Browsing by Author "Shih, Shin-Ru"

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Anti-influenza drug discovery
(2007-07-01)
Hsu, John T.-A.
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Hsieh, Hsing-Pang
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Hung, Hui-Chen
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Ju, Yi Wei
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Tseng, Sung-Nain
Anti-Influenza Drug Discovery: Structure-Activity Relationship and Mechanistic Insight into Novel Angelicin Derivatives
(2010-02-25)
Yeh, Jiann-Yih
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Coumar, Mohane Selvaraj
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Horng, Jim-Tong
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Shiao, Hui-Yi
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Kuo, Fu-Ming
By using a cell-based high throughput screening campaign,a novel angelicin derivative 6a was identified to inhibit influenza A (H1N1) virus induced Cytopathic effect in Madin-Darby canine kidney cell culture in low micromolar range. Detailed structure-activity relationship studies of 6a revealed that the angelicin scaffold is essential for activity in pharmacophore B, while meta-substituted phenyl/2-thiophene rings are optimal ill pharmacophore A and C. The optimized lead 4-methyl-9-phenyl-8-(thiophene-2-carbonyl)-furo[2,3-h]chromen-2-one (8g, IC(50) = 70 nM) showed 64-fold enhanced activity compared to the high throughput screening (HTS) hit 6a. Also, 8g was found effective in case of influenza A (H3N2) and influenza B virus strains similar to approved anti-influenza drug zanamivir (4). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that these compounds act as anti-influenza agents by inhibiting ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex associated activity and have the potential to be developed further, Which Could form the basis for developing additional defense against influenza pandemics.
Antiviral Activity of a Llama-Derived Single-Domain Antibody against Enterovirus A71
(2020-05-01)
Huang, Peng-Nien
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Wang, Hsiang-Ching
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Hung, Hui-Chen
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Tseng, Sung-Nien
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Chang, Teng-Yuan
In the past few decades, enterovirus A71 (EVA71) has caused devastating outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in serious sequelae in infected young children. No preventive or therapeutic interventions are currently available for curing EVA71 infection, highlighting a great unmet medical need for this disease. Here, we showed that one novel single-domain antibody (sdAb), F1, isolated from an immunized llama, could alleviate EVA71 infection both in vitro and in vivo. We also confirmed that the sdAb clone F1 recognizes EVA71 through a novel conformational epitope comprising the highly conserved region of VP3 capsid protein by using competitive-binding and overlapping-peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Because of the virion's icosahedral structure, we reasoned that adjacent epitopes must be clustered within molecular ranges that may be simultaneously bound by an engineered antibody with multiple valency. Therefore, two singledomain binding modules (F1) were fused to generate an sdAb-in-tandem design so that the capture of viral antigens could be further increased by valency effects. We showed that the tetravalent construct F1xF1-hFc, containing two sdAb-intandem on a fragment crystallizable (Fc) scaffold, exhibits more potent neutralization activity against EVA71 than does the bivalent sdAb F1-hFc by at least 5.8-fold. We also demonstrated that, using a human scavenger receptor class B member 2 (hSCARB2) transgenic mouse model, a half dose of the F1xF1-hFc provided better protection against EVA71 infection than did the F1-hFc. Thus, our study furnishes important insights into multivalent sdAb engineering against viral infection and provides a novel strategic deployment approach for preparedness of emerging infectious diseases such as EVA71.
Aurintricarboxylic acid inhibits influenza virus neuraminidase
(2009-02-01)
Hung, Hui-Chen
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Tseng, Ching-Ping
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Yang, Jinn-Moon
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Ju, Yi-Wei
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Tseng, Sung-Nain
There is a continuing threat that the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus will cause future influenza pandemics. In this study, we screened a library of compounds that are biologically active and structurally diverse for inhibitory activity against influenza neuraminidase (NA). We found that aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) is a potent inhibitor of NA activity of both group-1 and group-2 influenza viruses with IC(50)S (effective concentration to inhibit NA activity by 50%) values at low micromolar concentrations. ATA was equally potent in inhibiting the NA activity derived from wild-type NA and its H274Y mutant which renders NA resistance to inhibition by oseltamivir. Although ATA is structurally distinct from sialic acid, molecular modeling experiments suggested that ATA binds to NA at the enzyme's substrate binding site. These results indicate that ATA may be a good starting material for the design of a novel class of NA inhibitors for the treatment influenza viruses. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BPR2-D2 targeting viral ribonucleoprotein complex-associated function inhibits oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses
(2010-01-01)
Shih, Shin-Ru
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Horng, Jim-Tong
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Poon, Leo L. M.
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Chen, Tzu-Chun
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Yeh, Jiann-Yih
The emergence of oseltamivir-resistant viruses raised the global threat with regard to influenza virus infection. To develop alternative antiviral agents against influenza virus infection is significant and urgent. A neutralization test was applied as a screening assay and a plaque reduction assay was used for confirmation. Expression plasmids for viral ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) and a plasmid that allowed expression of a pseudoviral reporter RNA were transfected into cells to investigate the effects of a novel antiviral compound on viral RNA synthesis. BPR2-D2 was identified as a novel inhibitor against influenza virus from a hit obtained from high throughput screening of 20 000 or more compounds. BPR2-D2 exhibited an excellent antiviral efficacy for the oseltamivir-resistant virus (EC(50) ranging from 0.021 to 0.040 mu M). No resistant virus was produced throughout 20 passages in the presence of BPR2-D2, whereas oseltamivir-resistant virus was generated at passage 8 using the same experimental system. A molecular target other than neuraminidase (NA) was found because BPR2-D2 inhibited the synthesis of viral RNA that was driven by influenza viral RNP in a transfection assay. BPR2-D2 also exhibited a broad antiviral spectrum against various strains of influenza A and influenza B viruses. BPR2-D2 was identified as a novel inhibitor of influenza virus. It may target viral RNPs that are responsible for viral RNA synthesis. Targeting different molecules compared with NA allows BPR2-D2 to inhibit oseltamivir-resistant viruses.
Discovery of M Protease Inhibitors Encoded by SARS-CoV-2
(2020-09-01)
Hung, Hui-Chen
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Ke, Yi-Yu
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Huang, Sheng Yu
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Huang, Peng-Nien
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Kung, Yu-An
The coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a health threat worldwide. Viral main protease (M-pro, also called 3C-like protease [3CL(pro)]) is a therapeutic target for drug discovery. Herein, we report that GC376, a broad-spectrum inhibitor targeting M-pro in the picornavirus-like supercluster, is a potent inhibitor for the M-pro encoded by SARS-CoV-2, with a half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 26.4 +/- 1.1 nM. In this study, we also show that GC376 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication with a half-maximum effective concentration (EC50) of 0.91 +/- 0.03 mu M. Only a small portion of SARS-CoV-2 M-pro was covalently modified in the excess of GC376 as evaluated by mass spectrometry analysis, indicating that improved inhibitors are needed. Subsequently, molecular docking analysis revealed that the recognition and binding groups of GC376 within the active site of SARS-CoV-2 M-pro provide important new information for the optimization of GC376. Given that sufficient safety and efficacy data are available for GC376 as an investigational veterinary drug, expedited development of GC376, or its optimized analogues, for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human is recommended.
Inhibition of enterovirus 71 replication and the viral 3D polymerase by aurintricarboxylic acid
(2010-04-01)
Hung, Hui-Chen
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Chen, Tzu-Chun
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Fang, Ming-Yu
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Yen, Kuei-Jung
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Shih, Shin-Ru
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) causes serious diseases in humans. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) on EV71 replication and to explore the underlying mechanism. To measure the activity of ATA in inhibiting the cytopathic effect (CPE) of EV71, a cell-based neutralization (inhibition of virus-induced CPE) assay was performed. The effect of ATA was further confirmed using plaque reduction and viral yield reduction assays. A time of addition assay was performed to identify the mechanisms of ATA's anti-EV71 activity. We examined the effects of ATA on the following key steps involved in virus replication: (i) translation of the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-mediated viral polyprotein; (ii) the proteolytic activity of viral proteases 2A and/or 3C; and (iii) the viral 3D RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity. In this study, ATA was found to be a potent inhibitor of the replication of EV71. In the antiviral neutralization assay, ATA exhibited inhibitory activity against EV71 (TW/4643/98) and EV71 (TW/2231/98). Plaque assay further demonstrated that ATA inhibited EV71 replication with an EC(50) (effective concentration at which 50% of plaques were removed) of 2.9 mu M. Studies on the mechanism of action revealed that ATA targets the early stage of the viral life cycle after viral entry. ATA was able to inhibit the RdRp activity of EV71, while neither the IRES-mediated translation of viral polyprotein nor the viral 3C protease activity was affected. Overall, the findings in this study suggest that ATA is able to effectively inhibit EV71 replication through interfering with the viral 3D polymerase.
Novel Role for miR-1290 in Host Species Specificity of Influenza A Virus
(2019-09-06)
Huang, Sheng-Yu
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Huang, Chih-Heng
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Chen, Chi-Jene
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Chen, Ting-Wen
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Lin, Chun-Yuan
The role of microRNA (miRNA) in influenza A virus (IAV) host species specificity is not well understood as yet. Here, we show that a host miRNA, miR-1290, is induced through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway upon IAV infection and is associated with increased viral titers in human cells and ferret animal models. miR-1290 was observed to target and reduce expression of the host vimentin gene. Vimentin binds with the PB2 subunit of influenza A virus ribonucleoprotein (vRNP), and knockdown of vimentin expression significantly increased vRNP nuclear retention and viral polymerase activity. Interestingly, miR-1290 was not detected in either chicken cells or mouse animal models, and the 3' UTR of the chicken vimentin gene contains no binding site for miR-1290. These findings point to a host species-specific mechanism by which IAV upregulates miR-1290 to disrupt vimentin expression and retain vRNP in the nucleus, thereby enhancing viral polymerase activity and viral replication.
Pyrazole compound BPR1P0034 with potent and selective anti-influenza virus activity
(2010-02-23)
Shih, Shin-Ru
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Chu, Tzu-Yun
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Reddy, Gadarla Randheer
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Tseng, Sung-Nain
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Chen, Hsiun-Ling
Background: Influenza viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. More recently, a swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that is spreading via human-to-human transmission has become a serious public concern. Although vaccination is the primary strategy for preventing infections, influenza antiviral drugs play an important role in a comprehensive approach to controlling illness and transmission. In addition, a search for influenza-inhibiting drugs is particularly important in the face of high rate of emergence of influenza strains resistant to several existing influenza antivirals. Methods: We searched for novel anti-influenza inhibitors using a cell-based neutralization (inhibition of virus-induced cytopathic effect) assay. After screening 20,800 randomly selected compounds from a library from ChemDiv, Inc., we found that BPR1P0034 has sub-micromolar antiviral activity. The compound was resynthesized in five steps by conventional chemical techniques. Lead optimization and a structure-activity analysis were used to improve potency. Time-of-addition assay was performed to target an event in the virus life cycle. Results: The 50% effective inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of BPR1P0034 was 0.42 +/- 0.11 mu M, when measured with a plaque reduction assay. Viral protein and RNA synthesis of A/WSN/33 (H1N1) was inhibited by BPR1P0034 and the virus-induced cytopathic effects were thus significantly reduced. BPR1P0034 exhibited broad inhibition spectrum for influenza viruses but showed no antiviral effect for enteroviruses and echovirus 9. In a time-of-addition assay, in which the compound was added at different stages along the viral replication cycle (such as at adsorption or after adsorption), its antiviral activity was more efficient in cells treated with the test compound between 0 and 2 h, right after viral infection, implying that an early step of viral replication might be the target of the compound. These results suggest that BPR1P0034 targets the virus during viral uncoating or viral RNA importation into the nucleus. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, BPR1P0034 is the first pyrazole-based anti-influenza compound ever identified and characterized from high throughput screening to show potent (sub-mu M) antiviral activity. We conclude that BPR1P0034 has potential antiviral activity, which offers an opportunity for the development of a new anti-influenza virus agent.
Synergistic Inhibition of Enterovirus 71 Replication by Interferon and Rupintrivir
(2011-06-15)
Hung, Hui-Chen
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Wang, Hsiang-Ching
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Shih, Shin-Ru
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Teng, I-Fang
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Tseng, Ching-Ping
Methods. Through a bioinformatics analysis, several cellular proteins in the IFN response pathway were identified as susceptible substrates that might be degraded by the EV71-encoded 3C protease (3C(pro)). Results. Indeed, IRF9 was shown to be vulnerable to 3C(pro) cleavage, as revealed by enzyme-based and cell-based assays. Thus, the IFN-mediated antiviral mechanism compromised by the viral 3C(pro) in EV71-infected cells may be accountable, at least partially, for that IFN-alpha cannot inhibit EV71 replication. Because rupintrivir (AG7088) is known to be an effective EV71 inhibitor, we investigated the effects of the combination of rupintrivir and IFN-alpha on EV71 replication and found that they strongly synergized with each other in inhibiting EV71 replication. Conclusions. Because rupintrivir was shown to be generally tolerable in earlier clinical investigations, it is worth evaluating whether a combination of rupintrivir and IFN-alpha could be an effective treatment for EV71.
The Combination Effects of LiCl and the Active Leflunomide Metabolite, A771726, on Viral-Induced Interleukin 6 Production and EV-A71 Replication
(2014-11-20)
Hung, Hui-Chen
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Shih, Shin-Ru
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Chang, Teng-Yuan
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Fang, Ming-Yu
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Hsu, John T. -A.
Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is a neurotropic virus that can cause severe complications involving the central nervous system. No effective antiviral therapeutics are available for treating EV-A71 infection and drug discovery efforts are rarely focused to target this disease. Thus, the main goal of this study was to discover existing drugs with novel indications that may effectively inhibit EV-A71 replication and the inflammatory cytokines elevation. In this study, we showed that LiCl, a GSK3 beta inhibitor, effectively suppressed EV-A71 replication, apoptosis and inflammatory cytokines production (Interleukin 6, Interleukin-1 beta) in infected cells. Furthermore, LiCl and an immunomodular agent were shown to strongly synergize with each other in suppressing EV-A71 replication. The results highlighted potential new treatment regimens in suppressing sequelae caused by EV-A71 replication.