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Herrmann L, Leidenberger M, Quadros HC, Grau BW, Hampel F, Friedrich O, Moreira DRM, Kappes B, Tsogoeva SB. Access to Artemisinin-Triazole Antimalarials via Organo-Click Reaction: High In Vitro/ In Vivo Activity against Multi-Drug-Resistant Malaria Parasites. JACS AU 2024; 4:951-957. [PMID: 38559731 PMCID: PMC10976565 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most widespread diseases worldwide. Besides a growing number of people potentially threatened by malaria, the consistent emergence of resistance against established antimalarial pharmaceuticals leads to an urge toward new antimalarial drugs. Hybridization of two chemically diverse compounds into a new bioactive product is a successful concept to improve the properties of a hybrid drug relative to the parent compounds and also to overcome multidrug resistance. 1,2,3-Triazoles are a significant pharmacophore system among nitrogen-containing heterocycles with various applications, such as antiviral, antimalarial, antibacterial, and anticancer agents. Several marketed drugs possess these versatile moieties, which are used in a wide range of medical indications. While the synthesis of hybrid compounds containing a 1,2,3-triazole unit was described using Cu- and Ru-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, an alternative metal-free pathway has never been reported for the synthesis of antimalarial hybrids. However, a metal-free pathway is a green method that allows toxic and expensive metals to be replaced with an organocatalyst. Herein, we present the synthesis of new artemisinin-triazole antimalarial hybrids via a facile Ramachary-Bressy-Wang organocatalyzed azide-carbonyl [3 + 2] cycloaddition (organo-click) reaction. The prepared new hybrid compounds are highly potent in vitro against chloroquine (CQ)-resistant and multi-drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains (IC50 (Dd2) down to 2.1 nM; IC50 (K1) down to 1.8 nM) compared to CQ (IC50 (Dd2) = 165.3 nM; IC50 (K1) = 302.8 nM). Moreover, the most potent hybrid drug was more efficacious in suppressing parasitemia and extending animal survival in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice (up to 100% animal survival and up to 40 days of survival time) than the reference drug artemisinin, illustrating the potential of the hybridization concept as an alternative and powerful drug-discovery approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Herrmann
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Organic Chemistry Chair I and Interdisciplinary
Center for Molecular Materials (ICMM), Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus Fiebiger-Straße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maria Leidenberger
- Institute
of Medical Biotechnology, Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Paul-Gordon-Straße 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Benedikt W. Grau
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Organic Chemistry Chair I and Interdisciplinary
Center for Molecular Materials (ICMM), Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus Fiebiger-Straße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Frank Hampel
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Organic Chemistry Chair I and Interdisciplinary
Center for Molecular Materials (ICMM), Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus Fiebiger-Straße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oliver Friedrich
- Institute
of Medical Biotechnology, Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Paul-Gordon-Straße 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Barbara Kappes
- Institute
of Medical Biotechnology, Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Paul-Gordon-Straße 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Svetlana B. Tsogoeva
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Organic Chemistry Chair I and Interdisciplinary
Center for Molecular Materials (ICMM), Friedrich-Alexander-University
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus Fiebiger-Straße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Henshall IG, Spielmann T. Critical interdependencies between Plasmodium nutrient flux and drugs. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:936-944. [PMID: 37716852 PMCID: PMC10580322 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient import and waste efflux are critical dependencies for intracellular Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Nutrient transport proteins are often lineage specific and can provide unique targets for antimalarial drug development. P. falciparum nutrient transport pathways can be a double-edged sword for the parasite, not only mediating the import of nutrients and excretion of waste products but also providing an access route for drugs. Here we briefly summarise the nutrient acquisition pathways of intracellular P. falciparum blood-stage parasites and then highlight how these pathways influence many aspects relevant to antimalarial drugs, resulting in complex and often underappreciated interdependencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
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Leussa ANN, Rautenbach M. Antiplasmodial Cyclodecapeptides from Tyrothricin Share a Target with Chloroquine. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11060801. [PMID: 35740207 PMCID: PMC9219824 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11060801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research found that the six major cyclodecapeptides from the tyrothricin complex, produced by Brevibacillus parabrevis, showed potent activity against chloroquine sensitive (CQS) Plasmodium falciparum. The identity of the aromatic residues in the aromatic dipeptide unit in cyclo-(D-Phe1-Pro2-(Phe3/Trp3)-D-Phe4/D-Trp4)-Asn5-Gln6-(Tyr7/Phe7/Trp7)-Val8-(Orn9/Lys9)-Leu10 was proposed to have an important role in activity. CQS and resistant (CQR) P. falciparum strains were challenged with three representative cyclodecapeptides. Our results confirmed that cyclodecapeptides from tyrothricin had significantly higher antiplasmodial activity than the analogous gramicidin S, rivaling that of CQ. However, the previously hypothesized size and hydrophobicity dependent activity for these peptides did not hold true for P. falciparum strains, other than for the CQS 3D7 strain. The Tyr7 in tyrocidine A (TrcA) with Phe3-D-Phe4 seem to be related with loss in activity correlating with CQ antagonism and resistance, indicating a shared target and/or resistance mechanism in which the phenolic groups play a role. Phe7 in phenycidine A, the second peptide containing Phe3-D-Phe4, also showed CQ antagonism. Conversely, Trp7 in tryptocidine C (TpcC) with Trp3-D-Trp4 showed improved peptide selectivity and activity towards the more resistant strains, without overt antagonism towards CQ. However, TpcC lead to similar parasite stage inhibition and parasite morphology changes than previously observed for TrcA. The disorganization of chromatin packing and neutral lipid structures, combined with amorphous hemozoin crystals, could account for halted growth in late trophozoite/early schizont stage and the nanomolar non-lytic activity of these peptides. These targets related to CQ antagonism, changes in neural lipid distribution, leading to hemozoin malformation, indicate that the tyrothricin cyclodecapeptides and CQ share a target in the malaria parasite. The differing activities of these cyclic peptides towards CQS and CQR P. falciparum strains could be due to variable target interaction in multiple modes of activity. This indicated that the cyclodecapeptide activity and parasite resistance response depended on the aromatic residues in positions 3, 4 and 7. This new insight on these natural cyclic decapeptides could also benefit the design of unique small peptidomimetics in which activity and resistance can be modulated.
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