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Ugwu-Korie N, Quaye O, Wright E, Languon S, Agyapong O, Broni E, Gupta Y, Kempaiah P, Kwofie SK. Structure-Based Identification of Natural-Product-Derived Compounds with Potential to Inhibit HIV-1 Entry. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28020474. [PMID: 36677538 PMCID: PMC9865492 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are potent in neutralizing a wide range of HIV strains. VRC01 is a CD4-binding-site (CD4-bs) class of bNAbs that binds to the conserved CD4-binding region of HIV-1 envelope (env) protein. Natural products that mimic VRC01 bNAbs by interacting with the conserved CD4-binding regions may serve as a new generation of HIV-1 entry inhibitors by being broadly reactive and potently neutralizing. This study aimed to identify compounds that mimic VRC01 by interacting with the CD4-bs of HIV-1 gp120 and thereby inhibiting viral entry into target cells. Libraries of purchasable natural products were virtually screened against clade A/E recombinant 93TH057 (PDB: 3NGB) and clade B (PDB ID: 3J70) HIV-1 env protein. Protein-ligand interaction profiling from molecular docking and dynamics simulations showed that the compounds had intermolecular hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions with conserved amino acid residues on the CD4-binding site of recombinant clade A/E and clade B HIV-1 gp120. Four potential lead compounds, NP-005114, NP-008297, NP-007422, and NP-007382, were used for cell-based antiviral infectivity inhibition assay using clade B (HXB2) env pseudotype virus (PV). The four compounds inhibited the entry of HIV HXB2 pseudotype viruses into target cells at 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 15.2 µM (9.7 µg/mL), 10.1 µM (7.5 µg/mL), 16.2 µM (12.7 µg/mL), and 21.6 µM (12.9 µg/mL), respectively. The interaction of these compounds with critical residues of the CD4-binding site of more than one clade of HIV gp120 and inhibition of HIV-1 entry into the target cell demonstrate the possibility of a new class of HIV entry inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nneka Ugwu-Korie
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 54, Ghana
| | - Osbourne Quaye
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 54, Ghana
| | - Edward Wright
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Sylvester Languon
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 54, Ghana
- Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Odame Agyapong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 581, Ghana
| | - Emmanuel Broni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 77, Ghana
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences (CHS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 581, Ghana
- Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Yash Gupta
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | | | - Samuel K. Kwofie
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 54, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra P.O. Box LG 77, Ghana
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +233203797922
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