Artesunate-derived monomeric, dimeric and trimeric experimental drugs - Their unique mechanistic basis and pronounced antiherpesviral activity

Hahn F, Fröhlich T, Frank T, Bertzbach LD, Kohrt S, Kaufer BB, Stamminger T, Tsogoeva S, Marschall M (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

Book Volume: 152

Pages Range: 104-110

DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.02.013

Abstract

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major human pathogen and is associated with severe pathology, such as life-threatening courses of infection in immunocompromised individuals and neonates. Currently, antiviral therapy is still hampered by a considerable toxicity of the available drugs and induction of viral resistance. Recently, we and others reported the very potent antiviral activity of the broad antiinfective drug artesunate in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated further optimized analogs including monomeric, dimeric and trimeric derivatives belonging to this highly interesting chemical group of experimental drugs (sesquiterpenes/trioxanes) and compared these to the previously identified trimeric artesunate compound TF27. We could demonstrate that (i) seven of the eight investigated monomeric, dimeric and trimeric artesunate derivatives, i.e. TF79, TF85, TF87, TF93.2.4, TF111, TF57a and TF57ab, exerted a strong anti-HCMV activity in primary human fibroblasts, (ii) the EC50 values ranged in the low to sub-micromolar concentrations and indicated a higher antiviral potency than the recently described artesunate analogs, (iii) one trimeric compound, TF79, showed a very promising EC50 of 0.03 +/- 0.00 mu M, which even exceled the antiviral potency of TF27 (EC50 0.04 +/- 0.01 mu M), (iv) levels of cytotoxicity (quantitative measurement of lactate dehydrogenase release) were low in a range between 100 and 30 mu M and thus different from antiviral concentrations, (v) an analysis of protein expression levels indicated a potent block of viral protein expression, and (vi) data from a NF-kappa B reporter cell system strongly suggested that these compounds share the same antiviral mechanism. Taken together, our data on these novel compounds strongly encourages our earlier concept on the oligomerization and hybridization of artesunate analogs, providing an excellent platform for the generation of antiherpesviral drugs.

Authors with CRIS profile

Additional Organisation(s)

Involved external institutions

Freie Universität Berlin Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Hahn, F., Fröhlich, T., Frank, T., Bertzbach, L.D., Kohrt, S., Kaufer, B.B.,... Marschall, M. (2018). Artesunate-derived monomeric, dimeric and trimeric experimental drugs - Their unique mechanistic basis and pronounced antiherpesviral activity. Antiviral Research, 152, 104-110. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.02.013

MLA:

Hahn, Friedrich, et al. "Artesunate-derived monomeric, dimeric and trimeric experimental drugs - Their unique mechanistic basis and pronounced antiherpesviral activity." Antiviral Research 152 (2018): 104-110.

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