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Ciaffaglione V, Rizzarelli E. Carnosine, Zinc and Copper: A Menage a Trois in Bone and Cartilage Protection. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16209. [PMID: 38003398 PMCID: PMC10671046 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216209] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated metal homeostasis is associated with many pathological conditions, including arthritic diseases. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most prevalent disorders that damage the joints and lead to cartilage and bone destruction. Recent studies show that the levels of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are generally altered in the serum of arthritis patients. Therefore, metal dyshomeostasis may reflect the contribution of these trace elements to the disease's pathogenesis and manifestations, suggesting their potential for prognosis and treatment. Carnosine (Car) also emerged as a biomarker in arthritis and exerts protective and osteogenic effects in arthritic joints. Notably, its zinc(II) complex, polaprezinc, has been recently proposed as a drug-repurposing candidate for bone fracture healing. On these bases, this review article aims to provide an overview of the beneficial roles of Cu and Zn in bone and cartilage health and their potential application in tissue engineering. The effects of Car and polaprezinc in promoting cartilage and bone regeneration are also discussed. We hypothesize that polaprezinc could exchange Zn for Cu, present in the culture media, due to its higher sequestering ability towards Cu. However, future studies should unveil the potential contribution of Cu in the beneficial effects of polaprezinc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Enrico Rizzarelli
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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2
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Pérez-Fernández M, Suárez-Rojas I, Bai X, Martínez-Martel I, Ciaffaglione V, Pittalà V, Salerno L, Pol O. Novel Heme Oxygenase-1 Inducers Palliate Inflammatory Pain and Emotional Disorders by Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasome and Activating the Antioxidant Pathway. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1794. [PMID: 37891874 PMCID: PMC10604550 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12101794] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain caused by persistent inflammation is current in multiple diseases and has a strong negative impact on society. It is commonly associated with several mental illnesses, which can exert a negative influence on pain perception, and needs to be eradicated. Nevertheless, actual therapies are not sufficiently safe and effective. Recent reports demonstrate that the induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enzyme produces analgesic effects in animals with osteoarthritis pain and reverses the grip strength loss caused by sciatic nerve crush. In this research, we evaluated the potential use of three new HO-1 inducers, 1m, 1a, and 1b, as well as dimethyl fumarate (DMF), for treating persistent inflammatory pain induced by the subplantar injection of complete Freud's adjuvant and the functional deficits and emotional sickness associated. The modulator role of these treatments on the inflammatory and antioxidant pathways were also assessed. Our findings revealed that repeated treatment, for four days, with 1m, 1a, 1b, or DMF inhibited inflammatory pain, reversed grip strength deficits, and reversed the linked anxious- and depressive-like behaviors, with 1m being the most effective. These treatments also suppressed the up-regulation of the inflammasome NLRP3 and activated the expression of the Nrf2 transcription factor and the HO-1 and superoxide dismutase 1 enzymes in the paw and/or amygdala, thus revealing the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity of these compounds during inflammatory pain. Results suggest the use of 1m, 1a, 1b, and DMF, particularly 1m, as promising therapies for inflammatory pain and the accompanying functional disabilities and emotional diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Montse Pérez-Fernández
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Suárez-Rojas
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xue Bai
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Martínez-Martel
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), 95126 Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Pittalà
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Loredana Salerno
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Olga Pol
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), 08041 Barcelona, Spain
- Grup de Neurofarmacologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Bellia F, Lanza V, Naletova I, Tomasello B, Ciaffaglione V, Greco V, Sciuto S, Amico P, Inturri R, Vaccaro S, Campagna T, Attanasio F, Tabbì G, Rizzarelli E. Copper(II) Complexes with Carnosine Conjugates of Hyaluronic Acids at Different Dipeptide Loading Percentages Behave as Multiple SOD Mimics and Stimulate Nrf2 Translocation and Antioxidant Response in In Vitro Inflammatory Model. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1632. [PMID: 37627627 PMCID: PMC10452038 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12081632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of copper(II) complexes with the formula [Cu2+Hy(x)Car%] varying the molecular weight (MW) of Hyaluronic acid (Hy, x = 200 or 700 kDa) conjugated with carnosine (Car) present at different loading were synthesized and characterized via different spectroscopic techniques. The metal complexes behaved as Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) mimics and showed some of the most efficient reaction rate values produced using a synthetic and water-soluble copper(II)-based SOD mimic reported to date. The increase in the percentage of Car moieties parallels the enhancement of the I50 value determined via the indirect method of Fridovich. The presence of the non-functionalized Hy OH groups favors the scavenger activity of the copper(II) complexes with HyCar, recalling similar behavior previously found for the copper(II) complexes with Car conjugated using β-cyclodextrin or trehalose. In keeping with the new abilities of SOD1 to activate protective agents against oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis diseases, Cu2+ interaction with HyCar promotes the nuclear translocation of erythroid 2-related factor that regulates the expressions of target genes, including Heme-Oxigenase-1, thus stimulating an antioxidant response in osteoblasts subjected to an inflammatory/oxidative insult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Bellia
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Valeria Lanza
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Irina Naletova
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Barbara Tomasello
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy;
| | - Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Valentina Greco
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; (V.G.); (S.S.)
| | - Sebastiano Sciuto
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; (V.G.); (S.S.)
| | - Pietro Amico
- Fidia Farmaceutici SpA, Contrada Pizzuta, 96017 Noto, Italy; (P.A.); (R.I.); (S.V.)
| | - Rosanna Inturri
- Fidia Farmaceutici SpA, Contrada Pizzuta, 96017 Noto, Italy; (P.A.); (R.I.); (S.V.)
| | - Susanna Vaccaro
- Fidia Farmaceutici SpA, Contrada Pizzuta, 96017 Noto, Italy; (P.A.); (R.I.); (S.V.)
| | - Tiziana Campagna
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Francesco Attanasio
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Giovanni Tabbì
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
| | - Enrico Rizzarelli
- Institute of Crystallography, National Council of Research (CNR), P. Gaifami 18, 95126 Catania, Italy; (F.B.); (V.L.); (I.N.); (V.C.); (T.C.); (F.A.); (E.R.)
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; (V.G.); (S.S.)
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4
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Fallica AN, Ciaffaglione V, Modica MN, Pittalà V, Salerno L, Amata E, Marrazzo A, Romeo G, Intagliata S. Structure-activity relationships of mixed σ1R/σ2R ligands with antiproliferative and anticancer effects. Bioorg Med Chem 2022; 73:117032. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2022.117032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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5
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Ciaffaglione V, Modica MN, Pittalà V, Romeo G, Salerno L, Intagliata S. Mutual Prodrugs of 5-Fluorouracil: From a Classic Chemotherapeutic Agent to Novel Potential Anticancer Drugs. ChemMedChem 2021; 16:3496-3512. [PMID: 34415107 PMCID: PMC9290623 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The development of potent antitumor agents with a low toxicological profile against healthy cells is still one of the greatest challenges facing medicinal chemistry. In this context, the “mutual prodrug” approach has emerged as a potential tool to overcome undesirable physicochemical features and mitigate the side effects of approved drugs. Among broad‐spectrum chemotherapeutics available for clinical use today, 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) is one of the most representative, also included in the World Health Organization model list of essential medicines. Unfortunately, severe side effects and drug resistance phenomena are still the primary limits and drawbacks in its clinical use. This review describes the progress made over the last ten years in developing 5‐FU‐based mutual prodrugs to improve the therapeutic profile and achieve targeted delivery to cancer tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Maria N Modica
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Pittalà
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Romeo
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Loredana Salerno
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Intagliata
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
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6
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Salerno L, Vanella L, Sorrenti V, Consoli V, Ciaffaglione V, Fallica AN, Canale V, Zajdel P, Pignatello R, Intagliata S. Novel mutual prodrug of 5-fluorouracil and heme oxygenase-1 inhibitor (5-FU/HO-1 hybrid): design and preliminary in vitro evaluation. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2021; 36:1378-1386. [PMID: 34167427 PMCID: PMC8231349 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1928111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, the first mutual prodrug of 5-fluorouracil and heme oxygenase1 inhibitor (5-FU/HO-1 hybrid) has been designed, synthesised, and evaluated for its in vitro chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis stability. Predicted in silico physicochemical properties of the newly synthesised hybrid (3) demonstrated a drug-like profile with suitable Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME) properties and low toxic liabilities. Preliminary cytotoxicity evaluation towards human prostate (DU145) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines demonstrated that 3 exerted a similar effect on cell viability to that produced by the reference drug 5-FU. Among the two tested cancer cell lines, the A549 cells were more susceptible for 3. Of note, hybrid 3 also had a significantly lower cytotoxic effect on healthy human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) than 5-FU. Altogether our results served as an initial proof-of-concept to develop 5-FU/HO-1 mutual prodrugs as potential novel anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Salerno
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Luca Vanella
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Sorrenti
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Consoli
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Antonino N Fallica
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Vittorio Canale
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - Paweł Zajdel
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - Rosario Pignatello
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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7
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Ciaffaglione V, Waghorn PA, Exner RM, Cortezon-Tamarit F, Godfrey SP, Sarpaki S, Quilter H, Dondi R, Ge H, Kociok-Kohn G, Botchway SW, Eggleston IM, Dilworth JR, Pascu SI. Structural Investigations, Cellular Imaging, and Radiolabeling of Neutral, Polycationic, and Polyanionic Functional Metalloporphyrin Conjugates. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:1374-1392. [PMID: 33525868 PMCID: PMC8299459 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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Over the past decade,
porphyrin derivatives have emerged as invaluable
synthetic building blocks and theranostic kits for the delivery of
cellular fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy. Tetraphenylporphyrin
(TPP), its metal complexes, and related derivatives have been investigated
for their use as dyes in histology and as components of multimodal
imaging probes. The photophysical properties of porphyrin–metal
complexes featuring radiometals have been a focus of our attention
for the realization of fluorescence imaging probes coupled with radioimaging
capabilities and therapeutic potential having “true”
theranostic promise. We report hereby on the synthesis, radiochemistry,
structural investigations, and preliminary in vitro and in vivo uptake studies on a range of functionalized
porphyrin-based derivatives. In pursuit of developing new porphyrin-based
probes for multimodality imaging applications, we report new functionalized
neutral, polycationic, and polyanionic porphyrins incorporating nitroimidazole
and sulfonamide moieties, which were used as targeting groups to improve
the notoriously poor pharmacokinetics of porphyrin tags. The resulting
functional metalloporphyrin species were stable under serum challenges
and the nitroimidazole and sulfonamide derivatives remained fluorescent,
allowing in vitro confocal studies and visualization
of the lysosomal uptake in a gallium(III) sulfonamide derivative.
The molecular structures of selected porphyrin derivatives were determined
by single crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. We
also investigated the nature of the emission/excitation behavior of
model functional porphyrins using in silico approaches
such as TD DFT in simple solvation models. The conjugation of porphyrins
with the [7-13] and [7-14] fragments of bombesin was also achieved,
to provide targeting of the gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPR).
Depending on the metal, probe conjugates of relevance for single photon
emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography
(PET) probes have been designed and tested hereby, using TPP and related
functional free base porphyrins as the bifunctional chelator synthetic
scaffold and 111In[In] or 68Ga[Ga], respectively,
as the central metal ions. Interestingly, for simple porphyrin conjugates
good radiochemical incorporation was obtained for both radiometals,
but the presence of peptides significantly diminished the radio-incorporation
yields. Although the gallium-68 radiochemistry of the bombesin conjugates
did not show radiochemical incorporation suitable for in vivo studies, likely because the presence of the peptide changed the
behavior of the TPP-NH2 synthon taken alone, the optical
imaging assays indicated that the conjugated peptide tags do mediate
uptake of the porphyrin units into cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Philip A Waghorn
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Rüdiger M Exner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Samuel P Godfrey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Sophia Sarpaki
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Quilter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.,Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.,Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Ruggero Dondi
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Haobo Ge
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriele Kociok-Kohn
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.,Material and Chemical Characterisation (MC2), University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Stanley W Botchway
- Research Complex at Harwell, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M Eggleston
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan R Dilworth
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Sofia I Pascu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.,Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
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8
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Salerno L, Floresta G, Ciaffaglione V, Gentile D, Margani F, Turnaturi R, Rescifina A, Pittalà V. Progress in the development of selective heme oxygenase-1 inhibitors and their potential therapeutic application. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 167:439-453. [PMID: 30784878 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Heme oxygenases (HOs) are a family of enzymes involved in the selective catabolism of free circulating heme. While HO-2 is constitutively expressed, HO-1 is strongly overexpressed under stressful stimuli (e.g., oxidative stress). Under these conditions, HO-1 exerts its strong cytoprotective activities and plays a crucial role in stimulating cell survival by removing the pro-oxidant heme and by producing carbon monoxide and biliverdin (promptly reduced to bilirubin). Unfortunately, the broad spectrum of HO-1 cytoprotective effects has been well experimentally documented both in normal and tumor cells, where the enzyme can be overexpressed, making it an exciting target in the management of some type of tumors. Development of non-competitive HO-1 inhibitors dates back in 2002 with the discovery of Azalanstat. Since then, many efforts have been devoted to the identification of selective HO-1 and HO-2 inhibitors and to unravel the molecular determinants responsible for selectivity. Molecular modeling studies supported the identification of chemical features involved in the recognition and inhibition of these enzymes. Herein, medicinal chemistry aspects and in silico studies related to the development of HO inhibitors will be discussed. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances in the development of new selective HO-1 and HO-2 inhibitors and covers the last six years (2013-2018).
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Salerno
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Floresta
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Valeria Ciaffaglione
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Davide Gentile
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy; Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Fatima Margani
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Rita Turnaturi
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Rescifina
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy; Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale di ricerca in Metodologie e Processi Innovativi di Sintesi (C.I.N.M.P.S.), Via E. Orabona, 4, Bari, 70125, Italy.
| | - Valeria Pittalà
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, V.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
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