scholarly journals Development of Peptide-Conjugated Morpholino Oligomers as Pan-Arenavirus Inhibitors

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 4631-4638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Neuman ◽  
Lydia H. Bederka ◽  
David A. Stein ◽  
Joey P. C. Ting ◽  
Hong M. Moulton ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMembers of theArenaviridaefamily are a threat to public health and can cause meningitis and hemorrhagic fever, and yet treatment options remain limited by a lack of effective antivirals. In this study, we found that peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMO) complementary to viral genomic RNA were effective in reducing arenavirus replication in cell cultures andin vivo. PPMO complementary to the Junín virus genome were designed to interfere with viral RNA synthesis or translation or both. However, only PPMO designed to potentially interfere with translation were effective in reducing virus replication. PPMO complementary to sequences that are highly conserved across the arenaviruses and located at the 5′ termini of both genomic segments were effective against Junín virus, Tacaribe virus, Pichinde virus, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-infected cell cultures and suppressed viral titers in the livers of LCMV-infected mice. These results suggest that arenavirus 5′ genomic termini represent promising targets for pan-arenavirus antiviral therapeutic development.

1967 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johng S. Rhim ◽  
Bunsitu Simizu ◽  
Ned H. Wiebenga

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (24) ◽  
pp. 13063-13067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga A. Kolokoltsova ◽  
Nadezda E. Yun ◽  
Allison L. Poussard ◽  
Jennifer K. Smith ◽  
Jeanon N. Smith ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Junin virus (JUNV) causes a highly lethal human disease, Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Previous work has demonstrated the requirement for human transferrin receptor 1 for virus entry, and the absence of the receptor was proposed to be a major cause for the resistance of laboratory mice to JUNV infection. In this study, we present for the first time in vivo evidence that the disruption of interferon signaling is sufficient to generate a disease-susceptible mouse model for JUNV infection. After peripheral inoculation with virulent JUNV, adult mice lacking alpha/beta and gamma interferon receptors developed disseminated infection and severe disease.


1983 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercedes C. Weissenbacher ◽  
Marta S. Sabattini ◽  
María M. Avila ◽  
Patricia M. Sangiorgio ◽  
María R. F. De Sensi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ørjan Samuelsen ◽  
Ove Alexander Høgmoen Åstrand ◽  
Christopher Fröhlich ◽  
Adam Heikal ◽  
Susann Skagseth ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens are a critical public health threat and there is an urgent need for new treatments. Carbapenemases (β-lactamases able to inactivate carbapenems) have been identified in both serine β-lactamase (SBL) and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) families. The recent introduction of SBL carbapenemase inhibitors has provided alternative therapeutic options. Unfortunately, there are no approved inhibitors of MBL-mediated carbapenem-resistance and treatment options for infections caused by MBL-producing Gram-negatives are limited. Here, we present ZN148, a zinc-chelating MBL-inhibitor capable of restoring the bactericidal effect of meropenem and in vitro clinical susceptibility to carbapenems in >98% of a large international collection of MBL-producing clinical Enterobacterales strains (n = 234). Moreover, ZN148 was able to potentiate the effect of meropenem against NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a murine neutropenic peritonitis model. ZN148 showed no inhibition of the human zinc-containing enzyme glyoxylase II at 500 μM, and no acute toxicity was observed in an in vivo mouse model with cumulative dosages up to 128 mg/kg. Biochemical analysis showed a time-dependent inhibition of MBLs by ZN148 and removal of zinc ions from the active site. Addition of exogenous zinc after ZN148 exposure only restored MBL activity by ∼30%, suggesting an irreversible mechanism of inhibition. Mass-spectrometry and molecular modeling indicated potential oxidation of the active site Cys221 residue. Overall, these results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of a ZN148-carbapenem combination against MBL-producing Gram-negative pathogens and that ZN148 is a highly promising MBL inhibitor that is capable of operating in a functional space not presently filled by any clinically approved compound.


2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan E. Eldesouky ◽  
Abdelrahman Mayhoub ◽  
Tony R. Hazbun ◽  
Mohamed N. Seleem

ABSTRACTInvasive candidiasis presents an emerging global public health challenge due to the emergence of resistance to the frontline treatment options, such as fluconazole. Hence, the identification of other compounds capable of pairing with fluconazole and averting azole resistance would potentially prolong the clinical utility of this important group. In an effort to repurpose drugs in the field of antifungal drug discovery, we explored sulfa antibacterial drugs for the purpose of reversing azole resistance inCandida. In this study, we assembled and investigated a library of 21 sulfa antibacterial drugs for their ability to restore fluconazole sensitivity inCandida albicans. Surprisingly, the majority of assayed sulfa drugs (15 of 21) were found to exhibit synergistic relationships with fluconazole by checkerboard assay with fractional inhibitory concentration index (ΣFIC) values ranging from <0.0312 to 0.25. Remarkably, five sulfa drugs were able to reverse azole resistance in a clinically achievable range. The structure-activity relationships (SARs) of the amino benzene sulfonamide scaffold as antifungal agents were studied. We also identified the possible mechanism of the synergistic interaction of sulfa antibacterial drugs with azole antifungal drugs. Furthermore, the ability of sulfa antibacterial drugs to inhibitCandidabiofilm by 40%in vitrowas confirmed. In addition, the effects of sulfa-fluconazole combinations onCandidagrowth kinetics and efflux machinery were explored. Finally, using aCaenorhabditis elegansinfection model, we demonstrated that the sulfa-fluconazole combination does possess potent antifungal activityin vivo, reducingCandidain infected worms by ∼50% compared to the control.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Thandoni ◽  
Andrew Zloza ◽  
Devora Schiff ◽  
Malay Rao ◽  
Kwok-wai Lo ◽  
...  

AbstractNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy endemic to East Asia and is caused by Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-mediated cancerous transformation of epithelial cells. The standard of care treatment for NPC involves radiation and chemotherapy. While treatment outcomes continue to improve, up to 50% of patients can be expected to recur by five years, and additional innovative treatment options are needed. We posit that a potential way to do this is by targeting the underlying cause of malignant transformation, namely EBV. One method by which EBV escapes immune surveillance is by undergoing latent phase replication, during which EBV expression of immunogenic proteins is reduced. However, chemoradiation is known to drive conversion of EBV from a latent to a lytic phase. This creates an opportunity for the targeting of EBV-infected cells utilizing anti-viral drugs. Indeed, we found that combining acyclovir with cisplatin and radiation significantly decreases the viability of the EBV-infected C666-1 cell line. Western blot quantification revealed a resultant increase of thymidine kinase (TK) and apoptosis-inducing mediators, cleaved PARP (cPARP) and phosphorylated ERK (pERK). These studies suggest that the addition of anti-viral drugs to frontline chemoradiation may improve outcomes in patients treated for EBV-related NPC and future in vivo and clinical studies are needed.


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