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Lohan S, Konshina AG, Tiwari RK, Efremov RG, Maslennikov I, Parang K. Broad-spectrum activity of membranolytic cationic macrocyclic peptides against multi-drug resistant bacteria and fungi. Eur J Pharm Sci 2024; 197:106776. [PMID: 38663759 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106776] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains causes severe problems in the treatment of microbial infections owing to limited treatment options. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are drawing considerable attention as promising antibiotic alternative candidates to combat MDR bacterial and fungal infections. Herein, we present a series of small amphiphilic membrane-active cyclic peptides composed, in part, of various nongenetically encoded hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acids. Notably, lead cyclic peptides 3b and 4b showed broad-spectrum activity against drug-resistant Gram-positive (MIC = 1.5-6.2 µg/mL) and Gram-negative (MIC = 12.5-25 µg/mL) bacteria, and fungi (MIC = 3.1-12.5 µg/mL). Furthermore, lead peptides displayed substantial antibiofilm action comparable to standard antibiotics. Hemolysis (HC50 = 230 µg/mL) and cytotoxicity (>70 % cell viability against four different mammalian cells at 100 µg/mL) assay results demonstrated the selective lethal action of 3b against microbes over mammalian cells. A calcein dye leakage experiment substantiated the membranolytic effect of 3b and 4b, which was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The behavior of 3b and 4b in aqueous solution and interaction with phospholipid bilayers were assessed by employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in conjunction with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, providing a solid structural basis for understanding their membranolytic action. Moreover, 3b exhibited stability in human blood plasma (t1/2 = 13 h) and demonstrated no signs of resistance development against antibiotic-resistant S. aureus and E. coli. These findings underscore the potential of these newly designed amphiphilic cyclic peptides as promising anti-infective agents, especially against Gram-positive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Lohan
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, 9401 Jeronimo Rd, Irvine, CA 92618, United States; AJK Biopharmaceutical, 5270 California Ave, Irvine, CA 92617, United States
| | - Anastasia G Konshina
- M.M. Shemyakin & Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya Street, 16/10, Moscow, 117997, Russia
| | - Rakesh K Tiwari
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR 97355, United States
| | - Roman G Efremov
- M.M. Shemyakin & Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya Street, 16/10, Moscow, 117997, Russia; National Research University Higher School of Economics, Myasnitskaya ul. 20, Moscow, 101000, Russia
| | - Innokentiy Maslennikov
- Structural Biology Research Center, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, 9401 Jeronimo Rd., Irvine, CA 92618, United States
| | - Keykavous Parang
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, 9401 Jeronimo Rd, Irvine, CA 92618, United States.
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Langer MK, Rahman A, Dey H, Anderssen T, Blencke HM, Haug T, Stensvåg K, Strøm MB, Bayer A. Investigation of tetrasubstituted heterocycles reveals hydantoins as a promising scaffold for development of novel antimicrobials with membranolytic properties. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 249:115147. [PMID: 36739750 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115147] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Mimics of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as a promising class of antimicrobial agents. We report the analysis of five tetrasubstituted, cationic, amphipathic heterocycles as potential AMP mimics. The analysis showed that the heterocyclic scaffold had a strong influence on the haemolytic activity of the compounds, and the hydantoin scaffold was identified as a promising template for drug lead development. Subsequently, a total of 20 hydantoin derivatives were studied for their antimicrobial potency and haemolytic activity. We found 19 of these derivatives to have very low haemolytic toxicity and identified three lead structures, 2dA, 6cG, and 6dG with very promising broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Lead structure 6dG displayed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values as low as 1 μg/mL against Gram-positive bacteria and 4-16 μg/mL against Gram-negative bacteria. Initial mode of action (MoA) studies performed on the amine derivative 6cG, utilizing a luciferase-based biosensor assay, suggested a strong membrane disrupting effect on the outer and inner membrane of Escherichia coli. Our findings show that the physical properties and structural arrangement induced by the heterocyclic scaffolds are important factors in the design of AMP mimics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel K Langer
- Department of Chemistry, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ataur Rahman
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hymonti Dey
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Trude Anderssen
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hans-Matti Blencke
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tor Haug
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Klara Stensvåg
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Morten B Strøm
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Annette Bayer
- Department of Chemistry, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037, Tromsø, Norway.
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Pacor S, Benincasa M, Musso MV, Krce L, Aviani I, Pallavicini A, Scocchi M, Gerdol M, Mardirossian M. The proline-rich myticalins from Mytilus galloprovincialis display a membrane-permeabilizing antimicrobial mode of action. Peptides 2021; 143:170594. [PMID: 34118363 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Bivalve mollusks are continuously exposed to potentially pathogenic microorganisms living in the marine environment. Not surprisingly, these filter-feeders developed a robust innate immunity to protect themselves, which includes a broad panel of antimicrobial peptides. Among these, myticalins represent a recently discovered family of linear cationic peptides expressed in the gills of Mytilus galloprovincialis. Even though myticalins and insect and mammalian proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) share a similar amino acid composition, we here show that none of the tested mussel peptides use a non-lytic mode of action relying on the bacterial transporter SbmA. On the other hand, all the tested myticalins perturbed and permeabilized the membranes of E. coli BW25113, as shown by flow-cytometry and atomic force microscopy. Circular dichroism spectra revealed that most myticalins did not adopt recognizable secondary structures in the presence of amphipathic environments, such as biological membranes. To explore possible uses of myticalins for biotech, we assessed their biocompatibility with a human cell line. Non-negligible cytotoxic effects displayed by myticalins indicate that their optimization would be required before their further use as lead compounds in the development of new antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Pacor
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Monica Benincasa
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Maria Valentina Musso
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Lucija Krce
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Split, Soba B3-18, Ruđera Boškovića 33, 21000 Split, Croatia.
| | - Ivica Aviani
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Split, Soba B3-18, Ruđera Boškovića 33, 21000 Split, Croatia.
| | - Alberto Pallavicini
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Marco Scocchi
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Marco Gerdol
- Department of Life Sciences, Via Licio Giorgieri 5, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Mario Mardirossian
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, Laboratorio Clinica Odontostomatologica, Piazza dell'Ospitale 1, 34125 Trieste, Italy.
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Dai Y, Cai X, Shi W, Bi X, Su X, Pan M, Li H, Lin H, Huang W, Qian H. Pro-apoptotic cationic host defense peptides rich in lysine or arginine to reverse drug resistance by disrupting tumor cell membrane. Amino Acids 2017; 49:1601-1610. [PMID: 28664269 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-017-2453-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Host defense peptides have been demonstrated to exhibit prominent advantages in cancer therapy with selective binding ability toward tumor cells via electrostatic attractions, which can overcome the limitations of traditional chemotherapy drugs, such as toxicity on non-malignant cells and the emergence of drug resistance. In this work, we redesigned and constructed a series of cationic peptides by inserting hydrophobic residues into hydrophilic surface or replacing lysine (K) with arginine (R), based on the experience from the preliminary work of host defense peptide B1. In-depth studies demonstrated that the engineered peptides exhibited more potent anti-cancer activity against various cancer cell lines and much lower toxicity to normal cells compared with B1. Further investigation revealed that compounds I-3 and I-7 could act on cancer cell membranes and subsequently alter the permeability, which facilitated obvious pro-apoptotic activity in paclitaxel-resistant cell line (MCF-7/Taxol). The result of mitochondrial membrane potential assay (ΔΨm) demonstrated that the peptides induced ΔΨm dissipation and mitochondrial depolarization. The caspase-3 cellular activity assay showed that the anti-cancer activity of peptides functioned via caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. The study yielded compound I-7 with superior properties for antineoplastic activity in comparison to B1, which makes it a promising potential candidate for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Dai
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingguang Cai
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Shi
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinzhou Bi
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Su
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Miaobo Pan
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Huilan Li
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiyan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, 140 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wenlong Huang
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disease, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hai Qian
- Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disease, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjiaxiang, Nanjing, 210009, People's Republic of China.
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Lohan S, Kalanta A, Sonkusre P, Cameotra SS, Bisht GS. Development of novel membrane active lipidated peptidomimetics active against drug resistant clinical isolates. Bioorg Med Chem 2014; 22:4544-52. [PMID: 25131957 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2014.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [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: 05/30/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A new series of small cationic lipidated peptidomimetics have been synthesized and found to be highly active against several susceptible as well as drug resistant clinical isolates of bacteria and fungi. All lipidated peptidomimetics do not cause significant lysis of human erythrocytes (HC50>200μg/mL). Calcein dye leakage experiment revealed membranolytic effect of LPEP08 which was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The involvement of intracellular targets as an alternate mode of action was precluded by DNA retardation assay. Additionally, LPEP08 exhibit high proteolytic stability and dose not elicit resistance against drug resistant clinical isolate of Staphylococcusaureus, even after 16 rounds of passaging. These results demonstrate the potential of lipidated peptidomimetics as biocompatible anti-infective therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Lohan
- Department of Pharmacy, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan 173234, India
| | - Arneesh Kalanta
- Department of Pharmacy, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan 173234, India
| | - Praveen Sonkusre
- Environmental Biotechnology & Microbial Biochemistry, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Swaranjit Singh Cameotra
- Environmental Biotechnology & Microbial Biochemistry, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Gopal Singh Bisht
- Department of Pharmacy, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan 173234, India.
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Hilchie AL, Vale R, Zemlak TS, Hoskin DW. Generation of a hematologic malignancy-selective membranolytic peptide from the antimicrobial core (RRWQWR) of bovine lactoferricin. Exp Mol Pathol 2013; 95:192-8. [PMID: 23892223 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2013.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cationic antimicrobial peptides such as bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB) constitute an important innate defense mechanism against many microbial pathogens. LfcinB also binds to and selectively kills human cancer cells via a mechanism that involves reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and caspase activation. The antimicrobial core of LfcinB consists of only six amino acids (RRWQWR), referred to in this study as LfcinB6. Although free LfcinB6 is devoid of cytotoxic activity against cancer cells, we show here that adding a cell-penetrating hepta-arginine sequence via a glycine-glycine linker to LfcinB6 generates a peptide (MPLfcinB6) that is selectively cytotoxic for human T-leukemia and B-lymphoma cells. Flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran uptake by MPLfcinB6-treated cancer cells revealed extensive damage to the cell membrane, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. MPLfcinB6-induced cytotoxicity was also associated with sequential ROS production and mitochondrial membrane permeabilization; however, neither ROS nor caspase activation caused by the loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity was essential for peptide-mediated cell death. We conclude that MPLfcinB6 selectively kills human T-leukemia and B-lymphoma cells by causing extensive and irreparable damage to the cell membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Hilchie
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada
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