Pharmacophore Virtual Screening Identifies Riboflavin as an Inhibitor of the Schistosome Cathepsin B1 Protease with Antiparasitic Activity.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected disease of poverty that affects over 200 million people worldwide and relies on a single drug for therapy. The cathepsin B1 cysteine protease (SmCB1) of Schistosoma mansoni has been investigated as a potential target. Here, a structure-based pharmacophore virtual screening (VS) approach was used on a data set of approved drugs to identify potential antischistosomal agents targeting SmCB1. Pharmacophore (PHP) models underwent validation through receiver operating characteristics curves achieving values >0.8. The data highlighted riboflavin (RBF) as a compound of particular interest. A 1 µs molecular dynamics simulation demonstrated that RBF altered the conformation of SmCB1, causing the protease's binding site to close around RBF while maintaining the protease's overall integrity. RBF inhibited the activity of SmCB1 at low micromolar values and killed the parasite in vitro. Finally, in a murine model of S. mansoni infection, oral administration of 100 mg/kg RBF for 7 days significantly decreased worm burdens by ∼20% and had a major impact on intestinal and fecal egg burdens, which were decreased by ∼80%.

Mechanistic Insights into the Leishmanicidal and Bactericidal Activities of Batroxicidin, a Cathelicidin-Related Peptide from a South American Viper (Bothrops atrox).

Snake venoms are important sources of bioactive molecules, including those with antiparasitic activity. Cathelicidins form a class of such molecules, which are produced by a variety of organisms. Batroxicidin (BatxC) is a cathelicidin found in the venom of the common lancehead (Bothrops atrox). In the present work, BatxC and two synthetic analogues, BatxC(C-2.15Phe) and BatxC(C-2.14Phe)des-Phe1, were assessed for their microbicidal activity. All three peptides showed a broad-spectrum activity on Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, as well as promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. Circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data indicated that the three peptides changed their structure upon interaction with membranes. Biomimetic membrane model studies demonstrated that the peptides exert a permeabilization effect in prokaryotic membranes, leading to cell morphology distortion, which was confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The molecules considered in this work exhibited bactericidal and leishmanicidal activity at low concentrations, with the AFM data suggesting membrane pore formation as their mechanism of action. These peptides stand as valuable prototype drugs to be further investigated and eventually used to treat bacterial and protozoal infections.

Schiff bases of 4-Phenyl-2-Aminothiazoles as hits to new antischistosomals: Synthesis, in vitro, in vivo and in silico studies.

The treatment of schistosomiasis is based on a single drug, the praziquantel (PZQ), an oral bioavailable and efficient agent which causes minimal side effects. The main concern about this approach, however, is that relying on only one drug to treat a helminthic disease is a dangerous strategy since history shows that pathogens easily evolve to resistant forms. Actually, reports about experimental strains exhibiting low sensibility to PZQ can be found in literature. The search for new antischistosomals, consequently, is urgent. Here we report the synthesis of seventeen Schiff bases of 4-(4-Substituted phenyl)-N-(4-substituted benzylidene)thiazole-2-amines which were tested in vitro and in vivo against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms. Moreover, in silico studies to propose potential macromolecular targets and to predict the oral bioavailability were also performed. The analog GPQF-108 exhibited the best in vitro performance (IC50: 29.4 µM, SI:6.1) associated with promising in vivo activity, with a significant decrease in the adult life forms and oviposition. Oral bioavailability could be impaired by the predicted low water solubility of GPQF-108, although it also exhibited good membrane permeability. The water solubility, however, could be improved by decreasing the particles size. Serine/Threonine- and Tyrosine Kinases, Carbonic Anhydrase, Tyrosine Phosphatase and Arginase were predicted as potential macromolecular targets through which the GPQF-108 could be acting against the helminth. This class of compounds exhibited an interesting initial therapeutic profile with the advantage of being chemically diverse from the PZQ and be easily synthesized from commercial reagents which could lead to low-cost drugs. These aspects make this class of compounds interesting hits to be explored against schistosomiasis.