Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Evaluation of an Opioid Growth Factor Bioconjugate Targeting Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a formidable challenge with high lethality and limited effective drug treatments. Its heightened metastatic potential further complicates the prognosis. Owing to the significant toxicity of current chemotherapeutics, compounds like [Met5]-enkephalin, known as opioid growth factor (OGF), have emerged in oncology clinical trials. OGF, an endogenous peptide interacting with the OGF receptor (OGFr), plays a crucial role in inhibiting cell proliferation across various cancer types. This in vitro study explores the potential anticancer efficacy of a newly synthesized OGF bioconjugate in synergy with the classic chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine (OGF-Gem). The study delves into assessing the impact of the OGF-Gem conjugate on cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle regulation, the induction of cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the antimetastatic potential of the OGF-Gem conjugate was demonstrated through evaluations using blood platelets and AsPC-1 cells with a light aggregometer. In summary, this article demonstrates the cytotoxic impact of the innovative OGF-Gem conjugate on pancreatic cancer cells in both 2D and 3D models. We highlight the potential of both the OGF-Gem conjugate and OGF alone in effectively inhibiting the ex vivo pancreatic tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) process, a phenomenon not observed with Gem alone. Furthermore, the confirmed hemocompatibility of OGF-Gem with platelets reinforces its promising potential. We anticipate that this conjugation strategy will open avenues for the development of potent anticancer agents.

Lactoferricin B Combined with Antibiotics Exhibits Leukemic Selectivity and Antimicrobial Activity.

The fusion of penetrating peptides (PPs), e.g., cell penetration peptides (CPPs) or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), together with antimicrobial agents is an expanding research field. Specific AMPs, such as lactoferricin B (LfcinB), have demonstrated strong antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity, as well as valuable anticancer activity, proving beneficial in the development of anticancer conjugates. The resulting conjugates offer potential dual functionality, acting as both an anticancer and an antimicrobial agent. This is especially necessary in cancer treatment, where microbial infections pose a critical risk. Leukemic cells frequently exhibit altered outer lipid membranes compared to healthy cells, making them more sensitive to compounds that interfere with their membrane. In this study, we revisited and reanalyzed our earlier research on LfcinB and its conjugates. Furthermore, we carried out new experiments with a specific focus on cell proliferation, changes in membrane asymmetric phosphatidylserine location, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial functions, and in vitro bacterial topoisomerase inhibition.

Synthesis of Novel Arginine Building Blocks with Increased Lipophilicity Compatible with Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis.

Arginine, due to the guanidine moiety, increases peptides' hydrophilicity and enables interactions with charged molecules, but at the same time, its presence in a peptide chain might reduce its permeability through biological membranes. This might be resolved by temporary coverage of the peptide charge by lipophilic, enzyme-sensitive alkoxycarbonyl groups. Unfortunately, such a modification of a guanidine moiety has not been reported to date and turned out to be challenging. Here, we present a new, optimized strategy to obtain arginine building blocks with increased lipophilicity that were successfully utilized in the solid-phase peptide synthesis of novel arginine vasopressin prodrugs.

Dual-Activity Fluoroquinolone-Transportan 10 Conjugates Offer Alternative Leukemia Therapy during Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is often considered a last resort leukemia treatment, fraught with limited success due to microbial infections, a leading cause of mortality in leukemia patients. To address this critical issue, we explored a novel approach by synthesizing antileukemic agents containing antibacterial substances. This innovative strategy involves conjugating fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) or levofloxacin (LVX), with the cell-penetrating peptide transportan 10 (TP10). Here, we demonstrate that the resultant compounds display promising biologic activities in preclinical studies. These novel conjugates not only exhibit potent antimicrobial effects but are also selective against leukemia cells. The cytotoxic mechanism involves rapid disruption of cell membrane asymmetry leading to membrane damage. Importantly, these conjugates penetrated mammalian cells, accumulating within the nuclear membrane without significant effect on cellular architecture or mitochondrial function. Molecular simulations elucidated the aggregation tendencies of TP10 conjugates within lipid bilayers, resulting in membrane disruption and permeabilization. Moreover, mass spectrometry analysis confirmed efficient reduction of disulfide bonds within TP10 conjugates, facilitating release and activation of the fluoroquinolone derivatives. Intriguingly, these compounds inhibited human topoisomerases, setting them apart from traditional fluoroquinolones. Remarkably, TP10 conjugates generated lower intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species compared with CIP and LVX. The combination of antibacterial and antileukemic properties, coupled with selective cytostatic effects and minimal toxicity toward healthy cells, positions TP10 derivatives as promising candidates for innovative therapeutic approaches in the context of antileukemic HCT. This study highlights their potential in search of more effective leukemia treatments. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Fluoroquinolones are commonly used antibiotics, while transportan 10 (TP10) is a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) with anticancer properties. In HCT, microbial infections are the primary cause of illness and death. Combining TP10 with fluoroquinolones enhanced their effects on different cell types. The dual pharmacological action of these conjugates offers a promising proof-of-concept solution for leukemic patients undergoing HCT. Strategically designed therapeutics, incorporating CPPs with antibacterial properties, have the potential to reduce microbial infections in the treatment of malignancies.

Cyclic Peptidic Furin Inhibitors Developed by Combinatorial Chemistry.

Furin is a human serine protease responsible for activating numerous physiologically relevant cell substrates and is also involved in the development of various pathological conditions, including inflammatory diseases, cancers, and viral and bacterial infections. Therefore, compounds with the ability to inhibit furin's proteolytic action are regarded as potential therapeutics. Here we took the combinatorial chemistry approach (library consisting of 2000 peptides) to obtain new, strong, and stable peptide furin inhibitors. The extensively studied trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1 was used as a leading structure. A selected monocylic inhibitor was further modified to finally yield five mono- or bicyclic furin inhibitors with values of K i in the subnanomolar range. Inhibitor 5 was the most active (K i = 0.21 nM) and significantly more proteolytically resistant than the reference furin inhibitor described in the literature. Moreover, it reduced furin-like activity in PANC-1 cell lysate. Detailed analysis of furin-inhibitor complexes using molecular dynamics simulations is also reported.

Conjugates of Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin with Cell-Penetrating Peptide Exhibit Antifungal Activity and Mammalian Cytotoxicity.

Seven conjugates composed of well-known fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents, ciprofloxacin (CIP) or levofloxacin (LVX), and a cell-penetrating peptide transportan 10 (TP10-NH2) were synthesised. The drugs were covalently bound to the peptide via an amide bond, methylenecarbonyl moiety, or a disulfide bridge. Conjugation of fluoroquinolones to TP10-NH2 resulted in congeners demonstrating antifungal in vitro activity against human pathogenic yeasts of the Candida genus (MICs in the 6.25 - 100 µM range), whereas the components were poorly active. The antibacterial in vitro activity of most of the conjugates was lower than the activity of CIP or LVX, but the antibacterial effect of CIP-S-S-TP10-NH2 was similar to the mother fluoroquinolone. Additionally, for two representative CIP and LVX conjugates, a rapid bactericidal effect was shown. Compared to fluoroquinolones, TP10-NH2 and the majority of its conjugates generated a relatively low level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) and human myeloid leukemia cells (HL-60). The conjugates exhibited cytotoxicity against three cell lines, HEK293, HepG2 (human liver cancer cell line), and LLC-PK1 (old male pig kidney cells), with IC50 values in the 10 - 100 µM range and hemolytic activity. The mammalian toxicity was due to the intrinsic cytoplasmic membrane disruption activity of TP10-NH2 since fluoroquinolones themselves were not cytotoxic. Nevertheless, the selectivity index values of the conjugates, both for the bacteria and human pathogenic yeasts, remained favourable.

Truncation of Huia versabilis Bowman-Birk inhibitor increases its selectivity, matriptase-1 inhibitory activity and proteolytic stability.

A gradual truncation of the primary structure of frog skin-derived Huia versabilis Bowman-Birk peptidic inhibitor (HV-BBI) resulted in 18-times stronger inhibitor of matriptase-1 (peptide 6, Ki = 8 nm) in comparison to the full-length HV-BBI (Ki = 155 nm). Analogous increase in the inhibitory activity in correlation with the peptide length reduction was not observed in case of other serine proteases, bovine trypsin (Ki = 151 nm for peptide 6 and Ki = 120 nm for HV-BBI) and plasmin (Ki = 120 nm for peptide 6 and 82 nm for HV-BBI). Weaker binding affinity to these enzymes emphasized an inhibitory specificity of peptide 6. Molecular dynamic analysis revealed that the observed variations in the binding affinity of peptide 6 and HV-BBI with matriptase-1 are associated with the entropic differences of the unbound peptides. Moreover, several aspects explaining differences in the inhibition of matriptase-1 by peptide 6 (bearing the C-terminal amide group) and its two analogues, peptide 6∗ (having the C-terminal carboxyl group, Ki = 473 nm) and cyclic peptide 6∗∗ (Ki = 533 nm), both exhibiting more than 50-fold reduced inhibitory potency, were discovered. It was also shown that peptide 6 presented significantly higher resistance to proteolytic degradation in human serum than HV-BBI. Additional investigations revealed that, in contrast to some amphibian-derived inhibitors, HV-BBI and its truncated analogues do not possess bactericidal activity, thus they cannot be considered as bifunctional agents.

Peptide conjugates of lactoferricin analogues and antimicrobials-Design, chemical synthesis, and evaluation of antimicrobial activity and mammalian cytotoxicity.

Eight new peptide conjugates composed of modified bovine lactoferricin truncated analogues (LFcinB) and one of the three antimicrobials - ciprofloxacin (CIP), levofloxacin (LVX), and fluconazole (FLC) - were synthesized. Four different linkers were applied to connect a peptide and an antimicrobial agent. The FLC-containing peptidic conjugates were synthesized using the "click chemistry" method. This novel approach is reported here for the first time. Unlike their components, CIP- and LVX-based conjugates exerted activity against Candida yeast. Similarly to the constituent peptides, synthesized conjugates showed activity against Gram-positive bacteria, especially S. epidermidis. The most active were the conjugates containing CIP linked to the peptide by the redox-sensitive disulfide bridge. Our results show a significant role of a linker between antimicrobial agent and a peptide. This was also confirmed by the lack of synergistic effects on the antimicrobial activity of the constituent compounds. Moreover, cytotoxicity assays revealed that the proposed conjugates cause a comparatively low cytotoxic effect in reference to antibiotics widely used in therapies. Therefore, they can be deliberated as attractive leading structures for the development of drugs.

Matriptase-2: monitoring and inhibiting its proteolytic activity.

Matriptase-2 (MT2) is a membrane-anchored proteolytic enzyme. It acts as the proteolytic key regulator in human iron homeostasis. A high expression level can lead to iron overload diseases, whereas mutations in the gene encoding MT2, TMPRSS6, may result in various forms of iron deficiency anemia. Recently, MT2 has been reported as a positive prognostic factor in breast and prostate cancers. However, the exact functions of MT2 in various pathophysiological conditions are still not fully understood. In this review, we describe the synthetic tools designed and synthesized to regulate or monitor MT2 proteolytic activity and present the latest knowledge about the role of MT2 in iron homeostasis and cancer.

Antimicrobial Activity of Chimera Peptides Composed of Human Neutrophil Peptide 1 (HNP-1) Truncated Analogues and Bovine Lactoferrampin.

Three chimera peptides composed of bovine lactoferrampin and the analogue of truncated human neutrophil peptide 1 were synthesized by the solid-phase method. In two compounds peptide chains were connected via isopeptide bond, whereas in the third one disulfide bridge served as a linker. All three chimeras displayed significantly higher antimicrobial activity than the constituent peptides as well as their equimolar mixtures. The one with a disulfide bridge displayed selectivity toward Gram-positive bacteria and was able to penetrate bacterial cells. The chimeric peptides demonstrated low in vitro mammalian cytotoxicity, especially against benign cells. The significance of linker type was also reflected in the secondary structure and proteolytic stability of studied compounds. Presented results proved that such chimeras are good lead structures for designing antimicrobial drugs.

Spliced analogues of trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1 and their application for tracing proteolysis and delivery of cargos inside the cells.

A series of analogues of trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1 were designed and synthesized to monitor peptide splicing. In the middle part of the SFTI-1 analogues, which is released upon incubation with proteinase, the RGD sequence or an acceptor of fluorescence for FRET was introduced. The results of studies with trypsin confirmed that the designed analogues underwent peptide splicing. Furthermore, we showed that a FRET displaying SFTI-1 analogue was internalized into the HaCaT keratinocytes, where it was degraded. Therefore, both proteolysis and the reduction of the disulfide bridge of the peptide took place. As a result, such analogues are a convenient tool to trace the proteolytic activity inside the cell. However, the cytotoxicity of SFTI-1 analogues grafted with the RGD sequence did not correlate with their susceptibility to peptide splicing. Nevertheless, these peptides were slightly more active than the reference peptide (GRGDNP). Interestingly, one of the analogues assigned as [desSer6 ]VI, under experimental conditions, appeared significantly more cytotoxic towards cancer cells U87-MG in contrast to the reference peptide.

Noncovalent inhibitors of human 20S and 26S proteasome based on trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1.

Sunflower trypsin inhibitor (SFTI-1) is recognized as an attractive scaffold to designed potent inhibitors of various proteases. We have recently found that its analogues inhibit noncovalently both human and yeast 20S proteasomes. Here, a set of novel and more potent in vitro inhibitors is presented. The inhibitory potency of the peptides was assessed with human 20S proteasome in the presence or absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and with human 26 proteasome. Their antiproliferative action against tumor (human melanoma cells A375) and normal cells (46 BR.1N human fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes) was determined. The selected fluoresceine-labeled inhibitors were able to internalize into A375 cells and were sometimes present as foci in the cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 685-696, 2016.

Bladder cancer detection using a peptide substrate of the 20S proteasome.

The 20S catalytic core of the human 26S proteasome can be secreted from cells, and high levels of extracellular 20S proteasome have been linked to many types of cancers and autoimmune diseases. Several diagnostic approaches have been developed that detect 20S proteasome activity in plasma, but these suffer from problems with efficiency and sensitivity. In this report, we describe the optimization and synthesis of an internally quenched fluorescent substrate of the 20S proteasome, and investigate its use as a potential diagnostic test in bladder cancer. This peptide, 2-aminobenzoic acid (ABZ)-Val-Val-Ser-Tyr-Ala-Met-Gly-Tyr(3-NO2 )-NH2 , is cleaved by the chymotrypsin 20S proteasome subunit and displays an excellent specificity constant value (9.7 × 10(5)  m(-1) ·s(-1) ) and a high kcat (8 s(-1) ). Using this peptide, we identified chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity in the majority of urine samples obtained from patients with bladder cancer, whereas the proteasome activity in urine samples from healthy volunteers was below the detection limit (0.5 pm). These findings were confirmed by an inhibitory study and immunochemistry methods.

Novel internally quenched substrate of the trypsin-like subunit of 20S eukaryotic proteasome.

This article describes the synthesis, using combinatorial chemistry, of internally quenched substrates of the trypsin-like subunit of human 20S proteasome. Such substrates were optimized in both the nonprime and prime regions of the peptide chain. Two were selected as the most susceptible for proteasomal proteolysis with excellent kinetic parameters: (i) ABZ-Val-Val-Ser-Arg-Ser-Leu-Gly-Tyr(3-NO2)-NH2 (kcat/KM = 934,000 M(-1) s(-1)) and (ii) ABZ-Val-Val-Ser-GNF-Ala-Met-Gly-Tyr(3-NO2)-NH2 (kcat/KM = 1,980,000 M(-1) s(-1)). Both compounds were efficiently hydrolyzed by the 20S proteasome at picomolar concentrations, demonstrating significant selectivity over other proteasome entities.

Convenient preparation of deuterium-labeled analogs of peptides containing N-substituted glycines for a stable isotope dilution LC-MS quantitative analysis.

N-substituted glycines constitute mimics of natural amino acids that are of great interest in the peptide-based drug development. Peptoids-oligo(N-substituted glycines) have been recently demonstrated to be highly active peptidomimetics in biological systems, resistant to proteolytic degradation. We developed a method of the deuterium labeling of peptidomimetics containing N-substituted glycine residues via H/D exchange of their α-carbon hydrogen atoms. The labeling was shown to be easy, inexpensive, and without the use of derivatization reagents or the need for a further purification. The deuterons introduced at the α-carbon atoms do not undergo a back exchange under acidic conditions during liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. The LC-MS analysis of a mixture of isotopologues revealed a co-elution of deuterated and nondeuterated forms of the peptidomimetics, which may be useful in the quantitative isotope dilution analysis of peptoids and other derivatives of N-substituted glycines.

Investigation of Serine-Proteinase-Catalyzed Peptide Splicing in Analogues of Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor†1 (SFTI-1).

Serine-proteinase-catalyzed peptide splicing was demonstrated in analogues of the trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1: both single peptides and two-peptide chains (C- and N-terminal peptide chains linked by a disulfide bridge). In the second series, peptide splicing with catalytic amount of proteinase was observed only when formation of acyl-enzyme intermediate was preceded by hydrolysis of the substrate Lys-Ser peptide bond. Here we demonstrate that with an equimolar amount of the proteinase, splicing occurs in all the two-peptide-chain analogues. This conclusion was supported by high resolution crystal structures of selected analogues in complex with trypsin. We showed that the process followed a direct transpeptidation mechanism. Thus, the acyl-enzyme intermediate was formed and was immediately used for a new peptide bond formation; products associated with the hydrolysis of the acyl-enzyme were not observed. The peptide splicing was sequence- not structure-specific.

Atomic resolution crystal structure of HV-BBI protease inhibitor from amphibian skin in complex with bovine trypsin.

Protease inhibitors of the Bowman-Birk (BBI) family are commonly found in plants and animals where they play a protective role against invading pathogens. Here, we report an atomic resolution (1Å) crystal structure of a peptide inhibitor isolated from a skin secretion of a Chinese bamboo odorous frog Huia versabilis (HV-BBI) in complex with trypsin. HV-BBI shares significant similarities in sequence with a previously described inhibitor from a diskless-fingered odorous frog Odorrana graham (ORB). However, the latter is characterized by more than a 16,000 fold higher Ki against trypsin than HV-BBI. Comparative analysis of trypsin cocrystal structures of HV-BBI and ORB and additionally that of Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor (SFTI-1) together with accessory information on the affinities of inhibitor variants allowed us to pinpoint the inhibitor moiety responsible for the observed large difference in activity and also to define the extent of modifications permissible within the common protease-binding loop scaffold of BBI inhibitors. We suggest that modifications outside of the inhibitory loop permit the evolution of specificity toward different enzymes characterized by trypsin-like specificity.

Inhibition of human and yeast 20S proteasome by analogues of trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1.

Starting from the primary structure of sunflower trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1, we designed novel non-covalent inhibitors of human and yeast 20S proteasomes. Peptides with Arg residue in P1 position and two basic amino acid residues (Lys or/and Arg) in P2' and P3' positions strongly inhibited chymotrypsin-like and caspase-like activities, while trypsin-like activity was poorly modified. We found that some SFTI-1 analogues up-regulated exclusively the chymotrypsin-like activity of latent yeast 20S proteasome.

Fluorescent analogs of trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1 isolated from sunflower seeds--synthesis and applications.

This article describes the synthesis and enzymatic study of newly synthesized analogs of trypsin inhibitors SFTI-1 that were fluorescent labeled on their N-terminal amino groups. Two fluorescent derivatives of benzoxazole (3-[2-(4-diphenylaminophenyl)benzoxazol-5-yl]-L-alanine-[(4NPh2 )Ph]Box-Ala and 3-[2-(2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)benzoxazol-5-yl]-L-alanine-[2,4,5-(OMe)3Ph]Box-Ala) were used as efficient fluorescent labels. The compounds obtained preserved their inhibitory activity and were efficient inhibitors of bovine trypsin or chymotrypsin. Nevertheless, their association inhibition constants were one or two orders of magnitude lower than those determined for unlabeled monocyclic SFTI-1 or [Phe(5)]SFTI-1, respectively. The conjugates obtained were found to be proteolytically stable in the presence of cognate enzymes. Applying such fluorescent peptides, we were able to investigate enzyme-inhibitor complex formation using fluorescent techniques. We found that such compounds were rapidly internalized by the fibroblast or cancer cells with no cytotoxic effects.

Inhibitory and antimicrobial activities of OGTI and HV-BBI peptides, fragments and analogs derived from amphibian skin.

A series of linear and cyclic fragments and analogs of two peptides (OGTI and HV-BBI) isolated from skin secretions of frogs were synthesized by the solid-phase method. Their inhibitory activity against several serine proteinases: bovine ß-trypsin, bovine α-chymotypsin, human leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G from human neutrophils, was investigated together with evaluation of their antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive species isolated from patients (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus sp.). The cytotoxicity of the selected peptides toward an immortal human skin fibroblast cell line was also determined. Three peptides: HV-BBI, its truncated fragment HV-BBI(3-18) and its analog [Phe(8)]HV-BBI can be considered as bifunctional compounds with inhibitory as well as antibacterial properties. OGTI, although it did not display trypsin inhibitory activity as previously reported in the literature, exerted antimicrobial activity toward S. epidermidis. In addition, under our experimental conditions, this peptide did not show cytotoxicity.