Karen M. Watson

Development of a Comprehensive Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Screening Algorithm for Discovery and Preclinical Testing of Topical Microbicides

ABSTRACT Topical microbicides are self-administered, prophylactic products for protection against sexually transmitted pathogens. A large number of compounds with known anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) inhibitory activity have been proposed as candidate topical microbicides. To identify potential leads, an in vitro screening algorithm was developed to evaluate candidate microbicides in assays that assess inhibition of cell-associated and cell-free HIV-1 transmission, entry, and fusion. The algorithm advances compounds by evaluation in a series of defined assays that generate measurements of relative antiviral potency to determine advancement or failure. Initial testing consists of a dual determination of inhibitory activity in the CD4-dependent CCR5-tropic cell-associated transmission inhibition assay and in the CD4/CCR5-mediated HIV-1 entry assay. The activity is confirmed by repeat testing, and identified actives are advanced to secondary screens to determine their effect on transmission of CXCR4-tropic viruses in the presence or absence of CD4 and their ability to inhibit CXCR4- and CCR5-tropic envelope-mediated cell-to-cell fusion. In addition, confirmed active compounds are also evaluated in the presence of human seminal plasma, in assays incorporating a pH 4 to 7 transition, and for growth inhibition of relevant strains of lactobacilli. Leads may then be advanced for specialized testing, including determinations in human cervical explants and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells against primary HIV subtypes, combination testing with other inhibitors, and additional cytotoxicity assays. PRO 2000 and SPL7013 (the active component of VivaGel), two microbicide products currently being evaluated in human clinical trials, were tested in this in vitro algorithm and were shown to be highly active against CCR5- and CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 infection.

Development of topical microbicides to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

Women comprise almost 50% of the population of people living with HIV and the majority of these women contracted the virus through sexual transmission in monogamous relationships in the developing world. In these environments, where women are not empowered to protect themselves through the negotiation of condom use, effective means of preventing HIV transmission are urgently needed. In the absence of an approved and effective vaccine, microbicides have become the strategy of choice to provide women with the ability to prevent HIV transmission from their infected partners. Topical microbicides are agents specifically developed and formulated for use in either the vaginal or rectal environment that prevent infection by sexually transmitted infectious organisms, including pathogenic viruses, bacteria and fungi. Although a microbicidal product will have many of the same properties as other anti-infective agents and would be similarly developed through human clinical trials, microbicide development bears its own challenges related to formulation and delivery and the unique environment in which the product must act, as well as the requirement to develop a product that is acceptable to the user. Herein, perspectives based on preclinical and clinical microbicide development experience, which have led to an evolving microbicide development algorithm, will be discussed. This article forms part of a special issue of Antiviral Research marking the 25th anniversary of anti-retroviral drug discovery and development, Vol 85, issue 1, 2010.

Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Activities of Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Human and Bovine Cathelicidins

ABSTRACT From among 15 human cathelicidin LL-37-derived peptides, FK-13 was identified as the smallest peptide active against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and GI-20 had the highest therapeutic index, which was twice that of LL-37. BMAP-18, which is derived from bovine cathelicidin BMAP-27, possessed a therapeutic index similar to that of GI-20. Peptide sequence order, helical structures, and aromatic residues are important in HIV inhibition.

Comparative Evaluation of the Inhibitory Activities of a Series of Pyrimidinedione Congeners That Inhibit Human Immunodeficiency Virus Types 1 and 2

ABSTRACT Seventy-three analogs of SJ-3366 (1-(3-cyclopenten-1-ylmethyl)-5-ethyl-6-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione) were synthesized and comparatively evaluated for their ability to inhibit the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2 and for their ability to suppress virus entry and reverse transcription. These studies were performed to identify inhibitors with activity greater than that of the current lead molecule (SJ-3366) and to utilize structure-activity relationships (SAR) to define the chemical features of the pyrimidinedione congeners responsible for their efficacy, toxicity, and dual mechanism of action against HIV. The results of our SAR evaluations have demonstrated that the addition of the homocyclic moiety at the N-1 of the pyrimidinedione results in acquisition of the ability to inhibit virus entry and extends the range of action of the compounds to include HIV-2. In addition, the results demonstrate that analogs with a methyl linker between the homocyclic substitution and the N-1 of the pyrimidinedione had a greater number of highly active molecules than those analogs possessing ethyl linkers. Six molecules were identified with activity equivalent to or greater than that of SJ-3366, and five additional molecules with highly potent inhibition of reverse transcriptase and virus entry and possessing high efficacy against both HIV-1 and HIV-2 were identified. Six molecules exhibited significant inhibition of viruses with the highly problematic nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance engendering amino acid change K103N in the reverse transcriptase. These evaluations indicate that a new class of NNRTIs has been identified and that these NNRTIs possess highly potent inhibition of HIV-1 with an extended range of action, which now includes HIV-2.

Synthesis of primary amines via nucleophilic addition of organometallic reagents to aldimines on solid support

Abstract Resin-immobilized aldimines 5 , derived from the condensation of amine-functionalized Rink polystyrene resin with aldehydes, react with Grignard reagents, lithium reagents or LiBH 4 to afford a wide variety of primary amines in good to excellent yields upon trifluoroacetic acid cleavage. In this amine synthesis, Rink resin functions both as a solid support and as a NH protecting group.

Synthesis of alkenyldiarylmethanes (ADAMs) containing benzo[d]isoxazole and oxazolidin-2-one rings, a new series of potent non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

As a continuation of efforts to replace the metabolically labile methyl esters of lead alkenyldiarylmethanes (ADAMs) with stable bioisosteres, compounds bearing benzo[d]isoxazole and oxazolidine-2-one rings were designed and evaluated as a new series of potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with anti-HIV activity. All of the resulting ADAMs were found to inhibit HIV-1 RT with poly(rC) x oligo(dG) as the template primer. The most promising compound in this series was ADAM 3, with EC(50) values of 40 nM (vs HIV-1(RF)) and 20 nM (vs HIV-1(IIIB)). Compound 3 also inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with an IC(50) of 0.91 microM. ADAM 4 has an antiviral EC(50) of 0.6 microM in CEM-SS cells and a plasma half-life of 51.4 min.

Comparative Evaluation of Virus Transmission Inhibition by Dual-Acting Pyrimidinedione Microbicides Using the Microbicide Transmission and Sterilization Assay

ABSTRACT In the absence of a fully effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine, topical microbicides represent an important strategy for preventing the transmission of HIV through sexual intercourse, the predominant mode of HIV transmission worldwide. Although a comprehensive understanding of HIV transmission has not yet emerged in the microbicide field, it is likely the result of rapid infection of monocyte-derived cells in the vaginal mucosa by CCR5-tropic viruses. Inhibition of HIV transmission requires agents that prevent entry, fusion, reverse transcription, or other preintegrative replication events or agents which directly inactivate HIV or modulate the target cells to render them uninfectible. In vitro assays typically used to evaluate the ability of a microbicide to prevent virus transmission use epithelial or human osteosarcoma-derived cells or immune cells more relevant to the development of anti-HIV therapeutic agents and quantify virus production at short time intervals following infection. We have developed a microbicide transmission and sterilization assay (MTSA) to more sensitively and quantitatively evaluate virus transmission in cell culture in the presence of microbicidal compounds. Results obtained with the MTSA demonstrate that the inhibitory capacity of microbicides is often overestimated in short-term transmission inhibition assays, while some compounds yield equivalent inhibitory results, indicating a biological relevance for the MTSA-based evaluations to identify superior potent microbicides. The MTSA defines the concentration of the microbicide required to totally suppress the transmission of virus in cell culture and may thus help define the effective concentration of the microbicide required in a formulated microbicide product.

Investigation of the alkenyldiarylmethane non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors as potential cAMP phosphodiesterase-4B2 inhibitors.

The alkenyldiarylmethanes (ADAMs) are currently being investigated as non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) of potential value in the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. During the course of these studies, a number of ADAM analogues have been identified that protect HIV-infected cells from the cytopathic effects of the virus by an unknown, HIV-1 RT-independent mechanism. Since the phosphodiesterase 4 family is required for HIV infection, the effect of various ADAMs on the activity of PDE4B2 was investigated in an effort to determine if the ADAMs could possibly be targeting phosphodiesterases. Six compounds representative of the ADAM class were tested for inhibition of cAMP hydrolysis by PDE4B2 enzymatic activity. Four ADAMs were found to be weak inhibitors of PDE4B2 and two of them were inactive. The experimental results are consistent with an antiviral mechanism that does not include inhibition of PDE4 isoforms.