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Nazli A, Irshad Khan MZ, Rácz Á, Béni S. Acid-sensitive prodrugs; a promising approach for site-specific and targeted drug release. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 276:116699. [PMID: 39089000 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Abstract
Drugs administered through conventional formulations are devoid of targeting and often spread to various undesired sites, leading to sub-lethal concentrations at the site of action and the emergence of undesired effects. Hence, therapeutic agents should be delivered in a controlled manner at target sites. Currently, stimuli-based drug delivery systems have demonstrated a remarkable potential for the site-specific delivery of therapeutic moieties. pH is one of the widely exploited stimuli for drug delivery as several pathogenic conditions such as tumor cells, infectious and inflammatory sites are characterized by a low pH environment. This review article aims to demonstrate various strategies employed in the design of acid-sensitive prodrugs, providing an overview of commercially available acid-sensitive prodrugs. Furthermore, we have compiled the progress made for the development of new acid-sensitive prodrugs currently undergoing clinical trials. These prodrugs include albumin-binding prodrugs (Aldoxorubicin and DK049), polymeric micelle (NC-6300), polymer conjugates (ProLindac™), and an immunoconjugate (IMMU-110). The article encompasses a broad spectrum of studies focused on the development of acid-sensitive prodrugs for anticancer, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agents. Finally, the challenges associated with the acid-sensitive prodrug strategy are discussed, along with future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adila Nazli
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Semmelweis University, 1085, Budapest, Hungary.
| | | | - Ákos Rácz
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Semmelweis University, 1085, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Szabolcs Béni
- Integrative Health and Environmental Analysis Research Laboratory, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.
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Nazli A, He DL, Liao D, Khan MZI, Huang C, He Y. Strategies and progresses for enhancing targeted antibiotic delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 189:114502. [PMID: 35998828 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a global health issue and a potential risk for society. Antibiotics administered through conventional formulations are devoid of targeting effect and often spread to various undesired body sites, leading to sub-lethal concentrations at the site of action and thus resulting in emergence of resistance, as well as side effects. Moreover, we have a very slim antibiotic pipeline. Drug-delivery systems have been designed to control the rate, time, and site of drug release, and innovative approaches for antibiotic delivery provide a glint of hope for addressing these issues. This review elaborates different delivery strategies and approaches employed to overcome the limitations of conventional antibiotic therapy. These include antibiotic conjugates, prodrugs, and nanocarriers for local and targeted antibiotic release. In addition, a wide range of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and biological carriers for targeted antibiotic delivery are discussed. The potential advantages and limitations of targeted antibiotic delivery strategies are described along with possible solutions to avoid these limitations. A number of antibiotics successfully delivered through these approaches with attained outcomes and potentials are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adila Nazli
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, PR China
| | - David L He
- College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Dandan Liao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, PR China
| | | | - Chao Huang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, PR China.
| | - Yun He
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, PR China.
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Mascarello A, Azevedo H, Ferreira Junior MA, Ishikawa EE, Guimarães CRW. Design, synthesis and antihypertensive evaluation of novel codrugs with combined angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonism and neprilysin inhibition. Eur J Pharm Sci 2021; 159:105731. [PMID: 33493668 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.105731] [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: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The multifactorial etiology of hypertension has promoted the research of blood pressure-lowering agents with multitarget actions to achieve better clinical outcomes. We describe here the discovery of novel dual-acting antihypertensive codrugs combining pharmacophores with angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonism and neprilysin (NEP) inhibition. Specifically, the codrugs combine the AT1 antagonists losartan or its carboxylic acid active metabolite (E-3174) with selected monocarboxylic acid NEP inhibitors through a cleavable linker. The resulting codrugs exhibited high rates of in vitro conversion into the active molecules upon incubation with human/rat liver S9 fractions and in vivo conversion after oral administration in rodents. Moreover, the acute effects of one of the designed codrugs (3b) was confirmed at the doses of 10, 30 and 60 mg/kg p.o. in the spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) model, showing better antihypertensive response over 24 hours than the administration of an equivalent fixed-dose combination of 15 mg/kg of losartan and 14 mg/kg of the same NEP inhibitor used in 3b. The results demonstrate that the codrug approach is a plausible strategy to develop a single molecular entity with combined AT1 and NEP activities, aiming at achieving improved pharmacokinetics, efficacy and dosage convenience, as well as reduced drug-drug interaction for hypertension patients. In addition, the developability of the codrug should be comparable to the one of marketed AT1 antagonists, most of them prodrugs, but bearing only the AT1 pharmacophore.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hatylas Azevedo
- Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos, Guarulhos, São Paulo 07034-904, Brazil
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Carbamate group as structural motif in drugs: a review of carbamate derivatives used as therapeutic agents. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2020; 71:285-299. [PMID: 33410773 PMCID: PMC7968508 DOI: 10.2478/aiht-2020-71-3466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to their very good chemical and proteolytic stability, ability to penetrate cell membranes, and resemblance to a peptide bond, carbamate derivatives have received much attention in recent years and got an important role in modern drug discovery and medicinal chemistry. Today, carbamates make structural and/or functional part of many drugs and prodrugs approved and marketed for the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, hepatitis C, HIV infection, and Alzheimer's disease. In drugs they can play a role in drug-target interaction or improve the biological activity of parent molecules. In prodrugs they are mainly used to delay first-pass metabolism and enhance the bioavailability and effectiveness of compounds. This brief review takes a look at the properties and use of carbamates in various fields of medicine and provides quick insights into the mechanisms of action for some of them.
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Variations in the Morphology, Mechanics and Adhesion of Persister and Resister E. coli Cells in Response to Ampicillin: AFM Study. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9050235. [PMID: 32392749 PMCID: PMC7277365 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9050235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Persister bacterial cells are great at surviving antibiotics. The phenotypic means by which they do that are underexplored. As such, atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to quantify the contributions of the surface properties of the outer membrane of multidrug resistance (MDR)-Escherichia coli Strains (A5 and A9) in the presence of ampicillin at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (resistant cells) and at 20× MIC (persistent cells). The properties quantified were morphology, root mean square (RMS) roughness, adhesion, elasticity, and bacterial surface biopolymers' thickness and grafting density. Compared to untreated cells, persister cells of E. coli A5 increased their RMS, adhesion, apparent grafting density, and elasticity by 1.2, 3.4, 2.0, and 3.3 folds, respectively, and decreased their surface area and brush thickness by 1.3 and 1.2 folds, respectively. Similarly, compared to untreated cells, persister cells of E. coli A9 increased their RMS, adhesion and elasticity by 1.6, 4.4, and 4.5 folds, respectively; decreased their surface area and brush thickness by 1.4 and 1.6 folds, respectively; and did not change their grafting densities. Our results indicate that resistant and persistent E. coli A5 cells battled ampicillin by decreasing their size and going through dormancy. The resistant E. coli A9 cells resisted ampicillin through elongation, increased surface area, and adhesion. In contrast, the persistent E. coli A9 cells resisted ampicillin through increased roughness, increased surface biopolymers' grafting densities, increased cellular elasticities, and decreased surface areas. Mechanistic insights into how the resistant and persistent E. coli cells respond to ampicillin's treatment are instrumental to guide design efforts exploring the development of new antibiotics or renovating the existing antibiotics that may kill persistent bacteria by combining more than one mechanism of action.
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Uzoechi SC, Abu-Lail NI. Changes in Cellular Elasticities and Conformational Properties of Bacterial Surface Biopolymers of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli (MDR- E. coli) Strains in Response to Ampicillin. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 5. [PMID: 31179402 PMCID: PMC6550352 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2019.100019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The roles of the thicknesses and grafting densities of the surface biopolymers of four multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli bacterial strains that varied in their biofilm formation in controlling cellular elasticities after exposure to ampicillin were investigated using atomic force microscopy. Exposure to ampicillin was carried out at minimum inhibitory concentrations for different duration times. Our results indicated that the four strains resisted ampicillin through variable mechanisms. Strain A5 did not change its cellular properties upon exposure to ampicillin and as such resisted ampicillin through dormancy. Strain H5 increased its biopolymer brush thickness, adhesion and biofilm formation and kept its roughness, surface area and cell elasticity unchanged upon exposure to ampicillin. As such, this strain likely limits the diffusion of ampicillin by forming strong biofilms. At three hours’ exposure to ampicillin, strains D4 and A9 increased their roughness, surface areas, biofilm formation, and brush thicknesses and decreased their elasticities. Therefore, at short exposure times to ampicillin, these strains resisted ampicillin through forming strong biofilms that impede ampicillin diffusion. At eight hours’ exposure to ampicillin, strains D4 and A9 collapsed their biopolymers, increased their apparent grafting densities and increased their cellular elasticities. Therefore, at long exposure times to ampicillin, cells utilized their higher rigidity to reduce the diffusion of ampicillin into the cells. The findings of this study clearly point to the potential of using the nanoscale characterization of MDR bacterial properties as a means to monitor cell modifications that enhance “phenotypic antibiotic resistance”.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Uzoechi
- Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164.,Department of Biomedical Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, PMB 1526, Owerri, Nigeria
| | - Nehal I Abu-Lail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78249
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Uzoechi SC, Abu-Lail NI. The Effects of β-Lactam Antibiotics on Surface Modifications of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli: A Multiscale Approach. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2019; 25:135-150. [PMID: 30869575 PMCID: PMC6599534 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927618015696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Possible multidrug-resistant (MDR) mechanisms of four resistant strains of Escherichia coli to a model β-lactam, ampicillin, were investigated using contact angle measurements of wettability, crystal violet assays of permeability, biofilm formation, fluorescence imaging, and nanoscale analyses of dimensions, adherence, and roughness. Upon exposure to ampicillin, one of the resistant strains, E. coli A5, changed its phenotype from elliptical to spherical, maintained its roughness and biofilm formation abilities, decreased its length and surface area, maintained its cell wall integrity, increased its hydrophobicity, and decreased its nanoscale adhesion to a model surface of silicon nitride. Such modifications are suggested to allow these cells to conserve energy during metabolic dormancy. In comparison, resistant strains E. coli D4, A9, and H5 elongated their cells, increased their roughness, increased their nanoscale adhesion forces, became more hydrophilic, and increased their biofilm formation upon exposure to ampicillin. These results suggest that these strains resisted ampicillin through biofilm formation that possibly introduces diffusion limitations to antibiotics. Investigations of how MDR bacterial cells modify their surfaces in response to antibiotics can guide research efforts aimed at designing more effective antibiotics and new treatment strategies for MDR bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C. Uzoechi
- Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Nehal I. Abu-Lail
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
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