scholarly journals First Nonphosphorylated Inhibitors of Phosphoglucose Isomerase Identified by Chemical Library Screening

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 1051-1059
Author(s):  
Sabrina G. R. Mota ◽  
Gustavo F. Mercaldi ◽  
José G. C. Pereira ◽  
Paulo S. L. Oliveira ◽  
Ana Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Phosphoglucose Isomerase ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Inhibition Mechanism ◽  
Crystallographic Structure ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Antiparasitic Drugs ◽  
Potential Binding Site ◽  
Human Infections

Human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis are human infections caused by kinetoplastid parasites of the genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania. Besides their severity and global impact, treatments are still challenging. Currently available drugs have important limitations, highlighting the urgent need to develop new drugs. Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) is considered a promising target for the development of antiparasitic drugs, as it acts on two essential metabolic pathways, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Herein, we describe the identification of new nonphosphorylated inhibitors of Leishmania mexicana PGI ( LmPGI), with the potential for the development of antiparasitic drugs. A fluorescence-based high-throughput screening (HTS) assay was developed by coupling the activities of recombinant LmPGI with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and diaphorase. This coupled assay was used to screen 42,720 compounds from ChemBridge and TimTec commercial libraries. After confirmatory assays, selected LmPGI inhibitors were tested against homologous Trypanosoma cruzi and humans. The PGI hits are effective against trypanosomatid PGIs, with IC50 values in the micromolar range, and also against the human homologous enzyme. A computational analysis of cavities present on PGI’s crystallographic structure suggests a potential binding site for the proposed mixed-type inhibition mechanism.

scholarly journals Digging for the Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 Inhibitors: A Pharmacophore-Based and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Sana Askari ◽  
Mohsen Ebrahimi ◽  
Jabbar Parhiz ◽  
Mina Hassanpour ◽  
Alireza Mohebbi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Dynamics Simulation ◽  
Crystallographic Structure ◽  
Lead Compound ◽  
Autodock Vina ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Hit Identification

Abstract Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a grave global threat causing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The therapeutics are urgently needed to cure patients severely infected with COVID-19. The aim of the study was to investigate for potential candidates of nsp12 inhibitors by searching for druggable cavity pockets within the viral protein and drug discovery.Methods: The crystallographic structure of SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 was searched for strong druggable cavity pockets and pharmacophore features by the CavityPlus server. The features were selected for high-throughput screening (HTS) of a chemical library of ZINC natural products and hit identification database by ZINCPharmer. Autodock Vina was furthered utilized for estimation of hits' affinities to nsp12. A lead compound with the highest affinity to nsp12 was simulated dynamically by GROMACS for 10 nanoseconds (ns) to measure the hit stability in complex with nsp12 and conformational changes.Results: 1 of 6 cavities with the highest score was selected for extraction of pharmacophore features and hit-identification. 9 pharmacophores were screened, and a total of unique 1274 hits were identified. One compound, ZINV03977803, with an -11.0 Kcal.mol-1 affinity was selected as the lead compound for molecular dynamic simulation (MDS). The results showed stable interaction between ZINV03977803 and nsp12 during 10 ns of simulation. The room-mean-square of deviation (RMSD) measure showed dramatically high conformational changes in the complex of ZINV03977803 and nsp12 compare two the viral proteins alone.Conclusions: The lead compound ZINV03977803 showed stable interaction with higher potential and hydrogen bonding with the catalytic subunit of SARS-CoV-2, nsp12. It could also inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle by direct interaction with nsp12 and inhibits RdRp complex formation.

scholarly journals Identification of a juvenile-hormone signaling inhibitor via high-throughput screening of a chemical library

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Kayukawa ◽  
Kenjiro Furuta ◽  
Keisuke Nagamine ◽  
Tetsuro Shinoda ◽  
Kiyoaki Yonesu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Agricultural Field ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
Field Development

Abstract Insecticide resistance has recently become a serious problem in the agricultural field. Development of insecticides with new mechanisms of action is essential to overcome this limitation. Juvenile hormone (JH) is an insect-specific hormone that plays key roles in maintaining the larval stage of insects. Hence, JH signaling pathway is considered a suitable target in the development of novel insecticides; however, only a few JH signaling inhibitors (JHSIs) have been reported, and no practical JHSIs have been developed. Here, we established a high-throughput screening (HTS) system for exploration of novel JHSIs using a Bombyx mori cell line (BmN_JF&AR cells) and carried out a large-scale screening in this cell line using a chemical library. The four-step HTS yielded 69 compounds as candidate JHSIs. Topical application of JHSI48 to B. mori larvae caused precocious metamorphosis. In ex vivo culture of the epidermis, JHSI48 suppressed the expression of the Krüppel homolog 1 gene, which is directly activated by JH-liganded receptor. Moreover, JHSI48 caused a parallel rightward shift in the JH response curve, suggesting that JHSI48 possesses a competitive antagonist-like activity. Thus, large-scale HTS using chemical libraries may have applications in development of future insecticides targeting the JH signaling pathway.

scholarly journals Cathepsin L plays a key role in SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans and humanized mice and is a promising target for new drug development

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Miao Zhao ◽  
Wei-Li Yang ◽  
Fang-Yuan Yang ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Wei-Jin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Cathepsin L ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Disease Course ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
First Time

AbstractTo discover new drugs to combat COVID-19, an understanding of the molecular basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is urgently needed. Here, for the first time, we report the crucial role of cathepsin L (CTSL) in patients with COVID-19. The circulating level of CTSL was elevated after SARS-CoV-2 infection and was positively correlated with disease course and severity. Correspondingly, SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection increased CTSL expression in human cells in vitro and human ACE2 transgenic mice in vivo, while CTSL overexpression, in turn, enhanced pseudovirus infection in human cells. CTSL functionally cleaved the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and enhanced virus entry, as evidenced by CTSL overexpression and knockdown in vitro and application of CTSL inhibitor drugs in vivo. Furthermore, amantadine, a licensed anti-influenza drug, significantly inhibited CTSL activity after SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection and prevented infection both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, CTSL is a promising target for new anti-COVID-19 drug development.

scholarly journals New Inhibitory Effects of Cilnidipine on Microglial P2X7 Receptors and IL-1β Release: An Involvement in its Alleviating Effect on Neuropathic Pain

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 434
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Yamashita ◽  
Sawako Kamikaseda ◽  
Aya Tanaka ◽  
Hidetoshi Tozaki-Saitoh ◽  
Jose M. M. Caaveiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neuropathic Pain ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Intrathecal Administration ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
P2x7 Receptors ◽  
Approved Drugs ◽  
Cardinal Symptom

P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) belong to a family of ATP-gated non-selective cation channels. Microglia represent a major cell type expressing P2X7Rs. The activation of microglial P2X7Rs causes the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β). This response has been implicated in neuroinflammatory states in the central nervous system and in various diseases, including neuropathic pain. Thus, P2X7R may represent a potential therapeutic target. In the present study, we screened a chemical library of clinically approved drugs (1979 compounds) by high-throughput screening and showed that the Ca2+ channel blocker cilnidipine has an inhibitory effect on rodent and human P2X7R. In primary cultured rat microglial cells, cilnidipine inhibited P2X7R-mediated Ca2+ responses and IL-1β release. Moreover, in a rat model of neuropathic pain, the intrathecal administration of cilnidipine produced a reversal of nerve injury-induced mechanical hypersensitivity, a cardinal symptom of neuropathic pain. These results point to a new inhibitory effect of cilnidipine on microglial P2X7R-mediated inflammatory responses and neuropathic pain, proposing its therapeutic potential.

scholarly journals Accelerating High-Throughput Screening for Structural Materials with Production Management Methods

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bader ◽  
Finn Meiners ◽  
Kirsten Tracht
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Production Management ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Order Processing ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Process Trial

High-throughput screenings are widely accepted for pharmaceutical developments for new substances and the development of new drugs with required characteristics by evolutionary studies. Current research projects transfer this principle of high-throughput testing to the development of metallic materials. In addition to new generating and testing methods, these types of high-throughput systems need a logistical control and handling method to reduce throughput time to get test results faster. Instead of the direct material flow found in classical high-throughput screenings, these systems have a very complex structure of material flow. The result is a highly dynamic system that includes short-term changes such as rerun stations, partial tests, and temporarily paced sequences between working systems. This paper presents a framework that divides the actions for system acceleration into three main sections. First, methods for special applications in high-throughput systems are designed or adapted to speed up the generation, treatment, and testing processes. Second, methods are needed to process trial plans and to control test orders, which can efficiently reduce waiting times. The third part of the framework describes procedures for handling samples. This reduces non-productive times and reduces order processing in individual lots.

scholarly journals Newly Identified Antibacterial Compounds Are Topoisomerase Poisons in African Trypanosomes

2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 620-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya C. Tang ◽  
Theresa A. Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Topoisomerase Ii ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
African Trypanosomes ◽  
Topoisomerase Poisons ◽  
Type Ia ◽  
Library Screen ◽  
Circular Dnas ◽  
Current Therapies

ABSTRACT Human African trypanosomiasis, caused by the Trypanosoma brucei protozoan parasite, is fatal when left untreated. Current therapies are antiquated, and there is a need for new pharmacologic agents against T. brucei targets that have no human ortholog. Trypanosomes have a single mitochondrion with a unique mitochondrial DNA, known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), a topologically complex network that contains thousands of interlocking circular DNAs, termed minicircles (∼1 kb) and maxicircles (∼23 kb). Replication of kDNA depends on topoisomerases, enzymes that catalyze reactions that change DNA topology. T. brucei has an unusual type IA topoisomerase that is dedicated to kDNA metabolism. This enzyme has no ortholog in humans, and RNA interference (RNAi) studies have shown that it is essential for parasite survival, making it an ideal drug target. In a large chemical library screen, two compounds were recently identified as poisons of bacterial topoisomerase IA. We found that these compounds are trypanocidal in the low micromolar range and that they promote the formation of linearized minicircles covalently bound to protein on the 5′ end, consistent with the poisoning of mitochondrial topoisomerase IA. Surprisingly, however, band depletion studies showed that it is topoisomerase IImt, and not topoisomerase IAmt, that is trapped. Both compounds are planar aromatic polycyclic structures that intercalate into and unwind DNA. These findings reinforce the utility of topoisomerase IImt as a target for development of new drugs for African sleeping sickness.

QSAR Studies to Predict Activity of HSP90 Inhibitors

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaishali M. Patil ◽  
Neeraj Masand ◽  
Satya P. Gupta ◽  
Brian S. J. Blagg
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Heat Shock Protein 90 ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Signaling Proteins ◽  
Hsp90 Inhibitors ◽  
Oncogenic Signaling ◽  
Qsar Studies ◽  
Sar Studies ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Qsar Models

: Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a multichaperone complex that mediates the maturation and stability of a variety of oncogenic signaling proteins. HSP90 has emerged as a promising target for the development of anticancer agents. Heterocyclic chemical moieties with HSP90 inhibitory activity were studied continuously during the last decades, and resulting data were applied by medicinal chemists to design and develop new drugs. Their structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and QSAR models have been derived to assist the current drug development process. The QSAR models are obtained via multiple linear regression (MLR) and non-linear approaches. Interpretation of the reported model highlights the core template required to design novel, potent HSP90 inhibitors to be used as anticancer agents.

scholarly journals A Phenylfurocoumarin Derivative Reverses ABCG2-Mediated Multidrug Resistance In Vitro and In Vivo

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12502
Author(s):  
Shoji Kokubo ◽  
Shinobu Ohnuma ◽  
Megumi Murakami ◽  
Haruhisa Kikuchi ◽  
Shota Funayama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multidrug Resistance ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Pheophorbide A ◽  
Chemical Library ◽  
Hct 116 ◽  
Potential Inhibitors

The ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) transporter is involved in the development of multidrug resistance in cancer patients. Many inhibitors of ABCG2 have been reported to enhance the chemosensitivity of cancer cells. However, none of these inhibitors are being used clinically. The aim of this study was to identify novel ABCG2 inhibitors by high-throughput screening of a chemical library. Among the 5812 compounds in the library, 23 compounds were selected in the first screening, using a fluorescent plate reader-based pheophorbide a (PhA) efflux assay. Thereafter, to validate these compounds, a flow cytometry-based PhA efflux assay was performed and 16 compounds were identified as potential inhibitors. A cytotoxic assay was then performed to assess the effect these 16 compounds had on ABCG2-mediated chemosensitivity. We found that the phenylfurocoumarin derivative (R)-9-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-((3,3-dimethyloxiran-2-yl)methoxy)-7H-furo [3,2-g]chromen-7-one (PFC) significantly decreased the IC50 of SN-38 in HCT-116/BCRP colon cancer cells. In addition, PFC stimulated ABCG2-mediated ATP hydrolysis, suggesting that this compound interacts with the substrate-binding site of ABCG2. Furthermore, PFC reversed the resistance to irinotecan without causing toxicity in the ABCG2-overexpressing HCT-116/BCRP cell xenograft mouse model. In conclusion, PFC is a novel inhibitor of ABCG2 and has promise as a therapeutic to overcome ABCG2-mediated MDR, to improve the efficiency of cancer chemotherapy.

scholarly journals Synthetic peptide vaccines

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Moysa ◽  
E.F. Kolesanova
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Peptide ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Peptide Vaccine ◽  
Foot And Mouth Disease ◽  
Transgenic Animals ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Peptide Vaccines ◽  
Human Infections ◽  
Selection Of

This review considers the stages of the development of synthetic peptide vaccines against infectious agents, novel approaches and technologies employed in this process, including bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, large-scale peptide synthesis, high-throughput screening methods, the use of transgenic animals for modelling human infections. An important role for the development and selection of efficient adjuvants for peptide immunogens is noted. Examples of synthetic peptide vaccine developments against three infectious diseases (malaria, hepatitis C, and foot-and-mouth disease) are given.

Sterol 14α-Demethylase from Trypanosomatidae Parasites as a Promising Target for Designing New Antiparasitic Agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Fernando da Silva Santos-Júnior ◽  
Martine Schmitt ◽  
João Xavier de Araújo-Júnior ◽  
Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior
Keyword(s):  
Combined Therapy ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Sar Studies ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Ic50 Value ◽  
Leishmania Spp ◽  
Etiological Agents ◽  
Antiparasitic Agents

: Trypanosomatidae family belongs to the Kinetoplastida order, which consists of obligatory parasites that affect plants and all classes of vertebrates, especially humans and insects. Among the heteroxenic parasites, Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, and T. brucei are protozoa of most significant interest for medicinal chemistry, being etiological agents of Leishmaniasis, Chagas, and Sleep Sickness diseases, respectively. Currently, inefficient pharmacotherapy, especially in chronic phases and low selectivity towards parasite/host cells, justifies the need to discover new drugs to treat them effectively. Among other targets, the sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51), an enzyme responsible for ergosterol's biosynthesis in Trypanosomatidae parasites, has received more attention in the development of new bioactive compounds. In this context, antifungal ravuconazole proved to be the most promising drug among this class against T. cruzi, being used in combined therapy with Bnz in clinic trials. Non-antifungal inhibitors, such as VFV and VNF, have shown promising results against T. cruzi and T.brucei, respectively, being tested in Bnz-combined therapies. Among the experimental studies involving azoles, compound (15) was found to be the most promising derivative, displaying an IC50 value of 0.002 µM against amastigotes from T. cruzi, in addition to being non-toxic and highly selective towards TcCYP51 (< 25 nM). Interestingly, imidazole analog (16) was active against infectious forms of these three parasites, demonstrating Ki values of 0.17, 0.02, and 0.36 nM for CYP51 from T. cruzi, T. brucei, and L. infantum. Finally, this review will address promising inhibitors targeting sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) from Trypanosomatidae parasites, highlighting SAR studies, interactions with this target, and recent contributions and advances in the field, as well.

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