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Yang X, Wei A, Cao X, Wang Z, Wan H, Wang B, Peng H. Identification and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Ricin Toxin. Molecules 2024; 29:1435. [PMID: 38611715 PMCID: PMC11012547 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29071435] [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: 02/25/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The plant-derived toxin ricin is classified as a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) and currently lacks effective clinical antidotes. The toxicity of ricin is mainly due to its ricin toxin A chain (RTA), which has become an important target for drug development. Previous studies have identified two essential binding pockets in the active site of RTA, but most existing inhibitors only target one of these pockets. In this study, we used computer-aided virtual screening to identify a compound called RSMI-29, which potentially interacts with both active pockets of RTA. We found that RSMI-29 can directly bind to RTA and effectively attenuate protein synthesis inhibition and rRNA depurination induced by RTA or ricin, thereby inhibiting their cytotoxic effects on cells in vitro. Moreover, RSMI-29 significantly reduced ricin-mediated damage to the liver, spleen, intestine, and lungs in mice, demonstrating its detoxification effect against ricin in vivo. RSMI-29 also exhibited excellent drug-like properties, featuring a typical structural moiety of known sulfonamides and barbiturates. These findings suggest that RSMI-29 is a novel small-molecule inhibitor that specifically targets ricin toxin A chain, providing a potential therapeutic option for ricin intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China; (X.Y.)
- Department of Operational Medicine, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Aili Wei
- Department of Operational Medicine, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Xiyuan Cao
- Department of Operational Medicine, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Zicheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China; (X.Y.)
| | - Hongzhi Wan
- Department of Operational Medicine, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Tianjin 300050, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China; (X.Y.)
| | - Hui Peng
- Department of Operational Medicine, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Tianjin 300050, China
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Curran EH, Devine MD, Hartley CD, Huang Y, Conrady CD, Debiec MR, Justin GA, Thomas J, Yeh S. Ophthalmic implications of biological threat agents according to the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives framework. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 10:1349571. [PMID: 38293299 PMCID: PMC10824978 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1349571] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
As technology continues to evolve, the possibility for a wide range of dangers to people, organizations, and countries escalate globally. The United States federal government classifies types of threats with the capability of inflicting mass casualties and societal disruption as Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Energetics/Explosives (CBRNE). Such incidents encompass accidental and intentional events ranging from weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism to fires or spills involving hazardous or radiologic material. All of these have the capacity to inflict death or severe physical, neurological, and/or sensorial disabilities if injuries are not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Ophthalmic injury can provide important insight into understanding and treating patients impacted by CBRNE agents; however, improper ophthalmic management can result in suboptimal patient outcomes. This review specifically addresses the biological agents the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deems to have the greatest capacity for bioterrorism. CBRNE biological agents, encompassing pathogens and organic toxins, are further subdivided into categories A, B, and C according to their national security threat level. In our compendium of these biological agents, we address their respective CDC category, systemic and ophthalmic manifestations, route of transmission and personal protective equipment considerations as well as pertinent vaccination and treatment guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma H. Curran
- Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Max D. Devine
- College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Caleb D. Hartley
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Ye Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Christopher D. Conrady
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Pathology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Matthew R. Debiec
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Grant A. Justin
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Joanne Thomas
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Steven Yeh
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
- Global Center for Health Security, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
- National Strategic Research Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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Botelho FD, Franca TCC, LaPlante SR. The Search for Antidotes Against Ricin. Mini Rev Med Chem 2024; 24:1148-1161. [PMID: 38350844 DOI: 10.2174/0113895575270509231121060105] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
The castor plant (Ricinus communis) is primarily known for its seeds, which contain a unique fatty acid called ricinoleic acid with several industrial and commercial applications. Castor seeds also contain ricin, a toxin considered a chemical and biological warfare agent. Despite years of investigation, there is still no effective antidote or vaccine available. However, some progress has been made, and the development of an effective treatment may be on the horizon. To provide an updated overview of this issue, we have conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the current state of research in the fight against ricin. This review is based on the reported research and aims to address the challenges faced by researchers, as well as highlight the most successful cases achieved thus far. Our goal is to encourage the scientific community to continue their efforts in this critical search.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Diniz Botelho
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling Applied to the Chemical and Biological Defense (LMCBD), Military Institute of Engineering, Praça General Tibúrcio 80, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Tanos Celmar Costa Franca
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling Applied to the Chemical and Biological Defense (LMCBD), Military Institute of Engineering, Praça General Tibúrcio 80, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Université de Québec, INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Steven R LaPlante
- Université de Québec, INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
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Bortolotti M, Biscotti F, Zanello A, Polito L, Bolognesi A. Heterophyllin: A New Adenia Toxic Lectin with Peculiar Biological Properties. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 16:1. [PMID: 38276525 PMCID: PMC10820617 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16010001] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are plant toxins that were identified for their ability to irreversibly damage ribosomes, thereby causing arrest of protein synthesis and induction of cell death. The RIPs purified from Adenia plants are the most potent ones. Here, we describe a novel toxic lectin from Adenia heterophylla caudex, which has been named heterophyllin. Heterophyllin shows the enzymatic and lectin properties of type 2 RIPs. Interestingly, in immunoreactivity experiments, heterophyllin poorly cross-reacts with sera against all other tested RIPs. The cytotoxic effects and death pathways triggered by heterophyllin were investigated in three human-derived cell lines: NB100, T24, and MCF7, and compared to ricin, the most known and studied type 2 RIP. Heterophyllin was able to completely abolish cell viability at nM concentration. A strong induction of apoptosis, but not necrosis, and the involvement of oxidative stress and necroptosis were observed in all the tested cell lines. Therefore, the enzymatic, immunological, and biological activities of heterophyllin make it an interesting molecule, worthy of further in-depth analysis to verify its possible pharmacological application.
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Guyette JL, Serrano A, Huhn III GR, Taylor M, Malkòm P, Curtis D, Teter K. Reduction is sufficient for the disassembly of ricin and Shiga toxin 1 but not Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0033223. [PMID: 37877711 PMCID: PMC10652930 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00332-23] [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: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Many AB toxins contain an enzymatic A moiety that is anchored to a cell-binding B moiety by a disulfide bridge. After receptor-mediated endocytosis, some AB toxins undergo retrograde transport to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where reduction of the disulfide bond occurs. The reduced A subunit then dissociates from the holotoxin and enters the cytosol to alter its cellular target. Intoxication requires A chain separation from the holotoxin, but, for many toxins, it is unclear if reduction alone is sufficient for toxin disassembly. Here, we examined the link between reduction and disassembly for several ER-translocating toxins. We found disassembly of the reduced Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (Ltx) required an interaction with one specific ER-localized oxidoreductase: protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). In contrast, the reduction and disassembly of ricin toxin (Rtx) and Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) were coupled events that did not require PDI and could be triggered by reductant alone. PDI-deficient cells accordingly exhibited high resistance to Ltx with continued sensitivity to Rtx and Stx1. The distinct structural organization of each AB toxin thus appears to determine whether holotoxin disassembly occurs spontaneously upon disulfide reduction or requires the additional input of PDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Guyette
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Albert Serrano
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - G. Robb Huhn III
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Michael Taylor
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Pat Malkòm
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - David Curtis
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Ken Teter
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
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Wu Y, Taisne C, Mahtal N, Forrester A, Lussignol M, Cintrat JC, Esclatine A, Gillet D, Barbier J. Autophagic Degradation Is Involved in Cell Protection against Ricin Toxin. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:toxins15050304. [PMID: 37235339 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15050304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a complex and highly regulated degradative process, which acts as a survival pathway in response to cellular stress, starvation and pathogen infection. Ricin toxin is a plant toxin produced by the castor bean and classified as a category B biothreat agent. Ricin toxin inhibits cellular protein synthesis by catalytically inactivating ribosomes, leading to cell death. Currently, there is no licensed treatment for patients exposed to ricin. Ricin-induced apoptosis has been extensively studied; however, whether its intoxication via protein synthesis inhibition affects autophagy is not yet resolved. In this work, we demonstrated that ricin intoxication is accompanied by its own autophagic degradation in mammalian cells. Autophagy deficiency, by knocking down ATG5, attenuates ricin degradation, thus aggravating ricin-induced cytotoxicity. Additionally, the autophagy inducer SMER28 (Small Molecule Enhancer 28) partially protects cells against ricin cytotoxicity, an effect not observed in autophagy-deficient cells. These results demonstrate that autophagic degradation acts as a survival response of cells against ricin intoxication. This suggests that stimulation of autophagic degradation may be a strategy to counteract ricin intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wu
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
- Institute of Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei 230001, China
| | - Clémence Taisne
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Nassim Mahtal
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
| | - Alison Forrester
- Research Unit of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (URBC), Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Marion Lussignol
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cintrat
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), SCBM, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
| | - Audrey Esclatine
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Daniel Gillet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
| | - Julien Barbier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, INRAE, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
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