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An Y, Guo X, Yan T, Jia Y, Jiao R, Cai X, Deng B, Bao G, Li Y, Yang W, Wang R, Sun W, Xie J. Enhancing the stability and therapeutic potential of the antimicrobial peptide Feleucin-K3 against Multidrug-Resistant a. Baumannii through rational utilization of a D-amino acid substitution strategy. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 225:116269. [PMID: 38723723 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116269] [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: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have a low probability of developing resistance, are considered the most promising antimicrobial agents for combating antibiotic resistance. Feleucin-K3 is an amphiphilic cationic AMP that exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. In our previous research, the first phenylalanine residue was identified as the critical position affecting its biological activity. Here, a series of Feleucin-K3 analogs containing hydrophobic D-amino acids were developed, leveraging the low sensitivity of proteases to unnatural amino acids and the regulatory effect of hydrophobicity on antimicrobial activity. Among them, K-1dF, which replaced the phenylalanine of Feleucin-K3 with its enantiomer (D-phenylalanine), exhibited potent antimicrobial activity with a therapeutic index of 46.97 and MICs between 4 to 8 μg/ml against both sensitive and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The introduction of D-phenylalanine increased the salt tolerance and serum stability of Feleucin-K3. Moreover, K-1dF displayed a rapid bactericidal effect, a low propensity to develop resistance, and a synergistic effect when combined with antibiotics. More importantly, it exhibited considerable or superior efficacy to imipenem against pneumonia and skin abscess infection. In brief, the K-1dF obtained by simple and effective modification strategy has emerged as a promising candidate antimicrobial agent for tackling multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying An
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaomin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Tiantian Yan
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yue Jia
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ruoyan Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xinyu Cai
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Bochuan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Guangjun Bao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yiping Li
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenle Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Wangsheng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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Guo X, Miao X, An Y, Yan T, Jia Y, Deng B, Cai J, Yang W, Sun W, Wang R, Xie J. Novel antimicrobial peptides modified with fluorinated sulfono-γ-AA having high stability and targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria infections. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:116001. [PMID: 38056301 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.116001] [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: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The emergence and increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have posed an urgent demand for novel antibacterial drugs. Currently, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), potential novel antimicrobial agents with rare antimicrobial resistance, represent an available strategy to combat MDR bacterial infections but suffer the limitation of protease degradation. In this study, we developed a highly effective method for optimizing the stability of AMPs by introducing fluorinated sulfono-γ-AApeptides, and successfully synthesized novel Feleucin-K3-analogs. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of fluorinated sulfono-γ-AA into Feleucin-K3 effectively improved stability and afforded optimal peptides, such as CF3-K11, which exhibited 8-9 times longer half-lives than Feleucin-K3. Moreover, CF3-K11 displayed potent antimicrobial activity against clinically isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), excellent biosafety, low resistance propensity, and possessed powerful antimicrobial efficacy for both local skin infection and pneumonia infection. The optimal CF3-K11 exhibited strong therapeutic potential and offered a superior approach for treating MDR bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xiaokang Miao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yingying An
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Tiantian Yan
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yue Jia
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Bochuan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
| | - Wenle Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Wangsheng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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Bouhrour N, van der Reijden TJK, Voet MM, Schonkeren-Ravensbergen B, Cordfunke RA, Drijfhout JW, Bendali F, Nibbering PH. Novel Antibacterial Agents SAAP-148 and Halicin Combat Gram-Negative Bacteria Colonizing Catheters. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1743. [PMID: 38136778 PMCID: PMC10741160 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12121743] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The antibiotic management of catheter-related infections (CRIs) often fails owing to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant strains and/or biofilm/persister apparitions. Thus, we investigated the efficacy of two novel antimicrobial agents, i.e., the synthetic peptide SAAP-148 and the novel antibiotic halicin, against Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) colonizing catheters. The antibacterial, anti-biofilm, and anti-persister activities of both agents were evaluated against Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. The enrolled strains were isolated from catheters and selected based on their resistance to at least three antibiotic classes and biofilm formation potential. Furthermore, the hemolysis and endotoxin neutralization abilities of these agents were explored. The bactericidal activity of both agents was reduced in urine and plasma as compared to buffered saline. In a dose-dependent manner, SAAP-148 and halicin reduced bacterial counts in 24 h preformed biofilms on silicone elastomer discs and eliminated persisters originating from antibiotic-exposed mature 7-day biofilms, with halicin being less effective than SAAP-148. Importantly, SAAP-148 and halicin acted synergistically on E. coli and K. pneumoniae biofilms but not on A. baumannii biofilms. The peptide, but not halicin, decreased the production of IL-12p40 upon exposure to UV-killed bacteria. This preliminary study showed that SAAP-148 and halicin alone/in combination are promising candidates to fight GNB colonizing catheters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nesrine Bouhrour
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (T.J.K.v.d.R.); (M.M.V.); (B.S.-R.); (P.H.N.)
| | - Tanny J. K. van der Reijden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (T.J.K.v.d.R.); (M.M.V.); (B.S.-R.); (P.H.N.)
| | - Michella M. Voet
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (T.J.K.v.d.R.); (M.M.V.); (B.S.-R.); (P.H.N.)
| | - Bep Schonkeren-Ravensbergen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (T.J.K.v.d.R.); (M.M.V.); (B.S.-R.); (P.H.N.)
| | - Robert A. Cordfunke
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (R.A.C.); (J.W.D.)
| | - Jan Wouter Drijfhout
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (R.A.C.); (J.W.D.)
| | - Farida Bendali
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria
| | - Peter H. Nibbering
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands; (T.J.K.v.d.R.); (M.M.V.); (B.S.-R.); (P.H.N.)
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Wang D, Deng B, Cheng L, Li J, Guo X, Zhang J, Zhang X, Su P, Li G, Miao X, Yang W, Xie J, Wang R. The novel peptide DR4penA attenuates the bleomycin- and paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. FASEB J 2023; 37:e23225. [PMID: 37855708 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301363r] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), which is caused by continuous alveolar epithelial cell injury and abnormal repair, is referred to as a difficult disease of the lung system by the World Health Organization due to its rapid progression, poor prognosis, and high mortality rate. However, there is still a lack of ideal therapeutic strategies. The peptide DR8 (DHNNPQIR-NH2 ), which is derived from rapeseed, exerted antifibrotic activity in the lung, liver, and kidney in our previous studies. By studying the structure-activity relationship and rational design, we introduced an unnatural hydrophobic amino acid (α-(4-pentenyl)-Ala) into DR8 and screened the novel peptide DR4penA (DHNα-(4-pentenyl)-APQIR-NH2 ), which had higher anti-PF activity, higher antioxidant activity and a longer half-life than DR8. Notably, DR4penA attenuated bleomycin- and paraquat-induced PF, and the anti-PF activity of DR4penA was equivalent to that of pirfenidone. Additionally, DR4penA suppressed the TGF-β/Smad pathway in TGF-β1-induced A549 cells and paraquat-induced rats. This study demonstrates that the novel peptide DR4penA is a potential candidate compound for PF therapy, and its antifibrotic activity in different preclinical models of PF provides a theoretical basis for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Medical Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
| | - Bochuan Deng
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lu Cheng
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Health Science Centre, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jieru Li
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaomin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ping Su
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Guofeng Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen University Health Science Centre, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaokang Miao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wenle Yang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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5
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Mo X, Zhao S, Zhao J, Huang Y, Li T, Zhu Y, Li G, Li Y, Shan H. Targeting collagen damage for sustained in situ antimicrobial activities. J Control Release 2023; 360:122-132. [PMID: 37321327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.06.013] [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: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising anti-infective drugs, but their use is restricted by their short-term retention at the infection site, non-targeted uptake, and adverse effects on normal tissues. Since infection often follows an injury (e.g., in a wound bed), directly immobilizing AMPs to the damaged collagenous matrix of the injured tissues may help overcome these limitations by transforming the extracellular matrix microenvironment of the infection site into a natural reservoir of AMPs for sustained in situ release. Here, we developed and demonstrated an AMP-delivery strategy by conjugating a dimeric construct of AMP Feleucin-K3 (Flc) and a collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP), which enabled selective and prolonged anchoring of the Flc-CHP conjugate to the damaged and denatured collagen in the infected wounds in vitro and in vivo. We found that the dimeric Flc and CHP conjugate design preserved the potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities of Flc while significantly enhancing and extending its antimicrobial efficacy in vivo and facilitating tissue repair in a rat wound healing model. Because collagen damage is ubiquitous in almost all injuries and infections, our strategy of targeting collagen damage may open up new avenues for antimicrobial treatments in a range of infected tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyun Mo
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Suwen Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Yongjie Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Tao Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Yongqiao Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Gang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Yang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China.
| | - Hong Shan
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Radiology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China; Department of Interventional Medicine, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China.
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Wang D, Deng B, Cheng L, Li J, Zhang J, Zhang X, Guo X, Yan T, Yue X, An Y, Zhang B, Yang W, Xie J, Wang R. A novel and low-toxic peptide DR3penA alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by regulating the MAPK/miR-23b-5p/AQP5 signaling axis. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:722-738. [PMID: 36873181 PMCID: PMC9979266 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a pathological change caused by repeated injuries and repair dysfunction of the alveolar epithelium. Our previous study revealed that the residues Asn3 and Asn4 of peptide DR8 (DHNNPQIR-NH2) could be modified to improve stability and antifibrotic activity, and the unnatural hydrophobic amino acids α-(4-pentenyl)-Ala and d-Ala were considered in this study. DR3penA (DHα-(4-pentenyl)-ANPQIR-NH2) was verified to have a longer half-life in serum and to significantly inhibit oxidative damage, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, DR3penA has a dosage advantage over pirfenidone through the conversion of drug bioavailability under different routes of administration. A mechanistic study revealed that DR3penA increased the expression of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) by inhibiting the upregulation of miR-23b-5p and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, indicating that DR3penA may alleviate PF by regulating MAPK/miR-23b-5p/AQP5. Safety evaluation showed that DR3penA is a peptide drug without obvious toxicity or acute side effects and has significantly improved safety compared to DR8. Thus, our findings suggest that DR3penA, as a novel and low-toxic peptide, has the potential to be a leading compound for PF therapy, which provides a foundation for the development of peptide drugs for fibrosis-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Bochuan Deng
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Lu Cheng
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jieru Li
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaomin Guo
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Tiantian Yan
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xin Yue
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yingying An
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Bangzhi Zhang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenle Yang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Institute of Materia Medica and Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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7
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Guo X, Yan T, Rao J, An Y, Yue X, Miao X, Wang R, Sun W, Cai J, Xie J. Novel Feleucin-K3-Derived Peptides Modified with Sulfono-γ-AA Building Blocks Targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections. J Med Chem 2023; 66:1254-1272. [PMID: 36350686 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections has led to dramatically increased morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have great potential as new therapeutic agents to reverse this dangerous trend. Herein, a series of novel AMP Feleucin-K3 analogues modified with unnatural peptidomimetic sulfono-γ-AA building blocks were designed and synthesized. The structure-activity, structure-toxicity, and structure-stability relationships were investigated to discover the optimal antimicrobial candidates. Among them, K122 exhibited potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and high selectivity. K122 had a rapid bactericidal effect and a low tendency to induce resistance. Surprisingly, K122 showed excellent effectiveness against bacterial pneumonia. For biofilm and local skin infections, K122 significantly decreased the bacterial load and improved tissue injury at a dose of only 0.25 mg/kg, which was 160 times lower than the concentration deemed to be safe for local dermal applications. In summary, K122 is an outstanding candidate for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilm infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Tiantian Yan
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Jing Rao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Yingying An
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Xin Yue
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Xiaokang Miao
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China.,State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing100050, China
| | - Wangsheng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida33620, United States
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences & Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou730000, China
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Hu J, Shi J, Yuan Y, Li S, Zhang B, Dong H, Zhong Q, Xie Q, Bai X, Li Y. Self-fused concatenation of interferon with enhanced bioactivity, pharmacokinetics and antitumor efficacy. RSC Adv 2022; 12:28279-28282. [PMID: 36320276 PMCID: PMC9531251 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra04978c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We report an easy but universal protein modification approach, self-fused concatenation (SEC), to biosynthesize a set of interferon (IFN) concatemers with improved in vitro bioactivity, in vivo pharmacokinetics and therapeutic efficacy over the monomeric IFN, and the results can be positively enhanced by the concatenated number of self-fused proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Hu
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Jianquan Shi
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research InstituteBeijing 101149China
| | - Yeshuang Yuan
- Department of Rheumatology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Clinical Immunology Center, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Shengjie Li
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Haitao Dong
- Department of Stomatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Qing Zhong
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Qiu Xie
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Xiaoyin Bai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
| | - Yingxing Li
- Department of Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing 100730China
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