Multivalent γ-PGA-Exendin-4 Conjugates to Target Pancreatic ß-Cells.

Targeting of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R), expressed on the surface of pancreatic ß-cells, is of great interest for the development of advanced therapies for diabetes and diagnostics for insulinoma. We report the conjugation of exendin-4 (Ex-4), an approved drug to treat type 2 diabetes, to poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) to obtain more stable and effective GLP-1R ligands. Exendin-4 modified at Lysine-27 with PEG4-maleimide was conjugated to γ-PGA functionalized with furan, in different molar ratios, exploiting a chemoselective Diels-Alder cycloaddition. The γ-PGA presenting the highest number of conjugated Ex-4 molecules (average 120 per polymeric chain) showed a double affinity towards GLP-1R with respect to exendin per se, paving the way to improved therapeutic and diagnostic applications.

Biopolymer based nanosystem for doxorubicin targeted delivery.

This study describes formation of an actively and passively targeted, water-soluble drug delivery system (DDS) which contains doxorubicin (DOX). The system comprises two biocompatible and biodegradable polymers: poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) and chitosan (CH). Self-assembly of these biopolymers in aqueous medium results stable nanoparticles (NPs) with a hydrodynamic size of 80-150 nm and slightly negative surface charge. Folic acid (FA) was used as targeting agent bonded to the polyanion (PA) and also to the surface of the NPs. The NP's physical stability, active targeting effect, cellular toxicity, release profile and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy were investigated. It was found that the targeted, self-assembled nanoparticles are stable at 4°C for several months, cause better in vitro toxicity effect on folate receptor (FR) positive cell lines than the doxorubicin or the non-targeted nanosystem and based on its release profile it is expected, that the nanosystem will remain stable during the circulation in the body. Pharmacodynamic studies demonstrated that the DOX-loaded nanoparticles can deliver greater tumor growth inhibition than the free drug molecules and the liposomal compound, with less general toxicity. It was observed that the overall survival is the main benefit of the biopolymer based drug delivery system.

α-Amylase Modulation: Discovery of Inhibitors Using a Multi-Pharmacophore Approach for Virtual Screening.

Better control of postprandial hyperglycemia can be achieved by delaying the absorption of glucose resulting from carbohydrate digestion. Because α-amylase initiates the hydrolysis of polysaccharides, the design of α-amylase inhibitors can lead to the development of new treatments for metabolic disorders such as type II diabetes and obesity. In this study, a rational computer-aided approach was developed to identify novel α-amylase inhibitors. Three-dimensional pharmacophores were developed based on the binding mode analysis of six different families of compounds that bind to this enzyme. In a stepwise virtual screening workflow, seven molecules were selected from a library of 1.4 million. Five out of seven biologically tested compounds showed α-amylase inhibition, and the two most potent compounds inhibited α-amylase with IC50 values of 17 and 27 µm. The scaffold benzylideneacetohydrazide was shared by four of the discovered inhibitors, emerging as a novel drug-like non-carbohydrate fragment and constituting a promising lead scaffold for α-amylase inhibition.

Anthocyanin composition, antioxidant efficiency, and α-amylase inhibitor activity of different Hungarian sour cherry varieties (Prunus cerasus L.).

Five Hungarian sour cherry cultivars were studied to determine their anthocyanin contents and their possible inhibitory properties. The water and methanol soluble antioxidant capacities were separately assessed by photoluminescence showing values ranged from 3.4µgmg(-1) to 15.4µgmg(-1), respectively. The "VN1" variety (selected from "Csengodi csokros") showed the highest antioxidant capacity. The anthocyanin content, measured by pH differential method or isolated by solid phase extraction, was the highest also in "VN1". Correlation was found between the anthocyanin content and the high antioxidant capacity. The main anthocyanin components were cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. The presence of malvidin-3,5-O-diglycoside was verified by MALDI-TOF MS. Sour cherry extracts and selected anthocyanins inhibited the human salivary alpha-amylase catalyzed hydrolysis competitively. The lowest IC50 value, 55µgmL(-1) or 80µM, was measured for malvidin-3,5-O-diglycoside, for which possible binding modes within the alpha-amylase active site could be investigated in silico using molecular docking and molecular dynamics.

From carbohydrates to drug-like fragments: Rational development of novel α-amylase inhibitors.

Starch catabolism leading to high glucose level in blood is highly problematic in chronic metabolic diseases, such as type II diabetes and obesity. α-Amylase catalyzes the hydrolysis of starch, increasing blood sugar concentration. Its inhibition represents a promising therapeutic approach to control hyperglycaemia. However, only few drug-like molecule inhibitors without sugar moieties have been discovered so far, and little information on the enzymatic mechanism is available. This work aims at the discovery of novel small α-amylase binders using a systematic in silico methodology. 3D-pharmacophore-based high throughput virtual screening of small compounds libraries was performed to identify compounds with high α-amylase affinity. Twenty-seven compounds were selected and biologically tested, revealing IC50 values in the micromolar range and ligand efficiency higher than the one of the bound form of acarbose, which is used as a reference for α-amylase inhibition.

Optimization of triacetylfusarinine C and ferricrocin productions in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Iron is an essential element for all microorganisms. Bacteria and fungi produce versatile siderophores for binding and storing this essential transition metal when its availability is limited in the environment. The aim of the study was to optimize the fermentation medium of Aspergillus fumigatus for siderophore production. Triacetyl-fusarinine C and ferricrocin yields were dependent on glucose and glycine supplementations as well as the initial pH of the culture media. The optimal fermentation medium for triacetylfusarinine C production contained 8% glucose, 0.4% glycine and the initial pH was set to 5.9. Meanwhile, maximal ferricrocin yields were recorded in the presence of 10% glucose, 0.5% glycine and at an initial pH of 7.4. Under optimized fermentation conditions, the yields for triacetylfusarinine C and ferricrocin increased up to 2.9 g/l culture medium and 18.9 mg/g mycelium, respectively.

Unexpected mode of action of sweet potato ß-amylase on maltooligomer substrates.

ß-Amylase (EC 3.2.1.2), one of the main protein of the sweet potato, is an exo-working enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of α(1,4) glycosidic linkages in polysaccharides and removes successively maltose units from the non-reducing ends. The enzyme belongs to glycoside hydrolase GH14 family and inverts the anomeric configuration of the hydrolysis product. Multiple attack or processivity is an important property of polymer active enzymes and there is still limited information about the processivity of carbohydrate active enzymes. Action pattern and kinetic measurements of sweet potato ß-amylase were made on a series of aromatic chromophor group-containing substrates (degree of polymerization DP 3-13) using HPLC method. Measured catalytic efficiencies increased with increasing DP of the substrates. Processive cleavage was observed on all substrates except the shortest pentamer. The mean number of steps without dissociation of enzyme-product complex increases with DP of substrate and reached 3.3 in case of CNPG11 indicating that processivity on longer substrates was more significant. A unique transglycosylation was observed on those substrates, which suffer processive cleavage and the substrates were re-built by the enzyme. Our results are the first presentation of a transglycosylation during an inverting glycosidase catalyzed hydrolysis. The yield of transglycosylation was remarkable high as shown in the change of the CNPG11 quantity. The CNPG11 concentration was doubled (from 0.24 to 0.54mM) in the early phase of the reaction.

Model for ß-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine oligomer hydrolysis catalysed by DispersinB, a biofilm degrading enzyme.

DispersinB (DspB), a member of ß-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminidase group of GH 20 glycoside hydrolases, catalyses the biofilm degradation of several human pathogenic microorganisms. DspB is a (ß/α)(8) barrel protein, showing retaining cleavage mechanism towards oligomer and polymer substrates. A chromophore containing oligomer substrate series was used to study the DspB's mode of action. The hydrolysis reaction of ß(1,6)-linked N-acetylglucosamine thiophenyl glycosides with degree of polymerisation of 2, 3, 4 and 5 was followed by reversed phase HPLC and progress curves were determined and analysed. Based on the analysis of process curves obtained from prolonged hydrolysis we assumed the presence of more productive binding modes resulting in parallel reactions followed by consecutive reaction steps. Strictly nonreducing-end specificity was observed, the presence of monomer, dimer and trimer nonreducing-end products was verified by MALDI-TOF MS. Another cleavage was suggested after the first glycosidic attack in the case of trimer, while two and three consecutive steps were possible in tetramer and pentamer hydrolyses, respectively. Chain lengthening increased catalytic efficiency (2.1→8.6M(-1)s(-1)) and calculated kinetic constants showed a similarly increasing tendency (1.0→6.7 × 10(-3) min(-1)).

Synthesis of ß-(1→6)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine oligosaccharide substrates and their hydrolysis by Dispersin B.

Dispersin B (DspB) from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a ß-hexosaminidase exhibiting biofilm detachment activity. A series of ß-(1→6)-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine thiophenyl glycosides with degree of polymerisation (DP) of 2, 3, 4 and 5 were synthesized, and substrate specificity of DspB was studied on the obtained oligosaccharides. For oligomer synthesis a 1+2, 2+2, 1+4 coupling strategy was applied, using bromo-sugars as glycosyl donors. The formation of 1,2-trans interglycosidic bond has been ensured by 2-phtalimido protecting group; chloroacetyl group was installed to mask temporarily the 6-hydroxyl and acetate esters were applied as permanent protecting groups. Enzymatic studies revealed that DP of the GlcNAc oligomers strongly affected the hydrolysis rate, and the hydrolytic activity of DspB on the tetramer and pentamer have been found to be approximately 10-fold higher than that of the dimer. This fact indicates that four units are required for a strong binding at the active centre of DspB. The role of aromatic amino acids W237, Y187 and Y278 in substrate specificity and catalysis was also examined using mutant enzymes.