when used for treatment of diseases like prostate cancer and breast cancer. One approach to overcome this problem involves attempts at developing drugs based on general cytotoxins, like calicheamicin and thapsigargin, which kill cells at all phases of the cell cycle. However, such toxins can only be used when efficient targeting to the malignant tissue is possible. In the case of thapsigargin, selectivity for tumor-associated cells is achieved by conjugating the drug to a peptide that is only cleaved in the vicinity of tumors to release the cytotoxic drug or an analog with retained activity. Solid-phase synthesis protocols were developed for preparation of three already validated prodrugs of thapsigargin: one prodrug cleavable by human kallikrein 2, one prodrug cleavable by prostate-specific antigen, and one prodrug cleavable by prostate-specific membrane antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Zimmermann
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Søren Brøgger Christensen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Henrik Franzyk
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Abstract
Enzymes are key molecules in signal transduction pathways. However, only a small fraction of more than 500 predicted human kinases, 250 proteases and 250 phosphatases is characterized so far. Peptide microarray-based technologies for extremely efficient profiling of enzyme substrate specificity emerged in the last years. Additionally, patterns of enzymatic activities could be used to fingerprint the status of cells or organisms. This technology reduces set-up time for HTS assays and allows the identification of downstream targets. Moreover, peptide microarrays enable optimization of enzyme substrates. A comprehensive overview regarding enzyme profiling using peptide microarrays is presented with special focus on assay principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Thiele
- Max Planck Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding, Halle, Germany
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Chandran SS, Nan A, Rosen DM, Ghandehari H, Denmeade SR. A prostate-specific antigen activated N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide copolymer prodrug as dual-targeted therapy for prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Ther 2008; 6:2928-37. [PMID: 18025277 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-07-0392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer targeted peptide prodrugs that are activated by the serine protease activity of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are under development in our laboratory. To enhance delivery and solubility of these prodrugs, macromolecular carriers consisting of N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA)-based copolymers were covalently coupled to a PSA-activated peptide prodrug. HPMA copolymers are water-soluble, nonimmunogenic synthetic carriers that exhibit promise for drug delivery applications. These macromolecular copolymers enter the interstitium of solid tumors by the enhanced permeability and retention effect. The PSA-activated peptide substrate imparts selectivity because it is specifically hydrolyzed to release a cytotoxin at the site of prostate tumor. Enzymatically active PSA is present in high amounts in the extracellular fluid of a tumor, but PSA is inactivated in blood by binding to serum protease inhibitors. As an initial proof of concept, the HPMA copolymer was synthesized with a peptide substrate (HSSKLQ) bound to a fluorophore, 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC). PSA cleavage of the HPMA-HSSKLQ-AMC copolymer was observed, which led to the synthesis of an HPMA-based copolymer with the prodrug SSKYQ-L12ADT [HPMA-morpholinocarbonyl-Ser-Ser-Lys-Tyr-Gln-Leu-12-aminododecanoyl thapsigargin (JHPD)]. L12ADT is a potent analogue of the highly cytotoxic natural product thapsigargin. HPMA-JHPD was hydrolyzed by PSA in vitro and was toxic to prostate cancer cells in the presence of active PSA. The HPMA-JHPD produced no systemic toxicity when given at a 500 micromol/L L12ADT equivalent dose. Analysis of tumor tissue from mice treated with a single or multiple dose of the HPMA-JHPD copolymer showed release and accumulation of the L12ADT toxin within the tumor tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin S Chandran
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
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