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Zeng X, Feng PK, Li SJ, Lv SQ, Wen ML, Li Y. GNN-DDAS: Drug discovery for identifying anti-schistosome small molecules based on graph neural network. J Comput Chem 2024. [PMID: 39189298 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease that poses a significant risk to hundreds of millions of people, yet often goes unnoticed. While praziquantel, a widely used anti-schistosome drug, has a low cost and a high cure rate, it has several drawbacks. These include ineffectiveness against schistosome larvae, reduced efficacy in young children, and emerging drug resistance. Discovering new and active anti-schistosome small molecules is therefore critical, but this process presents the challenge of low accuracy in computer-aided methods. To address this issue, we proposed GNN-DDAS, a novel deep learning framework based on graph neural networks (GNN), designed for drug discovery to identify active anti-schistosome (DDAS) small molecules. Initially, a multi-layer perceptron was used to derive sequence features from various representations of small molecule SMILES. Next, GNN was employed to extract structural features from molecular graphs. Finally, the extracted sequence and structural features were then concatenated and fed into a fully connected network to predict active anti-schistosome small molecules. Experimental results showed that GNN-DDAS exhibited superior performance compared to the benchmark methods on both benchmark and real-world application datasets. Additionally, the use of GNNExplainer model allowed us to analyze the key substructure features of small molecules, providing insight into the effectiveness of GNN-DDAS. Overall, GNN-DDAS provided a promising solution for discovering new and active anti-schistosome small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zeng
- College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Peng-Kun Feng
- College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Shu-Juan Li
- Department of Endemic Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Endemic Diseases Control and Prevention, Dali, China
| | - Shuang-Qing Lv
- Institute of Surveying and Information Engineering, West Yunnan University of Applied Science, Dali, China
| | - Meng-Liang Wen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Yi Li
- College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dali University, Dali, China
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2
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EF24, a schistosomicidal curcumin analog: Insights from its synthesis and phenotypic, biochemical and cytotoxic activities. Chem Biol Interact 2022; 368:110191. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.110191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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3
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Cheuka PM. Drug Discovery and Target Identification against Schistosomiasis: a Reality Check on Progress and Future Prospects. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 22:1595-1610. [PMID: 34565320 DOI: 10.2174/1568026621666210924101805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis ranks among the most important infectious diseases, with over 200 million people currently being infected and > 280,000 deaths reported annually. Chemotherapeutic treatment has relied on one drug, praziquantel, for four decades, while other drugs, such as oxamniquine and metrifonate, are no longer preferred for clinical use due to their narrow spectrum of activity - these are only active against S. mansoni and S. haematobium, respectively. Despite being cheap, safe, and effective against all schistosome species, praziquantel is ineffective against immature worms, which may lead to reinfections and treatment failure in endemic areas; a situation that necessitates repeated administration besides other limitations. Therefore, novel drugs are urgently needed to overcome this situation. In this paper, an up to date review of drug targets identified and validated against schistosomiasis while also encompassing promising clinical and preclinical candidate drugs is presented. While there are considerable efforts aimed at identifying and validating drug targets, the pipeline for new antischistosomals is dry. Moreover, the majority of compounds evaluated preclinically are not really advanced because most of them were evaluated in very small preclinical species such as mice alone. Overall, it appears that although a lot of research is going on at discovery phases, unfortunately, it does not translate to advanced preclinical and clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mubanga Cheuka
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka. Zambia
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4
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Barbosa RCF, Landuci FS, de Oliveira MCC, Echevarria A, Pereira EC, Castelar B, Pontes MD, Torres-Santos EC, Andrade-Neto VV. Sterol profile of Neobenedenia melleni, a marine ectoparasite fish. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2021; 246:111414. [PMID: 34551360 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2021.111414] [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: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Neobenedenia melleni, a marine fish ectoparasite, is responsible for considerable losses in the mariculture industry. In maintaining the parasite's homeostasis, sterols are structural and functional lipids that perform vital functions. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of biosynthesis and the uptake of sterols can reveal potential pharmacological targets. The objective of this work was thereby to characterize the N. melleni sterols. The most abundant sterol found was cholesterol in either its free (47.48 ± 15.93 %) or esterified form. However, its precursors, squalene (3.53 ± 0.92 %) and desmosterol (0.25 ± 0.03 %), were also found, suggesting the uptake of these intermediates from hosts or an unusual active pathway of sterol biosynthesis, which can be further explored as pharmacological targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo César Fernandes Barbosa
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro - UFRRJ, 23970-000 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe Schwahofer Landuci
- Fundação Instituto de Pesca do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Produção, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcia Cristina Campos de Oliveira
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro - UFRRJ, 23970-000 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Aurea Echevarria
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro - UFRRJ, 23970-000 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Elisa Cavalcante Pereira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Castelar
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin. Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Marcelo Duarte Pontes
- Fundação Instituto de Pesca do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisa e Produção, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Valter Viana Andrade-Neto
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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5
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Prediction of antischistosomal small molecules using machine learning in the era of big data. Mol Divers 2021; 26:1597-1607. [PMID: 34351547 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-021-10288-2] [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] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by helminths of the Schistosoma genus. Despite its high morbidity and socio-economic burden, therapeutics are just a handful with praziquantel being the main drug. Praziquantel is an old drug registered for human use in 1982 and has since been administered en masse for chemotherapy, risking the development of resistance, thus the need for new drugs with different mechanisms of action. This review examines the use of machine learning (ML) in this era of big data to aid in the prediction of novel antischistosomal molecules. It first discusses the challenges of drug discovery in schistosomiasis. Explanations are then offered for big data, its characteristics and then, some open databases where large biochemical data on schistosomiasis can be obtained for ML model development are examined. The concepts of artificial intelligence, ML, and deep learning and their drug applications are explored in schistosomiasis. The use of binary classification in predicting antischistosomal compounds and some algorithms that have been applied including random forest and naive Bayesian are discussed. For this review, some deep learning algorithms (deep neural networks) are proposed as novel algorithms for predicting antischistosomal molecules via binary classification. Databases specifically designed for housing bioactivity data on antischistosomal molecules enriched with functional genomic datasets and ontologies are thus urgently needed for developing predictive ML models. This shows the application of machine learning techniques for the discovery of novel antischistosomal small molecules via binary classification in the era of big data.
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6
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Moreira-Filho JT, Silva AC, Dantas RF, Gomes BF, Souza Neto LR, Brandao-Neto J, Owens RJ, Furnham N, Neves BJ, Silva-Junior FP, Andrade CH. Schistosomiasis Drug Discovery in the Era of Automation and Artificial Intelligence. Front Immunol 2021; 12:642383. [PMID: 34135888 PMCID: PMC8203334 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.642383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by trematode worms of the genus Schistosoma and affects over 200 million people worldwide. The control and treatment of this neglected tropical disease is based on a single drug, praziquantel, which raises concerns about the development of drug resistance. This, and the lack of efficacy of praziquantel against juvenile worms, highlights the urgency for new antischistosomal therapies. In this review we focus on innovative approaches to the identification of antischistosomal drug candidates, including the use of automated assays, fragment-based screening, computer-aided and artificial intelligence-based computational methods. We highlight the current developments that may contribute to optimizing research outputs and lead to more effective drugs for this highly prevalent disease, in a more cost-effective drug discovery endeavor.
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Affiliation(s)
- José T. Moreira-Filho
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Arthur C. Silva
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Rafael F. Dantas
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Barbara F. Gomes
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lauro R. Souza Neto
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jose Brandao-Neto
- Diamond Light Source Ltd., Didcot, United Kingdom
- Research Complex at Harwell, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Raymond J. Owens
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, United Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetic, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno J. Neves
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Floriano P. Silva-Junior
- LaBECFar – Laboratório de Bioquímica Experimental e Computacional de Fármacos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina H. Andrade
- LabMol – Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás – UFG, Goiânia, Brazil
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Maharjan S, Kirk RS, Lawton SP, Walker AJ. Further evaluation and validation of HybridoMed Diff 1000 and its comparison to Basch medium for the cell-free culture of Schistosoma mansoni juvenile worm stages. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:613-619. [PMID: 33771520 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.12.009] [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] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Schistosomules of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni are vital for research focusing on the fundamental functional/developmental biology of schistosomes and many anti-schistosomal drug discovery programmes. Through the further evaluation and validation of a recently tested media, HybridoMed Diff 1000 (HM), for the cell-free culture of juvenile schistosomules, we show that while Basch medium was superior to HM for the survival/development of schistosomules, HM represents a viable and attractive alternative for somule culture, particularly to the early liver stage. Adoption of HM for schistosomule culture could facilitate more standardised approaches, which for drug screening should enable improved multi-centre target-hit evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shradha Maharjan
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK
| | - Ruth S Kirk
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK
| | - Scott P Lawton
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK; Epidemiology Research Unit, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness IV2 5NA, UK
| | - Anthony J Walker
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK.
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8
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Chen S, Suzuki BM, Dohrmann J, Singh R, Arkin MR, Caffrey CR. A multi-dimensional, time-lapse, high content screening platform applied to schistosomiasis drug discovery. Commun Biol 2020; 3:747. [PMID: 33349640 PMCID: PMC7752906 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01402-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 10% of the world's population is at risk of schistosomiasis, a disease of poverty caused by the Schistosoma parasite. To facilitate drug discovery for this complex flatworm, we developed an automated high-content screen to quantify the multidimensional responses of Schistosoma mansoni post-infective larvae (somules) to chemical insult. We describe an integrated platform to process worms at scale, collect time-lapsed, bright-field images, segment highly variable and touching worms, and then store, visualize, and query dynamic phenotypes. To demonstrate the methodology, we treated somules with seven drugs that generated diverse responses and evaluated 45 static and kinetic response descriptors relative to concentration and time. For compound screening, we used the Mahalanobis distance to compare multidimensional phenotypic effects induced by 1323 approved drugs. Overall, we characterize both known anti-schistosomals and identify new bioactives. Apart from facilitating drug discovery, the multidimensional quantification provided by this platform will allow mapping of chemistry to phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Small Molecule Discovery Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jakob Dohrmann
- Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA
| | - Rahul Singh
- Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA.
| | - Michelle R Arkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Small Molecule Discovery Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
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9
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Wang J, Paz C, Padalino G, Coghlan A, Lu Z, Gradinaru I, Collins JNR, Berriman M, Hoffmann KF, Collins JJ. Large-scale RNAi screening uncovers therapeutic targets in the parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Science 2020; 369:1649-1653. [PMID: 32973031 PMCID: PMC7877197 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb7699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Schistosome parasites kill 250,000 people every year. Treatment of schistosomiasis relies on the drug praziquantel. Unfortunately, a scarcity of molecular tools has hindered the discovery of new drug targets. Here, we describe a large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen in adult Schistosoma mansoni that examined the function of 2216 genes. We identified 261 genes with phenotypes affecting neuromuscular function, tissue integrity, stem cell maintenance, and parasite survival. Leveraging these data, we prioritized compounds with activity against the parasites and uncovered a pair of protein kinases (TAO and STK25) that cooperate to maintain muscle-specific messenger RNA transcription. Loss of either of these kinases results in paralysis and worm death in a mammalian host. These studies may help expedite therapeutic development and invigorate studies of these neglected parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jipeng Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Carlos Paz
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Gilda Padalino
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK
| | - Avril Coghlan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Zhigang Lu
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Irina Gradinaru
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Julie N R Collins
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Karl F Hoffmann
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK
| | - James J Collins
- Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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10
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Dawson HD, Chen C, Li RW, Bell LN, Shea-Donohue T, Kringel H, Beshah E, Hill DE, Urban JF. Molecular and metabolomic changes in the proximal colon of pigs infected with Trichuris suis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12853. [PMID: 32732949 PMCID: PMC7393168 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69462-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The pig whipworm Trichuris suis is important in swine production because of its negative effects on pig performance and, notably, to some humans with inflammatory bowel disease as a therapeutic agent that modulates inflammation. The proximal colon of T. suis-infected pigs exhibited general inflammation around day 21 after inoculation with infective eggs that is transcriptionally characterized by markers of type-2 immune activation, inflammation, cellular infiltration, tissue repair enzymes, pathways of oxidative stress, and altered intestinal barrier function. Prominent gene pathways involved the Th2-response, de novo cholesterol synthesis, fructose and glucose metabolism, basic amino acid metabolism, and bile acid transport. Upstream regulatory factor analysis implicated the bile acid/farnesoid X receptor in some of these processes. Metabolic analysis indicated changes in fatty acids, antioxidant capacity, biochemicals related to methylation, protein glycosylation, extracellular matrix structure, sugars, Krebs cycle intermediates, microbe-derived metabolites and altered metabolite transport. Close to 1,200 differentially expressed genes were modulated in the proximal colon of pigs with a persistent adult worm infection that was nearly 90% lower in pigs that had expelled worms. The results support a model to test diets that favorably alter the microbiome and improve host intestinal health in both pigs and humans exposed to Trichuris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry D Dawson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, USA
| | - Celine Chen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, USA
| | - Robert W Li
- Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Helene Kringel
- Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ethiopia Beshah
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, USA
| | - Dolores E Hill
- Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - Joseph F Urban
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Diet, Genomics, and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, USA. .,Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA.
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11
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Munday JC, Kunz S, Kalejaiye TD, Siderius M, Schroeder S, Paape D, Alghamdi AH, Abbasi Z, Huang SX, Donachie AM, William S, Sabra AN, Sterk GJ, Botros SS, Brown DG, Hoffman CS, Leurs R, de Koning HP. Cloning and functional complementation of ten Schistosoma mansoni phosphodiesterases expressed in the mammalian host stages. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008447. [PMID: 32730343 PMCID: PMC7430754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Only a single drug against schistosomiasis is currently available and new drug development is urgently required but very few drug targets have been validated and characterised. However, regulatory systems including cyclic nucleotide metabolism are emerging as primary candidates for drug discovery. Here, we report the cloning of ten cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) genes of S. mansoni, out of a total of 11 identified in its genome. We classify these PDEs by homology to human PDEs. Male worms displayed higher expression levels for all PDEs, in mature and juvenile worms, and schistosomula. Several functional complementation approaches were used to characterise these genes. We constructed a Trypanosoma brucei cell line in which expression of a cAMP-degrading PDE complements the deletion of TbrPDEB1/B2. Inhibitor screens of these cells expressing only either SmPDE4A, TbrPDEB1 or TbrPDEB2, identified highly potent inhibitors of the S. mansoni enzyme that elevated the cellular cAMP concentration. We further expressed most of the cloned SmPDEs in two pde1Δ/pde2Δ strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and some also in a specialised strain of Schizosacharomyces pombe. Five PDEs, SmPDE1, SmPDE4A, SmPDE8, SmPDE9A and SmPDE11 successfully complemented the S. cerevisiae strains, and SmPDE7var also complemented to a lesser degree, in liquid culture. SmPDE4A, SmPDE8 and SmPDE11 were further assessed in S. pombe for hydrolysis of cAMP and cGMP; SmPDE11 displayed considerable preferrence for cGMP over cAMP. These results and tools enable the pursuit of a rigorous drug discovery program based on inhibitors of S. mansoni PDEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane C. Munday
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Kunz
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Titilola D. Kalejaiye
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Siderius
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Daniel Paape
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Ali H. Alghamdi
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Zainab Abbasi
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sheng Xiang Huang
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Anne-Marie Donachie
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Samia William
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - Abdel Nasser Sabra
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - Geert Jan Sterk
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sanaa S. Botros
- Department of Pharmacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, Egypt
| | - David G. Brown
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S. Hoffman
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Rob Leurs
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harry P. de Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
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12
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Vale N, Gouveia MJ, Gärtner F. Current and Novel Therapies Against Helminthic Infections: The Potential of Antioxidants Combined with Drugs. Biomolecules 2020; 10:E350. [PMID: 32106428 PMCID: PMC7175190 DOI: 10.3390/biom10030350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Infections caused by Schistosoma haematobium and Opisthorchisviverrini are classified as Group 1 biological carcinogen and it has been postulated that parasites produce oxysterol and estrogen-like metabolites that might be considered as initiators of infection-associated carcinogenesis. Chemotherapy for these helminthic infections relies on a single drug, praziquantel, (PZQ) that mainly targets the parasite. Additionally, PZQ has some major drawbacks as inefficacy against juvenile form and alone it is not capable to counteract pathologies associated to infections or prevent carcinogenesis. There is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic approaches that not only target the parasite but also improve the pathologies associated to infection, and ultimately, counteract or/and prevent the carcinogenesis processes. Repurposing the drug in combination of compounds with different modes of action is a promising strategy to find novel therapeutics approaches against these helminthic infections and its pathologies. Here, we emphasized that using antioxidants either alone or combined with anthelmintic drugs could ameliorate tissue damage, infection-associated complications, moreover, could prevent the development of cancer associated to infections. Hence, antioxidants represent a potential adjuvant approach during treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality. Despite the success of some strategies, there is a long way to go to implement novel therapies for schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Vale
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Maria João Gouveia
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
- Center for the Study in Animal Science (CECA/ICETA), University of Porto, Rua de D. Manuel II, Apt 55142, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fátima Gärtner
- i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
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13
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Meleti VR, Esperandim VR, Flauzino LGB, Prizantelli AH, Paula LADL, Magalhães LG, Cunha WR, Laurentiz RDS, Pissurno APDR, Nanayakkara NPD, Pereira AC, Bastos JK, Parreira RLT, Orenha RP, E Silva MLA. (±)-Licarin A and its semi-synthetic derivatives: In vitro and in silico evaluation of trypanocidal and schistosomicidal activities. Acta Trop 2020; 202:105248. [PMID: 31676458 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports the synthesis of (±)-licarin A 1, a dihydrobenzofuran neolignan, resultant of an oxidative coupling reaction of isoeugenol and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme. Following, three semi-synthetic derivatives from this compound were obtained: benzylated (±)-licarin A 2, methylated (±)-licarin A 3 and acetylated (±)-licarin A 4. After structural elucidation and assignment by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of 1H, 13C and DEPT, all compounds were evaluated in vitro against Trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, and Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) worms, the etiologic agent of schistosomiasis. Compound (4) was the most active against S. mansoni adult worms, displaying worm viability reduction at 25 µM and mortality of all worms at 100 and 200 µM within 24 h. Compound 1 was the second most active, showing worm viability reduction at 50 µM and mortality of 25% and 100% of worms in 24h at concentrations of 100 and 200 µM, respectively. In addition, theoretical calculations aiming at finding molecular properties that showed the correlation for schistosomicidal and trypanocidal activities of (±)-licarin A and three of its semi-synthetic derivatives were also performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanderlisa Rita Meleti
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Viviane Rodrigues Esperandim
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Luzio Gabriel Bocalon Flauzino
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Anna Helena Prizantelli
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucas Antônio de Lima Paula
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Lizandra Guidi Magalhães
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Wilson Roberto Cunha
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Rosângela da Silva Laurentiz
- Departamento de Física e Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Ilha Solteira-SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula da Rocha Pissurno
- Departamento de Física e Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Ilha Solteira-SP, Brazil
| | - N P Dhammika Nanayakkara
- National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Ana Carolina Pereira
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil; IF Suldeminas, Avenida Maria da Conceição Santos, 900 - Parque Real, Pouso Alegre - MG, 37550-000, Brazil
| | - Jairo Kenupp Bastos
- Escola de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Luis Tâme Parreira
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato Pereira Orenha
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcio Luis Andrade E Silva
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Produtos Naturais, Núcleo de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Avenida Dr. Armando Salles de Oliveira, 201, 14404-600 Franca, SP, Brazil.
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14
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Maccesi M, Aguiar PHN, Pasche V, Padilla M, Suzuki BM, Montefusco S, Abagyan R, Keiser J, Mourão MM, Caffrey CR. Multi-center screening of the Pathogen Box collection for schistosomiasis drug discovery. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:493. [PMID: 31640761 PMCID: PMC6805474 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3747-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past five years, as a public service to encourage and accelerate drug discovery for diseases of poverty, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has released box sets of 400 compounds named the Malaria, Pathogen and Stasis Boxes. Here, we screened the Pathogen Box against the post-infective larvae (schistosomula) of Schistosoma mansoni using assays particular to the three contributing institutions, namely, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the USA, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Switzerland, and the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ) in Brazil. With the same set of compounds, the goal was to determine the degree of inter-assay variability and identify a core set of active compounds common to all three assays. New drugs for schistosomiasis would be welcome given that current treatment and control strategies rely on chemotherapy with just one drug, praziquantel. METHODS Both the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays utilize daily observational scoring methodologies over 72 h, whereas the FIOCRUZ assay employs XTT (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium hydroxide) at 72 h to measure viability as a function of NAD+/NADH redox state. Raw and transformed data arising from each assay were assembled for comparative analysis. RESULTS For the UCSD and Swiss TPH assays, there was strong concordance of at least 87% in identifying active and inactive compounds on one or more of the three days. When all three assays were compared at 72 h, concordance remained a robust 74%. Further, robust Pearson's correlations (0.48-0.68) were measured between the assays. Of those actives at 72 h, the UCSD, Swiss TPH and FIOCRUZ assays identified 86, 103 and 66 compounds, respectively, of which 35 were common. Assay idiosyncrasies included the identification of unique compounds, the differential ability to identify known antischistosomal compounds and the concept that compounds of interest might include those that increase metabolic activity above baseline. CONCLUSIONS The inter-assay data generated were in good agreement, including with previously reported data. A common set of antischistosomal molecules for further exploration has been identified .
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Maccesi
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pedro H N Aguiar
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Valérian Pasche
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Melody Padilla
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sandro Montefusco
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Ruben Abagyan
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, 4002, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, P.O. Box, 4003, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marina M Mourão
- Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, René Rachou Institute, FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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15
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Bibo-Verdugo B, Wang SC, Almaliti J, Ta AP, Jiang Z, Wong DA, Lietz CB, Suzuki BM, El-Sakkary N, Hook V, Salvesen GS, Gerwick WH, Caffrey CR, O’Donoghue AJ. The Proteasome as a Drug Target in the Metazoan Pathogen, Schistosoma mansoni. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:1802-1812. [PMID: 31355632 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Proteases are fundamental to successful parasitism, including that of the schistosome flatworm parasite, which causes the disease schistosomiasis in 200 million people worldwide. The proteasome is receiving attention as a potential drug target for treatment of a variety of infectious parasitic diseases, but it has been understudied in the schistosome. Adult Schistosoma mansoni were incubated with 1 μM concentrations of the proteasome inhibitors bortezomib, carfilzomib, and MG132. After 24 h, bortezomib and carfilzomib decreased worm motility by more than 85% and endogenous proteasome activity by >75%, and after 72 h, they increased caspase activity by >4.5-fold. The association between the engagement of the proteasome target and the phenotypic and biochemical effects recorded encouraged the chromatographic enrichment of the S. mansoni proteasome (Sm20S). Activity assays with fluorogenic proteasome substrates revealed that Sm20S contains caspase-type (β1), trypsin-type (β2), and chymotrypsin-type (β5) activities. Sm20S was screened with 11 peptide epoxyketone inhibitors derived from the marine natural product carmaphycin B. Analogue 17 was 27.4-fold less cytotoxic to HepG2 cells than carmaphycin B and showed equal potency for the β5 subunits of Sm20S, human constitutive proteasome, and human immunoproteasome. However, this analogue was 13.2-fold more potent at targeting Sm20S β2 than it was at targeting the equivalent subunits of the human enzymes. Furthermore, 1 μM 17 decreased both worm motility and endogenous Sm20S activity by more than 90% after 24 h. We provide direct evidence of the proteasome's importance to schistosome viability and identify a lead for which future studies will aim to improve the potency, selectivity, and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betsaida Bibo-Verdugo
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Steven C Wang
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Jehad Almaliti
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Anh P. Ta
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Zhenze Jiang
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Derek A. Wong
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Christopher B. Lietz
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Brian M. Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Nelly El-Sakkary
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Vivian Hook
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Guy S. Salvesen
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - William H. Gerwick
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Conor R. Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Anthony J. O’Donoghue
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
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16
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Caffrey CR, El‐Sakkary N, Mäder P, Krieg R, Becker K, Schlitzer M, Drewry DH, Vennerstrom JL, Grevelding CG. Drug Discovery and Development for Schistosomiasis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527808656.ch8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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17
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Probst A, Nguyen TN, El-Sakkary N, Skinner D, Suzuki BM, Buckner FS, Gelb MH, Caffrey CR, Debnath A. Bioactivity of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors Against Entamoeba histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:180. [PMID: 31192168 PMCID: PMC6548881 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica can induce amebic colitis and amebic liver abscess. First-line drugs for the treatment of amebiasis are nitroimidazoles, particularly metronidazole. Metronidazole has side effects and potential drug resistance is a concern. Schistosomiasis, a chronic and painful infection, is caused by various species of the Schistosoma flatworm. There is only one partially effective drug, praziquantel, a worrisome situation should drug resistance emerge. As many essential metabolic pathways and enzymes are shared between eukaryotic organisms, it is possible to conceive of small molecule interventions that target more than one organism or target, particularly when chemical matter is already available. Farnesyltransferase (FT), the last common enzyme for products derived from the mevalonate pathway, is vital for diverse functions, including cell differentiation and growth. Both E. histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni genomes encode FT genes. In this study, we phenotypically screened E. histolytica and S. mansoni in vitro with the established FT inhibitors, lonafarnib and tipifarnib, and with 125 tipifarnib analogs previously screened against both the whole organism and/or the FT of Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi. For E. histolytica, we also explored whether synergy arises by combining lonafarnib and metronidazole or lonafarnib with statins that modulate protein prenylation. We demonstrate the anti-amebic and anti-schistosomal activities of lonafarnib and tipifarnib, and identify 17 tipifarnib analogs with more than 75% growth inhibition at 50 μM against E. histolytica. Apart from five analogs of tipifarnib exhibiting activity against both E. histolytica and S. mansoni, 10 additional analogs demonstrated anti-schistosomal activity (severe degenerative changes at 10 μM after 24 h). Analysis of the structure-activity relationship available for the T. brucei FT suggests that FT may not be the relevant target in E. histolytica and S. mansoni. For E. histolytica, combination of metronidazole and lonafarnib resulted in synergism for growth inhibition. Also, of a number of statins tested, simvastatin exhibited moderate anti-amebic activity which, when combined with lonafarnib, resulted in slight synergism. Even in the absence of a definitive molecular target, identification of potent anti-parasitic tipifarnib analogs encourages further exploration while the synergistic combination of metronidazole and lonafarnib offers a promising treatment strategy for amebiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Probst
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Thi N Nguyen
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nelly El-Sakkary
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Danielle Skinner
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Frederick S Buckner
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Michael H Gelb
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Anjan Debnath
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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18
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Manner CK, Graef KM, Dent J. WIPO Re:Search: Catalyzing Public-Private Partnerships to Accelerate Tropical Disease Drug Discovery and Development. Trop Med Infect Dis 2019; 4:tropicalmed4010053. [PMID: 30917506 PMCID: PMC6473380 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed4010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical diseases, including malaria and a group of infections termed neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), pose enormous threats to human health and wellbeing globally. In concert with efforts to broaden access to current treatments, it is also critical to expand research and development (R&D) of new drugs that address therapeutic gaps and concerns associated with existing medications, including emergence of resistance. Limited commercial incentives, particularly compared to products for diseases prevalent in high-income countries, have hindered many pharmaceutical companies from contributing their immense product development know-how and resources to tropical disease R&D. In this article we present WIPO Re:Search, an international initiative co-led by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as an innovative and impactful public-private partnership model that promotes cross-sector intellectual property sharing and R&D to accelerate tropical disease drug discovery and development. Importantly, WIPO Re:Search also drives progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through case studies, we illustrate how WIPO Re:Search empowers high-quality tropical disease drug discovery researchers from academic/non-profit organizations and small companies (including scientists in low- and middle-income countries) to leapfrog their R&D programs by accessing pharmaceutical industry resources that may not otherwise be available to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathyryne K Manner
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
| | - Katy M Graef
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
| | - Jennifer Dent
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
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19
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Weber CJ, Hargan-Calvopiña J, Graef KM, Manner CK, Dent J. WIPO Re:Search-A Platform for Product-Centered Cross-Sector Partnerships for the Elimination of Schistosomiasis. Trop Med Infect Dis 2019; 4:E11. [PMID: 30634429 PMCID: PMC6473617 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed4010011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease that affects over 200 million people worldwide, and with over 700 million people estimated to be at risk of contracting this disease, it is a pressing issue in global health. However, research and development (R&D) to develop new approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating schistosomiasis has been relatively limited. Praziquantel, a drug developed in the 1970s, is the only agent used in schistosomiasis mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns, indicating a critical need for a diversified therapeutic pipeline. Further, gaps in the vaccine and diagnostic pipelines demonstrate a need for early-stage innovation in all areas of schistosomiasis product R&D. As a platform for public-private partnerships (PPPs), the WIPO Re:Search consortium engages the private sector in early-stage R&D for neglected diseases by forging mutually beneficial collaborations and facilitating the sharing of intellectual property (IP) assets between the for-profit and academic/non-profit sectors. The Consortium connects people, resources, and ideas to fill gaps in neglected disease product development pipelines by leveraging the strengths of these two sectors. Using WIPO Re:Search as an example, this article highlights the opportunities for the PPP model to play a key role in the elimination of schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callie J Weber
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
| | | | - Katy M Graef
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
| | - Cathyryne K Manner
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
| | - Jennifer Dent
- BIO Ventures for Global Health, 2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1950, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.
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20
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Hernandez HW, Soeung M, Zorn KM, Ashoura N, Mottin M, Andrade CH, Caffrey CR, de Siqueira-Neto JL, Ekins S. High Throughput and Computational Repurposing for Neglected Diseases. Pharm Res 2018; 36:27. [PMID: 30560386 PMCID: PMC6792295 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-018-2558-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent are a heterogeneous group of communicable diseases that are found within the poorest populations of the world. There are 23 NTDs that have been prioritized by the World Health Organization, which are endemic in 149 countries and affect more than 1.4 billion people, costing these developing economies billions of dollars annually. The NTDs result from four different causative pathogens: protozoa, bacteria, helminth and virus. The majority of the diseases lack effective treatments. Therefore, new therapeutics for NTDs are desperately needed. Methods We describe various high throughput screening and computational approaches that have been performed in recent years. We have collated the molecules identified in these studies and calculated molecular properties. Results Numerous global repurposing efforts have yielded some promising compounds for various neglected tropical diseases. These compounds when analyzed as one would expect appear drug-like. Several large datasets are also now in the public domain and this enables machine learning models to be constructed that then facilitate the discovery of new molecules for these pathogens. Conclusions In the space of a few years many groups have either performed experimental or computational repurposing high throughput screens against neglected diseases. These have identified compounds which in many cases are already approved drugs. Such approaches perhaps offer a more efficient way to develop treatments which are generally not a focus for global pharmaceutical companies because of the economics or the lack of a viable market. Other diseases could perhaps benefit from these repurposing approaches. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11095-018-2558-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melinda Soeung
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kimberley M Zorn
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27606, USA
| | | | - Melina Mottin
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Faculdade de Farmacia, Universidade Federal de Goias - UFG, Goiânia, GO, 74605-170, Brazil
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Drug Design Faculdade de Farmacia, Universidade Federal de Goias - UFG, Goiânia, GO, 74605-170, Brazil
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, 92093, USA
| | - Jair Lage de Siqueira-Neto
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, 92093, USA
| | - Sean Ekins
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27606, USA.
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21
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TPT sulfonate, a single, oral dose schistosomicidal prodrug: In vivo efficacy, disposition and metabolic profiling. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2018; 8:571-586. [PMID: 30503203 PMCID: PMC6287543 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of schistosomiasis relies precariously on just one drug, praziquantel (PZQ). In the search for alternatives, 15 S-[2-(alkylamino)alkane] thiosulfuric acids were obtained from a previous research program and profiled in mice for efficacy against both mature (>42-day-old) and juvenile (21-day-old) Schistosoma mansoni using a screening dose of 100 mg/kg PO QDx4. One compound, S-[2-(tert-butylamino)-1-phenylethane] thiosulfuric acid (TPT sulfonate), was the most effective by decreasing female and male worm burdens by ≥ 90% and ≥46% (mature), and ≥89% and ≥79% (juvenile), respectively. In contrast, PZQ decreased mature female and male worm burdens by 95% and 94%, respectively, but was ineffective against juvenile stages. Against 7-day-old lung-stage worms, TPT sulfonate was only effective at twice the dose decreasing female and male burdens by 95 and 80%, respectively. Single oral doses at 400 and/or 600 mg/kg across various developmental time-points (1-, 7-, 15-, 21- and/or 42 day-old) were consistent with the QD x4 data; efficacy was strongest once the parasites had completed lung migration, and female and male burdens were decreased by at least 90% and 80%, respectively. In vitro, TPT sulfonate is inactive against the parasite suggesting a pro-drug mechanism of action. In mice, TPT sulfonate is fully absorbed and subject to rapid, non-CYP-mediated, first-pass metabolism that is initiated by desulfation and yields a series of metabolites. The initially-formed free thiol-containing metabolite, termed TP thiol, was chemically synthesized; it dose-dependently decreased S. mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium motility in vitro. Also, when administered as a single 50 mg/kg IP dose, TP thiol decreased 33-day-old S. mansoni female and male burdens by 35% and 44%, with less severe organomegaly. Overall, TPT sulfonate's efficacy profile is competitive with that of PZQ. Also, the characterization of a parasiticidal metabolite facilitates an understanding and improvement of the chemistry, and identification of the mechanism of action and/or target. TPT sulfonate provides single dose efficacy that is competitive with the current drug, praziquantel. TPT sulfonate must be biotransformed to be active. TPT sulfonate is fully absorbed and subject to rapid, non-CYP-mediated, first-pass metabolism. One of the key metabolites, TP thiol, is anti-schistosomal in vitro and in vivo.
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22
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Padalino G, Ferla S, Brancale A, Chalmers IW, Hoffmann KF. Combining bioinformatics, cheminformatics, functional genomics and whole organism approaches for identifying epigenetic drug targets in Schistosoma mansoni. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2018; 8:559-570. [PMID: 30455056 PMCID: PMC6288008 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis endangers the lives of greater than 200 million people every year and is predominantly controlled by a single class chemotherapy, praziquantel (PZQ). Development of PZQ replacement (to combat the threat of PZQ insensitivity/resistance arising) or combinatorial (to facilitate the killing of PZQ-insensitive juvenile schistosomes) chemotherapies would help sustain this control strategy into the future. Here, we re-categorise two families of druggable epigenetic targets in Schistosoma mansoni, the histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and the histone demethylases (HDMs). Amongst these, a S. mansoni Lysine Specific Demethylase 1 (SmLSD1, Smp_150560) homolog was selected for further analyses. Homology modelling of SmLSD1 and in silico docking of greater than four thousand putative inhibitors identified seven (L1 – L7) showing more favourable binding to the target pocket of SmLSD1 vs Homo sapiens HsLSD1; six of these seven (L1 – L6) plus three structural analogues of L7 (L8 – L10) were subsequently screened against schistosomula using the Roboworm anthelmintic discovery platform. The most active compounds (L10 - pirarubicin > L8 – danunorubicin hydrochloride) were subsequently tested against juvenile (3 wk old) and mature (7 wk old) schistosome stages and found to impede motility, suppress egg production and affect tegumental surfaces. When compared to a surrogate human cell line (HepG2), a moderate window of selectivity was observed for the most active compound L10 (selectivity indices - 11 for schistosomula, 9 for juveniles, 1.5 for adults). Finally, RNA interference of SmLSD1 recapitulated the egg-laying defect of schistosomes co-cultivated in the presence of L10 and L8. These preliminary results suggest that SmLSD1 represents an attractive new target for schistosomiasis; identification of more potent and selective SmLSD1 compounds, however, is essential. Nevertheless, the approaches described herein highlight an interdisciplinary strategy for selecting and screening novel/repositioned anti-schistosomals, which can be applied to any druggable (epigenetic) target encoded by the parasite's genome. Schistosoma mansoni contains 27 histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and 14 histone demethylases (HDMs). S. mansoni lysine specific demethylase 1 (SmLSD1) is a druggable target. Schistosomes treated with the putative SmLSD1 inhibitor pirarubicin or siRNAs targeting SmLSD1 are less fecund.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Padalino
- The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, Wales, UK.
| | - Salvatore Ferla
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrea Brancale
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3NB, United Kingdom.
| | - Iain W Chalmers
- The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, Wales, UK.
| | - Karl F Hoffmann
- The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, Wales, UK.
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Mäder P, Rennar GA, Ventura AMP, Grevelding CG, Schlitzer M. Chemotherapy for Fighting Schistosomiasis: Past, Present and Future. ChemMedChem 2018; 13:2374-2389. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mäder
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Georg A. Rennar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Alejandra M. Peter Ventura
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Christoph G. Grevelding
- Institute of Parasitology, BFS; Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen; Schubertstraße 81 35392 Gießen Germany
| | - Martin Schlitzer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Philipps-Universität Marburg; Marbacher Weg 6 35032 Marburg Germany
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24
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Parreira RLT, Costa ES, Heleno VCG, Magalhães LG, Souza JM, Pauletti PM, Cunha WR, Januário AH, Símaro GV, Bastos JK, Laurentiz RS, Kar T, Caramori GF, Kawano DF, Andrade E Silva ML. Evaluation of Lignans from Piper cubeba against Schistosoma mansoni Adult Worms: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study. Chem Biodivers 2018; 16:e1800305. [PMID: 30335227 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201800305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Six dibenzylbutyrolactonic lignans ((-)-hinokinin (1), (-)-cubebin (2), (-)-yatein (3), (-)-5-methoxyyatein (4), dihydrocubebin (5) and dihydroclusin (6)) were isolated from Piper cubeba seed extract and evaluated against Schistosoma mansoni. All lignans, except 5, were able to separate the adult worm pairs and reduce the egg numbers during 24 h of incubation. Lignans 1, 3 and 4 (containing a lactone ring) were the most efficient concerning antiparasitary activity. Comparing structures 3 and 4, the presence of the methoxy group at position 5 appears to be important for this activity. Considering 1 and 3, it is possible to see that the substitution pattern change (methylenedioxy or methoxy groups) in positions 3' and 4' alter the biological response, with 1 being the second most active compound. Computational calculations suggest that the activity of compound 4 can be correlated with the largest lipophilicity value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato L T Parreira
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eveline S Costa
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vladimir C G Heleno
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lizandra G Magalhães
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julia M Souza
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patrícia M Pauletti
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson R Cunha
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana H Januário
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Guilherme V Símaro
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jairo K Bastos
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosangela S Laurentiz
- Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Avenida Brasil 56, 15385-000 Ilha Solteira, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tapas Kar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322-0300, USA
| | - Giovanni F Caramori
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário Trindade, 88040-900, CP 476 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Daniel Fábio Kawano
- Universidade de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Rua Cândido Portinari 200, 13083-871 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Márcio L Andrade E Silva
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas, Universidade de Franca, Av. Dr. Armando Salles Oliveira 201, 14404-600 Franca, São Paulo, Brazil
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25
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Rugel A, Tarpley RS, Lopez A, Menard T, Guzman MA, Taylor AB, Cao X, Kovalskyy D, Chevalier FD, Anderson TJC, Hart PJ, LoVerde PT, McHardy SF. Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Novel Small Molecules as Broad Range Antischistosomal Agents. ACS Med Chem Lett 2018; 9:967-973. [PMID: 30344901 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.8b00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a major human parasitic disease afflicting more than 250 million people, historically treated with chemotherapies praziquantel or oxamniquine. Since oxamniquine is species-specific, killing Schistosoma mansoni but not other schistosome species (S. haematobium or S. japonicum) and evidence for drug resistant strains is growing, research efforts have focused on identifying novel approaches. Guided by data from X-ray crystallographic studies and Schistosoma worm killing assays on oxamniquine, our structure-based drug design approach produced a robust structure-activity relationship (SAR) program that identified several new lead compounds with effective worm killing. These studies culminated in the discovery of compound 12a, which demonstrated broad-species activity in killing S. mansoni (75%), S. haematobium (40%), and S. japonicum (83%).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reid S. Tarpley
- Center for Innovative
Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Chemistry, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Ambrosio Lopez
- Center for Innovative
Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Chemistry, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | - Travis Menard
- Center for Innovative
Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Chemistry, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
| | | | - Alexander B. Taylor
- X-ray Crystallography Core Laboratory,Institutional Research Cores, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229, United States
| | | | | | - Frédéric D. Chevalier
- Texas BioMedical Research Institute, 7620 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78227-5301, United States
| | - Timothy J. C. Anderson
- Texas BioMedical Research Institute, 7620 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78227-5301, United States
| | - P. John Hart
- X-ray Crystallography Core Laboratory,Institutional Research Cores, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229, United States
- Department of Veterans Affairs, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas 78229, United States
| | | | - Stanton F. McHardy
- Center for Innovative
Drug Discovery, University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Chemistry, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, United States
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26
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Abstract
Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms (blood flukes) of the genus Schistosoma, with considerable morbidity in parts of the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and, particularly, in sub-Saharan Africa. Infective larvae grow in an intermediate host (fresh-water snails) before penetrating the skin of the definitive human host. Mature adult worms reside in the mesenteric (Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum) or pelvic (Schistosoma haematobium) veins, where female worms lay eggs, which are secreted in stool or urine. Eggs trapped in the surrounding tissues and organs, such as the liver and bladder, cause inflammatory immune responses (including granulomas) that result in intestinal, hepato-splenic or urogenital disease. Diagnosis requires the detection of eggs in excreta or worm antigens in the serum, and sensitive, rapid, point-of-care tests for populations living in endemic areas are needed. The anti-schistosomal drug praziquantel is safe and efficacious against adult worms of all the six Schistosoma spp. infecting humans; however, it does not prevent reinfection and the emergence of drug resistance is a concern. Schistosomiasis elimination will require a multifaceted approach, including: treatment; snail control; information, education and communication; improved water, sanitation and hygiene; accurate diagnostics; and surveillance-response systems that are readily tailored to social-ecological settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald P McManus
- Immunology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - David W Dunne
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Moussa Sacko
- Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Research, Institut National de Recherche en Santé Publique, Bamako, Mali
| | - Jürg Utzinger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Birgitte J Vennervald
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xiao-Nong Zhou
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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27
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Lopes MS, Suzuki BM, Pereira GADN, Probst AC, Ferreira RS, Oliveira JTD, Tecchio KB, Santos FVD, Caffrey CR, Oliveira RBD. Ortho-nitrobenzyl derivatives as potential anti-schistosomal agents. BRAZ J PHARM SCI 2018. [DOI: 10.1590/s2175-97902018000217376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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28
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Gouveia MJ, Brindley PJ, Gärtner F, Costa JMCD, Vale N. Drug Repurposing for Schistosomiasis: Combinations of Drugs or Biomolecules. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2018; 11:E15. [PMID: 29401734 PMCID: PMC5874711 DOI: 10.3390/ph11010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease. Control of schistosomiasis currently relies on a single drug, praziquantel, and despite its efficacy against the all schistosome species that parasitize humans, it displays some problematic drawbacks and alone is ineffective in counteracting adverse pathologies associated with infection. Moreover, due to the development of the potential emergence of PZQ-resistant strains, the search for additional or alternative antischistosomal drugs have become a public health priority. The current drug discovery for schistosomiasis has been slow and uninspiring. By contrast, repurposing of existing approved drugs may offer a safe, rapid and cost-effective alternative. Combined treatment with PZQ and other drugs with different mode of action, i.e., antimalarials, shows promise results. In addition, a combination of anthelminthic drugs with antioxidant might be advantageous for modulating oxidative processes associated with schistosomiasis. Herein, we review studies dealing with combination therapies that involve PZQ and other anthelminthic drugs and/or antioxidant agents in treatment of schistosomiasis. Whereas PZQ combined with antioxidant agents might or might not interfere with anthelminthic efficacy, combinations may nonetheless ameliorate tissue damage and infection-associated complications. In fact, alone or combine with other drugs, antioxidants might be a valuable adjuvant to reduce morbidity and mortality of schistosomiasis. Therefore, attempting new combinations of anthelmintic drugs with other biomolecules such as antioxidants provides new avenues for discovery of alternatives to PZQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Gouveia
- UCBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
- Center for the Study of Animal Science, ICETA, University of Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira, Apartado 55142, 4031-401 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Paul J Brindley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, and Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
| | - Fátima Gärtner
- Department of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho, 45, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
- Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health (i3s), Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
| | - José M Correia da Costa
- Center for the Study of Animal Science, ICETA, University of Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira, Apartado 55142, 4031-401 Porto, Portugal.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, INSA-National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Rua Alexandre Herculano 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Nuno Vale
- UCBIO/REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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29
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Abstract
Praziquantel has remained the drug of choice for schistosomiasis chemotherapy for almost 40 years. The pressing need to develop a new antischistosomal drug may necessitate exploring and filtering chemotherapeutic history to search for the most promising ones. In this context, this review attempts to summarize all progress made in schistosomiasis chemotherapy from the early 20th century (mid-1910s) to 2016. We gathered almost 100 compounds providing information on therapeutic action, specifically covering at least first in vivo studies in animal model and in vitro. Pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of antischistosomal agents were also described. Preclinical studies indicate a handful of promising future candidates.
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30
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Elmasry A, Aladeeb NM, Elkaref A, Aboulfotouh N. Simvastatin exerts antifibrotic effect and potentiates the antischistosomal effects of praziquantel in a murine model: Role of IL10. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 96:215-221. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.09.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
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31
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Eshleman R, Singh R. Reconstructing the Temporal Progression of Biological Data Using Cluster Spanning Trees. IEEE Trans Nanobioscience 2017; 16:140-147. [PMID: 28207402 DOI: 10.1109/tnb.2017.2667402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the temporal progression of a set of biological samples is crucial for comprehending the dynamics of the underlying molecular interactions. It is often also a basic step in data denoising and synchronization. Finally, identifying the progression order is crucial for problems like cell lineage identification, disease progression, tumor classification, and epidemiology and thus impacts the spectrum of disciplines spanning basic biology, drug discovery, and public health. Current methods that attempt solving this problem, face difficulty when it is necessary to factor-in complex relationships within the data, such as grouping, partial ordering or bifurcating or multifurcating progressions. We propose the notion of cluster spanning trees (CST) that can model both linear as well as the aforementioned complex progression relationships in temporally evolving data. Through a number of experimental investigations involving synthetic data sets as well as data sets from the cell cycle, cellular differentiation, phenotypic screening, and genetic variation, we show that the proposed CST approach outperforms existing methods in reconstructing the temporal progression of the data.
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Cotton JA, Bennuru S, Grote A, Harsha B, Tracey A, Beech R, Doyle SR, Dunn M, Dunning Hotopp JC, Holroyd N, Kikuchi T, Lambert O, Mhashilkar A, Mutowo P, Nursimulu N, Ribeiro JMC, Rogers MB, Stanley E, Swapna LS, Tsai IJ, Unnasch TR, Voronin D, Parkinson J, Nutman TB, Ghedin E, Berriman M, Lustigman S. The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness. Nat Microbiol 2016; 2:16216. [PMID: 27869790 PMCID: PMC5310847 DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Human onchocerciasis is a serious neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus that can lead to blindness and chronic disability. Control of the disease relies largely on mass administration of a single drug, and the development of new drugs and vaccines depends on a better knowledge of parasite biology. Here, we describe the chromosomes of O. volvulus and its Wolbachia endosymbiont. We provide the highest-quality sequence assembly for any parasitic nematode to date, giving a glimpse into the evolution of filarial parasite chromosomes and proteomes. This resource was used to investigate gene families with key functions that could be potentially exploited as targets for future drugs. Using metabolic reconstruction of the nematode and its endosymbiont, we identified enzymes that are likely to be essential for O. volvulus viability. In addition, we have generated a list of proteins that could be targeted by Federal-Drug-Agency-approved but repurposed drugs, providing starting points for anti-onchocerciasis drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Cotton
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Sasisekhar Bennuru
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Alexandra Grote
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Bhavana Harsha
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Alan Tracey
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Robin Beech
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Stephen R. Doyle
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Matthew Dunn
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Julie C. Dunning Hotopp
- Institute for Genome Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Taisei Kikuchi
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Olivia Lambert
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Amruta Mhashilkar
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA
| | - Prudence Mutowo
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Nirvana Nursimulu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3G4, Canada
- Division of Molecular Structure and Function, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Jose M. C. Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Matthew B. Rogers
- Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224, USA
| | - Eleanor Stanley
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Lakshmipuram S. Swapna
- Division of Molecular Structure and Function, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Isheng J. Tsai
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Thomas R. Unnasch
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA
| | - Denis Voronin
- New York Blood Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - John Parkinson
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3G4, Canada
- Division of Molecular Structure and Function, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Thomas B. Nutman
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Elodie Ghedin
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
- College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, UK
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Discovery of Novel Antischistosomal Agents by Molecular Modeling Approaches. Trends Parasitol 2016; 32:874-886. [PMID: 27593339 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis, a chronic neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma worms, is reported in nearly 80 countries. Although the disease affects approximately 260 million people, the treatment relies exclusively on praziquantel, a drug discovered in the mid-1970s that lacks efficacy against the larval stages of the parasite. In addition, the dependence on a single treatment has raised concerns about drug resistance, and reduced susceptibility has already been found in laboratory and field isolates. Therefore, novel therapies for schistosomiasis are needed, and several approaches have been used to that end. One of these strategies, molecular modeling, has been increasingly integrated with experimental techniques, resulting in the discovery of novel antischistosomal agents.
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Alencar ACMDB, Santos TDS, Neves RH, Lopes Torres EJ, Nogueira-Neto JF, Machado-Silva JR. Simvastatin and artesunate impact the structural organization of adult Schistosoma mansoni in hypercholesterolemic mice. Exp Parasitol 2016; 167:115-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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35
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Drug repositioning approaches to parasitic diseases: a medicinal chemistry perspective. Drug Discov Today 2016; 21:1699-1710. [PMID: 27365271 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Identifying new indications for clinically useful drugs is a worthwhile approach for neglected tropical diseases. The number of successful repurposing cases in the field is growing as not-for-profit organizations, in association with academia and pharmaceutical companies, enable screening campaigns for the identification of new repositioning candidates. Current programs have delivered encouraging results as the use of state-of-the-art technologies, such as genomic and structural biology tools, and high-throughput screening platforms have become increasingly common in infectious disease research. Drug repositioning has played a key part in improving the lives of those suffering from these conditions, as evidenced by successful precedents and recent studies on preeminent parasitic disorders.
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36
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Knecht AC, Campbell MT, Caprez A, Swanson DR, Walia H. Image Harvest: an open-source platform for high-throughput plant image processing and analysis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:3587-99. [PMID: 27141917 PMCID: PMC4892737 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput plant phenotyping is an effective approach to bridge the genotype-to-phenotype gap in crops. Phenomics experiments typically result in large-scale image datasets, which are not amenable for processing on desktop computers, thus creating a bottleneck in the image-analysis pipeline. Here, we present an open-source, flexible image-analysis framework, called Image Harvest (IH), for processing images originating from high-throughput plant phenotyping platforms. Image Harvest is developed to perform parallel processing on computing grids and provides an integrated feature for metadata extraction from large-scale file organization. Moreover, the integration of IH with the Open Science Grid provides academic researchers with the computational resources required for processing large image datasets at no cost. Image Harvest also offers functionalities to extract digital traits from images to interpret plant architecture-related characteristics. To demonstrate the applications of these digital traits, a rice (Oryza sativa) diversity panel was phenotyped and genome-wide association mapping was performed using digital traits that are used to describe different plant ideotypes. Three major quantitative trait loci were identified on rice chromosomes 4 and 6, which co-localize with quantitative trait loci known to regulate agronomically important traits in rice. Image Harvest is an open-source software for high-throughput image processing that requires a minimal learning curve for plant biologists to analyzephenomics datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avi C Knecht
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Holland Computing Center, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Malachy T Campbell
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Adam Caprez
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Holland Computing Center, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - David R Swanson
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Holland Computing Center, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Harkamal Walia
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
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37
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Repurposing pharma assets: an accelerated mechanism for strengthening the schistosomiasis drug development pipeline. Future Med Chem 2016; 7:727-35. [PMID: 25996066 DOI: 10.4155/fmc.15.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis, one of 17 diseases deemed to be neglected by the World Health Organization, has received little attention from the biopharmaceutical industry. Due to this, only a handful of drugs have been developed to treat schistosomiasis, with only one, praziquantel, used in most endemic regions. Growing concern over resistance coupled with praziquantel's incomplete efficacy across all stages of the Schistosoma platyhelminth life cycle highlights the urgent need for new drugs. The WIPO Re:Search consortium is a platform whereupon biopharmaceutical company compounds are being repurposed to efficiently and cost-effectively develop new drugs for neglected diseases such as schistosomiasis. This article summarizes recent clinical-stage efforts to identify new antischistosomals and highlights biopharmaceutical company compounds with potential for repurposing to treat schistosomiasis.
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38
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Long T, Neitz RJ, Beasley R, Kalyanaraman C, Suzuki BM, Jacobson MP, Dissous C, McKerrow JH, Drewry DH, Zuercher WJ, Singh R, Caffrey CR. Structure-Bioactivity Relationship for Benzimidazole Thiophene Inhibitors of Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK1), a Potential Drug Target in Schistosoma mansoni. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004356. [PMID: 26751972 PMCID: PMC4709140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosoma flatworm parasites cause schistosomiasis, a chronic and debilitating disease of poverty in developing countries. Praziquantel is employed for treatment and disease control. However, its efficacy spectrum is incomplete (less active or inactive against immature stages of the parasite) and there is a concern of drug resistance. Thus, there is a need to identify new drugs and drug targets. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We show that RNA interference (RNAi) of the Schistosoma mansoni ortholog of human polo-like kinase (huPLK)1 elicits a deleterious phenotypic alteration in post-infective larvae (schistosomula or somules). Phenotypic screening and analysis of schistosomula and adult S. mansoni with small molecule inhibitors of huPLK1 identified a number of potent anti-schistosomals. Among these was a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) benzimidazole thiophene inhibitor that has completed Phase I clinical trials for treatment of solid tumor malignancies. We then obtained GSKs Published Kinase Inhibitor Sets (PKIS) 1 and 2, and phenotypically screened an expanded series of 38 benzimidazole thiophene PLK1 inhibitors. Computational analysis of controls and PLK1 inhibitor-treated populations of somules demonstrated a distinctive phenotype distribution. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the phenotypes exhibited by these populations were mapped, visualized and analyzed through projection to a low-dimensional space. The phenotype distribution was found to have a distinct shape and topology, which could be elicited using cluster analysis. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) was identified for the benzimidazole thiophenes that held for both somules and adult parasites. The most potent inhibitors produced marked phenotypic alterations at 1-2 μM within 1 h. Among these were compounds previously characterized as potent inhibitors of huPLK1 in cell assays. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The reverse genetic and chemical SAR data support a continued investigation of SmPLK1 as a possible drug target and/or the prosecution of the benzimidazole thiophene chemotype as a source of novel anti-schistosomals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thavy Long
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - R. Jeffrey Neitz
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Small Molecule Discovery Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Rachel Beasley
- Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Chakrapani Kalyanaraman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Brian M. Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Matthew P. Jacobson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Colette Dissous
- Center of Infection and Immunity of Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, Inserm U1019, CNRS-UMR 8204, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
| | - James H. McKerrow
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - David H. Drewry
- Department of Chemical Biology, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - William J. Zuercher
- Department of Chemical Biology, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Rahul Singh
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Conor R. Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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Stroehlein AJ, Young ND, Jex AR, Sternberg PW, Tan P, Boag PR, Hofmann A, Gasser RB. Defining the Schistosoma haematobium kinome enables the prediction of essential kinases as anti-schistosome drug targets. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17759. [PMID: 26635209 PMCID: PMC4669435 DOI: 10.1038/srep17759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium causes urogenital schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects more than 110 million people. Treating this disease by targeted or mass administration with a single chemical, praziquantel, carries the risk that drug resistance will develop in this pathogen. Therefore, there is an imperative to search for new drug targets in S. haematobium and other schistosomes. In this regard, protein kinases have potential, given their essential roles in biological processes and as targets for drugs already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans. In this context, we defined here the kinome of S. haematobium using a refined bioinformatic pipeline. We classified, curated and annotated predicted kinases, and assessed the developmental transcription profiles of kinase genes. Then, we prioritised a panel of kinases as potential drug targets and inferred chemicals that bind to them using an integrated bioinformatic pipeline. Most kinases of S. haematobium are very similar to those of its congener, S. mansoni, offering the prospect of designing chemicals that kill both species. Overall, this study provides a global insight into the kinome of S. haematobium and should assist the repurposing or discovery of drugs against schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas J. Stroehlein
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Neil D. Young
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aaron R. Jex
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul W. Sternberg
- HHMI, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Patrick Tan
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Republic of Singapore
| | - Peter R. Boag
- Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andreas Hofmann
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Structural Chemistry Program, Eskitis Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Dvořák J, Fajtová P, Ulrychová L, Leontovyč A, Rojo-Arreola L, Suzuki BM, Horn M, Mareš M, Craik CS, Caffrey CR, O'Donoghue AJ. Excretion/secretion products from Schistosoma mansoni adults, eggs and schistosomula have unique peptidase specificity profiles. Biochimie 2015; 122:99-109. [PMID: 26409899 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2015.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is one of a number of chronic helminth diseases of poverty that severely impact personal and societal well-being and productivity. Peptidases (proteases) are vital to successful parasitism, and can modulate host physiology and immunology. Interference of peptidase action by specific drugs or vaccines can be therapeutically beneficial. To date, research on peptidases in the schistosome parasite has focused on either the functional characterization of individual peptidases or their annotation as part of global genome or transcriptome studies. We were interested in functionally characterizing the complexity of peptidase activity operating at the host-parasite interface, therefore the excretory-secretory products of key developmental stages of Schistosoma mansoni that parasitize the human were examined. Using class specific peptidase inhibitors in combination with a multiplex substrate profiling assay, a number of unique activities derived from endo- and exo-peptidases were revealed in the excretory-secretory products of schistosomula (larval migratory worms), adults and eggs. The data highlight the complexity of the functional degradome for each developmental stage of this parasite and facilitate further enquiry to establish peptidase identity, physiological and immunological function, and utility as drug or vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Dvořák
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 142 20, Czech Republic; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, The Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice CZ - 370 05, Czech Republic; Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 166 10, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Fajtová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 166 10, Czech Republic; First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague CZ - 121 08, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Ulrychová
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 142 20, Czech Republic; Dept. of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague CZ - 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Adrian Leontovyč
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 166 10, Czech Republic; First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague CZ - 121 08, Czech Republic
| | - Liliana Rojo-Arreola
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Brian M Suzuki
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Martin Horn
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 166 10, Czech Republic
| | - Michael Mareš
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ - 166 10, Czech Republic
| | - Charles S Craik
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Anthony J O'Donoghue
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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Panic G, Vargas M, Scandale I, Keiser J. Activity Profile of an FDA-Approved Compound Library against Schistosoma mansoni. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003962. [PMID: 26230921 PMCID: PMC4521867 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As plans to expand mass drug treatment campaigns to fight schistosomiasis form, worries about reliance on praziquantel as the sole available treatment motivate the investigation for novel antischistosomal compounds. Drug repurposing might be an inexpensive and effective source of novel antischistosomal leads. METHODOLOGY 1600 FDA approved compounds were first assayed against Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula at a concentration of 10 µM. Active compounds identified from this screen were advanced to the adult worm screen at 33.33 µM, followed by hit characterization. Leads with complementary pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles were then selected for in vivo studies. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The in vitro screen identified 121 and 36 compounds active against the schistosomula and adult stage, respectively. Further, in vitro characterization and comparison with already available pharmacokinetic and toxicity data identified 11 in vivo candidates. Doramectin (10 mg/kg) and clofazimine (400 mg/kg) were found to be active in vivo with worm burden reductions of 60.1% and 82.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The work presented here expands the knowledge of antischistosomal properties of already approved compounds and underscores variations observed between target-based and phenotypic approaches and among laboratories. The two in vivo-active drugs identified in this study, doramectin and clofazimine are widely available and present as novel drug classes as starting points for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordana Panic
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mireille Vargas
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Guidi A, Mansour NR, Paveley RA, Carruthers IM, Besnard J, Hopkins AL, Gilbert IH, Bickle QD. Application of RNAi to Genomic Drug Target Validation in Schistosomes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003801. [PMID: 25992548 PMCID: PMC4438872 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Concerns over the possibility of resistance developing to praziquantel (PZQ), has stimulated efforts to develop new drugs for schistosomiasis. In addition to the development of improved whole organism screens, the success of RNA interference (RNAi) in schistosomes offers great promise for the identification of potential drug targets to initiate drug discovery. In this study we set out to contribute to RNAi based validation of putative drug targets. Initially a list of 24 target candidates was compiled based on the identification of putative essential genes in schistosomes orthologous of C. elegans essential genes. Knockdown of Calmodulin (Smp_026560.2) (Sm-Calm), that topped this list, produced a phenotype characterised by waves of contraction in adult worms but no phenotype in schistosomula. Knockdown of the atypical Protein Kinase C (Smp_096310) (Sm-aPKC) resulted in loss of viability in both schistosomula and adults and led us to focus our attention on other kinase genes that were identified in the above list and through whole organism screening of known kinase inhibitor sets followed by chemogenomic evaluation. RNAi knockdown of these kinase genes failed to affect adult worm viability but, like Sm-aPKC, knockdown of Polo-like kinase 1, Sm-PLK1 (Smp_009600) and p38-MAPK, Sm-MAPK p38 (Smp_133020) resulted in an increased mortality of schistosomula after 2-3 weeks, an effect more marked in the presence of human red blood cells (hRBC). For Sm-PLK-1 the same effects were seen with the specific inhibitor, BI2536, which also affected viable egg production in adult worms. For Sm-PLK-1 and Sm-aPKC the in vitro effects were reflected in lower recoveries in vivo. We conclude that the use of RNAi combined with culture with hRBC is a reliable method for evaluating genes important for larval development. However, in view of the slow manifestation of the effects of Sm-aPKC knockdown in adults and the lack of effects of Sm-PLK-1 and Sm-MAPK p38 on adult viability, these kinases may not represent suitable drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Guidi
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nuha R. Mansour
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ross A. Paveley
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Carruthers
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Jérémy Besnard
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew L. Hopkins
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Ian H. Gilbert
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Quentin D. Bickle
- Department of Infection and Immunity, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Target-based molecular modeling strategies for schistosomiasis drug discovery. Future Med Chem 2015; 7:753-64. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.15.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by worms from the class Trematoda (genus Schistosoma), is a serious chronic condition that has been reported in approximately 80 countries. Nearly 250 million people are affected worldwide, mostly in the sub-Saharan Africa. Praziquantel, the mainstay of treatment, has been used for 30 years, and cases of resistance have been reported. The purpose of this perspective is to discuss current target-based molecular modeling strategies in schistosomiasis drug discovery. Advances in the field and the role played by the integration between computational modeling and experimental validation are also discussed. Finally, recent cases of the contribution of modern approaches in computational medicinal chemistry to the field are explored.
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Edwards J, Brown M, Peak E, Bartholomew B, Nash RJ, Hoffmann KF. The diterpenoid 7-keto-sempervirol, derived from Lycium chinense, displays anthelmintic activity against both Schistosoma mansoni and Fasciola hepatica. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003604. [PMID: 25768432 PMCID: PMC4358835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Two platyhelminths of biomedical and commercial significance are Schistosoma mansoni (blood fluke) and Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke). These related trematodes are responsible for the chronic neglected tropical diseases schistosomiasis and fascioliasis, respectively. As no vaccine is currently available for anti-flukicidal immunoprophylaxis, current treatment is mediated by mono-chemical chemotherapy in the form of mass drug administration (MDA) (praziquantel for schistosomiasis) or drenching (triclabendazole for fascioliasis) programmes. This overreliance on single chemotherapeutic classes has dramatically limited the number of novel chemical entities entering anthelmintic drug discovery pipelines, raising significant concerns for the future of sustainable blood and liver fluke control. Methodology/ Principle Findings Here we demonstrate that 7-keto-sempervirol, a diterpenoid isolated from Lycium chinense, has dual anthelmintic activity against related S. mansoni and F. hepatica trematodes. Using a microtiter plate-based helminth fluorescent bioassay (HFB), this activity is specific (Therapeutic index = 4.2, when compared to HepG2 cell lines) and moderately potent (LD50 = 19.1 μM) against S. mansoni schistosomula cultured in vitro. This anti-schistosomula effect translates into activity against both adult male and female schistosomes cultured in vitro where 7-keto-sempervirol negatively affects motility/behaviour, surface architecture (inducing tegumental holes, tubercle swelling and spine loss/shortening), oviposition rates and egg morphology. As assessed by the HFB and microscopic phenotypic scoring matrices, 7-keto-sempervirol also effectively kills in vitro cultured F. hepatica newly excysted juveniles (NEJs, LD50 = 17.7 μM). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation of adult F. hepatica liver flukes co-cultured in vitro with 7-keto-sempervirol additionally demonstrates phenotypic abnormalities including breaches in tegumental integrity and spine loss. Conclusions/ Significance 7-keto-sempervirol negatively affects the viability and phenotype of two related pathogenic trematodes responsible for significant human and animal infectious diseases. This plant-derived, natural product is also active against both larval and adult developmental forms. As such, the data collectively indicate that 7-keto-sempervirol is an important starting point for anthelmintic drug development. Medicinal chemistry optimisation of more potent 7-keto-sempervirol analogues could lead to the identification of novel chemical entities useful for future combinatorial or replacement anthelmintic control. Schistosomiasis and fascioliasis are caused by two related trematodes found within the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms), and are classified as neglected diseases of poverty due to their effects on people living in the most underprivileged areas of the world. With no vaccine currently near development, and the existing strategy for global control based on the over-reliance on single-class chemotherapies, there is an urgent requirement for the identification of next generation anthelmintics. Here we demonstrate that 7-keto-sempervirol, a natural product derived from Lycium chinense, displays dual anthelmintic activity towards both Schistosoma mansoni (causative agent of schistosomiasis) and Fasciola hepatica (causative agent of fascioliasis). Utilising objective and phenotypic matrices, we show this activity to be selective (compared to a human cell line) and moderately potent against S. mansoni and F. hepatica larvae. This anti-larval effect translates into additional activity against both S. mansoni and F. hepatica adults where 7-keto-sempervirol induces phenotypic abnormalities including tegumental damage, motility disruption and oviposition inhibition. Due to 7-keto-sempervirol’s anthelmintic activity against multiple life stages of two parasitic trematodes, we contend that this starting chemical scaffold could be used to develop more effective compounds useful in controlling important parasites of biomedical and commercial relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Edwards
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Martha Brown
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Peak
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert J. Nash
- Phytoquest Ltd, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Karl F. Hoffmann
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Synthesis of a sugar-based thiosemicarbazone series and structure-activity relationship versus the parasite cysteine proteases rhodesain, cruzain, and Schistosoma mansoni cathepsin B1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2015; 59:2666-77. [PMID: 25712353 DOI: 10.1128/aac.04601-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The pressing need for better drugs against Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness, and schistosomiasis motivates the search for inhibitors of cruzain, rhodesain, and Schistosoma mansoni CB1 (SmCB1), the major cysteine proteases from Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, and S. mansoni, respectively. Thiosemicarbazones and heterocyclic analogues have been shown to be both antitrypanocidal and inhibitory against parasite cysteine proteases. A series of compounds was synthesized and evaluated against cruzain, rhodesain, and SmCB1 through biochemical assays to determine their potency and structure-activity relationships (SAR). This approach led to the discovery of 6 rhodesain, 4 cruzain, and 5 SmCB1 inhibitors with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of ≤ 10 μM. Among the compounds tested, the thiosemicarbazone derivative of peracetylated galactoside (compound 4i) was discovered to be a potent rhodesain inhibitor (IC50 = 1.2 ± 1.0 μM). The impact of a range of modifications was determined; removal of thiosemicarbazone or its replacement by semicarbazone resulted in virtually inactive compounds, and modifications in the sugar also diminished potency. Compounds were also evaluated in vitro against the parasites T. cruzi, T. brucei, and S. mansoni, revealing active compounds among this series.
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Geary TG, Sakanari JA, Caffrey CR. Anthelmintic drug discovery: into the future. J Parasitol 2015; 101:125-33. [PMID: 25584662 DOI: 10.1645/14-703.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The last half-century has provided all of the (few) drugs currently used to treat human helminthiases. Concern regarding the long-term utility of these drugs, given how readily resistance evolves in the veterinary-agricultural sector, spurs the discovery of new chemical entities. We review the approaches and technologies in use to identify anthelmintics and discuss a number of drug discovery paradigms that may prove pivotal to the next half-century of anthelmintic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy G Geary
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3V9
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47
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Beckmann S, Long T, Scheld C, Geyer R, Caffrey CR, Grevelding CG. Serum albumin and α-1 acid glycoprotein impede the killing of Schistosoma mansoni by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Imatinib. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2014; 4:287-95. [PMID: 25516839 PMCID: PMC4266805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The Abl tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib is toxic to S. mansoni in vitro but not in vivo in rodents. Blood components like serum albumin and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) negated Imatinib’s toxicity in vitro. Erythromycin partially restored the toxicity of Imatinib in vitro. High levels of AGP upon infection make rodents poor models for examining some small molecule inhibitors.
In the search for new drugs and drug targets to treat the flatworm disease schistosomiasis, protein kinases (PKs) have come under particular scrutiny because of their essential roles in developmental and physiological processes in schistosome parasites. In this context the application of the anti-cancer Abl tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor Imatinib (Gleevec/Glivec; STI-571) to adult Schistosoma mansoni in vitro has indicated negative effects on diverse physiological processes including survival. Motivated by these in vitro findings, we performed in vivo experiments in rodent models of S. mansoni infection. Unexpectedly, Imatinib had no effect on worm burden or egg-production. We found that the blood components serum albumin (SA) and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP or orosomucoid) negated Imatinib’s deleterious effects on adult S. mansoni and schistosomula (post-infective larvae) in vitro. This negative effect was partially reversed by erythromycin. AGP synthesis can increase as a consequence of inflammatory processes or infection; in addition upon infection AGP levels are 6–8 times higher in mice compared to humans. Therefore, mice and probably other rodents are poor infection models for measuring the effects of Imatinib in vivo. Accordingly, we suggest the routine evaluation of the ability of AGP and SA to block in vitro anti-schistosomal effects of small molecules like Imatinib prior to laborious and expensive animal experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Beckmann
- BFS, Institute for Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Thavy Long
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christina Scheld
- BFS, Institute for Parasitology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Geyer
- Institute for Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Gobert GN, You H, McManus DP. Gaining biological perspectives from schistosome genomes. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2014; 196:21-8. [PMID: 25076011 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2014.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Characterization of the genomic basis underlying schistosome biology is an important strategy for the development of future treatments and interventions. Genomic sequence is now available for the three major clinically relevant schistosome species, Schistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum and S. haematobium, and this information represents an invaluable resource for the future control of human schistosomiasis. The identification of a biologically important, but distinct from the host, schistosome gene product is the ultimate goal for many research groups. While the initial elucidation of the genome of an organism is critical for most biological research, continued improvement or curation of the genome construction should be an ongoing priority. In this review we will discuss prominent recent findings utilizing a systems approach to schistosome biology, as well as the increased use of interference RNA (RNAi). Both of these research strategies are aiming to place parasite genes into a more meaningful biological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey N Gobert
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Division, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Hong You
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Division, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Donald P McManus
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Division, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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