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Glutathione reductase (GR), a homodimeric FAD-dependent disulfide reductase, is essential for redox homeostasis of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and has been proposed as an antimalarial drug target. In this study we performed a virtual screening against PfGR, using the structures of about 170,000 natural compounds. Analysis of the two top-scoring molecules, TTB and EPB, indicated that these ligands are likely to interact with the homodimer intersubunit cavity of PfGR with high binding energy scores of -9.67 and -9.60kcal/mol, respectively. Both compounds had a lower affinity for human GR due to differences in structure and electrostatic properties. In order to assess the putative interactions in motion, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out for 30ns, resulting in TTB being more dynamically and structurally favored than EPB. A closely related compound MDPI 21618 was tested on recombinant PfGR and hGR, resulting in IC50 values of 11.3±2.5μM and 10.2±1.7μM, respectively. Kinetic characterization of MDPI 21618 on PfGR revealed a mixed-type inhibition with respect to glutathione disulfide (Ki=9.7±2.3μM) and an uncompetitive inhibition with respect to NADPH. Furthermore, MDPI 21618 was found to inhibit the growth of the chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum strain 3D7 with an IC50 of 3.2±1.9μM and the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain with an IC50 of 3.2+1.6μM. In drug combination assays with chloroquine, artemisinin, or mefloquine MDPI 21618 showed an antagonistic action, which might suggest partially overlapping routes of action. This study further substantiates research on PfGR as a potential antimalarial drug target., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Malaria is a potentially fatal disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and poses a major medical risk in large parts of the world. The development of new, affordable antimalarial drugs is of vital importance as there are increasing reports of resistance to the currently available therapeutics. In addition, most of the current drugs used for chemoprophylaxis merely act on parasites already replicating in the blood. At this point, a patient might already be suffering from the symptoms associated with the disease and could additionally be infectious to an Anopheles mosquito. These insects act as a vector, subsequently spreading the disease to other humans. In order to cure not only malaria but prevent transmission as well, a drug must target both the blood- and pre-erythrocytic liver stages of the parasite. P. falciparum (Pf) enoyl acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase (ENR) is a key enzyme of plasmodial type II fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS II). It has been shown to be essential for liver-stage development of Plasmodium berghei and is therefore qualified as a target for true causal chemoprophylaxis. Using virtual screening based on two crystal structures of PfENR, we identified a structurally novel class of FAS inhibitors. Subsequent chemical optimization yielded two compounds that are effective against multiple stages of the malaria parasite. These two most promising derivatives were found to inhibit blood-stage parasite growth with IC(50) values of 1.7 and 3.0 μM and lead to a more prominent developmental attenuation of liver-stage parasites than the gold-standard drug, primaquine., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

European swine influenza A viruses donated the matrix protein 2 as well as the neuraminidase (NA) gene to pandemic influenza A (H1N1) viruses that emerged in 2009. As a result, the latter became amantadine resistant and neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) susceptible. These recent developments reflecting the close connection between influenza A virus infection chains in humans and pigs urge an antiviral surveillance within swine influenza A viruses. Here, NAI susceptibility of 204 serologically typed swine influenza A viruses of subtypes H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 circulating in Germany between 1981 and 2008 was analyzed in chemiluminescence-based NA inhibition assays. Mean 50% inhibitory concentrations of oseltamivir and zanamivir indicate a good drug susceptibility of tested viruses. As found for human isolates, the oseltamivir and zanamivir susceptibility was subtype-specific. So, swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were just as susceptible to oseltamivir as to zanamivir. In contrast, swine H1N2 and H3N2 influenza A viruses were more sensitive to oseltamivir than to zanamivir. Furthermore, reduction in plaque size and virus spread by both drugs was tested with selected H1N1 and H1N2 isolates in MDCK cells expressing similar amounts of α2.3- and α2.6-linked sialic acid receptors. Data obtained in cell culture-based assays for H1N1 isolates correlated with that from enzyme inhibition assays. But, H1N2 isolates that are additionally glycosylated at Asn158 and Asn163 near the receptor-binding site of hemagglutinin (HA) were resistant to both NAI in MDCK cells. Possibly, these additional HA glycosylations cause a misbalance between HA and NA function that hampers or abolishes NAI activity in cells.

The development of farnesyltransferase inhibitors directed against Plasmodium falciparum is a strategy towards new drugs against malaria. Previously, we described benzophenone-based farnesyltransferase inhibitors with high in vitro antimalarial activity but no in vivo activity. Through the introduction of a methylpiperazinyl moiety, farnesyltransferase inhibitors with in vivo antimalarial activity were obtained. Subsequently, a structure-based design approach was chosen to further improve the antimalarial activity of this type of inhibitor. As no crystal structure of the farnesyltransferase of the target organism is available, homology modeling was used to reveal differences between the active sites of the rat/human and the P. falciparum farnesyltransferase. Based on flexible docking data, the piperazinyl moiety was replaced by a N,N,N'-trimethylethylenediamine moiety. This resulted in an inhibitor with significantly improved in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. Furthermore, this inhibitor displayed a notable increase in selectivity towards malaria parasites relative to human cells.

The use of amino acids as acyl substitutents at the 2-amino group of our benzophenone core structure yielded compounds with mainly good to moderate farnesyltransferase inhibitory and moderate antimalarial activity. However, these farnesyltransferase inhibitors display some degree of selectivity towards malarial parasites since there was no cytotoxic activity observed at 70-80 microM.

Water solubility was previously found to be essential for in vivo-antimalarial activity of a novel type of benzophenone-based farnesyltransferase inhibitors. Introduction of a alpha-amino group into the phenylacetic acid substructure provided more soluble compounds with high farnesyltransferase inhibitory activity. The in vitro-antimalarial activity was detrimentally influenced by this structural modification.

Because of the involvement of farnesylated proteins in oncogenesis, inhibition of the protein-modifying enzyme farnesyltransferase is considered a major emerging strategy in cancer therapy. Here, we describe the structure-activity relationship of a novel class of CAAX-peptidomimetic farnesyltransferase inhibitors based on the benzophenone scaffold. 4'-Methyl, 4'-chloro, 4'-bromo, and 4'-nitrophenylacetic acid as substituents at the 2-amino group of the benzophenone core structure yield farnesyltransferase inhibitors active in the nanomolar range. Using diphenylacetic acid in this position further improves activity. SEAL superimposition of inhibitor 12a to the enzyme-bound conformation of a CAAX-peptide shows a markedly good resemblance of the molecular properties of the peptide. FlexX docking of 12a confirms the good fit of the molecule into the peptide binding site of farnesyltransferase. The novel benzophenone-based AAX-peptidomimetic substructure described here will be useful for the design of some novel types of farnesyltransferase inhibitors.

Inhibition of the farnesylation of ras proteins has been identified as a promising target in tumor therapy. Only a few farnesyltransferase inhibitors are bisubstrate analogues displaying features of both substrates, the farnesylpyrophosphate and the C-terminal CAAX-tetrapeptide sequence of the ras protein. These known bisubstrate analogues consist of an AAX-tripeptide and a farnesyl residue connected through various linkers. We have developed a class of novel compounds that mimic a bisubstrate inhibitor structure and that differ from the known ones by lacking peptidic or farnesylic substructures. Long chain fatty acids and aryl-substituted carboxylic acids were used as farnesyl surrogates. These structures were linked to isoleucine amide, benzoic acid amide, N-substituted aminobenzenesulfonamides and N(alpha)-aryl-substituted methionine derivatives, respectively, which function as AA- or AAX-mimetics.

Several CAAX-peptidomimetics were linked to homofarnesoic acid via a beta-alanyl spacer with the intention to obtain a novel type of bisubstrate analogue farnesyltransferase inhibitors. However, the compounds were found to be only weakly active in the farnesyltransferase inhibition assay. Nevertheless, they displayed antiproliferative activity against different tumor cell lines in the low micromolar range. Replacement of the beta-alanine moiety by aspartic acid-1-methyl ester resulted in a compound which inhibited the farnesyltransferase with an IC50 of 860 nM. The corresponding free acid showed a eightfold loss in activity (IC50 = 6.9 microM).

In a series of CAAX-tetrapeptide based farnesyltransferase inhibitors it has been shown that the central AA-dipeptide can be replaced by tranexamic acid, 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid, and 3-amino-N-(2,3-dimethylphenyl)benzenesulfonamide, respectively, yielding inhibitors active in the low micromolar range. Lipophilic derivatives of these compounds showed moderate anti-proliferative activity against different tumor cell lines. A promising class of peptidomimetic farnesyltransferase inhibitors was discovered through the replacement of the terminal AAX motif of the CAAX-tetrapeptide by 2-acylamino-5-aminobenzophenones.