In Vitro and in Vivo Study of a Photostable Quinone Compound with Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy against Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi poses a significant health challenge in rural areas of Latin America. The current pharmacological options exhibit notable side effects, demand prolonged administration, and display limited efficacy. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop drugs that are safe and clinically effective. Previously, we identified a quinone compound (designated as compound 2) with potent antiprotozoal activity, based on the chemical structure of komaroviquinone, a natural product renowned for its antitrypanosomal effects. However, compound 2 was demonstrated considerably unstable to light. In this study, we elucidated the structure of the light-induced degradation products of compound 2 and probed the correlation between the quinone ring's substituents and its susceptibility to light. Our findings led to the discovery of quinones with significantly enhanced light stability, some of which exhibiting antitrypanosomal activity. The most promising compound was evaluated for drug efficacy in a mouse model of Chagas disease, revealing where a notable reduction in blood parasitemia.

Effect of N-o-nitrobenzylation on conformation and membrane permeability of linear peptides.

In this study, we explored the potential of the photoremovable o-nitrobenzyl (oNB) group as a tool to manipulate the membrane permeability and regulate the conformation of linear peptides by means of experimental and computational studies. We found that the introduction of one or more oNB groups markedly increased the permeability and altered the conformation, as compared to the corresponding unmodified peptides. We thoroughly investigated the impact of peptide length, number of oNB group, oNB insertion position, and introduction of N- and C-terminal protecting groups on the passive membrane permeability by means of parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). Photoreaction of peptides containing one or two oNB groups proceeded cleanly in moderate to high yields, releasing the unprotected parent linear peptide. The oNB-modified peptides showed a cis/trans conformational equilibrium, while after photolysis, the unprotected linear peptides showed only the trans-amide conformation. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison of oNB-modified peptides and N-methylated peptides was conducted, encompassing conformational analysis and physicochemical properties. N-Substituted peptides favored a folded-like structure, which may contribute to the improvement in permeability.

2-thiouridine is a broad-spectrum antiviral nucleoside analogue against positive-strand RNA viruses.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections are causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Furthermore, over 1 million cases of newly emerging or re-emerging viral infections, specifically dengue virus (DENV), are known to occur annually. Because no virus-specific and fully effective treatments against these or many other viruses have been approved, there is an urgent need for novel, effective therapeutic agents. Here, we identified 2-thiouridine (s2U) as a broad-spectrum antiviral ribonucleoside analogue that exhibited antiviral activity against several positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA+) viruses, such as DENV, SARS-CoV-2, and its variants of concern, including the currently circulating Omicron subvariants. s2U inhibits RNA synthesis catalyzed by viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, thereby reducing viral RNA replication, which improved the survival rate of mice infected with DENV2 or SARS-CoV-2 in our animal models. Our findings demonstrate that s2U is a potential broad-spectrum antiviral agent not only against DENV and SARS-CoV-2 but other ssRNA+ viruses.

Amide-to-ester substitution as a stable alternative to N-methylation for increasing membrane permeability in cyclic peptides.

Naturally occurring peptides with high membrane permeability often have ester bonds on their backbones. However, the impact of amide-to-ester substitutions on the membrane permeability of peptides has not been directly evaluated. Here we report the effect of amide-to-ester substitutions on the membrane permeability and conformational ensemble of cyclic peptides related to membrane permeation. Amide-to-ester substitutions are shown to improve the membrane permeability of dipeptides and a model cyclic hexapeptide. NMR-based conformational analysis and enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the conformational transition of the cyclic hexapeptide upon membrane permeation is differently influenced by an amide-to-ester substitution and an amide N-methylation. The effect of amide-to-ester substitution on membrane permeability of other cyclic hexapeptides, cyclic octapeptides, and a cyclic nonapeptide is also investigated to examine the scope of the substitution. Appropriate utilization of amide-to-ester substitution based on our results will facilitate the development of membrane-permeable peptides.

Conversion of a PROTAC Mutant Huntingtin Degrader into Small-Molecule Hydrophobic Tags Focusing on Drug-like Properties.

The onset of neurodegenerative disorders (NDs), such as Alzheimer's disease, is associated with the accumulation of aggregates of misfolded proteins. We previously showed that chemical knockdown of ND-related aggregation-prone proteins can be achieved by proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). However, hetero-bifunctional PROTACs generally show poor permeability into the central nervous system, where NDs are located. Here, we document the conversion of one of our PROTACs into hydrophobic tags (HyTs), another class of degraders bearing hydrophobic degrons. This conversion decreases the molecular weight and the number of hydrogen bond donors/acceptors. All the developed HyTs lowered the level of mutant huntingtin, an aggregation-prone protein, with potency comparable to that of the parent PROTAC. Through IAM chromatography analysis and in vivo brain penetration assay of the HyTs, we discovered a brain-permeable HyT. Our results and mechanistic analysis indicate that conversion of protein degraders into HyTs could be a useful approach to improve their drug-like properties.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Quinone Derivatives for Activity against Trypanosome cruzi.

A series of quinone derivatives with a variety of side chains were synthesized. These synthetic quinone compounds were evaluated for in vitro antitrypanosomal activity against trypomastigotes and amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Measurement of solubility of quinones and their ability to permeate cell membranes were assessed to address their possible use as oral drugs. Some synthesized compounds exhibited potent antitrypanosomal activity. However, most compounds with a promising activity showed poor solubility that did not seem suitable for oral usage. Meanwhile, compound 5a, an N-tert-butoxycarbonylpiperidine derivative, exhibited good antitrypanosomal activity, ability to permeate membranes, and good solubility.

Pseudomonas tohonis sp. nov., isolated from the skin of a patient with burn wounds in Japan.

Strain TUM18999T was isolated from the skin of a patient with burn wounds in Japan. The strain was successfully cultured at 20-42 °C (optimum, 30-35 °C) in 1.0-4.0% NaCl (w/v) and at pH 5.5-9.5, optimum pH 5.5-8.5. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed using 16S rRNA, gyrB, rpoB and rpoD gene sequences indicated that strain TUM18999T is closely related to Pseudomonas otitidis MCC10330T. Although the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence (1412 bp) of TUM18999T exhibits high similarity to those of Pseudomonas alcaligenes NBRC 14159T (99.08 %) and Pseudomonas otitidis MCC10330T (98.51 %), multi-locus sequence analysis using 16S rRNA, gyrB, rpoB and rpoD genes reveals a clear distinction between TUM18999T and other Pseudomonas species. In addition, an average nucleotide identity >90 % was not observed in the P. aeruginosa group. Moreover, TUM18999T and P. otitidis can be distinguished based on the minimum inhibitory concentration for carbapenem. Meanwhile, the cellular fatty acids are enriched with C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c (34.35 %), C16 : 1 ω7c/C16 : 1 ω6c (24.22 %), C16 : 0 (19.79 %) and C12 : 0 (8.25 %). Based on this evidence, strain TUM18999T can be defined as representing a novel Pseudomonas species, with the proposed name Pseudomonas tohonis sp. nov. The type strain is TUM18999T (GTC 22698T=NCTC 14580T).

Photoelectric Dye, NK-5962, as a Potential Drug for Preventing Retinal Neurons from Apoptosis: Pharmacokinetic Studies Based on Review of the Evidence.

NK-5962 is a key component of photoelectric dye-based retinal prosthesis (OUReP). In testing the safety and efficacy, NK-5962 was safe in all tests for the biological evaluation of medical devices (ISO 10993) and effective in preventing retinal cells from death even under dark conditions. The long-term implantation of the photoelectric dye-coupled polyethylene film in the subretinal space of hereditary retinal dystrophic (RCS) rats prevented neurons from apoptosis in the adjacent retinal tissue. The intravitreous injection of NK-5962 in the eyes of RCS rats, indeed, reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the retinal outer nuclear layer irrespective of light or dark conditions. In this study, we reviewed the in vitro and in vivo evidence of neuroprotective effect of NK-5962 and designed pharmacokinetic experiments. The in vitro IC50 of 1.7 µM, based on the protective effect on retinal cells in culture, could explain the in vivo EC50 of 3 µM that is calculated from concentrations of intravitreous injection to prevent retinal neurons from apoptosis. Pharmacokinetics of NK-5962 showed that intravenous administration, but not oral administration, led to the effective concentration in the eye of rats. NK-5962 would be a candidate drug for delaying the deterioration of retinal dystrophy, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

Structure, solubility, and permeability relationships in a diverse middle molecule library.

To develop methodology to predict the potential druggability of middle molecules, we examined the structure, solubility, and permeability relationships of a diverse library (HKDL ver.1) consisting of 510 molecules (359 natural product derivatives, 76 non-natural products, 46 natural products, and 29 non-natural product derivatives). The library included peptides, depsipeptides, macrolides, and lignans, and 476 of the 510 compounds had a molecular weight in the range of 500-2000 Da. The solubility and passive diffusion velocity of the middle molecules were assessed using the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). Quantitative values of solubility of 471 molecules and passive diffusion velocity of 287 molecules were obtained, and their correlations with the structural features of the molecules were examined. Based on the results, we propose a method to predict the passive diffusion characteristics of middle molecules from their three-dimensional structural features.