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Kellogg GE, Cen Y, Dukat M, Ellis KC, Guo Y, Li J, May AE, Safo MK, Zhang S, Zhang Y, Desai UR. Merging cultures and disciplines to create a drug discovery ecosystem at Virginia commonwealth university: Medicinal chemistry, structural biology, molecular and behavioral pharmacology and computational chemistry. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2023; 28:255-269. [PMID: 36863508 PMCID: PMC10619687 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2023.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
The Department of Medicinal Chemistry, together with the Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has evolved, organically with quite a bit of bootstrapping, into a unique drug discovery ecosystem in response to the environment and culture of the university and the wider research enterprise. Each faculty member that joined the department and/or institute added a layer of expertise, technology and most importantly, innovation, that fertilized numerous collaborations within the University and with outside partners. Despite moderate institutional support with respect to a typical drug discovery enterprise, the VCU drug discovery ecosystem has built and maintained an impressive array of facilities and instrumentation for drug synthesis, drug characterization, biomolecular structural analysis and biophysical analysis, and pharmacological studies. Altogether, this ecosystem has had major impacts on numerous therapeutic areas, such as neurology, psychiatry, drugs of abuse, cancer, sickle cell disease, coagulopathy, inflammation, aging disorders and others. Novel tools and strategies for drug discovery, design and development have been developed at VCU in the last five decades; e.g., fundamental rational structure-activity relationship (SAR)-based drug design, structure-based drug design, orthosteric and allosteric drug design, design of multi-functional agents towards polypharmacy outcomes, principles on designing glycosaminoglycans as drugs, and computational tools and algorithms for quantitative SAR (QSAR) and understanding the roles of water and the hydrophobic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen E Kellogg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA.
| | - Yana Cen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Malgorzata Dukat
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Keith C Ellis
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Youzhong Guo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Jiong Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Aaron E May
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Martin K Safo
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA
| | - Umesh R Desai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0540, USA.
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Jantas D, Lasoń W. Preclinical Evidence for the Interplay between Oxidative Stress and RIP1-Dependent Cell Death in Neurodegeneration: State of the Art and Possible Therapeutic Implications. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10101518. [PMID: 34679652 PMCID: PMC8532910 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10101518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are the most frequent chronic, age-associated neurological pathologies having a major impact on the patient’s quality of life. Despite a heavy medical, social and economic burden they pose, no causative treatment is available for these diseases. Among the important pathogenic factors contributing to neuronal loss during neurodegeneration is elevated oxidative stress resulting from a disturbed balance between endogenous prooxidant and antioxidant systems. For many years, it was thought that increased oxidative stress was a cause of neuronal cell death executed via an apoptotic mechanism. However, in recent years it has been postulated that rather programmed necrosis (necroptosis) is the key form of neuronal death in the course of neurodegenerative diseases. Such assumption was supported by biochemical and morphological features of the dying cells as well as by the fact that various necroptosis inhibitors were neuroprotective in cellular and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss the relationship between oxidative stress and RIP1-dependent necroptosis and apoptosis in the context of the pathomechanism of neurodegenerative disorders. Based on the published data mainly from cellular models of neurodegeneration linking oxidative stress and necroptosis, we postulate that administration of multipotential neuroprotectants with antioxidant and antinecroptotic properties may constitute an efficient pharmacotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Saathoff J, Green J, Jiang Y, Xu Y, Kellogg GE, Zhang S. Structural understanding of 5-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-N-(2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)-ethyl)-3-oxopentanamide as a neuroprotectant for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 43:128081. [PMID: 33964442 PMCID: PMC8187328 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.128081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In our continuing efforts to develop novel neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease (AD), a series of analogs based on a lead compound that was recently shown to target the mitochondrial complex I were designed, synthesized and biologically characterized to understand the structure features that are important for neuroprotective activities. The results from a cellular AD model highlighted the important roles of the 4-OH on the phenyl ring and the 5-OCH3 on the indole ring of the lead compound. The results also demonstrated that the β-keto moiety can be modified to retain or improve the neuroprotective activity. Docking studies of selected analogs to the FMN site of mitochondrial complex I also supported the observed neuroprotective activities. Collectively, the results provide further information to guide optimization and development of analogs based on this chemical scaffold as neuroprotectants with a novel mechanism of action for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Saathoff
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jakob Green
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Yuqi Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Yiming Xu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Glen E Kellogg
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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Ausili A, Gómez-Murcia V, Candel AM, Beltrán A, Torrecillas A, He L, Jiang Y, Zhang S, Teruel JA, Gómez-Fernández JC. A comparison of the location in membranes of curcumin and curcumin-derived bivalent compounds with potential neuroprotective capacity for Alzheimer's disease. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2020; 199:111525. [PMID: 33373844 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.111525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Curcumin and two bivalent compounds, namely 17MD and 21MO, both obtained by conjugation of curcumin with a steroid molecule that acts as a membrane anchor, were comparatively studied. When incorporated into 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine the compounds showed a very limited solubility in the model membranes. Curcumin and the two bivalent compounds were also incorporated in membranes of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and quenching the fluorescence of pure curcumin or of the curcumin moiety in the bivalent compounds by acrylamide it was seen that curcumin was accessible to this water soluble quencher but the molecule was somehow located in a hydrophobic environment. This was confirmed by quenching with doxyl-phosphatidylcholines, indicating that the curcumin moieties of 17MD and 21MO were in a more polar environment than pure curcumin itself. 1H NOESY MAS-NMR analysis supports this notion by showing that the orientation of curcumin was parallel to the plane of the membrane surface close to C2 and C3 of the fatty acyl chains, while the curcumin moiety of 17MD and 21MO positioned close to the polar part of the membrane with the steroid moiety in the centre of the membrane. Molecular dynamics studies were in close agreement with the experimental results with respect to the likely proximity of the protons studied by NMR and show that 17MD and 21MO have a clear tendency to aggregate in a fluid membrane. The anchorage of the bivalent compounds to the membrane leaving the curcumin moiety near the polar part may be very important to facilitate the bioactivity of the curcumin moiety when used as anti-Alzheimer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Ausili
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Victoria Gómez-Murcia
- Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, IMIB, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Adela M Candel
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Andrea Beltrán
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Alejandro Torrecillas
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Liu He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
| | - Yuqi Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
| | - José A Teruel
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain
| | - Juan C Gómez-Fernández
- Departamento De Bioquímica y Biología Molecular "A", Facultad de Veterinaria, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Universidad de Murcia, Apartado de Correos 4021, Murcia, E-30080, Spain.
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Chainoglou E, Hadjipavlou-Litina D. Curcumin in Health and Diseases: Alzheimer's Disease and Curcumin Analogues, Derivatives, and Hybrids. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21061975. [PMID: 32183162 PMCID: PMC7139886 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21061975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative multifactorial disease influencing the elderly population. Nowadays, several medications, among them curcumin, are used in the treatment of AD. Curcumin, which is the principal component of Curcuma longa, has shown favorable effects forsignificantly preventing or treating AD. During the last decade, the scientific community has focused their research on the optimization of therapeutic properties and on the improvement of pharmacokinetic properties of curcumin. This review summarizes bibliographical data from 2009 to 2019 on curcumin analogues, derivatives, and hybrids, as well as their therapeutic, preventic, and diagnostic applications in AD. Recent advances in the field have revealed that the phenolic hydroxyl group could contribute to the anti-amyloidogenic activity. Phenyl methoxy groups seem to contribute to the suppression of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ42) and to the suppression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) andhydrophobic interactions have also revealed a growing role. Furthermore, flexible moieties, at the linker, are crucial for the inhibition of Aβ aggregation. The inhibitory activity of derivatives is increased with the expansion of the aromatic rings. The promising role of curcumin-based compounds in diagnostic imaging is highlighted. The keto-enol tautomerism seems to be a novel modification for the design of amyloid-binding agents. Molecular docking results, (Q)SAR, as well as in vitro and in vivo tests highlight the structures and chemical moieties that are correlated with specific activity. As a result, the knowledge gained from the existing research should lead to the design and synthesis ofinnovative and multitargetedcurcumin analogues, derivatives, or curcumin hybrids, which would be very useful drug and tools in medicine for both diagnosis and treatment of AD.
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Wang N, Qiu P, Cui W, Yan X, Zhang B, He S. Recent Advances in Multi-target Anti-Alzheimer Disease Compounds (2013 Up to the Present). Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:5684-5710. [DOI: 10.2174/0929867326666181203124102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
:
Since the last century, when scientists proposed the lock-and-key model, the discovery of
drugs has focused on the development of drugs acting on single target. However, single-target drug
therapies are not effective to complex diseases with multi-factorial pathogenesis. Moreover, the
combination of single-target drugs readily causes drug resistance and side effects. In recent years,
multi-target drugs have increasingly been represented among FDA-approved drugs. Alzheimer’s
Disease (AD) is a complex and multi-factorial disease for which the precise molecular mechanisms
are still not fully understood. In recent years, rational multi-target drug design methods, which combine
the pharmacophores of multiple drugs, have been increasingly applied in the development of
anti-AD drugs. In this review, we give a brief description of the pathogenesis of AD and provide
detailed discussions about the recent development of chemical structures of anti-AD agents (2013 up
to present) that have multiple targets, such as amyloid-β peptide, Tau protein, cholinesterases,
monoamine oxidase, β-site amyloid-precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1, free radicals, metal ions
(Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) and so on. In this paper, we also added some novel targets or possible pathogenesis
which have been reported in recent years for AD therapy. We hope that these findings may provide
new perspectives for the pharmacological treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Panpan Qiu
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Wei Cui
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xiaojun Yan
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Shan He
- Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin Kenneth Li Marine Biopharmaceutical Research Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
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Zholos AV, Moroz OF, Storozhuk MV. Curcuminoids and Novel Opportunities for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: Which Molecules are Actually Effective? Curr Mol Pharmacol 2019; 12:12-26. [PMID: 30318014 DOI: 10.2174/1874467211666181012150847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Millions of people worldwide are suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD), and there are only symptomatic treatments available for this disease. Thus, there is a great need to identify drugs capable of arresting or reversing AD. Constituents of the spice turmeric, in particular, curcuminoids, seem to be very promising, as evident from in vitro experiments and tests using animal models of AD. However, most of the clinical trials did not reveal any beneficial effects of curcuminoids in the treatment of AD. These controversies, including conflicting results of clinical trials, are thought to be related to bioavailability of curcuminoids, which is low unless it is enhanced by developing a special formulation. However, there is growing evidence suggesting that other reasons may be of even greater importance, but these avenues are less explored. OBJECTIVE Review relevant literature, and analyze potential reasons for the controversial results. METHODOLOGY Recent in vitro and preclinical studies; clinical trials (without a limiting period) were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar. RESULTS While recent in vitro and preclinical studies confirm the therapeutic potential of curcuminoids in the treatment of AD and cognitive dysfunctions, results of corresponding clinical trials remain rather controversial. CONCLUSION The controversial results obtained in the clinical trials may be in part due to particularities of the curcuminoid formulations other than bioavailability. Namely, it seems likely that the various formulations differ in terms of their minor turmeric constituent(s). We hypothesize that these distinctions may be of key importance for efficacy of the particular formulation in clinical trials. A testable approach addressing this hypothesis is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Zholos
- A.A. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 4 Bogomoletz Street, Kiev 01024, Ukraine.,Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Educational and Scientific Centre "Institute of Biology and Medicine", 2 Academician Glushkov Avenue, Kiev 03022, Ukraine
| | - Olesia F Moroz
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Educational and Scientific Centre "Institute of Biology and Medicine", 2 Academician Glushkov Avenue, Kiev 03022, Ukraine
| | - Maksim V Storozhuk
- A.A. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, 4 Bogomoletz Street, Kiev 01024, Ukraine
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He L, Jiang Y, Green J, Blevins H, Zhang S. Development of bivalent compounds as potential neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019; 29:1957-1961. [PMID: 31153803 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2019.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In our efforts to further investigate the impact of the spacer and membrane anchor to the neuroprotective activities, a series of bivalent compounds that contain cholesterol and extended spacers were designed, synthesized and biologically characterized. Our results support previous studies that incorporation of a piperazine ring into the spacer significantly improved the protective potency of bivalent compounds in MC65 cell model. Spacer length beyond 21 atoms does not add further benefits with 21MO being the most potent one with an EC50 of 81.86 ± 11.91 nM. Our results also demonstrated that bivalent compound 21MO suppressed the production of mitochondria reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, our results confirmed that both of the spacer and membrane anchor moiety are essential to metal binding. Collectively, the results provide further evidence and information to guide optimization of such bivalent compounds as potential neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Yuqi Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jakob Green
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Hallie Blevins
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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He L, Boice A, Liu K, Yan X, Jiang Y, Zhang S. Design and characterization of bivalent compounds as potential neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease: Impact of the spacer on biological activity. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2018; 28:1030-1036. [PMID: 29475586 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In our continuing efforts to develop bivalent compounds as potential neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease, a series of bivalent compounds that contain cholesterylamine and an extended spacer were synthesized and biologically characterized. Our results demonstrated that incorporation of a piperazine ring into the spacer composition significantly improved the protective potency in MC65 cell models. Our results also suggested that the optimal spacer length for such bivalent compounds ranges from 17 to 21 atoms, and further spacer extension beyond 21 atoms results no further optimization. Notably, incorporation of a piperazine ring into the spacer diminished the biometal chelating capacity for these bivalent compounds, thus suggesting structural flexibility of these compounds in interactions with metals. Collectively, the results provided valuable guidance to develop new bivalent compounds as neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Ashley Boice
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Kai Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Xing Yan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Yuqi Jiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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He L, Jiang Y, Liu K, Gomez-Murcia V, Ma X, Torrecillas A, Chen Q, Zhu X, Lesnefsky E, Gomez-Fernandez JC, Xu B, Zhang S. Insights into the Impact of a Membrane-Anchoring Moiety on the Biological Activities of Bivalent Compounds As Potential Neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's Disease. J Med Chem 2018; 61:777-790. [PMID: 29271648 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Bivalent compounds anchoring in different manners to the membrane were designed and biologically characterized to understand the contribution of the anchor moiety to their biological activity as neuroprotectants for Alzheimer's disease. Our results established that the anchor moiety is essential, and we identified a preference for diosgenin, as evidenced by 17MD. Studies in primary neurons and mouse brain mitochondria also identified 17MD as exhibiting activity on neuritic outgrowth and the state 3 oxidative rate of glutamate while preserving the coupling capacity of the mitochondria. Significantly, our studies demonstrated that the integrated bivalent structure is essential to the observed biological activities. Further studies employing bivalent compounds as probes in a model membrane also revealed the influence of the anchor moiety on how they interact with the membrane. Collectively, our results suggest diosgenin to be an optimal anchor moiety, providing bivalent compounds with promising pharmacology that have potential applications for Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Victoria Gomez-Murcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia , Murcia, 30080, Spain
| | - Xiaopin Ma
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Alejandro Torrecillas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia , Murcia, 30080, Spain
| | | | - Xiongwei Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | | | - Juan C Gomez-Fernandez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia , Murcia, 30080, Spain
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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Maezawa I, Zou B, Di Lucente J, Cao WS, Pascual C, Weerasekara S, Zhang M, Xie XS, Hua DH, Jin LW. The Anti-Amyloid-β and Neuroprotective Properties of a Novel Tricyclic Pyrone Molecule. J Alzheimers Dis 2017; 58:559-574. [PMID: 28482635 PMCID: PMC5438482 DOI: 10.3233/jad-161175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent unmet need for new therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Therapeutic approaches targeting amyloid-β (Aβ) and its downstream toxicities have become major strategies in AD drug development. We have taken a rational design approach and synthesized a class of tricyclic pyrone (TP) compounds that show anti-Aβ and other neuroprotective actions. The in vivo efficacy of a lead TP named CP2 to ameliorate AD-like pathologies has been shown in mouse models. Here we report the selection and initial characterization of a new lead TP70, which exhibited an anti-Aβ therapeutic index even higher than CP2. Moreover, TP70 was able to reduce oxidative stress, inhibit acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), and upregulate the expression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily A, member 1 (ABCA1), actions considered neuroprotective in AD. TP70 further showed excellent pharmacokinetic properties, including brain penetration and oral availability. When administered to 5xFAD mice via intraperitoneal or oral route, TP70 enhanced the overall solubility and decreased the level of cerebral Aβ, including both fibrillary and soluble Aβ species. Interestingly, TP70 enhanced N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) in the hippocampal CA1 area, increased the magnitude of NMDA-dependent hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model of learning and memory, and prevented the Aβ oligomer-impaired LTP. Significantly, a single dose of TP70 administered to aged 5xFAD mice was effective in mitigating the impaired LTP induction, recorded at 24 h after administration. Our results support a potential of TP70 in clinical development for AD in view of its synergistic neuroprotective actions, ability to positively modulate NMDA receptor-mediated hippocampal plasticity, and favorable pharmacokinetic properties in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Maezawa
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Bende Zou
- AfaSci Research Laboratory, Redwood City, CA, USA
| | - Jacopo Di Lucente
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Man Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | | | - Duy H. Hua
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Lee-Way Jin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
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Saathoff JM, Liu K, Chojnacki JE, He L, Chen Q, Lesnefsky EJ, Zhang S. Mechanistic Insight of Bivalent Compound 21MO as Potential Neuroprotectant for Alzheimer's Disease. Molecules 2016; 21:412. [PMID: 27023508 PMCID: PMC4831581 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21040412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We have recently developed a bivalent strategy to provide novel compounds that potentially target multiple risk factors involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our previous studies employing a bivalent compound with a shorter spacer (17MN) implicated that this compound can localize into mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), thus interfering with the change of mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) and Ca2+ levels in MC65 cells upon removal of tetracycline (TC). In this report, we examined the effects by a bivalent compound with a longer spacer (21MO) in MC65 cells. Our results demonstrated that 21MO suppressed the change of MMP, possibly via interaction with the mitochondrial complex I in MC65 cells. Interestingly, 21MO did not show any effects on the Ca2+ level upon TC removal in MC65 cells. Our previous studies suggested that the mobilization of Ca2+ in MC65 cells, upon withdraw of TC, originated from ER, so the results implicated that 21MO may preferentially interact with mitochondria in MC65 cells under the current experimental conditions. Collectively, the results suggest that bivalent compounds with varied spacer length and cell membrane anchor moiety may exhibit neuroprotective activities via different mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Saathoff
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Kai Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Jeremy E Chojnacki
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Liu He
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Qun Chen
- Department of Medicine, Pauley Heart Center, Division of Cardiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Edward J Lesnefsky
- Department of Medicine, Pauley Heart Center, Division of Cardiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
| | - Shijun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
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Chojnacki JE, Liu K, Saathoff JM, Zhang S. Bivalent ligands incorporating curcumin and diosgenin as multifunctional compounds against Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Med Chem 2015; 23:7324-31. [PMID: 26526742 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In an effort to combat the multifaceted nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression, a series of multifunctional, bivalent compounds containing curcumin and diosgenin were designed, synthesized, and biologically characterized. Screening results in MC65 neuroblastoma cells established that compound 38 with a spacer length of 17 atoms exhibited the highest protective potency with an EC50 of 111.7 ± 9.0 nM. A reduction in protective activity was observed as spacer length was increased up to 28 atoms and there is a clear structural preference for attachment to the methylene carbon between the two carbonyl moieties of curcumin. Further study suggested that antioxidative ability and inhibitory effects on amyloid-β oligomer (AβO) formation may contribute to the neuroprotective outcomes. Additionally, compound 38 was found to bind directly to Aβ, similar to curcumin, but did not form complexes with the common biometals Cu, Fe, and Zn. Altogether, these results give strong evidence to support the bivalent design strategy in developing novel compounds with multifunctional ability for the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy E Chojnacki
- School of Pharmacy-Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, Suite 205, 800 E. Leigh St., PO Box 980540, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Kai Liu
- School of Pharmacy-Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, Suite 205, 800 E. Leigh St., PO Box 980540, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - John M Saathoff
- School of Pharmacy-Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, Suite 205, 800 E. Leigh St., PO Box 980540, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Shijun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy-Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, Suite 205, 800 E. Leigh St., PO Box 980540, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
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