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Wu X, Tian Y, Ran K, Yao J, Wang Y, Ouyang X, Mao W, Zhang J, Li B, Yang P, Ba Z, Liu H, Gou S, Zhong C, Zhang Y, Ni J. Rational design of a new short anticancer peptide with good potential for cancer treatment. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 273:116519. [PMID: 38795519 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116519] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) have regarded as a new generation of promising antitumor drugs due to the unique mode of action. The main challenge is to develop potential anticancer peptides with satisfied antitumor activity and low toxicity. Here, a series of new α-helical anticancer peptides were designed and synthesized based on the regular repeat motif KLLK. The optimal peptides 14E and 14Aad were successfully derived from the new short α-helical peptide KL-8. Our results demonstrated that 14E and 14Aad had good antitumor activity and low toxicity, exhibiting excellent selectivity index. This result highlighted that the desirable modification position and appropriate hydrophobic side-chain structure of acidic amino acids played critical roles in regulating the antitumor activity/toxicity of new peptides. Further studies indicated that they could induce tumor cell death via the multiple actions of efficient membrane disruption and intracellular mechanisms, displaying apparent superiority in combination with PTX. In addition, the new peptides 14E and 14Aad showed excellent antitumor efficacy in vivo and low toxicity in mice compared to KL-8 and PTX. Particularly, 14Aad with the longer side chain at the 14th site exhibited the best therapeutic performance. In conclusion, our work provided a new avenue to develop promising anticancer peptides with good selectivity for tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yali Tian
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Kaixin Ran
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jia Yao
- The First Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yuxia Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Beibei Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Ping Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
| | - Jingman Ni
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
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2
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Kao HJ, Weng TH, Chen CH, Chen YC, Chi YH, Huang KY, Weng SL. Integrating In Silico and In Vitro Approaches to Identify Natural Peptides with Selective Cytotoxicity against Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6848. [PMID: 38999958 PMCID: PMC11240926 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25136848] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are bioactive compounds known for their selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells via various mechanisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that in silico machine learning methods are effective in predicting peptides with anticancer activity. In this study, we collected and analyzed over a thousand experimentally verified ACPs, specifically targeting peptides derived from natural sources. We developed a precise prediction model based on their sequence and structural features, and the model's evaluation results suggest its strong predictive ability for anticancer activity. To enhance reliability, we integrated the results of this model with those from other available methods. In total, we identified 176 potential ACPs, some of which were synthesized and further evaluated using the MTT colorimetric assay. All of these putative ACPs exhibited significant anticancer effects and selective cytotoxicity against specific tumor cells. In summary, we present a strategy for identifying and characterizing natural peptides with selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells, which could serve as novel therapeutic agents. Our prediction model can effectively screen new molecules for potential anticancer activity, and the results from in vitro experiments provide compelling evidence of the candidates' anticancer effects and selective cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ju Kao
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu Municipal MacKay Children's Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Han Weng
- Department of Dermatology, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City 104, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hung Chen
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu Municipal MacKay Children's Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chi Chen
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu Municipal MacKay Children's Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiang Chi
- National Center for High-Performance Computing, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Yao Huang
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Hsinchu Municipal MacKay Children's Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 252, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 252, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Long Weng
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 252, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu Municipal MacKay Children's Hospital, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
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3
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Rizvi SFA, Zhang H, Fang Q. Engineering peptide drug therapeutics through chemical conjugation and implication in clinics. Med Res Rev 2024. [PMID: 38704826 DOI: 10.1002/med.22046] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The development of peptide drugs has made tremendous progress in the past few decades because of the advancements in modification chemistry and analytical technologies. The novel-designed peptide drugs have been modified through various biochemical methods with improved diagnostic, therapeutic, and drug-delivery strategies. Researchers found it a helping hand to overcome the inherent limitations of peptides and bring continued advancements in their applications. Furthermore, the emergence of peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs)-utilizes target-oriented peptide moieties as a vehicle for cytotoxic payloads via conjugation with cleavable chemical agents, resulting in the key foundation of the new era of targeted peptide drugs. This review summarizes the various classifications of peptide drugs, suitable chemical modification strategies to improve the ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) features of peptide drugs, and recent (2015-early 2024) progress/achievements in peptide-based drug delivery systems as well as their fruitful implication in preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, we also summarized the brief description of other types of PDCs, including peptide-MOF conjugates and peptide-UCNP conjugates. The principal aim is to provide scattered and diversified knowledge in one place and to help researchers understand the pinching knots in the science of PDC development and progress toward a bright future of novel peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Faheem Askari Rizvi
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Institute of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Quan Fang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Institute of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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4
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Wiezel GA, Oliveira IS, Reis MB, Ferreira IG, Cordeiro KR, Bordon KCF, Arantes EC. The complex repertoire of Tityus spp. venoms: Advances on their composition and pharmacological potential of their toxins. Biochimie 2024; 220:144-166. [PMID: 38176606 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.12.012] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Animal venoms are a rich and complex source of components, including peptides (such as neurotoxins, anionic peptides and hypotensins), lipids, proteins (such as proteases, hyaluronidases and phospholipases) and inorganic compounds, which affect all biological systems of the envenoming victim. Their action may result in a wide range of clinical manifestations, including tachy/bradycardia, hyper/hypotension, disorders in blood coagulation, pain, edema, inflammation, fever, muscle paralysis, coma and even death. Scorpions are one of the most studied venomous animals in the world and interesting bioactive molecules have been isolated and identified from their venoms over the years. Tityus spp. are among the scorpions with high number of accidents reported in the Americas, especially in Brazil. Their venoms have demonstrated interesting results in the search for novel agents with antimicrobial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, hypotensive, immunomodulation, anti-insect, antitumor and/or antinociceptive activities. Furthermore, other recent activities still under investigation include drug delivery action, design of anti-epileptic drugs, investigation of sodium channel function, treatment of erectile disfunction and priapism, improvement of scorpion antivenom and chelating molecules activity. In this scenario, this paper focuses on reviewing advances on Tityus venom components mainly through the modern omics technologies as well as addressing potential therapeutic agents from their venoms and highlighting this abundant source of pharmacologically active molecules with biotechnological application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisele A Wiezel
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Isadora S Oliveira
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søtolfts Plads, Building 239 Room 006, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark.
| | - Mouzarllem B Reis
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Isabela G Ferreira
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Kalynka R Cordeiro
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Karla C F Bordon
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Eliane C Arantes
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Do Café s/n, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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5
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Mohammadi E, Dashti S, Shafizade N, Jin H, Zhang C, Lam S, Tahmoorespur M, Mardinoglu A, Sekhavati MH. Drug repositioning for immunotherapy in breast cancer using single-cell analysis. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:37. [PMID: 38589404 PMCID: PMC11001976 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00359-z] [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: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunomodulatory peptides, while exhibiting potential antimicrobial, antifungal, and/or antiviral properties, can play a role in stimulating or suppressing the immune system, especially in pathological conditions like breast cancer (BC). Thus, deregulation of these peptides may serve as an immunotherapeutic strategy to enhance the immune response. In this meta-analysis, we utilized single-cell RNA sequencing data and known therapeutic peptides to investigate the deregulation of these peptides in malignant versus normal human breast epithelial cells. We corroborated our findings at the chromatin level using ATAC-seq. Additionally, we assessed the protein levels in various BC cell lines. Moreover, our in-house drug repositioning approach was employed to identify potential drugs that could positively impact the relapse-free survival of BC patients. Considering significantly deregulated therapeutic peptides and their role in BC pathology, our approach aims to downregulate B2M and SLPI, while upregulating PIGR, DEFB1, LTF, CLU, S100A7, and SCGB2A1 in BC epithelial cells through our drug repositioning pipeline. Leveraging the LINCS L1000 database, we propose BRD-A06641369 for B2M downregulation and ST-4070043 and BRD-K97926541 for SLPI downregulation without negatively affecting the MHC complex as a significantly correlated pathway with these two genes. Furthermore, we have compiled a comprehensive list of drugs for the upregulation of other selected immunomodulatory peptides. Employing an immunotherapeutic approach by integrating our drug repositioning pipeline with single-cell analysis, we proposed potential drugs and drug targets to fortify the immune system against BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyas Mohammadi
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Animal Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Samira Dashti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Neda Shafizade
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Han Jin
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simon Lam
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Adil Mardinoglu
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
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Kamińska J, Hecel A, Słowik J, Rombel-Bryzek A, Rowińska-Żyrek M, Witkowska D. Characterization of four peptides from milk fermented with kombucha cultures and their metal complexes-in search of new biotherapeutics. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1366588. [PMID: 38638688 PMCID: PMC11024286 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1366588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The most common skin diseases include eczema, psoriasis, acne, and fungal infections. There is often no effective cure for them. Increasing antimicrobial drug resistance prompts us to search for new, safe, and effective therapeutics. Among such interesting candidates are peptides derived from milk fermented with specific lactic acid bacteria or with kombucha cultures, which are a potential treasure trove of bioactive peptides. Four of them are discussed in this article. Their interactions with zinc and copper ions, which are known to improve the well-being of the skin, were characterized by potentiometry, MS, ITC, and spectroscopic methods, and their cytostatic potential was analyzed. The results suggest that they are safe for human cells and can be used alone or in complexes with copper for further testing as potential therapeutics for skin diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Kamińska
- Institute of Health Sciences, University of Opole, Opole, Poland
| | | | - Joanna Słowik
- Institute of Health Sciences, University of Opole, Opole, Poland
| | | | | | - Danuta Witkowska
- Institute of Health Sciences, University of Opole, Opole, Poland
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Yazdani M, Beihaghi M, Ataee N, Zabetian M, Khaksar S, Nasrizadeh H, Chaboksavar M. Anti-quorum sensing effects of SidA protein on Escherichia coli receptors: in silico analysis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38414257 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2322632] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Quorum sensing enables cell-cell communication in bacteria and regulates biofilm formation. Biofilm production promotes pathogenicity of Escherichia coli and causes infections. However, antibiotic resistance limits conventional treatment efficacy against biofilm infections. Quorum quenching offers an alternative by disrupting quorum sensing signals. Allicin, extracted from garlic, possesses antimicrobial and anti-quorum sensing properties. This study employed molecular docking and dynamics simulations to investigate allicin's interaction with the E. coli quorum sensing system, specifically targeting the cytoplasmic SidA receptor protein. SidA binds to N-acyl-homoserine lactone ligands and regulates quorum sensing in E. coli. The crystal structure of SidA was obtained from the PDB. Molecular docking revealed that allicin competitively binds to the ligand-binding pocket of SidA. Simulations analyzed the effects of allicin binding on SidA stability and affinity for N-acyl-homoserine lactones over 200 ns. Parameters like RMSD, RMSF, and hydrogen bonding indicated SidA was more stable when bound to allicin compared to unbound. Binding free energies suggested allicin reduced SidA's affinity for native ligands. Therefore, allicin binding to SidA alters its conformation and inhibits interaction with N-acyl-homoserine lactones, disrupting quorum sensing signaling and biofilm production in E. coli.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Yazdani
- Laboratory of Bioinformatic and Drug Design, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maria Beihaghi
- Department of Biology, Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
- School of Science and Technology, The University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Nazanin Ataee
- Department of Biology, Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mahsa Zabetian
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Samad Khaksar
- School of Science and Technology, The University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Hanieh Nasrizadeh
- Department of Biology, Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Masoud Chaboksavar
- Department of Biology, Kavian Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
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8
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Medvedeva A, Domakhina S, Vasnetsov C, Vasnetsov V, Kolomeisky A. Physical-Chemical Approach to Designing Drugs with Multiple Targets. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1828-1835. [PMID: 38330920 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Many people simultaneously exhibit multiple diseases, which complicates efficient medical treatments. For example, patients with cancer are frequently susceptible to infections. However, developing drugs that could simultaneously target several diseases is challenging. We present a novel theoretical method to assist in selecting compounds with multiple therapeutic targets. The idea is to find correlations between the physical and chemical properties of drug molecules and their abilities to work against multiple targets. As a first step, we investigated potential drugs against cancer and viral infections. Specifically, we investigated antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are short positively charged biomolecules produced by living systems as a part of their immune defense. AMPs show anticancer and antiviral activity. We use chemoinformatics and correlation analysis as a part of the machine-learning method to identify the specific properties that distinguish AMPs with dual anticancer and antiviral activities. Physical-chemical arguments to explain these observations are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Medvedeva
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Sofya Domakhina
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Catherine Vasnetsov
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Victor Vasnetsov
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Anatoly Kolomeisky
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
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9
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Sinha B, Choudhury Y. Revisiting edible insects as sources of therapeutics and drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1345281. [PMID: 38370484 PMCID: PMC10869617 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1345281] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer has been medicine's most formidable foe for long, and the rising incidence of the disease globally has made effective cancer therapy a significant challenge. Drug discovery is targeted at identifying efficacious compounds with minimal side effects and developments in nanotechnology and immunotherapy have shown promise in the fight against this complicated illness. Since ancient times, insects and insect-derived products have played a significant role in traditional medicine across several communities worldwide. The aim of this study was to inspect the traditional use of edible insects in various cultures and to explore their modern use in cancer therapy. Edible insects are sources of nutrients and a variety of beneficial substances with anticancer and immunomodulatory potential. Recently, insect derived bioactive-components have also been used as nanoparticles either in combination with chemotherapeutics or as a nano-cargo for the enhanced delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs due to their high biocompatibility, low bio-toxicity, and their antioxidant and anticancer effects. The crude extracts of different edible insects and their active components such as sericin, cecropin, solenopsin, melittin, antimicrobial peptides and fibroin produce anti-cancer and immunomodulatory effects by various mechanisms which have been discussed in this review.
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10
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Qu B, Yuan J, Liu X, Zhang S, Ma X, Lu L. Anticancer activities of natural antimicrobial peptides from animals. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1321386. [PMID: 38298540 PMCID: PMC10827920 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1321386] [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: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is the most common cause of human death worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health and having a negative impact on the economy. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made in anticancer therapies, but traditional anticancer therapies, including radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), have serious side effects, low specificity, and the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatment methods to improve efficacy and reduce side effects. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exist in the innate immune system of various organisms. As the most promising alternatives to traditional drugs for treating cancers, some AMPs also have been proven to possess anticancer activities, which are defined as anticancer peptides (ACPs). These peptides have the advantages of being able to specifically target cancer cells and have less toxicity to normal tissues. More and more studies have found that marine and terrestrial animals contain a large amount of ACPs. In this article, we introduced the animal derived AMPs with anti-cancer activity, and summarized the types of tumor cells inhibited by ACPs, the mechanisms by which they exert anti-tumor effects and clinical applications of ACPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baozhen Qu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Jiangshui Yuan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qingdao Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Municipal Hospital), Qingdao, China
| | - Xueli Liu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
- Medical Ethics Committee Office, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Shicui Zhang
- College of Life and Geographic Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Ecology of Pamirs Plateau in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kashi University, Kashi, China
- Institute of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuezhen Ma
- Department of Oncology, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
| | - Linlin Lu
- Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Central Medical Group), Qingdao, China
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11
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Li J, Zeng H, Li L, Yang Q, He L, Dong M. Advanced Generation Therapeutics: Biomimetic Nanodelivery System for Tumor Immunotherapy. ACS NANO 2023; 17:24593-24618. [PMID: 38055350 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c10212] [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: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Tumor immunotherapy is a safe and effective strategy for precision medicine. However, immunotherapy for most cancer cases still ends in failure, with the root causes of the immunosuppressive and extraordinary heterogeneity of the solid tumors microenvironment. The emerging biomimetic nanodelivery system provides a promising tactic to improve the immunotherapy effect while reducing the adverse reactions on nontarget cells. Herein, we summarize the relationship between tumor occurrence and tumor immune microenvironment, mechanism of tumor immune escape, immunotherapy classification (including adoptive cellular therapy, cytokines, cancer vaccines, and immune checkpoint inhibitors) and recommend target cells for immunotherapy first, and then emphatically introduce the recent advances and applications of the latest biomimetic nanodelivery systems (e.g., immune cells, erythrocytes, tumor cells, platelets, bacteria) in tumor immunotherapy. Meanwhile, we separately summarize the application of tumor vaccines. Finally, the predictable challenges and perspectives in a forward exploration of biomimetic nanodelivery systems for tumor immunotherapy are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Center for Medicine Research and Translation, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611135, Sichuan, China
- Cancer Prevention and Institute of Chengdu, Department of Oncology, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Huamin Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical Colloge, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Luwei Li
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiu Yang
- Center for Medicine Research and Translation, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611135, Sichuan, China
| | - Lang He
- Cancer Prevention and Institute of Chengdu, Department of Oncology, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingqing Dong
- Center for Medicine Research and Translation, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Affiliated Fifth People's Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Chengdu 611135, Sichuan, China
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12
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Vale N, Ribeiro E, Cruz I, Stulberg V, Koksch B, Costa B. New Perspective for Using Antimicrobial and Cell-Penetrating Peptides to Increase Efficacy of Antineoplastic 5-FU in Cancer Cells. J Funct Biomater 2023; 14:565. [PMID: 38132819 PMCID: PMC10744333 DOI: 10.3390/jfb14120565] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study explores the effectiveness of the antineoplastic agent 5-FU in cancer cells by leveraging the unique properties of cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). Traditional anticancer therapies face substantial limitations, including unfavorable pharmacokinetic profiles and inadequate specificity for tumor sites. These drawbacks often necessitate higher therapeutic agent doses, leading to severe toxicity in normal cells and adverse side effects. Peptides have emerged as promising carriers for targeted drug delivery, with their ability to selectively deliver therapeutics to cells expressing specific receptors. This enhances intracellular drug delivery, minimizes drug resistance, and reduces toxicity. In this research, we comprehensively evaluate the ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) properties of various AMPs and CPPs to gain insights into their potential as anticancer agents. The peptide synthesis involved a solid-phase synthesis using a Liberty Microwave Peptide Synthesizer. The peptide purity was confirmed via LC-MS and HPLC methods. For the ADMET screening, computational tools were employed, assessing parameters like absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity. The cell lines A549 and UM-UC-5 were cultured and treated with 5-FU, CAMPs, and CPPs. The cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. The physicochemical properties analysis revealed favorable drug-likeness attributes. The peptides exhibited potential inhibitory activity against CYP3A4. The ADMET predictions indicated variable absorption and distribution characteristics. Furthermore, we assessed the effectiveness of these peptides alone and in combination with 5-FU, a widely used antineoplastic agent, in two distinct cancer cell lines, UM-UC-5 and A549. Our findings indicate that CAMPs can significantly reduce the cell viability in A549 cells, while CPPs exhibit promising results in UM-UC-5 cells. Understanding these multifaceted effects could open new avenues for antiviral and anticancer research. Further, experimental validation is necessary to confirm the mechanism of action of these peptides, especially in combination with 5-FU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Vale
- PerMed Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (E.R.); (I.C.); (B.C.)
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Ribeiro
- PerMed Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (E.R.); (I.C.); (B.C.)
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS—School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Cruz
- PerMed Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (E.R.); (I.C.); (B.C.)
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Valentina Stulberg
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 20, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (V.S.); (B.K.)
| | - Beate Koksch
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 20, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (V.S.); (B.K.)
| | - Bárbara Costa
- PerMed Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal; (E.R.); (I.C.); (B.C.)
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision (MEDCIDS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Rua Doutor Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
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13
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Lee YJ. Examining the functional space of gut microbiome-derived peptides. Microbiologyopen 2023; 12:e1393. [PMID: 38129980 PMCID: PMC10714122 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1393] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiome contains thousands of small, novel peptides that could play a role in microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions, contributing to human health and disease. Although these peptides have not yet been systematically characterized, computational tools can be used to elucidate the bioactivities they may have. This article proposes probing the functional space of gut microbiome-derived peptides (MDPs) using in silico approaches for three bioactivities: antimicrobial, anticancer, and nucleomodulins. Machine learning programs that support peptide and protein queries are provided for each bioactivity. Considering the biases of an activity-centric approach, activity-agnostic tools using structural and chemical similarity and target prediction are also described. Gut MDPs represent a vast functional space that can not only contribute to our understanding of microbiome interactions but potentially even serve as a source of life-changing therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying‐Chiang J. Lee
- Department of Molecular BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
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14
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Li Z, Han C, Wang Z, Li Z, Ruan L, Lin H, Zhou C. Black soldier fly pulp in the diet of golden pompano: Effect on growth performance, liver antioxidant and intestinal health. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 142:109156. [PMID: 37827247 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) has been widely researched as a protein source for fish meal replacement in aquaculture, but few studies have focused on its potential as a feed additive for growth and immune enhancement. We conducted a 56-day culture experiment to determine the impact of feed addition of black soldier fly pulp (BSFP, with 86.2% small peptides in dry basis) on growth performance, plasma biochemistry, liver antioxidant levels, intestinal immunity, digestion and microbiota of juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus, 5.63 ± 0.02 g). BSFP was added to the basal diet at 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9% (named Control, BSFP-1, BSFP-3, BSFP-5, BSFP-7, BSFP-9), respectively. BSFP increased the weight gain rate, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and reduced the feed conversion rate of juvenile T. ovatus, the optimal growth performance was reached at BSFP-1, after which a negative feedback phenomenon was observed. Low levels of BSFP upregulated the expression of hepatic antioxidant, intestinal tight junctions, anti-inflammatory related genes and enhanced antioxidant, immune and intestinal digestive enzyme activities, which simultaneously reduced hepatic malondialdehyde and plasma aspartate transaminase and alanine aminotransferase concentrations. However, at BSFP-7, catalase activity was significantly reduced, while NF-κB p65 and pro-inflammatory cytokines transcription was significantly enhanced (P < 0.05). The results suggest that high doses of BSFP addition may damage fish health by inhibiting small peptide uptake, decreasing the activity of antioxidant enzyme and activating the canonical NF-κB pathway. Conversely, low doses of BSFP enhanced intestinal tight junction protein transcription, digestive enzyme activity and immune performance, inhibited pathogenic microbiota, while enhancing liver antioxidant capacity, which was associated with activated Nrf2-Keap1 pathway and suppressed NF-κB pathway, showing its potential as a feed additive to aquafeeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzhe Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China; College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Chengzong Han
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China; College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Zhanzhan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China
| | - Zhenyu Li
- Guangdong Green Coral Bio-Technology Co., Ltd, Dongguan, 523000, China
| | - Leshan Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China; College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Heizhao Lin
- Shenzhen Base of South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shenzhen, 518121, China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization and Processing of Marine Fishery Resources of Hainan Province, Sanya, 572019, China
| | - Chuanpeng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China; Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization and Processing of Marine Fishery Resources of Hainan Province, Sanya, 572019, China.
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15
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Yang X, Hua C, Lin L, Ganting Z. Antimicrobial peptides as potential therapy for gastrointestinal cancers. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2023; 396:2831-2841. [PMID: 37249612 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02536-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Since conventional therapy faces limitations in the field of different cancers as well as gastrointestinal cancers, that decrease the survival rate of patients, there is an urgent need to find new effective therapeutic approaches without the adverse effects of the traditional agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) attract much attention and are well known for their role in innate immunity. These peptides, in addition to their antimicrobial activity, exhibit strong anticancer potential against various types of malignancy. AMPs specifically target tumor cells and have selective toxicity for these cells without affecting normal cells. Here we aim to comprehensively overview the current knowledge in the field of using AMPs as novel therapeutic agents for gastrointestinal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Yang
- Heping Hospital Attached to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, 046000, China
| | - Cui Hua
- Tangshan Fengnan District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Tangshan, 063000, China.
| | - Lin Lin
- Tangshan Hongci Hospital, Tangshan, 063000, China
| | - Zhao Ganting
- Heping Hospital Attached to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, 046000, China
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16
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Cárdenas-Martínez K, Barragán-Cárdenas AC, de la Rosa-Arbeláez M, Parra-Giraldo CM, Ochoa-Zarzosa A, Lopez-Meza JE, Rivera-Monroy ZJ, Fierro-Medina R, García-Castañeda JE. Evaluating the In Vitro Activity and Safety of Modified LfcinB Peptides as Potential Colon Anticancer Agents: Cell Line Studies and Insect-Based Toxicity Assessments. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:37948-37957. [PMID: 37867694 PMCID: PMC10586019 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c03455] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides are increasingly being considered as alternative treatments for cancer due to their potency, selectivity, and low toxicity. Previously, the peptide LfcinB (21-25)Pal showed in vitro anticancer effects against the Caco-2 colon cancer cell line (half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50): 86 μM). In this study, we developed modifications to the peptide sequence to increase its anticancer activity. Sequence modifications were made such as the inclusion of amino hexanoic acid (Ahx), N-terminal biotinylation, acetylation, and substitutions of Orn for Arg and/or d-Arg by l-Arg. The molecules were synthesized using manual solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), and their synthetic feasibility (SAScore) ranged from 6.2 to 7.6. The chromatographic purities of the synthesized peptides were greater than 89%. We found that Ahx-RWQWRWQWR and RWQWRWQW-Orn showed activity against both Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines and decreased IC50 values by approx. 50% in Caco-2 cells (IC50: 40 μM) when compared to the parent peptide RWQWRWQWR. Moreover, the modified peptides demonstrated lower hemolytic effects, with values <10% at 200 μg/mL. Toxicity was assessed using the Galleria mellonella model and the half-maximal lethal dose (LD50) for the best peptides was >100 mg/kg, indicating that their toxicity is classified as moderately toxic or lower. In contrast, cisplatin showed an LD50 of 13 mg/Kg. The designed anticancer peptides presented good in vitro activity and low toxicity, making them promising molecules for future drug development studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen
J. Cárdenas-Martínez
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Andrea C. Barragán-Cárdenas
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Manuela de la Rosa-Arbeláez
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Claudia M. Parra-Giraldo
- Proteomics
and Human Mycosis Unit, Infectious Diseases Research Group, Department
of Microbiology, Pontificia Universidad
Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
| | - Alejandra Ochoa-Zarzosa
- Multidisciplinary
Centre for Studies in Biotechnology, Universidad
Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km 9.5, Carretera Morelia, Zinapécuaro, Tarímbaro 58880, México
| | - Joel E. Lopez-Meza
- Multidisciplinary
Centre for Studies in Biotechnology, Universidad
Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Km 9.5, Carretera Morelia, Zinapécuaro, Tarímbaro 58880, México
| | - Zuly J. Rivera-Monroy
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Ricardo Fierro-Medina
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Javier E. García-Castañeda
- Department
of Pharmacy, Department of Biotechnology, Deparment of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
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17
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Lee H, Shin SH, Yang S. Rationally designed PMAP-23 derivatives with enhanced bactericidal and anticancer activity based on the molecular mechanism of peptide-membrane interactions. Amino Acids 2023; 55:1013-1022. [PMID: 37310533 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-023-03290-5] [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: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a crucial component of the natural defense system that the host employs to protect itself against invading pathogens. PMAP-23, a cathelicidin-derived AMP, has potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Our earlier studies led us to hypothesize that PMAP-23 adopts a dynamic helix-hinge-helix structure, initially attaching to membrane surfaces through the N-helix and subsequently inserting the C-helix into the lipid bilayer. Here, we rationally designed PMAP-NC with increased amphipathicity and hydrophobicity in the N- and C-helix, respectively, based on the hypothesis of the interaction of PMAP-23 with membranes. Compared to the parental PMAP-23, PMAP-NC showed two-eightfold improved bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains with fast killing kinetics. Fluorescence studies demonstrated that PMAP-NC largely disrupted membrane integrity, indicating that efficiency and kinetics of bacterial killing are associated with the membrane permeabilization. Interestingly, PMAP-NC exhibited much better anticancer activity against tumor cells than PMAP-23 but displayed low hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. Collectively, our findings suggest that PMAP-NC, with the structural arrangement of an amphipathic helix-hinge-hydrophobic helix that plays a critical role in rapid and efficient membrane permeabilization, can be an attractive candidate for novel antimicrobial and/or anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunhee Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, South Korea
| | - Sung-Heui Shin
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, South Korea
| | - Sungtae Yang
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, South Korea.
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, South Korea.
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18
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Chinnadurai RK, Khan N, Meghwanshi GK, Ponne S, Althobiti M, Kumar R. Current research status of anti-cancer peptides: Mechanism of action, production, and clinical applications. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 164:114996. [PMID: 37311281 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The escalating rate of cancer cases, together with treatment deficiencies and long-term side effects of currently used cancer drugs, has made this disease a global burden of the 21st century. The number of breast and lung cancer patients has sharply increased worldwide in the last few years. Presently, surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy strategies are used to cure cancer, which cause severe side effects, toxicities, and drug resistance. In recent years, anti-cancer peptides have become an eminent therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment due to their high specificity and fewer side effects and toxicity. This review presents an updated overview of different anti-cancer peptides, their mechanisms of action and current production strategies employed for their manufacture. In addition, approved and under clinical trials anti-cancer peptides and their applications have been discussed. This review provides updated information on therapeutic anti-cancer peptides that hold great promise for cancer treatment in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Kumar Chinnadurai
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidhyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Pondicherry 607402, India
| | - Nazam Khan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Saravanaraman Ponne
- Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605014, India
| | - Maryam Althobiti
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Rajender Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden.
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19
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Khan MS, Altwaijry N, Jabir NR, Alamri AM, Tarique M, Khan AU. Potential of green-synthesized ZnO NPs against human ovarian teratocarcinoma: an in vitro study. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:4447-4457. [PMID: 37014566 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08367-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer leads to devastating outcomes, and its treatment is highly challenging. At present, there is a lack of clinical symptoms, well-known sensitivity biomarkers, and patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Currently, available therapeutics against ovarian cancer are inefficient, costly, and associated with severe side effects. The present study evaluated the anticancer potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) that were successfully biosynthesized in an ecofriendly mode using pumpkin seed extracts. METHODS AND RESULTS The anticancer potential of the biosynthesized ZnO NPs was assessed using an in vitro human ovarian teratocarcinoma cell line (PA-1) by well-known assays such as MTT assay, morphological alterations, induction of apoptosis, measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inhibition of cell adhesion/migration. The biogenic ZnO NPs exerted a high level of cytotoxicity against PA-1 cells. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs inhibited cellular adhesion and migration but induced ROS production and cell death through programmed cell death. CONCLUSION The aforementioned anticancer properties highlight the therapeutic utility of ZnO NPs in ovarian cancer treatment. However, further research is recommended to envisage their mechanism of action in different cancer models and validation in a suitable in vivo system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Shahnawaz Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Nojood Altwaijry
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nasimudeen R Jabir
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Centre for Research and Development, PRIST University, Vallam, Thanjavur, TN, 613403, India
| | | | - Mohammad Tarique
- Department of Child Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Azhar U Khan
- Department of Chemistry, School of Life and Basic Sciences, SIILAS CAMPUS, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India
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20
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Chang L, Wu X, Ran K, Tian Y, Ouyang X, Liu H, Gou S, Zhang Y, Ni J. One New Acid-Activated Hybrid Anticancer Peptide by Coupling with a Desirable pH-Sensitive Anionic Partner Peptide. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:7536-7545. [PMID: 36873017 PMCID: PMC9979329 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06766] [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: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are promising antitumor resources, and developing acid-activated ACPs as more effective and selective antitumor drugs would represent new progress in cancer therapy. In this study, we designed a new class of acid-activated hybrid peptides LK-LE by altering the charge shielding position of the anionic binding partner LE based on the cationic ACP LK and investigated their pH response, cytotoxic activity, and serum stability, in hoping to achieve a desirable acid-activatable ACP. As expected, the obtained hybrid peptides could be activated and exhibit a remarkable antitumor activity by rapid membrane disruption at acidic pH, whereas its killing activity could be alleviated at normal pH, showing a significant pH response compared with LK. Importantly, this study found that the peptide LK-LE3 with the charge shielding in the N-terminal of LK displayed notably low cytotoxicity and more stability, demonstrating that the position of charge masking is extremely important for the improvement of peptide toxicity and stability. In short, our work opens a new avenue to design promising acid-activated ACPs as potential targeting agents for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Chang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Kaixin Ran
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yali Tian
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
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21
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High-Throughput Screening for Epigenetic Compounds That Induce Human β-Defensin 1 Synthesis. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12020186. [PMID: 36830097 PMCID: PMC9952773 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12020186] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial host defense peptides (HDPs) are critically important for innate immunity. Small-molecule compounds with the ability to induce HDP synthesis are being actively explored for antimicrobial therapy. To facilitate the discovery of the compounds that specifically activate human β-defensin 1 (DEFB1) gene transcription, we established a cell-based high-throughput screening assay that employs HT-29/DEFB1-luc, a stable reporter cell line expressing the luciferase gene driven by a 3-Kb DEFB1 gene promoter. A screening of a library of 148 small-molecule epigenetic compounds led to the identification of 28 hits, with a minimum strictly standardized mean difference of 3.0. Fourteen compounds were further selected and confirmed to be capable of inducing DEFB1 mRNA expression in human HT-29 colonic epithelial cells. Desirably, the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) gene was also induced by these epigenetic compounds. Benzamide-containing histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) were among the most potent HDP inducers identified in this study. Additionally, several major genes involved in intestinal barrier function, such as claudin-1, claudin-2, tight junction protein 1, and mucin 2, were differentially regulated by HDP inducers. These findings suggest the potential for the development of benzamide-based HDACi as host-directed antimicrobials for infectious disease control and prevention.
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Selvarathinam K, Subramani P, Thekkumalai M, Vilwanathan R, Selvarajan R, Abia ALK. Wnt Signaling Pathway Collapse upon β-Catenin Destruction by a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide SKACP003: Unveiling the Molecular Mechanism and Genetic Activities Using Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28030930. [PMID: 36770598 PMCID: PMC9920962 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28030930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite progress in breast cancer treatment, the survival rate for patients with metastatic breast cancer remains low due to chemotherapeutic agent resistance and the lack of specificity of the current generation of cancer drugs. Our previous findings indicated that the antimicrobial peptide SKACP003 exhibited anticancer properties, particularly against the MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cell lines. However, the mechanism of SKACP003-induced cancer cell death is unknown. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which SKACP003 inhibits the cell cycle, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis in breast cancer cell lines. The results revealed that all the breast cancer cell lines treated at their IC50 values significantly inhibited the replicative phase of the cell cycle. The SKACP003-induced growth inhibition induced apoptosis, as evidenced by a decrease in BCL-2 and an increase in BAX and caspase gene (Cas-3, Cas-8, and Cas-9) expression. Reduced expression of the β-Catenin signaling pathway was associated with the SKACP003-induced apoptosis. SKACP003-treated breast cancer cells showed decreased expression of Wnt/β-Catenin targeting genes such as C-Myc, P68, and COX-2 and significant downregulation of CDK-4 and CDK-6 genes. Furthermore, cytoplasmic β-catenin protein levels in SKACP003-treated cell lines were significantly lower than in control cell lines. The results of the current study suggest that the newly identified antimicrobial peptide SKACP003 has great potential as a candidate for specifically targeting the β-catenin and thus significantly reducing the progression and prognosis of breast cancer cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanitha Selvarathinam
- Department of Biochemistry, J.J. College of Arts and Science (Autonomous), Pudukkottai 622422, Tamilnadu, India
- Correspondence: (K.S.); (A.L.K.A.)
| | - Prabhu Subramani
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 622422, Tamilnadu, India
| | | | - Ravikumar Vilwanathan
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 622422, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Ramganesh Selvarajan
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), University of South Africa (UNISA), Florida—Campus, Florida Park, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
- Laboratory of Extraterrestrial Ocean Systems (LEOS), Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya 572000, China
| | - Akebe Luther King Abia
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), University of South Africa (UNISA), Florida—Campus, Florida Park, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
- Environmental Research Foundation, Westville 3630, South Africa
- Correspondence: (K.S.); (A.L.K.A.)
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Giordani C, Russo S, Torrisi C, Morante S, Castelli F, Sarpietro MG. A Thermodynamic Study on the Interaction between RH-23 Peptide and DMPC-Based Biomembrane Models. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1282. [PMID: 36557189 PMCID: PMC9781852 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Investigation of the interaction between drugs and biomembrane models, as a strategy to study and eventually improve drug/substrate interactions, is a crucial factor in preliminary screening. Synthesized peptides represent a source of potential anticancer and theragnostic drugs. In this study, we investigated the interaction of a novel synthesized peptide, called RH-23, with a simplified dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) model of the cellular membrane. The interaction of RH-23 with DMPC, organized either in multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers, was assessed using thermodynamic techniques, namely differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and LB. The calorimetric evaluations showed that RH-23 inserted into MLVs, causing a stabilization of the phospholipid gel phase that increased with the molar fraction of RH-23. Interplay with LB monolayers revealed that RH-23 interacted with DMPC molecules. This work represents the first experimental thermodynamic study on the interaction between RH-23 and a simplified model of the lipid membrane, thus providing a basis for further evaluations of the effect of RH-23 on biological membranes and its therapeutic/diagnostic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Giordani
- Grupo Productos Naturales Marinos, Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Alimentarias, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
- Instituto de Física, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín 050010, Colombia
| | - Stefano Russo
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Cristina Torrisi
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Silvia Morante
- Dipartimento di Fisica, University of Rome Tor Vergata and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Francesco Castelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Sarpietro
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco e della Salute, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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24
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Cruz GS, dos Santos AT, de Brito EHS, Rádis-Baptista G. Cell-Penetrating Antimicrobial Peptides with Anti-Infective Activity against Intracellular Pathogens. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11121772. [PMID: 36551429 PMCID: PMC9774436 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121772] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are natural or engineered peptide sequences with the intrinsic ability to internalize into a diversity of cell types and simultaneously transport hydrophilic molecules and nanomaterials, of which the cellular uptake is often limited. In addition to this primordial activity of cell penetration without membrane disruption, multivalent antimicrobial activity accompanies some CPPs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with cell-penetrability exert their effect intracellularly, and they are of great interest. CPPs with antimicrobial activity (CPAPs) comprise a particular class of bioactive peptides that arise as promising agents against difficult-to-treat intracellular infections. This short review aims to present the antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antiviral effects of various cell-penetrating antimicrobial peptides currently documented. Examples include the antimicrobial effects of different CPAPs against bacteria that can propagate intracellularly, like Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., Chlamydia trachomatis, Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium sp., Listeria sp., Salmonella sp. among others. CPAPs with antiviral effects that interfere with the intracellular replication of HIV, hepatitis B, HPV, and herpes virus. Additionally, CPAPs with activity against protozoa of the genera Leishmania, Trypanosoma, and Plasmodium, the etiological agents of Leishmaniasis, Chagas' Disease, and Malaria, respectively. The information provided in this review emphasizes the potential of multivalent CPAPs, with anti-infective properties for application against various intracellular infections. So far, CPAPs bear a promise of druggability for the translational medical use of CPPs alone or in combination with chemotherapeutics. Moreover, CPAPs could be an exciting alternative for pharmaceutical design and treating intracellular infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Silva Cruz
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60416-030, Brazil
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Ariane Teixeira dos Santos
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60416-030, Brazil
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60165-081, Brazil
| | - Erika Helena Salles de Brito
- Microbiology Laboratory, Institute of Health Sciences, University of International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção 62790-970, Brazil
| | - Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
- Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60416-030, Brazil
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Institute for Marine Sciences, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza 60165-081, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-85-3366-7001
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25
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Takahashi H, Sovadinova I, Yasuhara K, Vemparala S, Caputo GA, Kuroda K. Biomimetic antimicrobial polymers—Design, characterization, antimicrobial, and novel applications. WIRES NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 15:e1866. [PMID: 36300561 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Biomimetic antimicrobial polymers have been an area of great interest as the need for novel antimicrobial compounds grows due to the development of resistance. These polymers were designed and developed to mimic naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides in both physicochemical composition and mechanism of action. These antimicrobial peptide mimetic polymers have been extensively investigated using chemical, biophysical, microbiological, and computational approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular interactions that drive function. These studies have helped inform SARs, mechanism of action, and general physicochemical factors that influence the activity and properties of antimicrobial polymers. However, there are still lingering questions in this field regarding 3D structural patterning, bioavailability, and applicability to alternative targets. In this review, we present a perspective on the development and characterization of several antimicrobial polymers and discuss novel applications of these molecules emerging in the field. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruko Takahashi
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life Hiroshima University Higashi‐Hiroshima Hiroshima Japan
| | - Iva Sovadinova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Kazuma Yasuhara
- Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology Nara Institute of Science and Technology Nara Japan
- Center for Digital Green‐Innovation Nara Institute of Science and Technology Nara Japan
| | - Satyavani Vemparala
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences CIT Campus Chennai India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute Training School Complex Mumbai India
| | - Gregory A. Caputo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Rowan University Glassboro New Jersey USA
| | - Kenichi Kuroda
- Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA
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26
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Recent Advances in Multifunctional Antimicrobial Peptides as Immunomodulatory and Anticancer Therapy: Chromogranin A-Derived Peptides and Dermaseptins as Endogenous versus Exogenous Actors. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14102014. [PMID: 36297449 PMCID: PMC9608009 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced by all living organisms exhibiting antimicrobial activities and representing the first line of innate defense against pathogens. In this context, AMPs are suggested as an alternative to classical antibiotics. However, several researchers reported their involvement in different processes defining them as Multifunctional AMPs (MF-AMPs). Interestingly, these agents act as the endogenous responses of the human organism against several dangerous stimuli. Still, they are identified in other organisms and evaluated for their anticancer therapy. Chromogranin A (CgA) is a glyco-phosphoprotein discovered for the first time in the adrenal medulla but also produced in several cells. CgA can generate different derived AMPs influencing numerous physiological processes. Dermaseptins (DRSs) are a family of α-helical-shaped polycationic peptides isolated from the skin secretions of several leaf frogs from the Phyllomedusidae family. Several DRSs were identified as AMPs and, until now, more than 65 DRSs have been classified. Recently, these exogenous molecules were characterized for their anticancer activity. In this review, we summarize the role of these two classes of MF-AMPs as an example of endogenous molecules for CgA-derived peptides, able to modulate inflammation but also as exogenous molecules for DRSs, exerting anticancer activities.
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27
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Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide GK-19 and Its Application in Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Induced by MRSA or Candida albicans. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091937. [PMID: 36145681 PMCID: PMC9503518 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing resistance of human pathogens promotes the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Due to the physical bactericidal mechanism of membrane disruption, antimicrobial peptides are considered as potential therapeutic candidates without inducing microbial resistance. Scorpion venom-derived peptide, Androctonus amoreuxi Antimicrobial Peptide 1 (AamAP1), has been proved to have broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties. However, AamAP1 can induce hemolysis and shows strong toxicity against mammalian cells. Herein, the antimicrobial activity and mechanism of a novel synthetic antimicrobial peptide, GK-19, derived from AamAP1 and its derivatives, was evaluated. Five bacteria and three fungi were used to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of GK-19 in vitro. Scalded mice models combined with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) were used to evaluate its applicability. The results indicated that GK-19 could not only inhibit Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial growth, but also kill fungi by disrupting the microbial cell membrane. Meanwhile, GK-19 showed negligible toxicity to mammalian cells, low hemolytic activity and high stability in plasma. Furthermore, in scalded mice models combined with SSTIs induced by either Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Candida albicans, GK-19 showed significant antimicrobial and healing effects. Overall, it was demonstrated that GK-19 might be a promising drug candidate in the battle against drug-resistant bacterial and fungal infections.
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28
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Hunting for Novel Routes in Anticancer Drug Discovery: Peptides against Sam-Sam Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810397. [PMID: 36142306 PMCID: PMC9499636 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810397] [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] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the diverse protein binding modules, Sam (Sterile alpha motif) domains attract attention due to their versatility. They are present in different organisms and play many functions in physiological and pathological processes by binding multiple partners. The EphA2 receptor contains a Sam domain at the C-terminus (EphA2-Sam) that is able to engage protein regulators of receptor stability (including the lipid phosphatase Ship2 and the adaptor Odin). Ship2 and Odin are recruited by EphA2-Sam through heterotypic Sam-Sam interactions. Ship2 decreases EphA2 endocytosis and consequent degradation, producing chiefly pro-oncogenic outcomes in a cellular milieu. Odin, through its Sam domains, contributes to receptor stability by possibly interfering with ubiquitination. As EphA2 is upregulated in many types of tumors, peptide inhibitors of Sam-Sam interactions by hindering receptor stability could function as anticancer therapeutics. This review describes EphA2-Sam and its interactome from a structural and functional perspective. The diverse design strategies that have thus far been employed to obtain peptides targeting EphA2-mediated Sam-Sam interactions are summarized as well. The generated peptides represent good initial lead compounds, but surely many efforts need to be devoted in the close future to improve interaction affinities towards Sam domains and consequently validate their anticancer properties.
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29
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Yao J, Yin W, Chen Y, Chen X, Jiang Y, Wang T, Ma C, Zhou M, Chen T, Shaw C, Wang L. Conjugation of a Cationic Cell-Penetrating Peptide with a Novel Kunitzin-like Trypsin Inhibitor: New Insights for Enhancement of Peptide Bioactivities. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091805. [PMID: 36145553 PMCID: PMC9501525 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cationic cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), such as transactivator of transcription (TAT) peptide, have been proposed as effective drug carriers to improve intracellular delivery of biological macromolecules. Amphibian skin-derived Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitors (KTIs), short counterparts of KTIs from plant sources, were found to possess potent serine protease inhibitory activity. However, poor transmembrane permeability of these molecules has largely hindered the study of the full spectrum of their biological actions. As a result, this study aimed to extend the biological activities of amphibian KTIs by their conjugation to cationic CPPs. Herein, a novel peptide (kunitzin-OV2) and its phenylalanine-substituted analogue F9-kunitzin-OV2 (F9-KOV2) were evaluated for inhibition of trypsin/chymotrypsin and showed weak antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli). As expected, the conjugation to TAT peptide did not increase membrane lysis compared with the original kunitzin-OV2, but effectively assisted this complex to enter cells. TAT-kunitzin-OV2 (TAT-KOV2) exhibited a 32-fold increase in antibacterial activity and an enhanced bactericidal rate against E. coli. In addition, the conjugation enabled the parent peptides to exhibit antiproliferative activity against cancer cells. Interestingly, TAT-F9-kunitzin-OV2 (TAT-F9-KOV2) showed stronger antiproliferative activity against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and human glioblastoma (U251MG) cell lines, which TAT-KOV2 did not possess. Moreover, TAT-F9-KOV2 showed a 20–25-fold increase in antiproliferative capacity against human lung cancer (H157, H460) cell lines compared with TAT-KOV2. Therefore, the conjugation of CPPs effectively solves the problem of cell penetration that short KTIs lack and provides evidence for new potential applications for their subsequent development as new antibacterial and anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junting Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Weining Yin
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Yuqing Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
- Correspondence: (X.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Yangyang Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Tao Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Chengbang Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Mei Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Tianbao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Chris Shaw
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
- Correspondence: (X.C.); (L.W.)
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30
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Lu F, Zhu Y, Zhang G, Liu Z. Renovation as innovation: Repurposing human antibacterial peptide LL-37 for cancer therapy. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:944147. [PMID: 36081952 PMCID: PMC9445486 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.944147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In many organisms, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) display wide activities in innate host defense against microbial pathogens. Mammalian AMPs include the cathelicidin and defensin families. LL37 is the only one member of the cathelicidin family of host defense peptides expressed in humans. Since its discovery, it has become clear that they have pleiotropic effects. In addition to its antibacterial properties, many studies have shown that LL37 is also involved in a wide variety of biological activities, including tissue repair, inflammatory responses, hemotaxis, and chemokine induction. Moreover, recent studies suggest that LL37 exhibits the intricate and contradictory effects in promoting or inhibiting tumor growth. Indeed, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that human LL37 including its fragments and analogs shows anticancer effects on many kinds of cancer cell lines, although LL37 is also involved in cancer progression. Focusing on recent information, in this review, we explore and summarize how LL37 contributes to anticancer effect as well as discuss the strategies to enhance delivery of this peptide and selectivity for cancer cells.
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31
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Moeinabadi-Bidgoli K, Rezaee M, Rismanchi H, Mohammadi MM, Babajani A. Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Antimicrobial Peptides as Potential Anti-Neoplastic Agents: New Insight into Anticancer Mechanisms of Stem Cells and Exosomes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:900418. [PMID: 35874827 PMCID: PMC9298847 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.900418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as adult multipotent cells, possess considerable regenerative and anti-neoplastic effects, from inducing apoptosis in the cancer cells to reducing multidrug resistance that bring them up as an appropriate alternative for cancer treatment. These cells can alter the behavior of cancer cells, the condition of the tumor microenvironment, and the activity of immune cells that result in tumor regression. It has been observed that during inflammatory conditions, a well-known feature of the tumor microenvironment, the MSCs produce and release some molecules called “antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)” with demonstrated anti-neoplastic effects. These peptides have remarkable targeted anticancer effects by attaching to the negatively charged membrane of neoplastic cells, disrupting the membrane, and interfering with intracellular pathways. Therefore, AMPs could be considered as a part of the wide-ranging anti-neoplastic effects of MSCs. This review focuses on the possible anti-neoplastic effects of MSCs-derived AMPs and their mechanisms. It also discusses preconditioning approaches and using exosomes to enhance AMP production and delivery from MSCs to cancer cells. Besides, the clinical administration of MSCs-derived AMPs, along with their challenges in clinical practice, were debated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasra Moeinabadi-Bidgoli
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastroenterology Disorders Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Malihe Rezaee
- School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Tehran Heart Center, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Rismanchi
- School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Amirhesam Babajani
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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32
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Shannon AH, Adelman SA, Hisey EA, Potnis SS, Rozo V, Yung MW, Li JY, Murphy CJ, Thomasy SM, Leonard BC. Antimicrobial Peptide Expression at the Ocular Surface and Their Therapeutic Use in the Treatment of Microbial Keratitis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:857735. [PMID: 35722307 PMCID: PMC9201425 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.857735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial keratitis is a common cause of ocular pain and visual impairment worldwide. The ocular surface has a relatively paucicellular microbial community, mostly found in the conjunctiva, while the cornea would be considered relatively sterile. However, in patients with microbial keratitis, the cornea can be infected with multiple pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Fusarium sp. Treatment with topical antimicrobials serves as the standard of care for microbial keratitis, however, due to high rates of pathogen resistance to current antimicrobial medications, alternative therapeutic strategies must be developed. Multiple studies have characterized the expression and activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), endogenous peptides with key antimicrobial and wound healing properties, on the ocular surface. Recent studies and clinical trials provide promise for the use of AMPs as therapeutic agents. This article reviews the repertoire of AMPs expressed at the ocular surface, how expression of these AMPs can be modulated, and the potential for harnessing the AMPs as potential therapeutics for patients with microbial keratitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison H. Shannon
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Sara A. Adelman
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Erin A. Hisey
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Sanskruti S. Potnis
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Vanessa Rozo
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Madeline W. Yung
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Y. Li
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Christopher J. Murphy
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Sara M. Thomasy
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Brian C. Leonard
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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de Avelar Júnior JT, Lima-Batista E, Castro Junior CJ, Pimenta AMDC, Dos Santos RG, Souza-Fagundes EM, De Lima ME. LyeTxI-b, a Synthetic Peptide Derived From a Spider Venom, Is Highly Active in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells and Acts Synergistically With Cisplatin. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:876833. [PMID: 35601827 PMCID: PMC9114809 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.876833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects women globally and is among the leading cause of women’s death. Triple-negative breast cancer is more difficult to treat because hormone therapy is not available for this subset of cancer. The well-established therapy against triple-negative breast cancer is mainly based on surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Among the drugs used in the therapy are cisplatin and carboplatin. However, they cause severe toxicity to the kidneys and brain and cause nausea. Therefore, it is urgent to propose new chemotherapy techniques that provide new treatment options to patients affected by this disease. Nowadays, peptide drugs are emerging as a class of promising new anticancer agents due to their lytic nature and, apparently, a minor drug resistance compared to other conventional drugs (reviewed in Jafari et al., 2022). We have recently reported the cytotoxic effect of the antimicrobial peptide LyeTx I-b against glioblastoma cells (Abdel-Salam et al., 2019). In this research, we demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of the peptide LyeTx I-b, alone and combined with cisplatin, against triple-negative cell lines (MDA-MD-231). LyeTx-I-b showed a selectivity index 70-fold higher than cisplatin. The peptide:cisplatin combination (P:C) 1:1 presented a synergistic effect on the cell death and a selective index value 16 times greater than the cisplatin alone treatment. Therefore, an equi-effective reduction of cisplatin can be reached in the presence of LyeTx I-b. Cells treated with P:C combinations were arrested in the G2/M cell cycle phase and showed positive staining for acridine orange, which was inhibited by bafilomycin A1, indicating autophagic cell death (ACD) as a probable cell death mechanism. Furthermore, Western blot experiments indicated a decrease in P21 expression and AKT phosphorylation. The decrease in AKT phosphorylation is indicative of ACD. However, other studies are still necessary to better elucidate the pathways involved in the cell death mechanism induced by the peptide and the drug combinations. These findings confirmed that the peptide LyeTx I-b seems to be a good candidate for combined chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. In addition, in vivo studies are essential to validate the use of LyeTx I-b as a therapeutic drug candidate, alone and/or combined with cisplatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquim Teixeira de Avelar Júnior
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Joaquim Teixeira de Avelar Júnior, ; Maria Elena De Lima,
| | - Edleusa Lima-Batista
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Célio José Castro Junior
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Biomedicina da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Elaine Maria Souza-Fagundes
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Maria Elena De Lima
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Biomedicina da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Joaquim Teixeira de Avelar Júnior, ; Maria Elena De Lima,
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Zhang Y, Chang L, Bao H, Wu X, Liu H, Gou S, Zhang J, Ni J. Constructing New Acid-Activated Anticancer Peptide by Attaching a Desirable Anionic Binding Partner Peptide. J Drug Target 2022; 30:973-982. [PMID: 35502656 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2022.2070627] [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: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Improving the cell selectivity of anticancer peptides (ACPs) is a major hurdle in their clinical utilization. In this study, a new acid-activated ACP was designed by conjugating a cationic ACP LK to its anionic binding partner peptide (LEH) via a disulfide linker to trigger antitumor activity at acidic pH while masking its killing activity at normal pH. Three anionic binding peptides containing different numbers of glutamic acid (Glu) and histidine were engineered to obtain an efficient acid-activated ACP. The conjugates LK-LEH2 and LK-LEH3 exhibited 6.1 and 8.0-fold higher killing activity at pH 6.0 relative to at pH 7.4, respectively, suggesting their excellent pH-dependent antitumor activity; and their cytotoxicity was 10-fold lower than that of LK. However, LK-LEH4 had no pH-responsive killing effect. Interestingly, increasing the number of Glu from 2 to 4 increased the pH-response of the physical mixture of LK and LEH; conversely, they weakly decreased the cytotoxicity of LK, suggesting that the conjugate connection was required to achieve excellent pH dependence while maintaining minimum toxicity. LK-LEH2 and LK-LEH3 were more enzymatically stable than LK, indicating their potential for in vivo application. Our work provided a basis for designing promising ACPs with good selectivity and low toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Linlin Chang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hexin Bao
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jingman Ni
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China
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