Comprehensive insight on protein modification by V-type agent: A chemical proteomic approach employing bioorthogonal reaction

Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) such as chemical agents and pesticides are posing critical threats to civilians due to their irreversible phosphonylation of diverse amino acids residues forming different protein adducts. However, traditional analytical approaches are quite limited in capturing the myriad of post-translational events that affect protein functions, especially in identifying the low-abundance OP adducts. Herein a systematic proteomic strategy based on a typical click-enrich-release-identify bioorthogonal operation was firstly developed by employing an alkynyl-tagged V-type agent probe (AVP) and a biotin-based azido-enrichment linker (BTP-N3 ). AVP targeting peptides from human serum albumin (HSA) or plasma were captured by BTP-N3 via CuAAC click reaction, enriched by streptavidin beads, released by selective alkaline hydrolysis of phenacyl ester bond, and subsequently sequenced by LC-MS/MS. This strategy has helped identifying 1115 unique OP adduction sites on 163 proteins in human plasma, and covers lots of OP adducts that cannot be achieved by traditional detection methods. The comprehensive coverage of novel OP substrates provided a general and sensitive approach to retrospective verification and/or dose assessment of toxic OPs.

Why is Aged Acetylcholinesterase So Difficult to Reactivate?

Organophosphorus agents are potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. Inhibition involves successive chemical events. The first is phosphylation of the active site serine to produce a neutral adduct, which is a close structural analog of the acylation transition state. This adduct is unreactive toward spontaneous hydrolysis, but in many cases can be reactivated by nucleophilic medicinal agents, such as oximes. However, the initial phosphylation reaction may be followed by a dealkylation reaction of the incipient adduct. This reaction is called aging and produces an anionic phosphyl adduct with acetylcholinesterase that is refractory to reactivation. This review considers why the anionic aged adduct is unreactive toward nucleophiles. An alternate approach is to realkylate the aged adduct, which would render the adduct reactivatable with oxime nucleophiles. However, this approach confronts a considerable—and perhaps intractable—challenge: the aged adduct is a close analog of the deacylation transition state. Consequently, the evolutionary mechanisms that have led to transition state stabilization in acetylcholinesterase catalysis are discussed herein, as are the challenges that they present to reactivation of aged acetylcholinesterase.

Nanoparticle-Delivered 2-PAM for Rat Brain Protection against Paraoxon Central Toxicity

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are among the most promising nanocarriers to target the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). Encapsulation of the acetylcholinesterase reactivator, pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM), in SLNs appears to be a suitable strategy for protection against poisoning by organophosphorus agents (OPs) and postexposure treatment. 2-PAM-loaded SLNs were developed for brain targeting and delivery via intravenous (iv) administration. 2-PAM-SLNs displayed a high 2-PAM encapsulation efficiency (∼90%) and loading capacity (maximum 30.8 ± 1%). Drug-loaded particles had a mean hydrodynamic diameter close to 100 nm and high negative zeta potential (-54 to -15 mV). These properties contribute to improve long-term stability of 2-PAM-SLNs when stored both at room temperature (22 °C) and at 4 °C, as well as to longer circulation time in the bloodstream compared to free 2-PAM. Paraoxon-poisoned rats (2 × LD₅₀) were treated with 2-PAM-loaded SLNs at a dose of 2-PAM of 5 mg/kg. 2-PAM-SLNs reactivated 15% of brain AChE activity. Our results confirm the potential use of SLNs loaded with positively charged oximes as a medical countermeasure both for protection against OPs poisoning and for postexposure treatment.