Sang Hyeon Kang

Antibacterial properties of a pre-formulated recombinant phage endolysin, SAL-1

To evaluate the phage endolysin SAL-1 as a therapeutic agent for Staphylococcus aureus infections, the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial properties of a pre-formulation containing recombinant SAL-1 as an active pharmaceutical ingredient were investigated. The stable pre-formulation (designated SAL200) uniquely included calcium ions and Poloxamer 188 as enhancing and stabilising ingredients, respectively. SAL-1 was successfully produced with no extraneous amino acids by decreasing the culture temperature and was highly purified using a two-step chromatography procedure consisting of ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. SAL200 exhibited rapid and effective bactericidal activity against encapsulated and biofilm-forming S. aureus as well as against planktonic S. aureus cells. In addition, SAL200 demonstrated increased effectiveness in the serum environment, with a significantly reduced minimum bactericidal concentration compared with that determined in culture medium. In in vitro antibacterial tests performed against 425 clinical isolates [including 336 meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates and 1 vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus isolate], collected from 421 patients and four animals, SAL200 exhibited obvious antibacterial activity against all S. aureus isolates tested. Intravenous injection of SAL200 in a mouse model of MRSA infection prolonged the viability of mice and significantly reduced bacterial counts in the bloodstream and splenic tissue. The results presented in this article strongly support SAL200 as a highly potent bactericidal agent against MRSA with an adequate pharmaceutical formulation.

Comparison of the Antibacterial Properties of Phage Endolysins SAL-1 and LysK▿

ABSTRACT In spite of the high degree of amino acid sequence similarity between the newly discovered phage endolysin SAL-1 and the phage endolysin LysK, SAL-1 has an approximately 2-fold-lower MIC against several Staphylococcus aureus strains and higher bacterial cell-wall-hydrolyzing activity than LysK. The amino acid residue change contributing the most to this enhanced enzymatic activity is a change from glutamic acid to glutamine at the 114th residue.

Preclinical Safety Evaluation of Intravenously Administered SAL200 Containing the Recombinant Phage Endolysin SAL-1 as a Pharmaceutical Ingredient

ABSTRACT Phage endolysins have received increasing attention as potent antibacterial agents. However, although safety evaluation is a prerequisite for the drug development process, a good laboratory practice (GLP)-compliant safety evaluation has not been reported for phage endolysins. A safety evaluation of intravenously administered SAL200 (containing phage endolysin SAL-1) was conducted according to GLP standards. No animals died in any of the safety evaluation studies. In general toxicity studies, intravenously administered SAL200 showed no sign of toxicity in rodent single- and repeated-dose toxicity studies. In the dog repeated-dose toxicity test, there were no abnormal findings, with the exception of transient abnormal clinical signs that were observed in some dogs when daily injection of SAL200 was continued for more than 1 week. In safety pharmacology studies, there were also no signs of toxicity in the central nervous and respiratory system function tests. In the cardiovascular function test, there were no abnormal findings in all tested dogs after the first and second administrations, but transient abnormalities were observed after the third and fourth administrations (2 or 3 weeks after the initial administration). All abnormal findings observed in these safety evaluation studies were slight to mild, were apparent only transiently after injection, and resolved quickly. The safety evaluation results for SAL200 support the implementation of an exploratory phase I clinical trial and underscore the potential of SAL200 as a new drug. We have designed an appropriate phase I clinical trial based on the results of this study.

Continuous-exchange cell-free protein synthesis using PCR-generated DNA and an RNase E-deficient extract

Though the use of PCR-generated DNA (i.e., linear template) as template DNA is desirable because of its simple preparation, the linear template has not been routinely used in a conventional continuous-exchange cell-free (CECF) protein synthesis system due to the instability of the linear template and/or its transcript in the relatively long operation period. To overcome this problem and enhance soluble protein yield, an RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched extract was used: (i) for compensating for the decrease in messenger RNA (mRNA) levels transcribed from the unstable linear template with improvement of mRNA stability by depletion of RNase E activity; and (ii) for enhancement of the soluble protein portion by assisting of the molecular chaperones. As a result, soluble erythropoietin production from a linear template was significantly enhanced in this modified CECF system using the RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched extract, and the amount of soluble erythropoietin was estimated to be roughly 70% of that from a circular plasmid. We can conclude that the use of RNase E-deficient and molecular chaperone-enriched S30 extract mixture is effective in the enhancement of soluble protein expression from a linear template in the CECF system.

Pharmacokinetics and Tolerance of the Phage Endolysin-Based Candidate Drug SAL200 after a Single Intravenous Administration among Healthy Volunteers

ABSTRACT This study was a phase 1, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dosing, and dose-escalating study of intravenous SAL200. It is a new candidate drug for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal infections based on a recombinant form of the phage endolysin SAL-1. The study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerance among healthy male volunteers after the intravenous infusion of single ascending doses of SAL200 (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg of body weight). SAL200 was well tolerated, and no serious adverse events (AEs) were observed in this clinical study. Most AEs were mild, self-limiting, and transient. The AEs reported in more than three participants were fatigue, rigors, headache, and myalgia. No clinically significant values with respect to the findings of clinical chemistry, hematology, and coagulation analyses, urinalysis, vital signs, and physical examinations were observed, and no notable trends in our electrocardiogram (ECG) results for any tested dose were noticed. A greater-than-dose-proportional increase with regard to systemic exposure and the maximum serum concentration was observed when the SAL200 dose was increased from 0.1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg. This investigation constitutes the first-in-human phase 1 study of an intravenously administered, phage endolysin-based drug. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01855048 and at the Clinical Research Information Service [https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/ ] under identifier KCT0000968.).

Mannose-poly(ethylene glycol)-linked SPION targeted to antigen presenting cells for magnetic resonance imaging on lymph node

The aim of this study is to prepare biocompatible and targetable nanoparticles in lymph nodes (LNs) for lymph node-specific magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Mannan-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) (mannan-SPION), carboxylic mannan-coated SPION (CM-SPION), and β-glucan-coated SPION (Glucan-SPION) have been developed to target antigen-presenting cells (APCs), for lymph node detection by MR imaging. In this study, mannose-polyethylene glycol (PEG) was prepared by conjugating D-mannopyranosylphenyl isothiocyanate and amine-PEG-carboxyl. The 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-activated SPION and the mannose-PEG were cross-linked to produce mannose-PEG-linked SPION (Mannose-PEG-SPION). Mannose-PEG-SPION carrying mannose on the surface were assumed efficient at targeting APCs through the specific interactions of the mannose tethered on the Mannose-PEG-SPION and the mannose receptors on the antigen presenting cells. The hydrophilic PEG corona layer in the Mannose-PEG-SPION could be prevented from aggregation during the systemic circulation with accompanying enhanced specificity and minimized systemic toxicity. The accumulation of SPION in the lymph nodes led to increased negative enhancement in the MR images. In the in vivo study, rats were injected intravenously with Mannose-PEG-SPION and PEG-SPION, as a control and then tracked by MR imaging after 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, and 24 h. MR imaging on lymph nodes clearly revealed the preferential uptake of Mannose-PEG-SPION in immune cell-rich lymph nodes. The predominant accumulation of Mannose-PEG-SPION in the lymph nodes was also confirmed by Prussian blue staining. Based on these results, Mannose-PEG-SPION shows great potential for lymph node-specific MR imaging.

Fluorescent labeling of cell-free synthesized proteins with fluorophore-conjugated methionylated tRNA derived from in vitro transcribed tRNA.

A simple and practical method for preparing fluorophore-conjugated methionylated tRNA necessary for tRNA-mediated fluorescent labeling of cell-free synthesized proteins was developed. Without complicated chromatographic purification and subsequent concentration, fluorophore-conjugated methionylated tRNA with higher purity and fluorescence concentration could be synthesized from in vitro transcribed tRNA instead of from a total tRNA mixture, which has been routinely used as a tRNA source. Although fluorophore-conjugated methionylated tRNA derived from in vitro transcribed tRNA was purified by simple phenol extraction following alcohol precipitation, it worked well in tRNA-mediated fluorescent labeling, yielding an improved signal-to-noise ratio and higher fluorescence intensity compared to the conventional total tRNA-based method. Based on its simplicity in the preparation of labeling agent with higher purity and fluorescence concentration, the developed method will accelerate the prevalence of fluorescence-based detection of cell-free synthesized proteins.

Pharmacokinetics of the phage endolysin-based candidate drug SAL200 in monkeys and its appropriate intravenous dosing period.

SAL200 is a new phage endolysin‐based candidate drug for the treatment of staphylococcal infections. An intravenous administration study was conducted in monkeys to obtain pharmacokinetic information on SAL200 and to assess the safety of a short SAL200 dosing period (<1 week). Maximum serum drug concentrations and systemic SAL200 exposure were proportional to the dose and comparable in male and female monkeys. SAL200 was well tolerated, and no adverse events or laboratory abnormalities were detected after injection of a single dose of up to 80 mg/kg per day, or injection of multiple doses of up to 40 mg/kg per day.

The herbal-derived honokiol and magnolol enhances immune response to infection with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)

The emergence of antibiotic resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) reminds us an urgent need to develop a new immune-modulating agent for preventing S. aureus infection. In this study, we found that herbal medicines, honokiol and magnolol, caused a significant cellular immune modulatory effect during S. aureus infection. In mouse macrophages, these compounds drove upregulation of an antioxidant effect in response to S. aureus, resulting in a dampened total cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased production of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, whereas honokiol induced increased types I and III interferon messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels in response to MSSA infection. Moreover, the internalization of S. aureus by human alveolar epithelial cells was inhibited by these compounds. Furthermore, honokiol and magnolol treatment promoted a delay in killing during MSSA infection in Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting antimicrobial function in vivo. In conclusion, honokiol and magnolol may be considered as attractive immune-modulating treatment for S. aureus infection.

One-Step Preparation of a TA-cloning Vector from a Specially Designed Parent Plasmid Containing a Dual lacZ Gene System

A high-yield method was developed for producing a TA-cloning vector suitable for blue/white colony selection from a unique parent plasmid containing a dual lacZ gene system through a one-step restriction enzyme digestion, which creates a single-base 3′-overhang. The dual lacZ gene system was realized by inserting an inner lacZ gene between two single-base 3′-overhangs, creating restriction enzyme sites within the reading-frame-adjusted outer lacZ gene sequence in the parent plasmid. The proposed method overcomes problems, such as the inefficient digestion frequently observed when generating a TA-cloning vector and the difficulty of purifying TA-cloning vectors from the digestion mixture, while maintaining the applicability of blue/white colony selection. Moreover, the use of TA-cloning vector prepared by the proposed method can provide the distinguish tool of transformants carrying the cloning product from those carrying contaminating parent plasmids, recircularized plasmids derived from incompletely digested parent plasmid fragments, or intra-molecularly ligated TA-cloning vectors derived from T-overhangs missing TA-cloning vectors (instability of the T-overhangs is another important consideration when designing TA-cloning vectors) by making all colonies except those carrying the cloning product appear blue during blue/white colony selection.