terbinafine 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

From a fungicidal screen, we identified 2-(2-oxo-morpholin-3-yl)-acetamide derivatives as fungicidal agents against Candida species, additionally characterized by antifungal activity against Aspergillus species. However, development of this series was hampered by low plasmatic stability. Introduction of a gem-dimethyl on the 6-position of the morpholin-2-one core led to considerable improvement in plasmatic stability while maintaining in vitro antifungal activity. Further optimization of the series resulted in the discovery of N-(biphenyl-3-ylmethyl)-2-(4-ethyl-6,6-dimethyl-2-oxomorpholin-3-yl)acetamide (87), which, in addition to fungicidal activity against Candida species, shows promising and broad antifungal in vitro activity against various fungi species, such as molds and dermatophytes. In vivo efficacy was also demonstrated in a murine model of systemic Candida albicans infection with a significant fungal load reduction in kidneys.

Topics: Acetamides; Animals; Antifungal Agents; Candida; Candidiasis; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Structure; Morpholines; Species Specificity; Structure-Activity Relationship; Substrate Specificity