Abstract
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most toxic proteins currently known. Current treatments for botulinum poisoning are all protein based with a limited window of opportunity. Inhibition of the BoNT light chain protease (LC) has emerged as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of botulism as it may provide an effective post-exposure remedy. As such, a small library of 40 betulin derivatives was synthesized and screened against the light chain of BoNT serotype A (LC/A); five positive hits (IC50 <100 μM) were uncovered. Detailed evaluation of inhibition mechanism of three most active compounds revealed a competitive model, with sub-micromolar Ki value for the best inhibitor (7). Unfortunately, an in vitro cell-based assay did not show any protection of rat cerebellar neurons against BoNT/A intoxication by 7.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2229-2231 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- betulin derivatives
- botulinum neurotoxin
- protease inhibitor