Nonpeptidic tetrafluorophenoxymethyl ketone cruzain inhibitors as promising new leads for Chagas disease chemotherapy.
A century after discovering that the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, treatment is still plagued by limited efficacy, toxicity, and the emergence of drug resistance. The development of inhibitors of the major T. cruzi cysteine protease, cruzain, has been demonstrated to be a promising drug discovery avenue for this neglected disease. Here we establish that a nonpeptidic tetrafluorophenoxymethyl ketone cruzain inhibitor substantially ameliorates symptoms of acute Chagas disease in a mouse model with no apparent toxicity. A high-resolution crystal structure confirmed the mode of inhibition and revealed key binding interactions of this novel inhibitor class. Subsequent structure-guided optimization then resulted in inhibitor analogues with improvements in potency despite minimal or no additions in molecular weight. Evaluation of the analogues in cell culture showed enhanced activity. These results suggest that nonpeptidic tetrafluorophenoxymethyl ketone cruzain inhibitors have the potential to fulfill the urgent need for improved Chagas disease chemotherapy.
Brak
Katrien
K
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1460, USA.
Kerr
Iain D
ID
Barrett
Kimberly T
KT
Fuchi
Nobuhiro
N
Debnath
Moumita
M
Ang
Kenny
K
Engel
Juan C
JC
McKerrow
James H
JH
Doyle
Patricia S
PS
Brinen
Linda S
LS
Ellman
Jonathan A
JA
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D005260:Female; D007659:Ketones / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008958:Models, Molecular; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011804:Quinolines / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014230:Triazoles / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects
D007659:Ketones; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011804:Quinolines; D014230:Triazoles; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C074032:cruzain, Trypanosoma cruzi