Bruna L Lemes, Mariana A Siegl-Breno, Mikaelly K Silva-Nunes, Flavia B Lopes, Aline S Silva, Natalia E P Motta, Josué de Moraes, João Paulo S Fernandes
{"title":"Structural Exploitation of Cinnarizine Identified Novel Drug-Like Anthelmintic Agents Against <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i>.","authors":"Bruna L Lemes, Mariana A Siegl-Breno, Mikaelly K Silva-Nunes, Flavia B Lopes, Aline S Silva, Natalia E P Motta, Josué de Moraes, João Paulo S Fernandes","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00634","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00634","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The impact of helminthiases on global health for both humans and animals and the limited efficacy of existing drugs against these infections reinforces the urgent need for novel anthelmintic agents. On this background, in previous work we identified cinnarizine, a first-generation antihistamine, as effective anthelmintic agent against <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> first-stage larvae (L1) in vitro. <i>A. cantonensis</i> worm is the causative agent of neuroangiostrongyliasis, a condition that leads to eosinophilic meningitis with no effective treatment to date. In the present work, modifications on cinnarizine structure were designed to improve its efficacy against the larvae but keeping its ability to cross the blood brain barrier allied to improvement in the drug-like and solubility profile. A set of 11 compounds were synthesized and tested against L1 larvae, showing EC<sub>50</sub> values ranging from 9.3 to 4.2 μM. The most effective were also tested against infective third-stage larvae (L3), with EC<sub>50</sub> 18.1-8.6 μM. None of the compounds showed toxicity to both HaCat mammalian cells (at 500 μM) and <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (at 1000 μM), indicating their high selective toxicity toward <i>A. cantonensis</i>. Structure-activity relationship analysis using molecular descriptors indicated that presence of two basic nitrogen atoms and balanced lipophilicity of compound <b>2b</b> (EC<sub>50</sub> L1 9.3 μM; L3 8.8 μM) played the role in the anthelmintic activity, and simplified compound <b>3a</b> (EC<sub>50</sub> L1 8.7 μM; L3 18.1 μM) represent a novel prototype for further modifications.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145197389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rv2647-Mediated NLRP3 Ubiquitination Inhibits Macrophage Pyroptosis and Promotes <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Survival.","authors":"Xiao Jin, Haihao Yan, Xiaolin Chen, Jiao Feng, Guoli Li, Jing Yao, Xingran Du, Ganzhu Feng","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00192","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and cytokine release are crucial host defenses against intracellular pathogens. <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>M. tb</i>) is a successful intracellular pathogen, and it is largely unclear how it evades immune clearance and persists in macrophages. This study investigated whether the Rv2647 protein acts as a key virulence factor of <i>M. tb</i> and explored the potential mechanism of inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis and promoting <i>M. tb</i> survival. The results showed Rv2647 promoted NLRP3 degradation via enhancing its ubiquitination, which led to the inactivation of NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD and reduction of IL-1β secretion, thereby inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis and facilitating <i>M. tb</i> survival. Furthermore, Rv2647-mediated enhancement of NLRP3 ubiquitination and degradation depended on its binding to ISG15, competitively inhibiting ISGylation of NLRP3. The study identified Rv2647 as the key virulence factor that promoted <i>M. tb</i> survival by inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis, whose mechanism was to competitively inhibit the ISGylation of NLRP3 and enhance its ubiquitination, thus suppressing NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. This finding highlighted Rv2647 as a promising drug target or vaccine antigen for tuberculosis prevention and control.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145204978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tathiane de Oliveira Alves Costa, Dayane Alvarinho de Oliveira, Alessandra Campos da Silva, Eduardo José Lopes-Torres
{"title":"Anthelmintic and Antibiotic Therapy Resolves Intestinal Inflammatory Infiltration in Experimental Trichuriasis.","authors":"Tathiane de Oliveira Alves Costa, Dayane Alvarinho de Oliveira, Alessandra Campos da Silva, Eduardo José Lopes-Torres","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00596","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00596","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite significant advances in human health, soil-transmitted helminths (STH) continue to pose a major public health challenge, particularly in impoverished regions. Albendazole has been used to treat STH for over 40 years and remains widely utilized in mass drug administration programs. However, it is estimated that over 1.5 billion people are still infected globally, with Brazil reporting a prevalence of 5.41% for human trichuriasis. The nematode <i>Trichuris muris</i> is widely used in murine models to study trichuriasis due to its impact on the epithelial mucosa, including tissue damage, dysbiosis, bacterial translocation, inflammatory infiltrate, and intestinal layer hypertrophy. These effects contribute to the more severe consequence of high parasite load infections, such as rectal prolapse. Currently, research on the interaction between intestinal helminths and bacteria remains limited, despite its potential contribution to pathological synergy. Drug resistance in conventional STH treatments is a growing concern, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of combining the anthelmintic albendazole with the antibiotics piperacillin sodium plus tazobactam on the inflammatory process during chronic experimental trichuriasis. Swiss Webster mice were infected with 150 embryonated <i>T. muris</i> eggs. After 35 days, the mice were divided into four groups: Group 1 (antibiotic treatment), Group 2 (anthelmintic treatment), Group 3 (combined treatment), and Group 4 (control, no treatment). After treatments, the mice were euthanized, and different analyses were conducted. Results showed that untreated mice had a significantly higher number of peritoneal macrophages compared to those that received treatment. Antibiotic-treated mice did not show invading bacteria in the epithelial submucosa, unlike untreated infected mice. The groups that received anthelmintic treatment exhibited a higher number of dead worms compared to the antibiotic-only group. Additionally, the combination of anthelmintic and antibiotic treatments demonstrated more effective control of nematode colonization and bacterial translocation, potentially reducing the secondary impacts of the infection, such as bacterial translocation and the associated inflammatory processes. These findings suggest that our results could pave the way for the development of new treatment protocols for STH, integrating both anthelmintic and antibiotic therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145190398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Catalyzing Change: Entrepreneurs from the Global South Leading the Fight against Antimicrobial Resistance.","authors":"Leela Maitreyi, Vasan K Sambandamurthy","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00565","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rapidly emerging as one of the greatest threats to global health, with projections estimating 10 million deaths annually by 2050. The departure of major pharmaceutical companies from antibiotic research─driven by a combination of scientific complexity, low profitability, and complex regulatory hurdles─has left a serious innovation gap in the development of new antibiotics. This gap is being filled by entrepreneurial ventures in the Global South, particularly in India, South Africa, Brazil, and China, where small and medium enterprises (SMEs) now drive 80% of late-stage antibiotic development. The convergence of abundant scientific talent, cost-effective research capabilities, access to seed funding, and real-world experience with high-burden pathogens is fueling the discovery of innovative solutions to address multidrug-resistant infections. This perspective examines how these vibrant ecosystems are overcoming traditional barriers to innovation by leveraging scientific advancements, tapping into local talent, forming strategic partnerships, and developing novel business models to enable equitable access, thereby realigning public health obligations with commercial viability. This entrepreneurial endeavor in the Global South not only provides sustainable solutions to local health challenges but also contributes to the creation of a resilient global antibiotic ecosystem.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Harini A Perera, N G Hasitha Raviranga, Olof Ramström, Mingdi Yan
{"title":"Trehalose-Functionalized Magnetic Affinity Probe Provides Biochemical Evidence of Nanoparticle Internalization in Mycobacteria.","authors":"Harini A Perera, N G Hasitha Raviranga, Olof Ramström, Mingdi Yan","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We developed a magnetic affinity probe (MAP), consisting of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) functionalized with a photoaffinity labeling agent perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA), to characterize the internalization of nanoparticles by <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i>. Two MAPs were synthesized: a trehalose-functionalized MAP, PFPA-MNP-Tre, and an ethanol-functionalized MAP, PFPA-MNP-OH. Following incubation of MAP with bacteria, the samples were irradiated to trigger covalent bond formation between PFPA and bacterial proteins. The captured proteins were isolated by cleaving the disulfide bond in the linkers and removing the magnetic nanoparticles by using a magnet. For PFPA-MNP-Tre incubated with <i>M. smegmatis</i> for 24 h, proteomic analysis revealed that the captured proteins are cytoplasmic mycobacterial proteins, which provided biochemical evidence for the internalization of nanoparticles in bacteria. Additionally, PFPA-MNP-Tre accumulated at the poles of the mycobacteria, and the amount of captured proteins decreased with increasing concentration of added free trehalose. These results underscore the role the surface ligand plays in modulating the uptake of nanoparticles. The modular MAP platform may find broad applications in studying mechanisms and processes involving nanoparticle-cell interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paolo Malune, Daniela Iaconis, Candida Manelfi, Stefano Giunta, Roberta Emmolo, Filippo Lunghini, Annalaura Paulis, Carmine Talarico, Angela Corona, Andrea Rosario Beccari, Enzo Tramontano, Francesca Esposito
{"title":"Dual-Site Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase by Small Molecules Able to Block Viral Replication Identified through a Computer-Aided Drug Discovery Approach.","authors":"Paolo Malune, Daniela Iaconis, Candida Manelfi, Stefano Giunta, Roberta Emmolo, Filippo Lunghini, Annalaura Paulis, Carmine Talarico, Angela Corona, Andrea Rosario Beccari, Enzo Tramontano, Francesca Esposito","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has continued to spread globally, with more than 7 million reported deaths as of March 2025. Among the viral nonstructural proteins, nsp12 serves as the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), mediating viral genome replication and transcription in concert with its cofactors nsp7 and nsp8. To date, only two nucleoside analogs specifically targeting SARS-CoV-2 nsp12, remdesivir and molnupiravir, have been authorized by the FDA for COVID-19 treatment. In response to the need for additional safe and effective antiviral agents, we screened two extensive in silico libraries of safe-in-man compounds (>9,000) and natural compounds (>249,000), against the SARS-CoV-2 nsp12/7/8 complex, targeting the orthosteric and two allosteric nsp12 sites, using the EXSCALATE (EXaSCale smArt pLatform Against paThogEns) platform. Compounds were then selected based on docking score significance, novelty for the target, and clinical safety profiles. The top 119 candidates were subsequently evaluated in a biochemical assay to assess their potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 nsp12/7/8 polymerase activity, identifying 42 compounds able to block it, among which four showed IC<sub>50</sub> and EC<sub>50</sub> values in the nanomolar or low micromolar range. When tested in cell-based assays to evaluate their efficacy on SARS-CoV-2 replication, they proved to inhibit it in the same concentration ranges. Mechanism of action studies revealed different modalities of inhibition. These results provide the basis for the development of novel antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2, targeting both the RdRp active site and an allosteric site, further suggesting that the Computer-Aided Drug Discovery (CADD) approach, together with experimental validation, can provide the basis for accelerated antiviral drug development.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mitchell S von Itzstein, Moritz Winger, Alpeshkumar K Malde, Stephanie Holt, Sarah McAtamney, Lauren Hartley-Tassell, Thomas Ve, Andrea Maggioni, Mark von Itzstein
{"title":"Nipah and Hendra Viruses Use an Adjustable Latch in Receptor Engagement.","authors":"Mitchell S von Itzstein, Moritz Winger, Alpeshkumar K Malde, Stephanie Holt, Sarah McAtamney, Lauren Hartley-Tassell, Thomas Ve, Andrea Maggioni, Mark von Itzstein","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c01040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c01040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nipah (NiV) and Hendra viruses (HeV) have emerged as deadly zoonotic pathogens over the last three decades. Like all paramyxoviruses, Henipaviruses utilize a surface glycoprotein to attach to and invade targeted cells. Inhibiting this attachment glycoprotein is a promising strategy for developing effective antihenipaviral drugs. A multidisciplinary approach has been employed to investigate the structures of HeV and NiV attachment glycoproteins, identifying a flexible region near their binding site. This region, loop 240, can adopt an open conformation in unliganded attachment glycoproteins and a closed \"latch\" conformation in the presence of their cognate receptor Ephrin B2. Site-directed mutagenesis of the HeV attachment glycoproteins has shown that the engagement of R242 with Ephrin B2 plays an important role in the binding mechanism. This discovery provides greater insight into the dynamic nature of henipaviral attachment proteins and has implications for antiviral drug development.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fosaprepitant Dimeglumine Alleviates Dengue Virus Infection and Virus-Induced Inflammatory Responses.","authors":"Xueyi Deng, Ningze Zheng, Shurui Liu, Wenying Cao, Yi-Ping Li, Guigen Zhang","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00490","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00490","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dengue remains one of the most important mosquito-borne diseases. Currently, in the absence of targeted antiviral therapy, the treatment of dengue remains supportive. In this study, we found that the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist fosaprepitant dimeglumine, an FDA-approved drug for the prevention of nausea and vomiting, efficiently inhibited dengue virus (DENV) infection <i>in vitro</i>. Fosaprepitant dimeglumine dose-dependently inhibited DENV replication in several cell lines, including A549 cells and THP-1-derived macrophages, with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 3.26 and 4.20 μM, respectively. The time-of-drug-addition and time-of-drug-elimination assays revealed that fosaprepitant dimeglumine acted at late stages after virus entry. Fosaprepitant dimeglumine efficiently inhibited DENV genome replication in a stable reporter DENV-3 replicon cell line. The immune-mediated cytokine storm is known to play a key role in the severe manifestation of dengue. The interferon γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and IL-6 are upregulated in severe dengue. For the first time, we report that fosaprepitant dimeglumine significantly suppressed the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IP-10 in differentiated THP-1 macrophages infected with DENV-2. Fosaprepitant dimeglumine not only effectively inhibits DENV replication but also attenuates virus-induced inflammatory responses, which makes it a promising candidate for drug repurposing in the treatment of severe dengue.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145135935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carolina M C Catta-Preta, Priscila Zonzini Ramos, Juliana B T Carnielli, Stanley N S Vasconcelos, Adam Dowle, Rebeka C Fanti, Caio V Dos Reis, Adriano Cappellazzo Coelho, Katlin B Massirer, Jeremy C Mottram, Rafael M Couñago
{"title":"Discovery and Characterization of Cell-Permeable Inhibitors of <i>Leishmania mexicana</i> CLK1 Using an In-Cell Target Engagement Assay.","authors":"Carolina M C Catta-Preta, Priscila Zonzini Ramos, Juliana B T Carnielli, Stanley N S Vasconcelos, Adam Dowle, Rebeka C Fanti, Caio V Dos Reis, Adriano Cappellazzo Coelho, Katlin B Massirer, Jeremy C Mottram, Rafael M Couñago","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00610","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00610","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease with limited treatment options and significant unmet medical need. Here, we report the development of a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based target engagement assay in live cells to identify and validate cell-permeable, ATP-competitive inhibitors of <i>Leishmania mexicana</i> (Lmx)CLK1. LmxCLK2, a closely related paralog with an identical protein kinase domain, is also considered in our analysis. Genetic and pharmacological evidence indicates that simultaneous deletion or inhibition of both LmxCLK1/2 is lethal to the parasite. Using our newly developed assay, we screened a library of human kinase inhibitors and identified WZ8040, a third-generation EGFR inhibitor, as a potent LmxCLK1 ligand. WZ8040 demonstrated robust target engagement in both promastigotes and macrophage-internalized amastigotes, with an EC<sub>50</sub> value of 2.1 μM for amastigote killing and minimal toxicity to host macrophages. Biochemical assays confirmed that WZ8040 covalently binds and inhibits LmxCLK1, with mass spectrometry identifying Cys172 as the primary site of modification. Genetic validation using overexpression and knockout lines supports LmxCLK1 as the primary target of WZ8040. However, the retained activity of WZ8040 in mutant lines with the Cys172Ala substitution suggests that covalent binding is not essential for compound efficacy. Our findings highlight the utility of BRET-based assays for target validation in kinetoplastid parasites and underscore the potential of CLK1/2 as druggable kinases in <i>Leishmania</i>. This integrated approach provides a framework for accelerating the discovery of novel antileishmanial agents through target engagement-guided strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145135930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Panhasith Ung, Ankita Paul, Soumyakanta Maji, Pilar Saavedra-Weis, Karen D Moulton, Suvarn S Kulkarni, Danielle H Dube
{"title":"Assessing <i>O</i>-Naphthylmethyl and <i>O</i>-Anthracenemethyl Glycosides as Metabolic Inhibitors of Bacterial Glycan Biosynthesis.","authors":"Panhasith Ung, Ankita Paul, Soumyakanta Maji, Pilar Saavedra-Weis, Karen D Moulton, Suvarn S Kulkarni, Danielle H Dube","doi":"10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacterial glycans play a crucial role in survival and pathogenesis, making them attractive antibiotic targets. Unlike mammalian glycans, bacterial glycans incorporate rare sugars such as bacillosamine, <i>N</i>-acetylfucosamine, and 2,4-diacetamido-2,4,6-trideoxy galactose. To probe the role of bacterial glycans, we previously developed <i>O</i>-benzyl glycosides that metabolically inhibit <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> glycan biosynthesis and impair bacterial fitness. Here, we probed the efficacy of <i>O</i>-naphthylmethyl and <i>O</i>-anthracenemethyl glycosides, which bear larger aglycones relative to previously reported bacterial metabolic inhibitors. <i>O</i>-Naphthylmethyl d-<i>N</i>-acetylfucosamine inhibited <i>H. pylori</i> glycan biosynthesis, reduced biofilm formation, and impeded <i>H. pylori</i> growth at lower concentrations than its <i>O</i>-benzyl analog while leaving glycosylation of the commensal bacterium <i>Bacteroides fragilis</i> intact. By contrast, the <i>O</i>-anthracenemethyl glycosides tested were not effective metabolic glycan inhibitors. These metabolic inhibitors expand the bacterial glycoscience toolkit for probing protein glycosylation, help refine metabolic glycan inhibitor design parameters, and have the potential to set the stage for a glycan-based strategy to selectively target pathogens.</p>","PeriodicalId":17,"journal":{"name":"ACS Infectious Diseases","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145111520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}