1
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Li S, Mu R, Guo X. Defensins regulate cell cycle: Insights of defensins on cellular proliferation and division. Life Sci 2024; 349:122740. [PMID: 38777302 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122740] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Defensins are a class of small antimicrobial peptides that play a crucial role against pathogens. However, recent research has highlighted defensins exhibit the ability to influence cell cycle checkpoints, promoting or inhibiting specific phases such as G1 arrest or S/M transition. By regulating the cell cycle, defensins impact the proliferation of normal and cancerous cells, with implications for cancer development and progression. Dysregulation of defensin expression can disrupt the delicate balance of cell cycle regulation, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and an increased risk of tumor formation. Defensins contribute to the resolution of inflammation, stimulate angiogenesis, and enhance the migration and proliferation of cells involved in tissue repair. Furthermore, The ability of defensins to respond to microenvironmental changes further demonstrates the significance of these peptides in host defense mechanisms and immune function. By adjusting their expression, defensins continue to combat pathogens effectively and maintain homeostasis within the body. This review highlights the multifaceted role of defensins in regulating the cell cycle and their broader implications in cancer progression, tissue repair, and microenvironmental response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Li
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, China.
| | - Rongrong Mu
- Affiliated Hospital of Sichuan Nursing Vocational College, The Third People's Hospital of Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xueqin Guo
- Department of Pathology, Gaomi City People's Hospital, Gaomi 261500, China
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2
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Li Y, Wu M, Fu Y, Xue J, Yuan F, Qu T, Rissanou AN, Wang Y, Li X, Hu H. Therapeutic stapled peptides: Efficacy and molecular targets. Pharmacol Res 2024; 203:107137. [PMID: 38522761 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Peptide stapling, by employing a stable, preformed alpha-helical conformation, results in the production of peptides with improved membrane permeability and enhanced proteolytic stability, compared to the original peptides, and provides an effective solution to accelerate the rapid development of peptide drugs. Various reviews present peptide stapling chemistries, anchoring residues and one- or two-component cyclization, however, therapeutic stapled peptides have not been systematically summarized, especially focusing on various disease-related targets. This review highlights the latest advances in therapeutic peptide drug development facilitated by the application of stapling technology, including different stapling techniques, synthetic accessibility, applicability to biological targets, potential for solving biological problems, as well as the current status of development. Stapled peptides as therapeutic drug candidates have been classified and analysed mainly by receptor- and ligand-based stapled peptide design against various diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation, and diabetes. This review is expected to provide a comprehensive reference for the rational design of stapled peptides for different diseases and targets to facilitate the development of therapeutic peptides with enhanced pharmacokinetic and biological properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulei Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, China.
| | - Minghao Wu
- School of Medicine, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Yinxue Fu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, China
| | - Jingwen Xue
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, China
| | - Fei Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, China
| | - Tianci Qu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong 250117, China
| | - Anastassia N Rissanou
- Theoretical & Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, Athens 11635, Greece
| | - Yilin Wang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 131 Dong'an Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Honggang Hu
- School of Medicine, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China.
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Thathapudi NC, Callai-Silva N, Malhotra K, Basu S, Aghajanzadeh-Kiyaseh M, Zamani-Roudbaraki M, Groleau M, Lombard-Vadnais F, Lesage S, Griffith M. Modified host defence peptide GF19 slows TNT-mediated spread of corneal herpes simplex virus serotype I infection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4096. [PMID: 38374240 PMCID: PMC10876564 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53662-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Corneal HSV-1 infections are a leading cause of infectious blindness globally by triggering tissue damage due to the intense inflammation. HSV-1 infections are treated mainly with antiviral drugs that clear the infections but are inefficient as prophylactics. The body produces innate cationic host defence peptides (cHDP), such as the cathelicidin LL37. Various epithelia, including the corneal epithelium, express LL37. cHDPs can cause disintegration of pathogen membranes, stimulate chemokine production, and attract immune cells. Here, we selected GF17, a peptide containing the LL37 fragment with bioactivity but with minimal cytotoxicity, and added two cell-penetrating amino acids to enhance its activity. The resulting GF19 was relatively cell-friendly, inducing only partial activation of antigen presenting immune cells in vitro. We showed that HSV-1 spreads by tunneling nanotubes in cultured human corneal epithelial cells. GF19 given before infection was able to block infection, most likely by blocking viral entry. When cells were sequentially exposed to viruses and GF19, the infection was attenuated but not arrested, supporting the contention that the GF19 mode of action was to block viral entry. Encapsulation into silica nanoparticles allowed a more sustained release of GF19, enhancing its activity. GF19 is most likely suitable as a prevention rather than a virucidal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neethi C Thathapudi
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Natalia Callai-Silva
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Kamal Malhotra
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1Y 4W7, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Sankar Basu
- Department of Microbiology, Asutosh College, (Affiliated With University of Calcutta), Kolkata, 700026, India
| | - Mozhgan Aghajanzadeh-Kiyaseh
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Mostafa Zamani-Roudbaraki
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Marc Groleau
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | | | - Sylvie Lesage
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - May Griffith
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, QC, H1T 2M4, Canada.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1J4, Canada.
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Nittayananta W, Lerdsamran H, Chutiwitoonchai N, Promsong A, Srichana T, Netsomboon K, Prasertsopon J, Kerdto J. A novel film spray containing curcumin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infection and enhances mucosal immunity. Virol J 2024; 21:26. [PMID: 38263162 PMCID: PMC10807123 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02282-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza virus is still a major worldwide health concern. Plants are a good source of bioactive compounds to be used as preventive measures for both inhibiting the virus binding and enhancing mucosal innate immunity. Curcumin has been shown to possess antiviral activity and modulate innate immunity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an oro-nasal film spray containing curcumin and determine its antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infection, as well as its effects on mucosal innate immunity and inflammatory cytokines in vitro. METHODS The antiviral activity of the film spray against SARS-CoV-2, influenza A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and influenza B was assessed in vitro by plaque reduction assay. Cytotoxicity of the film spray to oral keratinocytes and nasal epithelial cells was assessed by MTT assay, and cytotoxicity to Vero and MDCK cells was assessed by an MTS-based cytotoxicity assay. Oral and nasal innate immune markers in response to the film spray were determined by ELISA and by a commercial Milliplex Map Kit, respectively. RESULTS Our data show that the film spray containing curcumin can inhibit both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infections while maintaining cell viability. Results obtained among 4 viruses revealed that curcumin film spray demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 with the lowest EC50 of 3.15 µg/ml and the highest SI value of 4.62, followed by influenza B (EC50 = 6.32 µg/ml, SI = 2.04), influenza A/H1N1 (EC50 = 7.24 µg/ml, SI = 1.78), and influenza A/H3N2 (EC50 > 12.5 µg/ml, SI < 1.03), respectively. Antimicrobial peptides LL-37 and HD-5, IL-6 and TNF-α produced by oral keratinocytes were significantly induced by the film spray, while hBD2 was significantly reduced. CONCLUSION Film spray containing curcumin possesses multiple actions against SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting ACE-2 binding in target cells and enhancing mucosal innate immunity. The film spray can also inhibit influenza virus infection. Therefore, the curcumin film spray may be effective in preventing the viral infection of both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hatairat Lerdsamran
- Center for Research Innovation and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Nopporn Chutiwitoonchai
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Aornrutai Promsong
- Faculty of Medicine, Princess of Naradhiwas University, Narathiwat, Thailand
| | - Teerapol Srichana
- Drug Delivery System Excellence Center, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | | | - Jarunee Prasertsopon
- Center for Research Innovation and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Jaruta Kerdto
- Thammasat Hospital, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
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Loffredo MR, Nencioni L, Mangoni ML, Casciaro B. Antimicrobial peptides for novel antiviral strategies in the current post-COVID-19 pandemic. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3534. [PMID: 37501572 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3534] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has highlighted how urgent and necessary the discovery of new antiviral compounds is for novel therapeutic approaches. Among the various classes of molecules with antiviral activity, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of innate immunity are among the most promising ones, mainly due to their different mechanisms of action against viruses and additional biological properties. In this review, the main physicochemical characteristics of AMPs are described, with particular interest toward peptides derived from amphibian skin. Living in aquatic and terrestrial environments, amphibians are one of the richest sources of AMPs with different primary and secondary structures. Besides describing the various antiviral activities of these peptides and the underlying mechanism, this review aims at emphasizing the high potential of these small molecules for the development of new antiviral agents that likely reduce the selection of resistant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosa Loffredo
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Nencioni
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Mangoni
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Casciaro
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Santacroce L, Magrone T. Molluscum Contagiosum Virus: Biology and Immune Response. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1451:151-170. [PMID: 38801577 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-57165-7_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Molluscum contagiosum virus is a poxvirus belonging to the Poxviridae family, which includes Orthopoxvirus, Parapoxvirus, Yantapoxvirus, Molluscipoxvirus, Smallpox virus, Cowpox virus and Monkeypox virus. MCV belongs to the genus Molluscipoxvirus and has a tropism for skin tissue. MCV infects keratinocytes and, after an incubation period of 2 weeks to 6 weeks, causes a breakdown of the skin barrier with the development of papules of variable size depending on the proper functioning of the immune response (both adaptive and acquired). MCV only infects humans and does not cause viraemia. MCV encodes for several inhibitory proteins responsible to circumvent the immune response through different signalling pathways. Individuals who can be infected with MCV are children, immunocompromised individuals such as organ transplant recipients and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected individuals. Current treatments to manage MCV-induced lesions are different and include the use of immunomodulators, which, however, do not provide an effective response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Santacroce
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
| | - Thea Magrone
- Section of Microbiology and Virology, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
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Liang C, Wang H, Lin Z, Zhang C, Liu G, Hu Y. Augmented wound healing potential of photosensitive GelMA hydrogel incorporating antimicrobial peptides and MXene nanoparticles. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1310349. [PMID: 38179129 PMCID: PMC10764632 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1310349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Wound healing is a delicate and complex process influenced by many factors. The treatment of skin wounds commonly involves the use of wound dressings, which remain a routine approach. An ideal dressing can provide protection and a suitable environment for wound surfaces by maintaining moisture and exhibiting good biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and antibacterial properties to promote healing and prevent infection. Methods: We encapsulated tick-derived antibacterial polypeptides (Os) as a model drug within a methylacrylyl gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel containing MXene nanoparticles. The prepared composite hydrogels were evaluated for their wound dressing potential by analyzing surface morphology, mechanical properties, swelling behavior, degradation properties, antibacterial activity, and cytocompatibility. Results: The results demonstrated excellent mechanical strength, swelling performance, degradation behavior, and antibacterial activity of the prepared composite hydrogels, effectively promoting cell growth, adhesion, and expression of antibacterial peptide activity. A full-thickness rat wound model then observed the wound healing process and surface interactions between the composite hydrogels and wounds. The composite hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure, reduced inflammation, and sped epithelial formation and maturation. Discussion: Incorporating antibacterial peptides into GelMA provides a feasible strategy for developing excellent antibacterial wound dressings capable of tissue repair. In conclusion, this study presents a GelMA-based approach for designing antibacterial dressings with strong tissue regenerative ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengzhi Liang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China
| | - Hongyu Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Zhihao Lin
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Chengdong Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Guoming Liu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Yanling Hu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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8
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Abdul-Kareem HH, Al-Maqtoofi MY, Burghal AA. Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on saliva immune barriers: IgA, lysozyme, and lactoferrin. Arch Virol 2023; 168:293. [PMID: 37973637 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05914-3] [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] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the role of salivary constituents, such as lactoferrin, lysozyme, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), in immune protection and defense mechanisms against microbial invasion and colonization of the airways is important in light of the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The salivary immune barrier in individuals affected by COVID-19 may contribute to disease prognosis. Thus, the aim of the present review is to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 vaccines on the immunological composition of saliva. IgA antibodies generated by vaccination can neutralize the virus at mucosal surfaces, whereas antimicrobial peptides, such as lysozyme and lactoferrin, have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Collectively, these components contribute to the protective immune response of the oral cavity and may help minimize viral transmission as well as the severity of COVID-19. Measuring the levels of these components in the saliva of COVID-19-vaccinated individuals can help in evaluating the vaccine's ability to induce mucosal immunity, and it might also provide insights into whether saliva can be used in diagnostics or surveillance for monitoring immune responses following vaccination. This also has implications for viral transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marwan Y Al-Maqtoofi
- Biology Department, College of Science University of Basrah, Basrah, 61001, Iraq.
| | - Ahmed A Burghal
- Biology Department, College of Science University of Basrah, Basrah, 61001, Iraq
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Shao WB, Luo RS, Meng J, Lv XK, Xiang HM, Xiao WL, Zhou X, Liu LW, Wu ZB, Yang S. Engineering Phenothiazine-Based Functional Mimics of Host Defense Peptides as New Agrochemical Candidates: Design, Synthesis, and Antibacterial Evaluation. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023. [PMID: 37906428 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
In the protracted "arms race" between host and plant pathogenic bacteria, host organisms have evolved powerful weapons known as host defense peptides (HDPs). However, natural HDPs are not suitable for large-scale applications; therefore, researchers have chosen to develop bespoke small-molecule functional mimics. Phenothiazine derivatives were developed as functional HDPs mimics, owing to their broad biological activity and high lipophilicity. The phenothiazine analogues designed in this study exhibited excellent in vitro bioactivity against the three Gram-negative bacteria Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri, and Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, with optimal EC50 values of 0.80, 0.31, and 1.91 μg/mL, respectively. Preliminary evidence suggests that compound C2 may act on bacterial cell membranes and interact with bacterial Deoxyribonucleic acid in the groove binding mode. In vivo trials showed that compound C2 was highly effective against rice leaf blight (51.97-56.69%), with activity superior to those of bismerthiazol (40.7-43.4%) and thiodiazole copper (30.2-37.1%). Our study provides strong evidence to support the development of phenothiazine derivatives into pesticide candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu-Bin Shao
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Rong-Shuang Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jiao Meng
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xiao-Kang Lv
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Hong-Mei Xiang
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Wan-Lin Xiao
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Li-Wei Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Zhi-Bing Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Song Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
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Hu CT, Diaz K, Yang LC, Sharma A, Greenberg HB, Smith JG. Corrected and republished from: "VP4 Is a Determinant of Alpha-Defensin Modulation of Rotaviral Infection". J Virol 2023; 97:e0096223. [PMID: 37787534 PMCID: PMC10617384 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00962-23] [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: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in young children. Like other fecal-oral pathogens, rotaviruses encounter abundant, constitutively expressed defensins in the small intestine. These peptides are a vital part of the vertebrate innate immune system. By investigating the impact that defensins from multiple species have on the infectivity of different strains of rotavirus, we show that some rotaviral infections can be inhibited by defensins. We also found that rotaviruses may have evolved resistance to defensins in the intestine of their host species, and some even appropriate defensins to increase their infectivity. Because rotaviruses infect a broad range of animals and rotaviral infections are highly prevalent in children, identifying immune defenses against infection and how they vary across species and among viral genotypes is important for our understanding of the evolution, transmission, and zoonotic potential of these viruses as well as the improvement of vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciara T. Hu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Karina Diaz
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Linda C. Yang
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Anjali Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Harry B. Greenberg
- Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jason G. Smith
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Ali H, Naseem A, Siddiqui ZI. SARS-CoV-2 Syncytium under the Radar: Molecular Insights of the Spike-Induced Syncytia and Potential Strategies to Limit SARS-CoV-2 Replication. J Clin Med 2023; 12:6079. [PMID: 37763019 PMCID: PMC10531702 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12186079] [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: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection induces non-physiological syncytia when its spike fusogenic protein on the surface of the host cells interacts with the ACE2 receptor on adjacent cells. Spike-induced syncytia are beneficial for virus replication, transmission, and immune evasion, and contribute to the progression of COVID-19. In this review, we highlight the properties of viral fusion proteins, mainly the SARS-CoV-2 spike, and the involvement of the host factors in the fusion process. We also highlight the possible use of anti-fusogenic factors as an antiviral for the development of therapeutics against newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and how the fusogenic property of the spike could be exploited for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hashim Ali
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Asma Naseem
- Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Research and Teaching Department, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Zaheenul Islam Siddiqui
- Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, New York, NY 11501, USA
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12
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Chianese A, Zannella C, Monti A, Doti N, Sanna G, Manzin A, De Filippis A, Galdiero M. Hylin-a1: A Pan-Inhibitor against Emerging and Re-Emerging Respiratory Viruses. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13888. [PMID: 37762191 PMCID: PMC10531407 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Pandemic and epidemic outbreaks of respiratory viruses are a challenge for public health and social care system worldwide, leading to high mortality and morbidity among the human populations. In light of the limited efficacy of current vaccines and antiviral drugs against respiratory viral infections and the emergence and re-emergence of new viruses, novel broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are needed for the prevention and treatment of these infections. Antimicrobial peptides with an antiviral effect, also known as AVPs, have already been reported as potent inhibitors of viral infections by affecting different stages of the virus lifecycle. In the present study, we analyzed the activity of the AVP Hylin-a1, secreted by the frog Hypsiboas albopunctatus, against a wide range of respiratory viruses, including the coronaviruses HCoV-229E and SARS-CoV-2, measles virus, human parainfluenza virus type 3, and influenza virus H1N1. We report a significant inhibitory effect on infectivity in all the enveloped viruses, whereas there was a lack of activity against the naked coxsackievirus B3. Considering the enormous therapeutic potential of Hylin-a1, further experiments are required to elucidate its mechanism of action and to increase its stability by modifying the native sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Chianese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Carla Zannella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Alessandra Monti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (N.D.)
| | - Nunzianna Doti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), National Research Council (CNR), 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (N.D.)
| | - Giuseppina Sanna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (G.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Aldo Manzin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (G.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Anna De Filippis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
| | - Massimiliano Galdiero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (A.C.); (C.Z.); (A.D.F.)
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13
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Tate P, Mastrodomenico V, Cunha C, McClure J, Barron AE, Diamond G, Mounce BC, Kirshenbaum K. Peptidomimetic Oligomers Targeting Membrane Phosphatidylserine Exhibit Broad Antiviral Activity. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1508-1522. [PMID: 37530426 PMCID: PMC10425984 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
The development of durable new antiviral therapies is challenging, as viruses can evolve rapidly to establish resistance and attenuate therapeutic efficacy. New compounds that selectively target conserved viral features are attractive therapeutic candidates, particularly for combating newly emergent viral threats. The innate immune system features a sustained capability to combat pathogens through production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); however, these AMPs have shortcomings that can preclude clinical use. The essential functional features of AMPs have been recapitulated by peptidomimetic oligomers, yielding effective antibacterial and antifungal agents. Here, we show that a family of AMP mimetics, called peptoids, exhibit direct antiviral activity against an array of enveloped viruses, including the key human pathogens Zika, Rift Valley fever, and chikungunya viruses. These data suggest that the activities of peptoids include engagement and disruption of viral membrane constituents. To investigate how these peptoids target lipid membranes, we used liposome leakage assays to measure membrane disruption. We found that liposomes containing phosphatidylserine (PS) were markedly sensitive to peptoid treatment; in contrast, liposomes formed exclusively with phosphatidylcholine (PC) showed no sensitivity. In addition, chikungunya virus containing elevated envelope PS was more susceptible to peptoid-mediated inactivation. These results indicate that peptoids mimicking the physicochemical characteristics of AMPs act through a membrane-specific mechanism, most likely through preferential interactions with PS. We provide the first evidence for the engagement of distinct viral envelope lipid constituents, establishing an avenue for specificity that may enable the development of a new family of therapeutics capable of averting the rapid development of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick
M. Tate
- Department
of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
| | - Vincent Mastrodomenico
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University
Chicago Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60130, United States
| | - Christina Cunha
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University
Chicago Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60130, United States
| | | | - Annelise E. Barron
- Maxwell
Biosciences, Austin, Texas 78738, United States
- Department
of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Gill Diamond
- Department
of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, United States
| | - Bryan C. Mounce
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University
Chicago Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60130, United States
| | - Kent Kirshenbaum
- Department
of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
- Maxwell
Biosciences, Austin, Texas 78738, United States
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14
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Veerati PC, Reid AT, Nichol KS, Wark PAB, Knight DA, Bartlett NW, Grainge CL. Mechanical forces suppress antiviral innate immune responses from asthmatic airway epithelial cells following rhinovirus infection. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2023; 325:L206-L214. [PMID: 37280545 PMCID: PMC10396277 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00074.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bronchoconstriction is the main physiological event in asthma, which leads to worsened clinical symptoms and generates mechanical stress within the airways. Virus infection is the primary cause of exacerbations in people with asthma, however, the impact that bronchoconstriction itself on host antiviral responses and viral replication is currently not well understood. Here we demonstrate how mechanical forces generated during bronchoconstriction may suppress antiviral responses at the airway epithelium without any difference in viral replication. Primary bronchial epithelial cells from donors with asthma were differentiated at the air-liquid interface. Differentiated cells were apically compressed (30 cmH2O) for 10 min every hour for 4 days to mimic bronchoconstriction. Two asthma disease models were developed with the application of compression, either before ("poor asthma control model," n = 7) or following ("exacerbation model," n = 4) rhinovirus (RV) infection. Samples were collected at 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h postinfection (hpi). Viral RNA, interferon (IFN)-β, IFN-λ, and host defense antiviral peptide gene expressions were measured along with IFN-β, IFN-λ, TGF-β2, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8 protein expression. Apical compression significantly suppressed RV-induced IFN-β protein from 48 hpi and IFN-λ from 72 hpi in the poor asthma control model. There was a nonsignificant reduction of both IFN-β and IFN-λ proteins from 48 hpi in the exacerbation model. Despite reductions in antiviral proteins, there was no significant change in viral replication in either model. Compressive stress mimicking bronchoconstriction inhibits antiviral innate immune responses from asthmatic airway epithelial cells when applied before RV infection.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Bronchoconstriction is the main physiological event in asthma, which leads to worsened clinical symptoms and generates mechanical stress within the airways. Virus infection is the primary cause of exacerbations in people with asthma, however, the impact of bronchoconstriction on host antiviral responses and viral replication is unknown. We developed two disease models, in vitro, and found suppressed IFN response from cells following the application of compression and RV-A1 infection. This explains why people with asthma have deficient IFN response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Punnam Chander Veerati
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Asthma and Breathing Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew T Reid
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Asthma and Breathing Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristy S Nichol
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter A B Wark
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Darryl A Knight
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Research and Academic Affairs, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nathan W Bartlett
- Immune Health Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher L Grainge
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
- Asthma and Breathing Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia
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15
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Ioannou P, Baliou S, Kofteridis DP. Antimicrobial Peptides in Infectious Diseases and Beyond-A Narrative Review. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1651. [PMID: 37629508 PMCID: PMC10455936 DOI: 10.3390/life13081651] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite recent medical research and clinical practice developments, the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) significantly limits therapeutics for infectious diseases. Thus, novel treatments for infectious diseases, especially in this era of increasing AMR, are urgently needed. There is ongoing research on non-classical therapies for infectious diseases utilizing alternative antimicrobial mechanisms to fight pathogens, such as bacteriophages or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are evolutionarily conserved molecules naturally produced by several organisms, such as plants, insects, marine organisms, and mammals, aiming to protect the host by fighting pathogenic microorganisms. There is ongoing research regarding developing AMPs for clinical use in infectious diseases. Moreover, AMPs have several other non-medical applications in the food industry, such as preservatives, animal husbandry, plant protection, and aquaculture. This review focuses on AMPs, their origins, biology, structure, mechanisms of action, non-medical applications, and clinical applications in infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Ioannou
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Stella Baliou
- Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Diamantis P. Kofteridis
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
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16
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Leite ML, Duque HM, Rodrigues GR, da Cunha NB, Franco OL. The LL-37 domain: a clue to cathelicidin immunomodulatory response? Peptides 2023; 165:171011. [PMID: 37068711 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Host defense peptides (HDPs) are naturally occurring polypeptide sequences that, in addition to being active against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other parasites, may stimulate immunomodulatory responses. Cathelicidins, a family of HDPs, are produced by diverse animal species, such as mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles, to protect them against pathogen infections. These peptides have variable C-terminal domains responsible for their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities and a highly conserved N-terminal pre-pro region homologous to cathelin. Although cathelicidins are the major components of innate immunity, the molecular basis by which they induce an immune response is still unclear. In this review, we will address the role of the LL-37 domain and its SK-24, IV-20, FK-13 and LL-37 fragments in the immunity response. Other cathelicidins also share structural and functional characteristics with the LL-37 domain, suggesting that these fragments may be responsible for interaction between these peptides and receptors in humans. Fragments of the LL-37 domain can give us clues about how homologous cathelicidins, in general, induce an immune response. AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIAL: No data was used for the research described in the article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Lopes Leite
- Departamento de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Harry Morales Duque
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Gisele Regina Rodrigues
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Nicolau Brito da Cunha
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; Faculdade de Agronomia e Medicina Veterinária, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, Brasil
| | - Octávio Luiz Franco
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil.
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17
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Gholamalizadeh M, Rabbani F, Ahmadzadeh M, Hajipour A, Musavi H, Mobarakeh KA, Salimi Z, Bahar B, Mahmoodi Z, Gholami S, Mirzaei Dahka S, Doaei S, Akbari ME. The association between vitamin D intake with inflammatory and biochemical indices and mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19: A case-control study. Immun Inflamm Dis 2023; 11:e844. [PMID: 37102656 PMCID: PMC10132183 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.844] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become a worldwide health issue with widespread hospitalization and dependence on the intensive care unit (ICU). Vitamin D has a key role in modulating immune cells and modulating the inflammatory responses. This study aimed to investigate the association of vitamin D supplementation with inflammatory, biochemical, and mortality indices in critically ill patients with COVID-19. METHODS This case-control study was conducted on critically ill COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the ICU including the survived >30 day patients as the case group and dead patients as the control group. The status of vitamin D supplementation and inflammatory and biochemical indices of the patients were retrieved from the medical records. Logistic regression method was used to assess the association between 30 days survival and vitamin D supplement intake. RESULTS Compared to the group of COVID-19 patients who died in <30 day, the survived patients had a lower eosinophile level (2.2 ± 0.5 vs. 6 ± 0.0, p < .001) and higher vitamin D supplementation duration (9 ± 4.4 vs. 3.3 ± 1.9 day, p = .001). Vitamin D supplementation had a positive association with survival in COVID-19 patients (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.15-3.40, p < .05). The association remained significant after adjustments fot age, sex, underlying diseases, and smoking. CONCLUSION Vitamin D supplementation in critically ill patients with COVID-19 has the potential to increase survivability within the first 30 days of hospitalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Gholamalizadeh
- Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Faezeh Rabbani
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Mina Ahmadzadeh
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azadeh Hajipour
- School of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | | | - Khadijeh Abbasi Mobarakeh
- Department of Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Zahra Salimi
- Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Bojlul Bahar
- Nutrition Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies, Research Centre for Global Development, School of Sport & Health Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Zahra Mahmoodi
- Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Gholami
- Razi Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | | | - Saeid Doaei
- Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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18
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LL-37 antimicrobial peptide and heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimen significantly induce HIV-1 Nef-Vpr antigen- and virion-specific immune responses in mice. Biotechnol Lett 2023; 45:33-45. [PMID: 36550339 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-022-03339-7] [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: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES HIV infection still remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The inability of highly-active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1 eradication led to development of therapeutic vaccines. Exploiting effective immunogenic constructs and potent delivery systems are important to generate effective therapeutic vaccines, and overcome their poor membrane permeability. Among HIV-1 proteins, the Nef and Vpr proteins can be considered as antigen candidates in vaccine design. METHODS In this study, the immunogenicity of Nef-Vpr antigen candidate in different regimens along with antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (as a DNA carrier) and Montanide 720 (as an adjuvant) was studied in mice. Moreover, the secretion of cytokines was assessed in virion-exposed mice lymphocytes in vitro. RESULTS Our data indicated that groups immunized with the homologous protein + Montanide regimen (group 1), and also the heterologous DNA + LL-37 prime/protein + Montanide boost regimen (group 2) could significantly generate strong immune responses as compared to groups immunized with the DNA constructs (groups 3 & 4). Moreover, immunization of mice with the homologous DNA + LL-37 regimen in low dose of DNA (5 µg) could induce higher immune responses than the homologous naked DNA regimen in high dose of DNA (50 µg) indicating the role of LL-37 as a cell penetrating peptide. Additionally, the heterologous DNA + LL-37 prime/protein + Montanide boost regimen (group 2) induced significantly IFN-gamma secretion from virion-exposed lymphocytes in vitro. CONCLUSION Generally, the use of LL-37 for DNA delivery, Montanide 720 as an adjuvant, and heterologous DNA prime/protein boost strategy could significantly increase IgG2a, IFN-gamma, and Granzyme B, and maintain cytokine secretion after exposure to virions. Indeed, the heterologous DNA + LL-37 prime/protein + Montanide boost regimen can be considered as a potent strategy for development of therapeutic HIV vaccines.
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19
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Behairy MY, Soltan MA, Eldeen MA, Abdulhakim JA, Alnoman MM, Abdel-Daim MM, Otifi H, Al-Qahtani SM, Zaki MSA, Alsharif G, Albogami S, Jafri I, Fayad E, Darwish KM, Elhady SS, Eid RA. HBD-2 variants and SARS-CoV-2: New insights into inter-individual susceptibility. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1008463. [PMID: 36569842 PMCID: PMC9780532 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1008463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A deep understanding of the causes of liability to SARS-CoV-2 is essential to develop new diagnostic tests and therapeutics against this serious virus in order to overcome this pandemic completely. In the light of the discovered role of antimicrobial peptides [such as human b-defensin-2 (hBD-2) and cathelicidin LL-37] in the defense against SARS-CoV-2, it became important to identify the damaging missense mutations in the genes of these molecules and study their role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis with multiple in silico approaches to identify the damaging missense SNPs for hBD-2 and LL-37; moreover, we applied docking methods and molecular dynamics analysis to study the impact of the filtered mutations. Results The comprehensive analysis reveals the presence of three damaging SNPs in hBD-2; these SNPs were predicted to decrease the stability of hBD-2 with a damaging impact on hBD-2 structure as well. G51D and C53G mutations were located in highly conserved positions and were associated with differences in the secondary structures of hBD-2. Docking-coupled molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed compromised binding affinity for hBD-2 SNPs towards the SARS-CoV-2 spike domain. Different protein-protein binding profiles for hBD-2 SNPs, in relation to their native form, were guided through residue-wise levels and differential adopted conformation/orientation. Conclusions The presented model paves the way for identifying patients prone to COVID-19 in a way that would guide the personalization of both the diagnostic and management protocols for this serious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Y. Behairy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sadat City, Sadat City, Egypt,*Correspondence: Mohamed A Soltan, ; Mohammed Y. Behairy,
| | - Mohamed A. Soltan
- Department of Microbiology and immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sinai University – Kantara Branch, Ismailia, Egypt,*Correspondence: Mohamed A Soltan, ; Mohammed Y. Behairy,
| | - Muhammad Alaa Eldeen
- Cell Biology, Histology & Genetics Division, Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Jawaher A. Abdulhakim
- Medical Laboratory Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maryam M. Alnoman
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Program, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Hassan Otifi
- Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh M. Al-Qahtani
- Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed Samir A. Zaki
- Anatomy Department, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia,Department of Histology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Ghadi Alsharif
- College of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah Albogami
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim Jafri
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eman Fayad
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khaled M. Darwish
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Sameh S. Elhady
- Department of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Refaat A. Eid
- Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
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20
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Zhao H, Meng X, Peng Z, Lam H, Zhang C, Zhou X, Chan JFW, Kao RYT, To KKW, Yuen KY. Fusion-inhibition peptide broadly inhibits influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2, including Delta and Omicron variants. Emerg Microbes Infect 2022; 11:926-937. [PMID: 35259078 PMCID: PMC8973381 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2051753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pandemic influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 vaiants have posed major global threats to public health. Broad-spectrum antivirals blocking viral entry can be an effective strategy for combating these viruses. Here, we demonstrate a frog-defensin-derived basic peptide (FBP), which broadly inhibits the influenza virus by binding to haemagglutinin so as to block low pH-induced HA-mediated fusion and antagonizes endosomal acidification to inhibit the influenza virus. Moreover, FBP can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike to block spike-mediated cell–cell fusion in 293T/ACE2 cells endocytosis. Omicron spike shows a weak cell–cell fusion mediated by TMPRSS2 in Calu3 cells, making the Omicron variant sensitive to endosomal inhibitors. In vivo studies show that FBP broadly inhibits the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in mice and SARS-CoV-2 (HKU001a and Delta)in hamsters. Notably, FBP shows significant inhibition of Omicron variant replication even though it has a high number of mutations in spike. In conclusion, these results suggest that virus-targeting FBP with a high barrier to drug resistance can be an effective entry-fusion inhibitor against influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanjun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinjie Meng
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Zheng Peng
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Hoiyan Lam
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuyuan Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinxin Zhou
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Province, China
| | - Richard Yi Tsun Kao
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China
| | - Kelvin Kai-Wang To
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Province, China
| | - Kwok-Yung Yuen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Centre for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Carol Yu Centre for Infection, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.,Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Province, China
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21
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García-Jacas CR, García-González LA, Martinez-Rios F, Tapia-Contreras IP, Brizuela CA. Handcrafted versus non-handcrafted (self-supervised) features for the classification of antimicrobial peptides: complementary or redundant? Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6754757. [PMID: 36215083 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received a great deal of attention given their potential to become a plausible option to fight multi-drug resistant bacteria as well as other pathogens. Quantitative sequence-activity models (QSAMs) have been helpful to discover new AMPs because they allow to explore a large universe of peptide sequences and help reduce the number of wet lab experiments. A main aspect in the building of QSAMs based on shallow learning is to determine an optimal set of protein descriptors (features) required to discriminate between sequences with different antimicrobial activities. These features are generally handcrafted from peptide sequence datasets that are labeled with specific antimicrobial activities. However, recent developments have shown that unsupervised approaches can be used to determine features that outperform human-engineered (handcrafted) features. Thus, knowing which of these two approaches contribute to a better classification of AMPs, it is a fundamental question in order to design more accurate models. Here, we present a systematic and rigorous study to compare both types of features. Experimental outcomes show that non-handcrafted features lead to achieve better performances than handcrafted features. However, the experiments also prove that an improvement in performance is achieved when both types of features are merged. A relevance analysis reveals that non-handcrafted features have higher information content than handcrafted features, while an interaction-based importance analysis reveals that handcrafted features are more important. These findings suggest that there is complementarity between both types of features. Comparisons regarding state-of-the-art deep models show that shallow models yield better performances both when fed with non-handcrafted features alone and when fed with non-handcrafted and handcrafted features together.
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Affiliation(s)
- César R García-Jacas
- Cátedras CONACYT - Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Luis A García-González
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | | | - Issac P Tapia-Contreras
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Carlos A Brizuela
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
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22
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Karampela I, Vallianou N, Magkos F, Apovian CM, Dalamaga M. Obesity, Hypovitaminosis D, and COVID-19: the Bermuda Triangle in Public Health. Curr Obes Rep 2022; 11:116-125. [PMID: 35391661 PMCID: PMC8989103 DOI: 10.1007/s13679-022-00471-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged public health to a significant extent by markedly increasing morbidity and mortality. Evidence suggests that obesity and hypovitaminosis D constitute important risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection, severity of disease, and poor outcomes. Due to their high prevalence globally, obesity and hypovitaminosis D are considered pandemics. This review presents current epidemiologic and genetic data linking obesity, hypovitaminosis D, and COVID-19, highlighting the importance of the convergence of three pandemics and their impact on public health. We also briefly summarize potential mechanisms that could explain these links. RECENT FINDINGS Epidemiologic data have shown that obesity is an independent risk factor for COVID-19, severe disease and death, and genetic evidence has suggested a causal association between obesity-related traits and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. Additionally, obesity is independently associated with hypovitaminosis D, which is highly prevalent in subjects with obesity. Hypovitaminosis D is independently associated with a higher risk for COVID-19, severity, hospitalization, infectious complications, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and poor outcomes. However, genome-wide association studies have not revealed any causal association between vitamin D levels and the risk for COVID-19, while there is no robust evidence for a beneficial role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the epidemiologic impact of obesity and hypovitaminosis D is emphasized. Efforts to increase public awareness and reinforce preventive and therapeutic measures against obesity and hypovitaminosis D are strongly required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Karampela
- grid.5216.00000 0001 2155 0800Second Department of Critical Care, Medical School, Attikon General University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 1 Rimini St, 12462 Haidari, Greece
| | - Natalia Vallianou
- grid.414655.70000 0004 4670 4329Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens, 45-47 Ypsilantou St., 10676 Athens, Greece
| | - Faidon Magkos
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Caroline M. Apovian
- grid.62560.370000 0004 0378 8294Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Maria Dalamaga
- grid.5216.00000 0001 2155 0800Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias St, 11527 Athens, Greece
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23
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Latsko KN, Jacob AT, Junod NA, Haas CE, Castiglia KR, Kastelitz SR, Huffman ER, Trombley MP, Stobart CC. Role of Differences in Respiratory Syncytial Virus F and G Glycoproteins on Susceptibility to Inactivation by Antimicrobial Peptides LL-37 and Human Beta-Defensins. Viral Immunol 2022; 35:559-565. [PMID: 35944261 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2022.0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides are proteins that have been found to be an important factor in the natural immune response to a variety of pathogens. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a respiratory pathogen with the capability to cause serious upper and lower respiratory infections in infants and children and is a major viral cause of infant mortality. There is currently no functional vaccine for the virus, as recent efforts have been hindered by the virus's low immunogenicity, its ability to effectively mutate, and underlying instabilities of potential vaccines. Previous studies have shown that antimicrobial peptides may affect viral replication and spread of RSV. Our study evaluates the susceptibility of chimeric strains of RSV that express different fusion (F) and attachment (G) proteins to susceptibilities to inactivation by LL-37 and human beta-defensins (hBDs) hBD-1, hBD-3, and hBD-4. We show that LL-37 and hBD-3 result in dose-dependent, strain-independent inactivation of RSV, whereas treatment with either hBD-1 or hBD-4 appears more variable between strains. This suggests a potential role of the viral structural proteins in mitigating the inhibitory effects of the peptides. This study provides the first evidence of the sensitivity of RSV to several hBDs and indicates a role of LL-37 and beta-defensins in both limiting establishment of natural RSV infections and in the therapeutic treatment of severe RSV disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina N Latsko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Andrew T Jacob
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Nathan A Junod
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Caitlin E Haas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Katelyn R Castiglia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Sydney R Kastelitz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Elise R Huffman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Michael P Trombley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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24
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Dienst EGT, Kremer EJ. Adenovirus receptors on antigen-presenting cells of the skin. Biol Cell 2022; 114:297-308. [PMID: 35906865 DOI: 10.1111/boc.202200043] [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: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Skin, the largest human organ, is part of the first line of physical and immunological defense against many pathogens. Understanding how skin antigen-presenting cells (APCs) respond to viruses or virus-based vaccines is crucial to develop antiviral pharmaceutics, and efficient and safe vaccines. Here, we discuss the way resident and recruited skin APCs engage adenoviruses and the impact on innate immune responses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric J Kremer
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
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25
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van Os N, Javed A, Broere F, van Dijk A, Balhuizen MD, van Eijk M, Rooijakkers SHM, Bardoel BW, Heesterbeek DAC, Haagsman HP, Veldhuizen E. Novel insights in antimicrobial and immunomodulatory mechanisms of action of PepBiotics CR-163 and CR-172. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2022; 30:406-413. [PMID: 35840108 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2022.07.009] [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: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recently our group developed a novel group of antimicrobial peptides termed PepBiotics, of which peptides CR-163 and CR-172 showed optimized antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus without inducing antimicrobial resistance. In this study, the antibacterial mechanism of action and the immunomodulatory activity of these two PepBiotics was explored. METHODS RAW264.7 cells were used to determine the ability of PepBiotics to neutralize LPS-and LTA-induced activation of macrophages. Isothermal titration calorimetry and competition assays with dansyl-labeled polymyxin B determined binding characteristics to LPS and LTA. Combined bacterial killing with subsequent macrophage activation assays was performed to determine so-called silent killing'. Finally, flow cytometry of peptide-treated genetically engineered E. coli,expressing GFP and mCherry in the cytoplasm and periplasm, respectively further established the antimicrobial mechanism of PepBiotics. RESULTS Both CR-163 and CR-172 were shown to have broad-spectrum activity against ESKAPE pathogens and E. coli, using a membranolytic mechanism of action. PepBiotics could exothermically bind LPS/LTA and were able to replace polymyxin B. Finally, it was demonstrated that bacteria killed by PepBiotics were less prone to stimulate immune cells, contrary to gentamicin and heat-killed bacteria that still elicited a strong immune response CONCLUSIONS: These studies highlight the multifunctional nature of the two peptide antibiotics as both broad spectrum antimicrobial and immunomodulator. Their ability to kill bacteria and reduce unwanted subsequent immune activation is a major advantage and highlights their potential for future therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico van Os
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Section Molecular Host Defence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ali Javed
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Section Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Femke Broere
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Section Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Albert van Dijk
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Section Molecular Host Defence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Melanie D Balhuizen
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Section Molecular Host Defence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martin van Eijk
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Section Molecular Host Defence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Suzan H M Rooijakkers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bart W Bardoel
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dani A C Heesterbeek
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Henk P Haagsman
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Section Molecular Host Defence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin Veldhuizen
- Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Division Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Section Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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26
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Liu R, Liu Z, Peng H, Lv Y, Feng Y, Kang J, Lu N, Ma R, Hou S, Sun W, Ying Q, Wang F, Gao Q, Zhao P, Zhu C, Wang Y, Wu X. Bomidin: An Optimized Antimicrobial Peptide With Broad Antiviral Activity Against Enveloped Viruses. Front Immunol 2022; 13:851642. [PMID: 35663971 PMCID: PMC9160972 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.851642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid evolution of highly infectious pathogens is a major threat to global public health. In the front line of defense against bacteria, fungi, and viruses, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are naturally produced by all living organisms and offer new possibilities for next-generation antibiotic development. However, the low yields and difficulties in the extraction and purification of AMPs have hindered their industry and scientific research applications. To overcome these barriers, we enabled high expression of bomidin, a commercial recombinant AMP based upon bovine myeloid antimicrobial peptide-27. This novel AMP, which can be expressed in Escherichia coli by adding methionine to the bomidin sequence, can be produced in bulk and is more biologically active than chemically synthesized AMPs. We verified the function of bomidin against a variety of bacteria and enveloped viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), herpes simplex virus (HSV), dengue virus (DENV), and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Furthermore, based on the molecular modeling of bomidin and membrane lipids, we elucidated the possible mechanism by which bomidin disrupts bacterial and viral membranes. Thus, we obtained a novel AMP with an optimized, efficient heterologous expression system for potential therapeutic application against a wide range of life-threatening pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Liu
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Ziyu Liu
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Haoran Peng
- Department of Microbiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunhua Lv
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yunan Feng
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Junjun Kang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Naining Lu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Ruixue Ma
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Shiyuan Hou
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wenjie Sun
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qikang Ying
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qikang Gao
- Analysis Center of Agrobiology and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yixing Wang
- Jiangsu Genloci Biotech Inc., Nanjing, China
| | - Xingan Wu
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
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27
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Fathi F, Ghobeh M, Tabarzad M. Anti-Microbial Peptides: Strategies of Design and Development and Their Promising Wound-Healing Activities. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:9001-9012. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07405-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Ripperda T, Yu Y, Verma A, Klug E, Thurman M, Reid SP, Wang G. Improved Database Filtering Technology Enables More Efficient Ab Initio Design of Potent Peptides against Ebola Viruses. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15050521. [PMID: 35631348 PMCID: PMC9143221 DOI: 10.3390/ph15050521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid mutations of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 require vaccine updates and the development of novel antiviral drugs. This article presents an improved database filtering technology for a more effective design of novel antiviral agents. Different from the previous approach, where the most probable parameters were obtained stepwise from the antimicrobial peptide database, we found it possible to accelerate the design process by deriving multiple parameters in a single step during the peptide amino acid analysis. The resulting peptide DFTavP1 displays the ability to inhibit Ebola virus. A deviation from the most probable peptide parameters reduces antiviral activity. The designed peptides appear to block viral entry. In addition, the amino acid signature provides a clue to peptide engineering to gain cell selectivity. Like human cathelicidin LL-37, our engineered peptide DDIP1 inhibits both Ebola and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. These peptides, with broad antiviral activity, may selectively disrupt viral envelopes and offer the lasting efficacy required to treat various RNA viruses, including their emerging mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - St Patrick Reid
- Correspondence: (S.P.R.); (G.W.); Tel.: +1-(402)-559-3644 (S.P.R.); +1-(402)-559-4176 (G.W.)
| | - Guangshun Wang
- Correspondence: (S.P.R.); (G.W.); Tel.: +1-(402)-559-3644 (S.P.R.); +1-(402)-559-4176 (G.W.)
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29
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Hu CT, Diaz K, Yang LC, Sharma A, Greenberg HB, Smith JG. VP4 Is a Determinant of Alpha-Defensin Modulation of Rotaviral Infection. J Virol 2022; 96:e0205321. [PMID: 35285683 PMCID: PMC9006894 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02053-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fecal-oral pathogens encounter constitutively expressed enteric alpha-defensins in the intestine during replication and transmission. Alpha-defensins can be potently antiviral and antibacterial; however, their primary sequences, the number of isoforms, and their activity against specific microorganisms often vary greatly between species, reflecting adaptation to species-specific pathogens. Therefore, alpha-defensins might influence not only microbial evolution and tissue tropism within a host but also species tropism and zoonotic potential. To investigate these concepts, we generated a panel of enteric and myeloid alpha-defensins from humans, rhesus macaques, and mice and tested their activity against group A rotaviruses, an important enteric viral pathogen of humans and animals. Rotaviral adaptation to the rhesus macaque correlated with resistance to rhesus enteric, but not myeloid, alpha-defensins and sensitivity to human alpha-defensins. While mouse rotaviral infection was increased in the presence of mouse enteric alpha-defensins, two prominent genotypes of human rotaviruses were differentially sensitive to human enteric alpha-defensins. Furthermore, the effects of cross-species alpha-defensins on human and mouse rotaviruses did not follow an obvious pattern. Thus, exposure to alpha-defensins may have shaped the evolution of some, but not all, rotaviruses. We then used a genetic approach to identify the viral attachment and penetration protein, VP4, as a determinant of alpha-defensin sensitivity. Our results provide a foundation for future studies of the VP4-dependent mechanism of defensin neutralization, highlight the species-specific activities of alpha-defensins, and focus future efforts on a broader range of rotaviruses that differ in VP4 to uncover the potential for enteric alpha-defensins to influence species tropism. IMPORTANCE Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in young children. Like other fecal-oral pathogens, rotaviruses encounter abundant, constitutively expressed defensins in the small intestine. These peptides are a vital part of the vertebrate innate immune system. By investigating the impact that defensins from multiple species have on the infectivity of different strains of rotavirus, we show that some rotaviral infections can be inhibited by defensins. We also found that some, but not all, rotaviruses may have evolved resistance to defensins in the intestine of their host species, and some even appropriate defensins to increase their infectivity. Because rotaviruses infect a broad range of animals and rotaviral infections are highly prevalent in children, identifying immune defenses against infection and how they vary across species and among viral genotypes is important for our understanding of the evolution, transmission, and zoonotic potential of these viruses as well as the improvement of vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciara T. Hu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Karina Diaz
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Linda C. Yang
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Anjali Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Harry B. Greenberg
- Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jason G. Smith
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
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30
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García-Jacas CR, Pinacho-Castellanos SA, García-González LA, Brizuela CA. Do deep learning models make a difference in the identification of antimicrobial peptides? Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6563422. [PMID: 35380616 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few decades, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been explored as an alternative to classical antibiotics, which in turn motivated the development of machine learning models to predict antimicrobial activities in peptides. The first generation of these predictors was filled with what is now known as shallow learning-based models. These models require the computation and selection of molecular descriptors to characterize each peptide sequence and train the models. The second generation, known as deep learning-based models, which no longer requires the explicit computation and selection of those descriptors, started to be used in the prediction task of AMPs just four years ago. The superior performance claimed by deep models regarding shallow models has created a prevalent inertia to using deep learning to identify AMPs. However, methodological flaws and/or modeling biases in the building of deep models do not support such superiority. Here, we analyze the main pitfalls that led to establish biased conclusions on the leading performance of deep models. Also, we analyze whether deep models truly contribute to achieve better predictions than shallow models by performing fair studies on different state-of-the-art benchmarking datasets. The experiments reveal that deep models do not outperform shallow models in the classification of AMPs, and that both types of models codify similar chemical information since their predictions are highly similar. Thus, according to the currently available datasets, we conclude that the use of deep learning could not be the most suitable approach to develop models to identify AMPs, mainly because shallow models achieve comparable-to-superior performances and are simpler (Ockham's razor principle). Even so, we suggest the use of deep learning only when its capabilities lead to obtaining significantly better performance gains worth the additional computational cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- César R García-Jacas
- Cátedras CONACYT - Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Sergio A Pinacho-Castellanos
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México.,Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Tecnología Digital (CITEDI), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), 22435 Tijuana, Baja California, México
| | - Luis A García-González
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Carlos A Brizuela
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
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31
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Jin L, Dong H, Sun D, Wang L, Qu L, Lin S, Yang Q, Zhang X. Biological Functions and Applications of Antimicrobial Peptides. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2022; 23:226-247. [DOI: 10.2174/1389203723666220519155942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:
Despite antimicrobial resistance, which is attributed to the misuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics,
antibiotics can indiscriminately kill pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms. These events
disrupt the delicate microbial balance in both humans and animals, leading to secondary infections
and other negative effects. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are functional natural biopolymers in
plants and animals. Due to their excellent antimicrobial activities and absence of microbial resistance,
AMPs have attracted enormous research attention. We reviewed the antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral,
antiparasitic, as well as antitumor properties of AMPs and research progress on AMPs. In addition,
we highlighted various recommendations and potential research areas for their progress and
challenges in practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Jin
- Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University,
Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Hao Dong
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118,
China
| | - Da Sun
- Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University,
Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University,
Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Linkai Qu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118,
China
| | - Sue Lin
- Institute of Life Sciences & Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou University,
Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Qinsi Yang
- Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
| | - Xingxing Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology
and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
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Host Defence Peptides: A Potent Alternative to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11040475. [PMID: 35453226 PMCID: PMC9032040 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11040475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges facing the medical community today is the ever-increasing trajectory of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is being compounded by the decrease in our antimicrobial armamentarium. From their initial discovery to the current day, antibiotics have seen an exponential increase in their usage, from medical to agricultural use. Benefits aside, this has led to an exponential increase in AMR, with the fear that over 10 million lives are predicted to be lost by 2050, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). As such, medical researchers are turning their focus to discovering novel alternatives to antimicrobials, one being Host Defence Peptides (HDPs). These small cationic peptides have shown great efficacy in being used as an antimicrobial therapy for currently resistant microbial variants. With the sudden emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 variant and the subsequent global pandemic, the great versatility and potential use of HDPs as an alternative to conventional antibiotics in treating as well as preventing the spread of COVID-19 has been reviewed. Thus, to allow the reader to have a full understanding of the multifaceted therapeutic use of HDPs, this literature review shall cover the association between COVID-19 and AMR whilst discussing and evaluating the use of HDPs as an answer to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
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Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Human Defensin HNP1 and Retrocyclin RC-101. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167225. [PMID: 34487793 PMCID: PMC8413479 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 is an enveloped virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of new potentially more transmissible and vaccine-resistant variants of SARS-CoV-2 is an ever-present threat. Thus, it remains essential to better understand innate immune mechanisms that can inhibit the virus. One component of the innate immune system with broad antipathogen, including antiviral, activity is a group of cationic immune peptides termed defensins. The ability of defensins to neutralize enveloped and non-enveloped viruses and to inactivate numerous bacterial toxins correlate with their ability to promote the unfolding of proteins with high conformational plasticity. We found that human neutrophil α-defensin HNP1 binds to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein with submicromolar affinity that is more than 20 fold stronger than its binding to serum albumin. As such, HNP1, as well as a θ-defensin retrocyclin RC-101, both interfere with Spike-mediated membrane fusion, Spike-pseudotyped lentivirus infection, and authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture. These effects correlate with the abilities of the defensins to destabilize and precipitate Spike protein and inhibit the interaction of Spike with the ACE2 receptor. Serum reduces the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of HNP1, though at high concentrations, HNP1 was able to inactivate the virus even in the presence of serum. Overall, our results suggest that defensins can negatively affect the native conformation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike, and that α- and θ-defensins may be valuable tools in developing SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention strategies.
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Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity of the Amphibian Antimicrobial Peptide Temporin L and Its Analogs. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23042060. [PMID: 35216177 PMCID: PMC8878748 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has evidenced the urgent need for the discovery of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that could be deployed in the case of future emergence of novel viral threats, as well as to back up current therapeutic options in the case of drug resistance development. Most current antivirals are directed to inhibit specific viruses since these therapeutic molecules are designed to act on a specific viral target with the objective of interfering with a precise step in the replication cycle. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified as promising antiviral agents that could help to overcome this limitation and provide compounds able to act on more than a single viral family. We evaluated the antiviral activity of an amphibian peptide known for its strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, namely Temporin L (TL). Previous studies have revealed that TL is endowed with widespread antimicrobial activity and possesses marked haemolytic activity. Therefore, we analyzed TL and a previously identified TL derivative (Pro3, DLeu9 TL, where glutamine at position 3 is replaced with proline, and the D-Leucine enantiomer is present at position 9) as well as its analogs, for their activity against a wide panel of viruses comprising enveloped, naked, DNA and RNA viruses. We report significant inhibition activity against herpesviruses, paramyxoviruses, influenza virus and coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, we further modified our best candidate by lipidation and demonstrated a highly reduced cytotoxicity with improved antiviral effect. Our results show a potent and selective antiviral activity of TL peptides, indicating that the novel lipidated temporin-based antiviral agents could prove to be useful additions to current drugs in combatting rising drug resistance and epidemic/pandemic emergencies.
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Theta-Defensins to Counter COVID-19 as Furin Inhibitors: In Silico Efficiency Prediction and Novel Compound Design. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2022; 2022:9735626. [PMID: 35154362 PMCID: PMC8829439 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9735626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Dec. 2019. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the cell membrane through spike proteins on its surface and infects the cell. Furin, a host-cell enzyme, possesses a binding site for the spike protein. Thus, molecules that block furin could potentially be a therapeutic solution. Defensins are antimicrobial peptides that can hypothetically inhibit furin because of their arginine-rich structure. Theta-defensins, a subclass of defensins, have attracted attention as drug candidates due to their small size, unique structure, and involvement in several defense mechanisms. Theta-defensins could be a potential treatment for COVID-19 through furin inhibition and an anti-inflammatory mechanism. Note that inflammatory events are a significant and deadly condition that could happen at the later stages of COVID-19 infection. Here, the potential of theta-defensins against SARS-CoV-2 infection was investigated through in silico approaches. Based on docking analysis results, theta-defensins can function as furin inhibitors. Additionally, a novel candidate peptide against COVID-19 with optimal properties regarding antigenicity, stability, electrostatic potential, and binding strength was proposed. Further in vitro/in vivo investigations could verify the efficiency of the designed novel peptide.
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Pal R, Banerjee M, Bhadada SK, Shetty AJ, Singh B, Vyas A. Vitamin D supplementation and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Endocrinol Invest 2022; 45:53-68. [PMID: 34165766 PMCID: PMC8223190 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-021-01614-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To provide a precise summary and collate the hitherto available clinical evidence on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. METHODS PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched using appropriate keywords till June 8, 2021, to identify observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting adverse clinical outcomes (ICU admission and/or mortality) in COVID-19 patients receiving vitamin D supplementation vs. those not receiving the same. Both prior use and use of vitamin D after COVID-19 diagnosis were considered. Unadjusted/adjusted pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated (PROSPERO registration number CRD42021248488). RESULTS We identified 13 studies (10 observational, 3 RCTs) pooling data retrieved from 2933 COVID-19 patients. Pooled analysis of unadjusted data showed that vitamin D use in COVID-19 was significantly associated with reduced ICU admission/mortality (OR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.81, p = 0.01, I2 = 66%, random-effects model). Similarly, on pooling adjusted risk estimates, vitamin D was also found to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes (pooled OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.91, p = 0.03, I2 = 80%, random-effects model). Subgroup analysis showed that vitamin D supplementation was associated with improved clinical outcomes only in patients receiving the drug post-COVID-19 diagnosis and not in those who had received vitamin D before diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation might be associated with improved clinical outcomes, especially when administered after the diagnosis of COVID-19. However, issues regarding the appropriate dose, duration, and mode of administration of vitamin D remain unanswered and need further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Pal
- Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India
| | - M Banerjee
- Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, 700020, India
| | - S K Bhadada
- Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India.
| | - A J Shetty
- Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India
| | - B Singh
- Government Medical College, Patiala, 147001, India
| | - A Vyas
- Department of Medicine, Rabindranath Tagore Medical College, Udaipur, 313001, India
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Zhao H, Yuen KY. Broad-spectrum Respiratory Virus Entry Inhibitors. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1366:137-153. [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-8702-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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38
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Vitamin D Immune-Mediated Responses and SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Clinical Implications in COVID-19. IMMUNO 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/immuno2010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Active vitamin D is a true steroid hormone with pleiotropic biological effects that go beyond the classical concept of bone metabolism regulation. In fact, adequate serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (>40 ng/mL) are required to support several biological functions, including the control of innate and adaptive immunity in course of infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and deficient/insufficient serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are reported in very large cohorts of patients. Of note, vitamin D is involved in different pathophysiological processes, such as expression of SARS-CoV-2 receptor (ACE2), activation of innate (neutrophils with their extracellular traps, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells) and adaptive (T and B lymphocytes) immune cells and clinical manifestations, such as coagulation/thrombotic disorders and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Randomized clinical trials regarding vitamin D supplementation in COVID-19 patients have shown favorable effects on the control of inflammation markers, arterial oxygen saturation/inspired fraction of oxygen ratio, admission to hospital intensive care units and mortality. A target of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D > 50 ng/mL has been identified as protective for the course of COVID-19, potentially playing an ancillary role in the treatment of the disease.
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39
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Saeed H, Osama H, Abdelrahman MA, Madney YM, Harb HS, Abdelrahim MEA, Ali F. Vitamins and other immune-supportive elements as cofactors for passing the COVID-19 pandemic. BENI-SUEF UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES 2021; 10:71. [PMID: 34729372 PMCID: PMC8554510 DOI: 10.1186/s43088-021-00163-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease that causes a respiratory disorder, started in December of 2019 in China. Several vitamins and trace elements could help in enhancing host immunity producing antioxidant or anti-inflammatory action. This work aimed to identify the role of different nutrition, vitamins, and trace elements on the immunity status of the infected subject and the possibility of the beneficial role of these elements in the management of COVID-19. MAIN BODY After collecting (PubMed, scholar, OVID, Embase, Cochrane Library) and investigating published articles, testing the effect of these elements on viral infection, it was found that most of these elements have a significant role during viral infection through a different mechanism, like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulation. Nutritional interventions in COVID-19 infections are very important currently, and it was reported that vitamin C and D reduce the risk of acute respiratory infections. In addition, low vitamin A diets compromise the effectiveness of inactivated bovine coronavirus vaccines. Administration of N-acetyl cysteine showed a beneficial inhibitory effect in viral infections and enhanced glutathione production. The deficiency of selenium on COVID-19 subjects has a significant impact on the clinical outcome of the subjects. In addition, supplementation with vitamins proved to enhance immune response during viral infection. Vitamins and trace elements not only showed a beneficial effect but also Omega 3 fatty acids showed an immunomodulating effect during infections. SHORT CONCLUSIONS Assessment of levels for these trace elements at the baseline and providing supplementation containing different vitamins and elements could result in better control and clinical outcomes in the case of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haitham Saeed
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Hasnaa Osama
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Mona A. Abdelrahman
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Yasmin M. Madney
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Hadeer S. Harb
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | | | - Fatma Ali
- Food Hygiene, Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
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Tsukamoto T, Gorantla S, Rodrigues V. Editorial: Direct and Indirect Interactions of HIV With Host Cells. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:771370. [PMID: 34708006 PMCID: PMC8542858 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.771370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuo Tsukamoto
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Santhi Gorantla
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Vasco Rodrigues
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, INSERM U932, Paris, France
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Li Z, Qiao D, Xu Y, Zhou E, Yang C, Yuan X, Lu Y, Gu JD, Wolfgang S, Xu D, Wang F. Cu-bearing high-entropy alloys with excellent antiviral properties. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 84:59-64. [PMID: 33526964 PMCID: PMC7839385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2020.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Li
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Dongxu Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Solidification Control and Digital Preparation Technology (Liaoning Province), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Yan Xu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Enze Zhou
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Chuntian Yang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Xinyi Yuan
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Yiping Lu
- Key Laboratory of Solidification Control and Digital Preparation Technology (Liaoning Province), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Environmental Engineering, Guangdong Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Sand Wolfgang
- Textile Pollution Controlling Engineering Center of Ministry of Environmental Protection, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Dake Xu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
| | - Fuhui Wang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
- Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China
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Sumon TA, Hussain MA, Hasan M, Rashid A, Abualreesh MH, Jang WJ, Sharifuzzaman SM, Brown CL, Lee EW, Hasan MT. Antiviral peptides from aquatic organisms: Functionality and potential inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2. AQUACULTURE (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 541:736783. [PMID: 33883784 PMCID: PMC8049179 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Several antiviral peptides (AVPs) from aquatic organisms have been effective in interfering with the actions of infectious viruses, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and Herpes Simplex Virus-1 and 2. AVPs are able to block viral attachment or entry into host cells, inhibit internal fusion or replication events by suppressing viral gene transcription, and prevent viral infections by modulating host immunity. Therefore, as promising therapeutics, the potential of aquatic AVPs for use against the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is considered. At present no therapeutic drugs are yet available. A total of 32 AVPs derived from fish and shellfish species are discussed in this review paper with notes on their properties and mechanisms of action in the inhibition of viral diseases both in humans and animals, emphasizing on SARS-CoV-2. The molecular structure of novel SARS-CoV-2 with its entry mechanisms, clinical signs and symptoms are also discussed. In spite of only a few study of these AVPs against SARS-CoV-2, aquatic AVPs properties and infection pathways (entry, replication and particle release) into coronaviruses are linked in this paper to postulate an analysis of their potential but unconfirmed actions to impair SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tofael Ahmed Sumon
- Department of Fish Health Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ashraf Hussain
- Department of Fisheries Technology and Quality Control, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Mahmudul Hasan
- Department of Pharmaceuticals and Industrial Biotechnology, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Aminur Rashid
- Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - Muyassar Hamid Abualreesh
- Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80207, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Won Je Jang
- Biopharmaceutical Engineering Major, Division of Applied Bioengineering, Dong-Eui University, Busan 47340, Republic of Korea
| | - S M Sharifuzzaman
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh
| | - Christopher Lyon Brown
- FAO World Fisheries University Pilot Programme, Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Eun-Woo Lee
- Biopharmaceutical Engineering Major, Division of Applied Bioengineering, Dong-Eui University, Busan 47340, Republic of Korea
| | - Md Tawheed Hasan
- Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
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43
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Bharucha JP, Sun L, Lu W, Gartner S, Garzino-Demo A. Human Beta-Defensin 2 and 3 Inhibit HIV-1 Replication in Macrophages. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:535352. [PMID: 34277460 PMCID: PMC8281893 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.535352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human beta-defensins (hBDs) are broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides, secreted by epithelial cells of the skin and mucosae, and astrocytes, which we and others have shown to inhibit HIV-1 in primary CD4+ T cells. Although loss of CD4+ T cells contributes to mucosal immune dysfunction, macrophages are a major source of persistence and spread of HIV and also contribute to the development of various HIV-associated complications. We hypothesized that, besides T cells, hBDs could protect macrophages from HIV. Our data in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) in vitro show that hBD2 and hBD3 inhibit HIV replication in a dose-dependent manner. We determined that hBD2 neither alters surface expression of HIV receptors nor induces expression of anti-HIV cytokines or beta-chemokines in MDM. Studies using a G-protein signaling antagonist in a single-cycle reporter virus system showed that hBD2 suppresses HIV at an early post-entry stage via G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signaling. We find that MDM express the shared chemokine-hBD receptors CCR2 and CCR6, albeit at variable levels among donors. However, cell surface expression analyses show that neither of these receptors is necessary for hBD2-mediated HIV inhibition, suggesting that hBD2 can signal via additional receptor(s). Our data also illustrate that hBD2 treatment was associated with increased expression of APOBEC3A and 3G antiretroviral restriction factors in MDM. These findings suggest that hBD2 inhibits HIV in MDM via more than one CCR thus adding to the potential of using β-defensins in preventive and therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer P Bharucha
- Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lingling Sun
- Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Wuyuan Lu
- Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Suzanne Gartner
- Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Alfredo Garzino-Demo
- Division of Virology, Pathogenesis, and Cancer, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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44
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Laneri S, Brancaccio M, Mennitti C, De Biasi MG, Pero ME, Pisanelli G, Scudiero O, Pero R. Antimicrobial Peptides and Physical Activity: A Great Hope against COVID 19. Microorganisms 2021; 9:1415. [PMID: 34209064 PMCID: PMC8304224 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), α- and β-defensins, possess antiviral properties. These AMPs achieve viral inhibition through different mechanisms of action. For example, they can: (i) bind directly to virions; (ii) bind to and modulate host cell-surface receptors, disrupting intracellular signaling; (iii) function as chemokines to augment and alter adaptive immune responses. Given their antiviral properties and the fact that the development of an effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment is an urgent public health priority, they and their derivatives are being explored as potential therapies against COVID-19. These explorations using various strategies, range from their direct interaction with the virus to using them as vaccine adjuvants. However, AMPs do not work in isolation, specifically in their role as potent immune modulators, where they interact with toll-like receptors (TLRs) and chemokine receptors. Both of these receptors have been shown to play roles in COVID-19 pathogenesis. In addition, it is known that a healthy lifestyle accompanied by controlled physical activity can represent a natural weapon against COVID-19. In competitive athletes, an increase in serum defensins has been shown to function as self-protection from the attack of microorganisms, consequently a controlled physical activity could act as a support to any therapies in fighting COVID-19. Therefore, including information on all these players' interactions would produce a complete picture of AMP-based therapies' response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Laneri
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Montesano, 80138 Naples, Italy; (S.L.); (M.G.D.B.)
| | - Mariarita Brancaccio
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.B.); (C.M.)
| | - Cristina Mennitti
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.B.); (C.M.)
| | - Margherita G. De Biasi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Montesano, 80138 Naples, Italy; (S.L.); (M.G.D.B.)
| | - Maria Elena Pero
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy; (M.E.P.); (G.P.)
| | - Giuseppe Pisanelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy; (M.E.P.); (G.P.)
| | - Olga Scudiero
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.B.); (C.M.)
- Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.aR.L., 80131 Naples, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80100 Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaela Pero
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.B.); (C.M.)
- Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate S.C.aR.L., 80131 Naples, Italy
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Ghosh SK, Weinberg A. Ramping Up Antimicrobial Peptides Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:620806. [PMID: 34235176 PMCID: PMC8255374 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.620806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as defensins and cathelicidin LL-37, are members of the innate immune system and play a crucial role in early pulmonary defense against viruses. These AMPs achieve viral inhibition through a variety of mechanisms including, but not limited to, direct binding to virions, binding to and modulating host cell-surface receptors, blocking viral replication, and aggregation of viral particles and indirectly by functioning as chemokines to enhance or curb adaptive immune responses. Given the fact that we are in a pandemic of unprecedented severity and the urgent need for therapeutic options to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), naturally expressed AMPs and their derivatives have the potential to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and impede viral infectivity in various ways. Provided the fact that development of effective treatments is an urgent public health priority, AMPs and their derivatives are being explored as potential prophylactic and therapeutic candidates. Additionally, cell-based platforms such as human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapy are showing success in saving the lives of severely ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. This could be partially due to AMPs released from hMSCs that also act as immunological rheostats to modulate the host inflammatory response. This review highlights the utilization of AMPs in strategies that could be implemented as novel therapeutics, either alone or in combination with other platforms, to treat CoV-2-infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aaron Weinberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
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Pinacho-Castellanos SA, García-Jacas CR, Gilson MK, Brizuela CA. Alignment-Free Antimicrobial Peptide Predictors: Improving Performance by a Thorough Analysis of the Largest Available Data Set. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:3141-3157. [PMID: 34081438 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In the last two decades, a large number of machine-learning-based predictors for the activities of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed. These predictors differ from one another in the learning method and in the training and testing data sets used. Unfortunately, the training data sets present several drawbacks, such as a low representativeness regarding the experimentally validated AMP space, and duplicated peptide sequences between negative and positive data sets. These limitations give a low confidence to most of the approaches to be used in prospective studies. To address these weaknesses, we propose novel modeling and assessing data sets from the largest experimentally validated nonredundant peptide data set reported to date. From these novel data sets, alignment-free quantitative sequence-activity models (AF-QSAMs) based on Random Forest are created to identify general AMPs and their antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral functional types. An applicability domain analysis is carried out to determine the reliability of the predictions obtained, which, to the best of our knowledge, is performed for the first time for AMP recognition. A benchmarking is undertaken between the models proposed and several models from the literature that are freely available in 13 programs (ClassAMP, iAMP-2L, ADAM, MLAMP, AMPScanner v2.0, AntiFP, AMPfun, PEPred-suite, AxPEP, CAMPR3, iAMPpred, APIN, and Meta-iAVP). The models proposed are those with the best performance in all of the endpoints modeled, while most of the methods from the literature have weak-to-random predictive agreements. The models proposed are also assessed through Y-scrambling and repeated k-fold cross-validation tests, demonstrating that the outcomes obtained by them are not given by chance. Three chemometric analyses also confirmed the relevance of the peptides descriptors used in the modeling. Therefore, it can be concluded that the models built by fixing the drawbacks existing in the literature contribute to identifying antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral peptides with high effectivity and reliability. Models are freely available via the AMPDiscover tool at https://biocom-ampdiscover.cicese.mx/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Pinacho-Castellanos
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México.,Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Tecnología Digital (CITEDI), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), 22435 Tijuana, Baja California, México
| | - César R García-Jacas
- Cátedras CONACYT-Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
| | - Michael K Gilson
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Carlos A Brizuela
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California, México
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Papadaki M, Marmarinos A, Tsolia M, Gourgiotis D, Soldatou A. Cathelicidin levels in nasal secretions are associated with the severity of acute bronchiolitis. Pediatr Pulmonol 2021; 56:1673-1680. [PMID: 33656266 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of serum vitamin D and nasal secretion antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) levels with the severity of acute bronchiolitis. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a prospective single pediatric tertiary care center cohort study of inpatients aged 0-18 months with a first episode of acute bronchiolitis from November 1st 2014 to April 30th 2017. Disease severity was determined by the length of hospitalization and supplemental hospital data. Qualitative measurements included serum 25(OH)D and nasal secretion LL-37 and β-defensin-2 levels. Correlations were examined with the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis criteria for qualitative and the correlation coefficient Spearman's rho for quantitative factors. Multiple linear and logarithmic regression were performed to adjust for confounding factors. RESULTS The study population consisted of 153 infants and toddlers with median age 3.1 months (interquartile range:1.6-4.9). No association was found between serum 25(OH)D and AMPs nasal secretions levels. Serum 25(OH)D and nasal secretion β-defensin-2 levels were not associated with the severity of bronchiolitis. In contrast, LL-37 levels were inversely associated with the length of hospitalization (rho = -0.340, p = .001), the need for medication use (p = .001), as well as the duration of oxygen supplementation (rho = -0.339, p = .001), and intravenous fluid administration (rho = -0.323, p = .001). This association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSION A significant association between LL-37 nasal secretions levels with the severity of acute bronchiolitis was found in hospitalized infants and toddlers. The role of LL-37 in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis merits further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Papadaki
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Athens "P. & A. Kyriakou", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Antonios Marmarinos
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry - Molecular Diagnostics, Children's Hospital of Athens "P. & A. Kyriakou", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Tsolia
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Athens "P. & A. Kyriakou", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Gourgiotis
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry - Molecular Diagnostics, Children's Hospital of Athens "P. & A. Kyriakou", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandra Soldatou
- 2nd Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Athens "P. & A. Kyriakou", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Diamond G, Molchanova N, Herlan C, Fortkort JA, Lin JS, Figgins E, Bopp N, Ryan LK, Chung D, Adcock RS, Sherman M, Barron AE. Potent Antiviral Activity against HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 by Antimicrobial Peptoids. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14040304. [PMID: 33807248 PMCID: PMC8066833 DOI: 10.3390/ph14040304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral infections, such as those caused by Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) and SARS-CoV-2, affect millions of people each year. However, there are few antiviral drugs that can effectively treat these infections. The standard approach in the development of antiviral drugs involves the identification of a unique viral target, followed by the design of an agent that addresses that target. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a novel source of potential antiviral drugs. AMPs have been shown to inactivate numerous different enveloped viruses through the disruption of their viral envelopes. However, the clinical development of AMPs as antimicrobial therapeutics has been hampered by a number of factors, especially their enzymatically labile structure as peptides. We have examined the antiviral potential of peptoid mimics of AMPs (sequence-specific N-substituted glycine oligomers). These peptoids have the distinct advantage of being insensitive to proteases, and also exhibit increased bioavailability and stability. Our results demonstrate that several peptoids exhibit potent in vitro antiviral activity against both HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 when incubated prior to infection. In other words, they have a direct effect on the viral structure, which appears to render the viral particles non-infective. Visualization by cryo-EM shows viral envelope disruption similar to what has been observed with AMP activity against other viruses. Furthermore, we observed no cytotoxicity against primary cultures of oral epithelial cells. These results suggest a common or biomimetic mechanism, possibly due to the differences between the phospholipid head group makeup of viral envelopes and host cell membranes, thus underscoring the potential of this class of molecules as safe and effective broad-spectrum antiviral agents. We discuss how and why differing molecular features between 10 peptoid candidates may affect both antiviral activity and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gill Diamond
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA;
- Correspondence: (G.D.); (A.E.B.)
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (C.H.); (J.A.F.); (J.S.L.)
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Claudine Herlan
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (C.H.); (J.A.F.); (J.S.L.)
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - John A. Fortkort
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (C.H.); (J.A.F.); (J.S.L.)
| | - Jennifer S. Lin
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (C.H.); (J.A.F.); (J.S.L.)
| | - Erika Figgins
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY 40202, USA;
| | - Nathen Bopp
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
| | - Lisa K. Ryan
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida School of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA;
| | - Donghoon Chung
- Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; (D.C.); (R.S.A.)
| | - Robert Scott Adcock
- Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; (D.C.); (R.S.A.)
| | - Michael Sherman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
| | - Annelise E. Barron
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (C.H.); (J.A.F.); (J.S.L.)
- Correspondence: (G.D.); (A.E.B.)
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Vivekanandhan K, Shanmugam P, Barabadi H, Arumugam V, Daniel Raj Daniel Paul Raj D, Sivasubramanian M, Ramasamy S, Anand K, Boomi P, Chandrasekaran B, Arokiyaraj S, Saravanan M. Emerging Therapeutic Approaches to Combat COVID-19: Present Status and Future Perspectives. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:604447. [PMID: 33763450 PMCID: PMC7983051 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.604447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a fast-paced epidemic in late 2019 which is disrupting life-saving immunization services. SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible virus and an infectious disease that has caused fear among people across the world. The worldwide emergence and rapid expansion of SARS-CoV-2 emphasizes the need for exploring innovative therapeutic approaches to combat SARS-CoV-2. The efficacy of some antiviral drugs such as remdesivir, favipiravir, umifenovir, etc., are still tested against SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, there is a large global effort to develop vaccines for the protection against COVID-19. Because vaccines seem the best solution to control the pandemic but time is required for its development, pre-clinical/clinical trials, approval from FDA and scale-up. The nano-based approach is another promising approach to combat COVID-19 owing to unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials. Peptide based vaccines emerged as promising vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-2. The study emphasizes the current therapeutic approaches against SARS-CoV-2 and some of the potential candidates for SARS-CoV-2 treatment which are still under clinical studies for their effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. Overall, it is of high importance to mention that clinical trials are necessary for confirming promising drug candidates and effective vaccines and the safety profile of the new components must be evaluated before translation of in vitro studies for implementation in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Vivekanandhan
- Department of Biotechnology, K. S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Poornima Shanmugam
- Department of Biotechnology, K. S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Hamed Barabadi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vigneshwaran Arumugam
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India
| | | | - Manikandan Sivasubramanian
- Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India
| | - Subbaiya Ramasamy
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, The Copperbelt University, Riverside, Zambia
| | - Krishnan Anand
- Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences and National Health Laboratory Service, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Pandi Boomi
- Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India
| | | | - Selvaraj Arokiyaraj
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Muthupandian Saravanan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Division of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, College of Health Science, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia
- AMR and Nanomedicine Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India
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DiNicolantonio JJ, McCarty M, Barroso-Aranda J. Melatonin may decrease risk for and aid treatment of COVID-19 and other RNA viral infections. Open Heart 2021; 8:e001568. [PMID: 33741691 PMCID: PMC7985934 DOI: 10.1136/openhrt-2020-001568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent retrospective study has provided evidence that COVID-19 infection may be notably less common in those using supplemental melatonin. It is suggested that this phenomenon may reflect the fact that, via induction of silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1), melatonin can upregulate K63 polyubiquitination of the mitochondrial antiviral-signalling protein, thereby boosting virally mediated induction of type 1 interferons. Moreover, Sirt1 may enhance the antiviral efficacy of type 1 interferons by preventing hyperacetylation of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), enabling its retention in the nucleus, where it promotes transcription of interferon-inducible genes. This nuclear retention of HMGB1 may also be a mediator of the anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin therapy in COVID-19-complementing melatonin's suppression of nuclear factor kappa B activity and upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2. If these speculations are correct, a nutraceutical regimen including vitamin D, zinc and melatonin supplementation may have general utility for the prevention and treatment of RNA virus infections, such as COVID-19 and influenza.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J DiNicolantonio
- Department of Preventive Cardiology, Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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