1
|
Lu R, Akasaka H, Ruan KH. Design, synthesis and characterization of lead compounds as anti-inflammatory drugs targeting mPGES-1 via enzymelink screening. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:757-767. [PMID: 37248701 PMCID: PMC10318571 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0039] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim: The objective of this study was to synthesize and validate a set of compounds that selectively inhibit mPGES-1, with the potential to be developed into a novel anti-inflammatory drug. Methods: The synthesized compounds were characterized using 1H NMR spectroscopy and LC-MS to confirm their structure. Cellular and enzymatic assays were used to demonstrate their inhibitory activity on prostaglandin E2 production. Results: Docking studies revealed that compounds containing fluoro-, chloro- and methyl- groups displayed strong inhibitory activity against prostaglandin E2. The inhibitory activity of synthesized trimethyl and trifluoro was further validated using enzymatic and cell migration assays. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the synthesized compounds possess significant potential as a new generation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that selectively target mPGES-1 with fewer side effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renzhong Lu
- Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Experimental Therapeutics & Pharmacoinformatics, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Hironori Akasaka
- Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Experimental Therapeutics & Pharmacoinformatics, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Ke-He Ruan
- Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for Experimental Therapeutics & Pharmacoinformatics, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
LaBorde K, Lu R, Ruan KH. Latest progress in the development of cyclooxygenase-2 pathway inhibitors targeting microsomal prostaglandin E(2) synthase-1. Future Med Chem 2022; 14:385-8. [PMID: 34985304 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2021-0317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
|
3
|
Börner F, Werner M, Ertelt J, Meins J, Abdel-Tawab M, Werz O. Analysis of Boswellic Acid Contents and Related Pharmacological Activities of Frankincense-Based Remedies That Modulate Inflammation. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:660. [PMID: 34358086 DOI: 10.3390/ph14070660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracts of frankincense, the gum resin of Boswellia species, have been extensively used in traditional folk medicine since ancient times and are still of great interest as promising anti-inflammatory remedies in Western countries. Despite their common therapeutic use and the intensive pharmacological research including studies on active ingredients, modes of action, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and clinical efficacy, frankincense preparations are available as nutraceuticals but have not yet approved as a drug on the market. A major issue of commercially available frankincense nutraceuticals is the striking differences in their composition and quality, especially related to the content of boswellic acids (BAs) as active ingredients, mainly due to the use of material from divergent Boswellia species but also because of different work-up and extraction procedures. Here, we assessed three frequently used frankincense-based preparations for their BA content and the interference with prominent pro-inflammatory actions and targets that have been proposed, that is, 5-lipoxygenase and leukotriene formation in human neutrophils, microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1, and inflammatory cytokine secretion in human blood monocytes. Our data reveal striking differences in the pharmacological efficiencies of these preparations in inflammation-related bioassays which obviously correlate with the amounts of BAs they contain. In summary, high-quality frankincense extracts display powerful anti-inflammatory effectiveness against multiple targets which can be traced back to BAs as bioactive ingredients.
Collapse
|
4
|
Ruan DT, Tang N, Akasaka H, Lu R, Ruan KH. Engineering 'Enzymelink' for screening lead compounds to inhibit mPGES-1 while maintaining prostacyclin synthase activity. Future Med Chem 2021; 13:1091-103. [PMID: 34080888 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2021-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim: This study investigated our Enzymelinks, COX-2-10aa-mPGES-1 and COX-2-10aa-PGIS, as cellular cross-screening targets for quick identification of lead compounds to inhibit inflammatory PGE2 biosynthesis while maintaining prostacyclin synthesis. Methods: We integrated virtual and wet cross-screening using Enzymelinks to rapidly identify lead compounds from a large compound library. Results: From 380,000 compounds virtually cross-screened with the Enzymelinks, 1576 compounds were identified and used for wet cross-screening using HEK293 cells that overexpressed individual Enzymelinks as targets. The top 15 lead compounds that inhibited mPGES-1 activity were identified. The top compound that specifically inhibited inflammatory PGE2 biosynthesis alone without affecting COX-2 coupled to PGI2 synthase (PGIS) for PGI2 biosynthesis was obtained. Conclusion: Enzymelink technology could advance cyclooxygenase pathway-targeted drug discovery to a significant degree.
Collapse
|
5
|
Di Francesco L, Bruno A, Ricciotti E, Tacconelli S, Dovizio M, Guillem-Llobat P, Alisi MA, Garrone B, Coletta I, Mangano G, Milanese C, FitzGerald GA, Patrignani P. Pharmacological Characterization of the Microsomal Prostaglandin E 2 Synthase-1 Inhibitor AF3485 In Vitro and In Vivo. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:374. [PMID: 32317963 PMCID: PMC7147323 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale The development of inhibitors of microsomal prostaglandin (PG)E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) was driven by the promise of attaining antiinflammatory agents with a safe cardiovascular profile because of the possible diversion of the accumulated substrate, PGH2, towards prostacyclin (PGI2). Objectives We studied the effect of the human mPGES-1 inhibitor, AF3485 (a benzamide derivative) on prostanoid biosynthesis in human whole blood in vitro. To characterize possible off-target effects of the compound, we evaluated: i)the impact of its administration on the systemic biosynthesis of prostanoids in a model of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced monoarthritis in rats; ii) the effects on cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and the biosynthesis of prostanoids in human monocytes and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Methods Prostanoids were assessed in different cellular models by immunoassays. The effect of the administration of AF3485 (30 and 100 mg/kg,i.p.) or celecoxib (20mg/kg, i.p.), for 3 days, on the urinary levels of enzymatic metabolites of prostanoids, PGE-M, PGI-M, and TX-M were assessed by LC-MS. Results In LPS-stimulated whole blood, AF3485 inhibited PGE2 biosynthesis, in a concentration-dependent fashion. At 100μM, PGE2 levels were reduced by 66.06 ± 3.30%, associated with a lower extent of TXB2 inhibition (40.56 ± 5.77%). AF3485 administration to CFA-treated rats significantly reduced PGE-M (P < 0.01) and TX-M (P < 0.05) similar to the selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib. In contrast, AF3485 induced a significant (P < 0.05) increase of urinary PGI-M while it was reduced by celecoxib. In LPS-stimulated human monocytes, AF3485 inhibited PGE2 biosynthesis with an IC50 value of 3.03 µM (95% CI:0.5–8.75). At 1μM, AF3485 enhanced TXB2 while at higher concentrations, the drug caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of TXB2. At 100 μM, maximal inhibition of the two prostanoids was associated with the downregulation of COX-2 protein by 86%. These effects did not involve AMPK pathway activation, IkB stabilization, or PPARγ activation. In HUVEC, AF3485 at 100 μM caused a significant (P < 0.05) induction of COX-2 protein associated with enhanced PGI2 production. These effects were reversed by the PPARγ antagonist GW9662. Conclusions The inhibitor of human mPGES-1 AF3485 is a novel antiinflammatory compound which can also modulate COX-2 induction by inflammatory stimuli. The compound also induces endothelial COX-2-dependent PGI2 production via PPARγ activation, both in vitro and in vivo, which might translate into a protective effect for the cardiovascular system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luigia Di Francesco
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bruno
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Emanuela Ricciotti
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Stefania Tacconelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Melania Dovizio
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paloma Guillem-Llobat
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Garret A FitzGerald
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Paola Patrignani
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), School of Medicine, G. d'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gerstmeier J, Seegers J, Witt F, Waltenberger B, Temml V, Rollinger JM, Stuppner H, Koeberle A, Schuster D, Werz O. Ginkgolic Acid is a Multi-Target Inhibitor of Key Enzymes in Pro-Inflammatory Lipid Mediator Biosynthesis. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:797. [PMID: 31379572 PMCID: PMC6650749 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Lipid mediators (LMs) comprise bioactive metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs), thromboxanes (TXs), and leukotrienes (LTs), as well as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). They are essentially biosynthesized via cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LO) pathways in complex networks and regulate the progression as well as the resolution of inflammatory disorders including inflammation-triggered cancer. Ginkgolic acid (GA) is a phenolic acid contained in Ginkgo biloba L. with neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and antitumoral properties. Although LMs regulate microbial infections and tumor progression, whether GA affects LM biosynthesis is unknown and was investigated here in detail. Methods: Pharmacophore-based virtual screening was performed along with docking simulations. Activity assays were conducted for isolated human recombinant 5-LO, cytosolic phospholipase (PLA)2α, COX-2, and ovine COX-1. The activity of human mPGES-1 and thromboxane A2 synthase (TXAS) was determined in crude cellular fractions. Cellular LM formation was studied using human monocytes, neutrophils, platelets, and M1- and M2-like macrophages. LMs were identified after (ultra)high-performance liquid chromatography by UV detection or ESI-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: GA was identified as virtual hit in an mPGES-1 pharmacophore-based virtual screening. Cell-free assays revealed potent suppression of mPGES-1 activity (IC50 = 0.7 µM) that is fully reversible and essentially independent of the substrate concentration. Moreover, cell-free assays revealed COX-1 and TXAS as additional targets of GA with lower affinity (IC50 = 8.1 and 5.2 µM). Notably, 5-LO, the key enzyme in LT biosynthesis, was potently inhibited by GA (IC50 = 0.2 µM) in a reversible and substrate-independent manner. Docking simulations support the molecular interaction of GA with mPGES-1 and 5-LO and suggest concrete binding sites. Interestingly, interference of GA with mPGES-1, COX-1, TXAS, and 5-LO was evident also in intact cells with IC50 values of 2.1-3.8 µM; no radical scavenging or cytotoxic properties were obvious. Analysis of LM profiles from bacteria-stimulated human M1- and M2-like macrophages confirmed the multi-target features of GA and revealed LM redirection towards the formation of 12-/15-LO products including SPM. Conclusions: We reveal GA as potent multi-target inhibitor of key enzymes in the biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory LMs that contribute to the complex pharmacological and toxicological properties of GA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Gerstmeier
- Chair of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Julia Seegers
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytics, Pharmaceutical Institute, Eberhard-Karls-University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Finja Witt
- Chair of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Birgit Waltenberger
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Veronika Temml
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Judith M. Rollinger
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hermann Stuppner
- Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Koeberle
- Chair of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Daniela Schuster
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Oliver Werz
- Chair of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pereira-Leite C, Nunes C, Jamal SK, Cuccovia IM, Reis S. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Therapy: A Journey Toward Safety. Med Res Rev 2016; 37:802-859. [PMID: 28005273 DOI: 10.1002/med.21424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [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: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The efficacy of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against inflammation, pain, and fever has been supporting their worldwide use in the treatment of painful conditions and chronic inflammatory diseases until today. However, the long-term therapy with NSAIDs was soon associated with high incidences of adverse events in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the search for novel drugs with improved safety has begun with COX-2 selective inhibitors (coxibs) being straightaway developed and commercialized. Nevertheless, the excitement has fast turned to disappointment when diverse coxibs were withdrawn from the market due to cardiovascular toxicity. Such events have once again triggered the emergence of different strategies to overcome NSAIDs toxicity. Here, an integrative review is provided to address the breakthroughs of two main approaches: (i) the association of NSAIDs with protective mediators and (ii) the design of novel compounds to target downstream and/or multiple enzymes of the arachidonic acid cascade. To date, just one phosphatidylcholine-associated NSAID has already been approved for commercialization. Nevertheless, the preclinical and clinical data obtained so far indicate that both strategies may improve the safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Pereira-Leite
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Nunes
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sarah K Jamal
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Iolanda M Cuccovia
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Salette Reis
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|