Psoralen Derivatives as Inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Proteasome.

Protein degradation is a fundamental process in all living organisms. An important part of this system is a multisubunit, barrel-shaped protease complex called the proteasome. This enzyme is directly responsible for the proteolysis of ubiquitin- or pup-tagged proteins to smaller peptides. In this study, we present a series of 92 psoralen derivatives, of which 15 displayed inhibitory potency against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteasome in low micromolar concentrations. The best inhibitors, i.e., 8, 11, 13 and 15, exhibited a mixed type of inhibition and overall good inhibitory potency in biochemical assays. N-(cyanomethyl)acetamide 8 (Ki = 5.6 µM) and carboxaldehyde-based derivative 15 (Ki = 14.9 µM) were shown to be reversible inhibitors of the enzyme. On the other hand, pyrrolidine-2,5-dione esters 11 and 13 irreversibly inhibited the enzyme with Ki values of 4.2 µM and 1.1 µM, respectively. In addition, we showed that an established immunoproteasome inhibitor, PR-957, is a noncompetitive irreversible inhibitor of the mycobacterial proteasome (Ki = 5.2 ± 1.9 µM, kinact/Ki = 96 ± 41 M-1·s-1). These compounds represent interesting hit compounds for further optimization in the development of new drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis.

A 32-month follow-up study of nanovesicle concentrations in blood from 12 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumour treated with imatinib.

Clinical studies have indicated that the NV (nanovesicle) concentration in blood samples is a potential indicator of clinical status and can be used to follow the development of the disease. For 32 months, we monitored the effect of imatinib treatment on NV concentrations in blood samples from 12 patients with GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumour). The NV concentration before the treatment increased with respect to control by a factor of 3.5 on average (range 2.6-9.2). The first week after initiation of the treatment, the NV concentration increased considerably, by a factor of 13 on average (range 5.9-21.2), whereas on average, after 1 month, it decreased to the level of the control and remained at that level for at least 1.5 years. Recent assessment (after 2.5 years) showed a somewhat increased NV concentration, by a factor of 2 on average (range 0.7-3.9). Low NV concentrations in blood samples during the treatment reflect a favourable effect of imatinib in these patients and no remission of the disease was hitherto observed.

The role of extracellular vesicles in phenotypic cancer transformation.

BACKGROUND: Cancer has traditionally been considered as a disease resulting from gene mutations. New findings in biology are challenging gene-centered explanations of cancer progression and redirecting them to the non-genetic origins of tumorigenicity. It has become clear that intercellular communication plays a crucial role in cancer progression. Among the most intriguing ways of intercellular communication is that via extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are membrane structures released from various types of cells. After separation from the mother membrane, EVs become mobile and may travel from the extracellular space to blood and other body fluids. CONCLUSIONS: Recently it has been shown that tumour cells are particularly prone to vesiculation and that tumour-derived EVs can carry proteins, lipids and nucleic acids causative of cancer progression. The uptake of tumour-derived EVs by noncancerous cells can change their normal phenotype to cancerous. The suppression of vesiculation could slow down tumour growth and the spread of metastases. The purpose of this review is to highlight examples of EV-mediated cancer phenotypic transformation in the light of possible therapeutic applications.

Post-prandial rise of microvesicles in peripheral blood of healthy human donors.

BACKGROUND: Microvesicles isolated from body fluids are membrane - enclosed fragments of cell interior which carry information on the status of the organism. It is yet unclear how metabolism affects the number and composition of microvesicles in isolates from the peripheral blood. AIM: To study the post - prandial effect on microvesicles in isolates from the peripheral blood of 21 healthy donors, in relation to blood cholesterol and blood glucose concentrations. RESULTS: The average number of microvesicles in the isolates increased 5 hours post - prandially by 52%; the increase was statistically significant (p = 0.01) with the power P = 0.68, while the average total blood cholesterol concentration, average low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (LDL-C) and average high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (HDL-C) all remained within 2% of their fasting values. We found an 11% increase in triglycerides (p = 0.12) and a 6% decrease in blood glucose (p < 0.01, P = 0.74). The post - prandial number of microvesicles negatively correlated with the post - fasting total cholesterol concentration (r = - 0.46, p = 0.035) while the difference in the number of microvesicles in the isolates between post - prandial and post - fasting states negatively correlated with the respective difference in blood glucose concentration (r = - 0.39, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a population of healthy human subjects the number of microvesicles in isolates from peripheral blood increased in the post - prandial state. The increase in the number of microvesicles was affected by the fasting concentration of cholesterol and correlated with the decrease in blood glucose.

Novel Selective IDO1 Inhibitors with Isoxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(5H)-one Scaffold.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a promising target in immunomodulation of several pathological conditions, especially cancers. Here we present the synthesis of a series of IDO1 inhibitors with the novel isoxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(5H)-one scaffold. A focused library was prepared using a 6- or 7-step synthetic procedure to allow a systematic investigation of the structure-activity relationships of the described scaffold. Chemistry-driven modifications lead us to the discovery of our best-in-class inhibitors possessing p-trifluoromethyl (23), p-cyclohexyl (32), or p-methoxycarbonyl (20, 39) substituted aniline moieties with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. In addition to hIDO1, compounds were tested for their inhibition of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 and tryptophan dioxygenase, and found to be selective for hIDO1. Our results thus demonstrate a successful study on IDO1-selective isoxazolo[5,4-d]pyrimidin-4(5H)-one inhibitors, defining promising chemical probes with a novel scaffold for further development of potent small-molecule immunomodulators.

A patent review of immunoproteasome inhibitors.

INTRODUCTION: The ubiquitin-proteasome system is responsible for maintaining protein homeostasis and regulating a variety of cellular processes. The constitutive proteasome is expressed in all cells while the immunoproteasome (IP) is predominantly found in cells of hematopoietic origin. In other cells, the expression of IP can be induced under the influence of cytokines released by T cells during acute immune and stress responses. Inhibitors of IP are of significant interest, because it is expected that selective inhibition of the IP would cause fewer adverse effects. AREAS COVERED: There is a considerable interest on patenting IP-specific inhibitors. Relevant patents and patent applications disclosing IP inhibitors are summarized and divided into two parts according to the chemical characteristics of compounds. We also briefly report on the biochemical methods used in the patents to profile the characteristics of IP inhibitors. EXPERT OPINION: Several selective inhibitors of IP with a promising ability to address autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are being developed. Peptidic compounds are prevalent and the most advanced IP-selective compounds to date, ONX-0914 and KZR-616, are tripeptide epoxyketone-based molecules. However, some patents disclose that IP-selective inhibition is possible with compounds possessing non-peptidic scaffolds indicating countless possibilities to address inhibition of IP in the future.

Extracellular vesicle-mediated transfer of membranous components from the highly malignant T24 urinary carcinoma cell line to the non-malignant RT4 urinary papilloma cell line.

This communication reports the first experimental evidence that in the bladder cancer model, membranous components labelled with the DiO dye and the cholera toxin subunit B can be transported from highly malignant (T24) to non-malignant (RT4) cells by extracellular vesicles. Taking into account the presence of stable membranous nanostructures found by scanning electron microscopy, we suggest a possible uptake mechanism in recipient cells through fusion with highly curved membranous regions.

Nanoparticles isolated from blood: a reflection of vesiculability of blood cells during the isolation process.

BACKGROUND: Shedding of nanoparticles from the cell membrane is a common process in all cells. These nanoparticles are present in body fluids and can be harvested by isolation. To collect circulating nanoparticles from blood, a standard procedure consisting of repeated centrifugation and washing is applied to the blood samples. Nanoparticles can also be shed from blood cells during the isolation process, so it is unclear whether nanoparticles found in the isolated material are present in blood at sampling or if are they created from the blood cells during the isolation process. We addressed this question by determination of the morphology and identity of nanoparticles harvested from blood. METHODS: The isolates were visualized by scanning electron microscopy, analyzed by flow cytometry, and nanoparticle shapes were determined theoretically. RESULTS: The average size of nanoparticles was about 300 nm, and numerous residual blood cells were found in the isolates. The shapes of nanoparticles corresponded to the theoretical shapes obtained by minimization of the membrane free energy, indicating that these nanoparticles can be identified as vesicles. The concentration and size of nanoparticles in blood isolates was sensitive to the temperature during isolation. We demonstrated that at lower temperatures, the nanoparticle concentration was higher, while the nanoparticles were on average smaller. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that a large pool of nanoparticles is produced after blood sampling. The shapes of deformed blood cells found in the isolates indicate how fragmentation of blood cells may take place. The results show that the contents of isolates reflect the properties of blood cells and their interaction with the surrounding solution (rather than representing only nanoparticles present in blood at sampling) which differ in different diseases and may therefore present a relevant clinical parameter.