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Degiacomi G, Gianibbi B, Recchia D, Stelitano G, Truglio GI, Marra P, Stamilla A, Makarov V, Chiarelli LR, Manetti F, Pasca MR. CanB, a Druggable Cellular Target in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:25209-25220. [PMID: 37483251 PMCID: PMC10357428 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Treatment against tuberculosis can lead to the selection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. To tackle this serious threat, new targets from M. tuberculosis are needed to develop novel effective drugs. In this work, we aimed to provide a possible workflow to validate new targets and inhibitors by combining genetic, in silico, and enzymological approaches. CanB is one of the three M. tuberculosis β-carbonic anhydrases that catalyze the reversible reaction of CO2 hydration to form HCO3- and H+. To this end, we precisely demonstrated that CanB is essential for the survival of the pathogen in vitro by constructing conditional mutants. In addition, to search for CanB inhibitors, conditional canB mutants were also constructed using the Pip-ON system. By molecular docking and minimum inhibitory concentration assays, we selected three molecules that inhibit the growth in vitro of M. tuberculosis wild-type strain and canB conditional mutants, thus implementing a target-to-drug approach. The lead compound also showed a bactericidal activity by the time-killing assay. We further studied the interactions of these molecules with CanB using enzymatic assays and differential scanning fluorimetry thermal shift analysis. In conclusion, the compounds identified by the in silico screening proved to have a high affinity as CanB ligands endowed with antitubercular activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Degiacomi
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Beatrice Gianibbi
- Department
of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
| | - Deborah Recchia
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Giovanni Stelitano
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | | | - Paola Marra
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Alessandro Stamilla
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Vadim Makarov
- Bakh
Institute of Biochemistry, Russian Academy
of Science, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Laurent Robert Chiarelli
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Manetti
- Department
of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena 53100, Italy
| | - Maria Rosalia Pasca
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnology “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
- Fondazione
IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia 27100, Italy
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Hulme J. COVID-19 and Diarylamidines: The Parasitic Connection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6583. [PMID: 37047556 PMCID: PMC10094973 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076583] [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: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants (Omicron) continue to outpace and negate combinatorial vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies targeting the spike protein (S) receptor binding domain (RBD), the appetite for developing similar COVID-19 treatments has significantly diminished, with the attention of the scientific community switching to long COVID treatments. However, treatments that reduce the risk of "post-COVID-19 syndrome" and associated sequelae remain in their infancy, particularly as no established criteria for diagnosis currently exist. Thus, alternative therapies that reduce infection and prevent the broad range of symptoms associated with 'post-COVID-19 syndrome' require investigation. This review begins with an overview of the parasitic-diarylamidine connection, followed by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and associated angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSSR2) involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Subsequently, the ability of diarylamidines to inhibit S-protein binding and various membrane serine proteases associated with SARS-CoV-2 and parasitic infections are discussed. Finally, the roles of diarylamidines (primarily DIZE) in vaccine efficacy, epigenetics, and the potential amelioration of long COVID sequelae are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hulme
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon Bionano Research Institute, Gachon University, 1342 Sungnam-daero, Sujung-gu, Seongnam-si 461-701, Republic of Korea
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Selective delivery of pentamidine toward cancer cells by self-assembled nanoparticles. Int J Pharm 2022; 625:122102. [PMID: 35961419 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122102] [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: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Pentamidine (PTM) is an aromatic diamidine approved for the treatment of parasitic infections that has been recently proposed for possible repositioning as an anticancer drug. To this aim, efforts have been made to improve its therapeutic efficacy and reduce associated adverse effects through both covalent derivatization and association with nanocarriers. To efficiently encapsulate PTM into biocompatible nanoparticles and to enhance its selectivity toward cancer cells, a squalene (SQ) derivative (1,1',2-tris-norsqualenoic acid, SQ-COOH) was selected to prepare PTM-loaded nanocarriers. Indeed, SQ and its derivatives self-assemble into nanoparticles in aqueous media. Furthermore, SQ-bioconjugates strongly interact with low-density lipoproteins (LDL), thus favoring preferential accumulation in cells overexpressing the LDL receptor (LDLR). We report here the preparation of nanocarriers by ion-pairing between the negatively charged SQ-COOH and the positively charged PTM free base (PTM-B), which allowed the covalent grafting of SQ to PTM to be avoided. The nanoparticles were characterized (mean size < 200 nm and zeta potential < -20 mV for SQ-COOH/PTM-B 3:1 molar ratio) and molecular modelling studies of the SQ-COOH/PTM-B interaction confirmed the nanocarrier stability. Finally, the ability to indirectly target LDLR-overexpressing cancer cells was evaluated by in vitro cell viability assays and confirmed by LDLR silencing, serum privation and simvastatin treatment.
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