bw-b70c and Disease-Models--Animal

When Zika virus emerged as a public health emergency there were no drugs or vaccines approved for its prevention or treatment. We used a high-throughput screen for Zika virus protease inhibitors to identify several inhibitors of Zika virus infection. We expressed the NS2B-NS3 Zika virus protease and conducted a biochemical screen for small-molecule inhibitors. A quantitative structure-activity relationship model was employed to virtually screen ∼138,000 compounds, which increased the identification of active compounds, while decreasing screening time and resources. Candidate inhibitors were validated in several viral infection assays. Small molecules with favorable clinical profiles, especially the five-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor, MK-591, inhibited the Zika virus protease and infection in neural stem cells. Members of the tetracycline family of antibiotics were more potent inhibitors of Zika virus infection than the protease, suggesting they may have multiple mechanisms of action. The most potent tetracycline, methacycline, reduced the amount of Zika virus present in the brain and the severity of Zika virus-induced motor deficits in an immunocompetent mouse model. As Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, the tetracyclines could be quickly translated to the clinic. The compounds identified through our screening paradigm have the potential to be used as prophylactics for patients traveling to endemic regions or for the treatment of the neurological complications of Zika virus infection.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Artificial Intelligence; Chlorocebus aethiops; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Immunocompetence; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Methacycline; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Protease Inhibitors; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; Small Molecule Libraries; Vero Cells; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection

There is a major clinical need for new therapies for the treatment of chronic itch. Many of the molecular components involved in itch neurotransmission are known, including the neuropeptide NPPB, a transmitter required for normal itch responses to multiple pruritogens in mice. Here, we investigated the potential for a novel strategy for the treatment of itch that involves the inhibition of the NPPB receptor NPR1 (natriuretic peptide receptor 1). Because there are no available effective human NPR1 (hNPR1) antagonists, we performed a high-throughput cell-based screen and identified 15 small-molecule hNPR1 inhibitors. Using in vitro assays, we demonstrated that these compounds specifically inhibit hNPR1 and murine NPR1 (mNPR1). In vivo, NPR1 antagonism attenuated behavioral responses to both acute itch- and chronic itch-challenged mice. Together, our results suggest that inhibiting NPR1 might be an effective strategy for treating acute and chronic itch.

Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cell-Free System; Dermatitis, Contact; Disease Models, Animal; Ganglia, Spinal; Humans; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Neurons; Pruritus; Receptors, Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Reproducibility of Results; Signal Transduction; Small Molecule Libraries

In a study of structure-activity relationship with drug-induced nephropathy two lipoxygenase inhibitors, the N-hydroxyurea derivative 70C ((E)-N-{3-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy) phenyl]-1-(R, S)-methylprop-2-enyl}-N-hydroxyurea) and the N-hydroxamic acid analogue 360C ((E)-N-{3-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy) phenyl]-1-(R, S)-methylprop-2-enyl}-N-hydroxamic acid), were administered to rats. 70C and 360C were dosed to female Wistar rats at 100 mg/kg po daily for 7 days. Another group of rats was given a single intravenous bolus dose of puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) at 100 mg/kg. Urine samples were collected from all groups during the study and plasma samples were collected after 7 days. Kidneys were excised and fixed for examination by electron microscopy. 70C- and PAN-treated groups both showed early changes in the glomeruli, in which the visceral cells appeared enlarged and showed varying degrees of foot process loss. This foot process loss was associated with decreases in total plasma protein and albumin and increases in the plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, and urea were recorded. Marked proteinuria was observed in both the 70C and PAN groups. The foot process loss together with increased proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, and lipemia are all characteristic of the human condition, Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome. All the biochemical and morphological investigations showed that 360C-treated rats were similar to the control group, suggesting that the hydroxyurea moiety of 70C is responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the induction of the nephrotic syndrome seen in rats.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Blood Proteins; Cholesterol; Creatinine; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Hydroxamic Acids; Hydroxyurea; Kidney Glomerulus; Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; Nephrosis, Lipoid; Nephrotic Syndrome; Proteinuria; Puromycin Aminonucleoside; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Structure-Activity Relationship; Triglycerides; Urinalysis

Compound BW B70C, a selective 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor was tested for its ability to reduce inflammatory damage in an in vivo rabbit model of renal storage and transplantation. Kidneys were stored at 0-2 degrees C for 48 hr prior to autografting. In controls, renal vein LTB4 levels rose significantly after 30 min reperfusion but fell after 2 hr to baseline. TxB2 levels remained at baseline for the 6 hr measured. 6-k-PGF1 alpha levels rose significantly after 1 hr of reperfusion and remained elevated thereafter. Histology after 6 hr reperfusion showed moderate-to-severe cortical edema and mild congestion. Infused colloidal carbon was retained in the perivascular area in a narrow band at the corticomedullary junction, indicating a zone of vascular permeability. At 3 days after transplant, kidneys exhibited widespread tubular necrosis and calcification but little inflammation. Serum creatinine and urea peaked between days 3 and 5. 3/6 rabbits showed no symptoms of renal failure after 3 weeks. Pretreatment with BW B70C prevented the increase in LTB4 but had little effect on TxB2 and 6-k-PGF1 alpha levels. Histology showed no amelioration of cortical edema at 6 hr and congestion and hemorrhage were exacerbated. BW B70C had no effect on either colloidal carbon retention or distribution but did significantly reduce tubular necrosis and calcification at day 3. There was very little inflammatory infiltrate. BW B70C treatment did not improve the long-term viability of transplanted kidneys: 2/6 rabbits showed no symptoms of renal failure after 3 weeks. These data indicate that inhibition of LTB4 synthesis by BW B70C does not prevent the development of acute renal failure following 48 hr hypothermic storage and transplantation.

Topics: Acute Kidney Injury; Animals; Capillary Permeability; Creatinine; Disease Models, Animal; Eicosanoids; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Graft Rejection; Graft Survival; Hydroxylamines; Hydroxyurea; Kidney Transplantation; Kidney Tubules; Leukotriene B4; Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; Methylurea Compounds; Necrosis; Organ Preservation; Prostaglandins F; Rabbits; Thromboxane B2; Urea