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Shang L, Wei H, Deng J, Stewart MJ, LeSaint JE, Kyomuhangi A, Park S, Maul EC, Zhan CG, Zheng F. In vitro and in vivo stability of a highly efficient long-acting cocaine hydrolase. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10952. [PMID: 38740850 PMCID: PMC11091111 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61646-7] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
It is recognized as a promising therapeutic strategy for cocaine use disorder to develop an efficient enzyme which can rapidly convert cocaine to physiologically inactive metabolites. We have designed and discovered a series of highly efficient cocaine hydrolases, including CocH5-Fc(M6) which is the currently known as the most efficient cocaine hydrolase with both the highest catalytic activity against (-)-cocaine and the longest biological half-life in rats. In the present study, we characterized the time courses of protein appearance, pH, structural integrity, and catalytic activity against cocaine in vitro and in vivo of a CocH5-Fc(M6) bulk drug substance produced in a bioreactor for its in vitro and in vivo stability after long-time storage under various temperatures (- 80, - 20, 4, 25, or 37 °C). Specifically, all the tested properties of the CocH5-Fc(M6) protein did not significantly change after the protein was stored at any of four temperatures including - 80, - 20, 4, and 25 °C for ~ 18 months. In comparison, at 37 °C, the protein was less stable, with a half-life of ~ 82 days for cocaine hydrolysis activity. Additionally, the in vivo studies further confirmed the linear elimination PK profile of CocH5-Fc(M6) with an elimination half-life of ~ 9 days. All the in vitro and in vivo data on the efficacy and stability of CocH5-Fc(M6) have consistently demonstrated that CocH5-Fc(M6) has the desired in vitro and in vivo stability as a promising therapeutic candidate for treatment of cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyue Shang
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Huimei Wei
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jing Deng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Madeline J Stewart
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Johnathan E LeSaint
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Annet Kyomuhangi
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Shawn Park
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Elise C Maul
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
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Allard JL, Shields KA, Munro T, Lua LHL. Design and production strategies for developing a recombinant butyrylcholinesterase medical countermeasure for Organophosphorus poisoning. Chem Biol Interact 2022; 363:109996. [PMID: 35654125 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.109996] [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: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Organophosphorus nerve agents represent a serious chemical threat due to their ease of production and scale of impact. The recent use of the nerve agent Novichok has re-emphasised the need for broad-spectrum medical countermeasures (MCMs) to these agents. However, current MCMs are limited. Plasma derived human butyrylcholinesterase (huBChE) is a promising novel bioscavenger MCM strategy, but is prohibitively expensive to isolate from human plasma at scale. Efforts to produce recombinant huBChE (rBChE) in various protein expression platforms have failed to achieve key critical attributes of huBChE such as circulatory half-life. These proteins often lack critical features such as tetrameric structure and requisite post-translational modifications. This review evaluates previous attempts to generate rBChE and assesses recent advances in mammalian cell expression and protein engineering strategies that could be deployed to achieve the required half-life and yield for a viable rBChE MCM. This includes the addition of a proline-rich attachment domain, fusion proteins, post translational modifications, expression system selection and optimised downstream processes. Whilst challenges remain, a combinatorial approach of these strategies demonstrates potential as a technically feasible approach to achieving a bioactive and cost effective bioscavenger MCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne L Allard
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, Victoria, 3207, Australia; The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.
| | - Katherine A Shields
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, Victoria, 3207, Australia
| | - TrentP Munro
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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Deng J, Kim K, Zheng X, Shang L, Zhan CG, Zheng F. Cocaine hydrolase blocks cocaine-induced dopamine transporter trafficking to the plasma membrane. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13089. [PMID: 34363291 PMCID: PMC8720053 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine blocks dopamine uptake via dopamine transporter (DAT) on plasma membrane of neuron cells and, as a result, produces the high and induces DAT trafficking to plasma membrane which contributes to the drug seeking or craving. In this study, we first examined the dose dependence of cocaine-induced DAT trafficking and hyperactivity in rats, demonstrating that cocaine at an intraperitoneal dose of 10 mg/kg or higher led to redistribution of most DAT to the plasma membrane while inducing significant hyperactivity in rats. However, administration of 5-mg/kg cocaine (ip) did not significantly induce DAT trafficking or hyperactivity in rats. So the threshold (intraperitoneal) dose of cocaine that can significantly induce DAT trafficking or hyperactivity should be between 5 and 10 mg/kg. These data suggest that when a cocaine dose is high enough to induce significant hyperactivity, it can also significantly induce DAT trafficking to the plasma membrane. Further, the threshold brain cocaine concentration required to induce significant hyperactivity and DAT trafficking was estimated to be ~2.0 ± 0.8 μg/g. Particularly, for treatment of cocaine abuse, previous studies demonstrated that an exogenous cocaine-metabolizing enzyme, for example, CocH3-Fc(M3), can effectively block cocaine-induced hyperactivity. However, it was unknown whether an enzyme could also effectively block cocaine-induced DAT trafficking to the plasma membrane. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the enzyme is also capable of effectively blocking cocaine from reaching the brain even with a lethal dose of 60-mg/kg cocaine (ip) and, thus, powerfully preventing cocaine-induced physiological effects such as the hyperactivity and DAT trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Deng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
| | - Kyungbo Kim
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
| | - Xirong Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
| | - Linyue Shang
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536
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Zhou S, Zheng F, Zhan CG. Clinical data mining reveals analgesic effects of lapatinib in cancer patients. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3528. [PMID: 33574423 PMCID: PMC7878815 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82318-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase 1 (mPGES-1) is recognized as a promising target for a next generation of anti-inflammatory drugs that are not expected to have the side effects of currently available anti-inflammatory drugs. Lapatinib, an FDA-approved drug for cancer treatment, has recently been identified as an mPGES-1 inhibitor. But the efficacy of lapatinib as an analgesic remains to be evaluated. In the present clinical data mining (CDM) study, we have collected and analyzed all lapatinib-related clinical data retrieved from clinicaltrials.gov. Our CDM utilized a meta-analysis protocol, but the clinical data analyzed were not limited to the primary and secondary outcomes of clinical trials, unlike conventional meta-analyses. All the pain-related data were used to determine the numbers and odd ratios (ORs) of various forms of pain in cancer patients with lapatinib treatment. The ORs, 95% confidence intervals, and P values for the differences in pain were calculated and the heterogeneous data across the trials were evaluated. For all forms of pain analyzed, the patients received lapatinib treatment have a reduced occurrence (OR 0.79; CI 0.70–0.89; P = 0.0002 for the overall effect). According to our CDM results, available clinical data for 12,765 patients enrolled in 20 randomized clinical trials indicate that lapatinib therapy is associated with a significant reduction in various forms of pain, including musculoskeletal pain, bone pain, headache, arthralgia, and pain in extremity, in cancer patients. Our CDM results have demonstrated the significant analgesic effects of lapatinib, suggesting that lapatinib may be repurposed as a novel type of analgesic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Zhou
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA. .,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA. .,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
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Zhang CH, Kim K, Jin Z, Zheng F, Zhan CG. Systematic Structure-Based Virtual Screening Approach to Antibody Selection and Design of a Humanized Antibody against Multiple Addictive Opioids without Affecting Treatment Agents Naloxone and Naltrexone. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:184-194. [PMID: 33356138 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioid drug use, especially heroin, is known as a growing national crisis in America. Heroin itself is a prodrug and is converted to the most active metabolite 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) responsible for the acute toxicity of heroin and then to a relatively less-active metabolite morphine responsible for the long-term toxicity of heroin. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are recognized as a potentially promising therapeutic approach in the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUDs). Due to the intrinsic challenges of discovering an mAb against multiple ligands, here we describe a general, systematic structure-based virtual screening and design approach which has been used to identify a known anti-morphine antibody 9B1 and a humanized antibody h9B1 capable of binding to multiple addictive opioids (including 6-MAM, morphine, heroin, and hydrocodone) without significant binding with currently available OUD treatment agents naloxone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine. The humanized antibody may serve as a promising candidate for the treatment of OUDs. The experimental binding affinities reasonably correlate with the computationally predicted binding free energies. The experimental activity data strongly support the computational predictions, suggesting that the systematic structure-based virtual screening and humanization design protocol is reliable. The general, systematic structure-based virtual screening and design approach will be useful for many other antibody selection and design efforts in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hui Zhang
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Kyungbo Kim
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Zhenyu Jin
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
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6
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Gresnigt FMJ, Gubbels NP, Riezebos RK. The current practice for cocaine-associated chest pain in the Netherlands. Toxicol Rep 2021; 8:23-27. [PMID: 33384944 PMCID: PMC7770504 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cocaine is considered a cardiovascular risk factor, yet it is not included in the frequently used risk stratification scores. Moreover, many guidelines provide limited advice on how to diagnose and treat cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP). This study aimed to determine the current practice for CACP patients in emergency departments and coronary care units throughout the Netherlands. Methods An anonymous online questionnaire-based survey was conducted among Dutch emergency physicians and cardiologists between July 2015 and February 2016. The questionnaire was based on the American Heart Association CACP treatment algorithm. Results A total of 214 subjects were enrolled and completed the questionnaire. All responders considered cocaine use a risk factor for developing acute coronary syndrome (ACS), nevertheless 74.4 % of emergency physicians and 81.1 % of cardiologists do not always question chest pain patients about drug use. Of all responders, 73.6 % never perform toxicology screening. Most responders (60 %) observe patients with CACP according to the European Society of Cardiology ACS guideline, and 24.3 % give these patients ß-blockers. Conclusion The current practice for CACP patients in most emergency departments and coronary care units in the Netherlands is not in line with the AHA scientific statement. Emergency physicians and cardiologists should be advised to routinely question all chest pain patients on drug history and be aware that the risk stratifications scores are not validated for CACP. Despite the AHA scientific statement of 2008, many respondents utilize ß-blockers for CACP patients, which is supported by published evidence since the statement appeared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femke M J Gresnigt
- Emergency Physician, Emergency Department, OLVG Hospital, Oosterpark 9, 1091AC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nanda P Gubbels
- Emergency Medicine Resident, Emergency Department, OLVG Hospital, Oosterpark 9, 1091AC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Dennis EK, Garneau-Tsodikova S. Substance use disorders: leading the road to recovery. RSC Med Chem 2020; 11:741-744. [PMID: 33479671 DOI: 10.1039/d0md00161a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorders are diseases of the brain that create a dependency on drug(s), either prescription or illicit. These diseases affect millions of people worldwide, yet, there are few treatments that can help patients in the long term. This opinion piece looks at strategies researchers and institutes are taking to help find treatments as well as at new therapies in clinical trials. It provides an outlook on how a changing public perspective of these diseases can ultimately lead to a brighter outlook for substance use disorder treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Dennis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Kentucky , Lee T. Todd, Jr. Building, 789 South Limestone Street , Lexington , KY 40536-0596 , USA . ;
| | - Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Kentucky , Lee T. Todd, Jr. Building, 789 South Limestone Street , Lexington , KY 40536-0596 , USA . ;
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Ha ZY, Mathew S, Yeong KY. Butyrylcholinesterase: A Multifaceted Pharmacological Target and Tool. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2020; 21:99-109. [DOI: 10.2174/1389203720666191107094949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Butyrylcholinesterase is a serine hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of esters in the body. Unlike its sister enzyme acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase has a broad substrate scope and lower acetylcholine catalytic efficiency. The difference in tissue distribution and inhibitor sensitivity also points to its involvement external to cholinergic neurotransmission. Initial studies on butyrylcholinesterase showed that the inhibition of the enzyme led to the increment of brain acetylcholine levels. Further gene knockout studies suggested its involvement in the regulation of amyloid-beta, a brain pathogenic protein. Thus, it is an interesting target for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The substrate scope of butyrylcholinesterase was recently found to include cocaine, as well as ghrelin, the “hunger hormone”. These findings led to the development of recombinant butyrylcholinesterase mutants and viral gene therapy to combat cocaine addiction, along with in-depth studies on the significance of butyrylcholinesterase in obesity. It is observed that the pharmacological impact of butyrylcholinesterase increased in tandem with each reported finding. Not only is the enzyme now considered an important pharmacological target, it is also becoming an important tool to study the biological pathways in various diseases. Here, we review and summarize the biochemical properties of butyrylcholinesterase and its roles, as a cholinergic neurotransmitter, in various diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Ying Ha
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia Campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Shintu Mathew
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), ITI Compound, Raebareli, 229010, India
| | - Keng Yoon Yeong
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia Campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
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Cai Y, Zhou S, Jin Z, Wei H, Shang L, Deng J, Zhan CG, Zheng F. Reengineering of Albumin-Fused Cocaine Hydrolase CocH1 (TV-1380) to Prolong Its Biological Half-Life. AAPS JOURNAL 2019; 22:5. [PMID: 31754920 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-019-0377-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic treatment of cocaine toxicity or addiction is a grand medical challenge. As a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of cocaine toxicity and addiction to develop a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase (CocH) capable of accelerating cocaine metabolism to produce physiologically/biologically inactive metabolites, our previously designed A199S/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant of human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), known as cocaine hydrolase-1 (CocH1), possesses the desirably high catalytic activity against cocaine. The C-terminus of CocH1, truncated after amino acid #529, was fused to human serum albumin (HSA) to extend the biological half-life. The C-terminal HSA-fused CocH1 (CocH1-HSA), known as Albu-CocH1, Albu-CocH, AlbuBChE, Albu-BChE, or TV-1380 in literature, has shown favorable preclinical and clinical profiles. However, the actual therapeutic value of TV-1380 for cocaine addiction treatment is still limited by the short half-life. In this study, we designed and tested a new type of HSA-fused CocH1 proteins, i.e., N-terminal HSA-fused CocH1, with or without a linker between the HSA and CocH1 domains. It has been demonstrated that the catalytic activity of these new fusion proteins against cocaine is similar to that of TV-1380. However, HSA-CocH1 (without a linker) has a significantly longer biological half-life (t1/2 = 14 ± 2 h) compared to the corresponding C-terminal HSA-fused CocH1, i.e., CocH1-HSA (TV-1380 with t1/2 = 5-8 h), in rats. Further, the N-terminal HSA-fused CocH1 proteins with a linker have further prolonged biological half-lives: t1/2 = 17 ± 2 h for both HSA-EAAAK-CocH1 and HSA-PAPAP-CocH1, and t1/2 = 18 ± 3 h for HSA-(PAPAP)2-CocH1. These N-terminal HSA-fused CocH1 proteins may serve as more promising protein drug candidates for cocaine addiction treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingting Cai
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Shuo Zhou
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Zhenyu Jin
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Huimei Wei
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Linyue Shang
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Jing Deng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA.
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536, USA.
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11
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Iyengar ARS, Gupta S, Jawalekar S, Pande AH. Protein Chimerization: A New Frontier for Engineering Protein Therapeutics with Improved Pharmacokinetics. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2019; 370:703-714. [DOI: 10.1124/jpet.119.257063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Chen X, Deng J, Zheng X, Zhang J, Zhou Z, Wei H, Zhan CG, Zheng F. Development of a long-acting Fc-fused cocaine hydrolase with improved yield of protein expression. Chem Biol Interact 2019; 306:89-95. [PMID: 30986387 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2019.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is known as a safe and effective protein for detoxification of organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents. Its rationally designed mutants with considerably improved catalytic activity against cocaine, known as cocaine hydrolases (CocHs), are recognized as the most promising drug candidates for the treatment of cocaine abuse. However, it is a grand challenge to efficiently produce active recombinant BChE and CocHs with a sufficiently long biological half-life. In the present study, starting from a promising CocH, known as CocH3 (i.e. A199S/F227A/S287G/A328W/Y332G mutant of human BChE), which has a ~2000-fold improved catalytic activity against cocaine compared to wild-type BChE, we designed an N-terminal fusion protein, Fc(M3)-(PAPAP)2-CocH3, which was constructed by fusing Fc of human IgG1 to the N-terminal of CocH3 and further optimized by inserting a linker between the two protein domains. Without lowering the enzyme activity, Fc(M3)-(PAPAP)2-CocH3 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has not only a long biological half-life of 105 ± 7 h in rats, but also a high yield of protein expression. Particularly, Fc(M3)-(PAPAP)2-CocH3 has a ~21-fold increased protein expression yield in CHO cells compared to CocH3 under the same experimental conditions. Given the observations that Fc(M3)-(PAPAP)2-CocH3 has not only a high catalytic activity against cocaine and a long biological half-life, but also a high yield of protein expression, this new protein entity reported in this study would be a more promising candidate for therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiabin Chen
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jing Deng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Xirong Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jinling Zhang
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Ziyuan Zhou
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Huimei Wei
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Chang-Guo Zhan
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Fang Zheng
- Molecular Modeling and Biopharmaceutical Center and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, 789 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
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