Biomimetic RNA‐Silencing Nanocomplexes: Overcoming Multidrug Resistance in Cancer Cells

RNA interference (RNAi) is an RNA‐dependent gene silencing approach controlled by an RNA‐induced silencing complex (RISC). Herein, we present a synthetic RISC‐mimic nanocomplex, which can actively cleave its target RNA in a sequence‐specific manner. With high enzymatic stability and efficient self‐delivery to target cells, the designed nanocomplex can selectively and potently induce gene silencing without cytokine activation. These nanocomplexes, which target multidrug resistance, are not only able to bypass the P‐glycoprotein (Pgp) transporter, due to their nano‐size effect, but also effectively suppress Pgp expression, thus resulting in successful restoration of drug sensitivity of OVCAR8/ADR cells to Pgp‐transportable cytotoxic agents. This nanocomplex approach has the potential for both functional genomics and cancer therapy.     

Subcellular detection and localization of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein in cultured tumor cells

In vitro studies on the cellular location of P-glycoprotein (Pgp) are reported with the aim to clarify the relationship between its intracellular expression and the multidrug resistance (MDR) level of tumor cells. Pgp was found abnormally expressed on the plasma membrane of tumor cells with "classical" MDR phenotype. However, Pgp was also often detected on the nuclear envelope and on the membrane of cytoplasmic organelles. The hypothesis that this drug pump maintains a transport function when located in these compartments, is still under debating. Our results, together with those obtained by other researchers, demonstrate that cytoplasmic Pgp regulates the intracellular traffic of drugs so that they are no more able to reach their cellular targets. In particular, we revealed that in MDR breast cancer cells (MCF-7) a significant level of Pgp was expressed in the Golgi apparatus. A similar result was found in human melanoma cell lines, which never undergone cytotoxic drug treatment and did not express the transporter molecule on the plasma membrane. A strict relationship between intracellular Pgp and intrinsic resistance was demonstrated in a human colon carcinoma (LoVo) clone, which did not express the drug transporter on the plasma membrane. Finally, a structural and functional association between Pgp and ERM proteins has been discovered in drug-resistant human T- lymphobastoid cells (CEM-VBL 100). Our findings strongly suggest a pivotal role of the intracytoplasmic Pgp in the transport of drugs into cytoplasmic vesicles, thus actively contributing to their sequestration and transport outwards the cells. Thus, intracellular Pgp seems to represent a complementary protective mechanism of tumor cells against cytotoxic agents.     

基于3D-药效团的P糖蛋白和细胞色素P4503A4的协同作用机理研究

P糖蛋白(P-glycoprotein,Pgp)和细胞色素P4503A4(CYP3A4)是决定药物ADME性质的两个重要蛋白,目前还无法通过实验方法,从分子水平清晰阐明这两个蛋白采取怎样的互补作用机理来降低外来药物的生物利用度.通过3D-药效团模建方法,提取Pgp和CYP3A4的共同底物的特征阐明这两个蛋白可能的协同作用模式.所得的药效团有助于理解药物分子同这两个蛋白的作用模式,同时该模型可以指导新药设计和改造,从而提高药物的生物利用度.     

A pH‐Responsive Carrier System that Generates NO Bubbles to Trigger Drug Release and Reverse P‐Glycoprotein‐Mediated Multidrug Resistance

Multidrug resistance (MDR) resulting from the overexpression of drug transporters such as P‐glycoprotein (Pgp) increases the efflux of drugs and thereby limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy. To address this issue, this work develops an injectable hollow microsphere (HM) system that carries the anticancer agent irinotecan (CPT‐11) and a NO‐releasing donor (NONOate). Upon injection of this system into acidic tumor tissue, environmental protons infiltrate the shell of the HMs and react with their encapsulated NONOate to form NO bubbles that trigger localized drug release and serve as a Pgp‐mediated MDR reversal agent. The site‐specific drug release and the NO‐reduced Pgp‐mediated transport can cause the intracellular accumulation of the drug at a concentration that exceeds the cell‐killing threshold, eventually inducing its antitumor activity. These results reveal that this pH‐responsive HM carrier system provides a potentially effective method for treating cancers that develop MDR.     

Machine learning-, rule- and pharmacophore-based classification on the inhibition of P-glycoprotein and NorA

The efflux pumps P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in humans and NorA in Staphylococcus aureus are of great interest for medicinal chemists because of their important roles in multidrug resistance (MDR). The high polyspecificity as well as the unavailability of high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of these transmembrane proteins lead us to combining ligand-based approaches, which in the case of this study were machine learning, perceptual mapping and pharmacophore modelling. For P-gp inhibitory activity, individual models were developed using different machine learning algorithms and subsequently combined into an ensemble model which showed a good discrimination between inhibitors and noninhibitors (acc_{train-diverse} = 84%; acc_{internal-test} = 92% and acc_{external-test} = 100%). For ligand promiscuity between P-gp and NorA, perceptual maps and pharmacophore models were generated for the detection of rules and features. Based on these in silico tools, hit compounds for reversing MDR were discovered from the in-house and DrugBank databases through virtual screening in an attempt to restore drug sensitivity in cancer cells and bacteria.     

Combating multidrug resistance in bacterial infection by targeting functional proteome with natural products

Antibiotic resistance has become a major clinical and public health problem within the lifetime of most people living today. Development of new therapeutic approaches to prevent antimicrobial chemotherapy from bacterial multidrug resistance has thus been becoming a primary consideration in the medicinal community. In this study, we describe a protocol that is potential for combating multidrug resistance by rational screening of natural medicines to target the bacterial functional proteome. To achieve this, a pipeline of integrating virtual screening and susceptibility testing has been described to identify antibacterial agents from various natural products with diverse structures and high drug-likeness. A number of promising candidates with potent antibacterial activity were identified, from which six available compounds were assayed to determine their susceptibility to four multidrug-resistant strains. Consequently, while most tested candidates showed moderate (20 < MIC < 50 μg/mL) or low (MIC>50 μg/mL) antibacterial activities, two natural products, i.e. pseudopterosin A and ciprofloxacin, were measured to possess strong broad-spectrum potency combating different strains (MIC < 20 μg/mL).