A Lipopeptide HIV-1/2 Fusion Inhibitor with Highly Potent In Vitro, Ex Vivo, and In Vivo Antiviral Activity.

Abstract

Peptides derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (CHR) region of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) fusogenic protein gp41 are potent viral entry inhibitors, and currently, enfuvirtide (T-20) is the only one approved for clinical use; however, emerging drug resistance largely limits its efficacy. In this study, we generated a novel lipopeptide inhibitor, named LP-19, by integrating multiple design strategies, including an N-terminal M-T hook structure, an HIV-2 sequence, intrahelical salt bridges, and a membrane-anchoring lipid tail. LP-19 showed stable binding affinity and highly potent, broad, and long-lasting antiviral activity. In in vitro studies, LP-19 efficiently inhibited HIV-1-, HIV-2-, and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-mediated cell fusion, viral entry, and infection, and it was highly active against diverse subtypes of primary HIV-1 isolates and inhibitor-resistant mutants. Ex vivo studies demonstrated that LP-19 exhibited dramatically increased anti-HIV activity and an extended half-life in rhesus macaques. In short-term monotherapy, LP-19 reduced viral loads to undetectable levels in acutely and chronically simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-infected monkeys. Therefore, this study offers an ideal HIV-1/2 fusion inhibitor for clinical development and emphasizes the importance of the viral fusion step as a drug target.IMPORTANCE The peptide drug T-20 is the only viral fusion inhibitor in the clinic, which is used for combination therapy of HIV-1 infection; however, it requires a high dosage and easily induces drug resistance, calling for a new drug with significantly improved pharmaceutical profiles. Here, we have developed a short-lipopeptide-based fusion inhibitor, termed LP-19, which mainly targets the conserved gp41 pocket site and shows highly potent inhibitory activity against HIV-1, HIV-2, and even SIV isolates. LP-19 exhibits dramatically increased antiviral activity and an extended half-life in rhesus macaques, and it has potent therapeutic efficacy in SHIV-infected monkeys, highlighting its high potential as a new viral fusion inhibitor for clinical use.

• Authors: Huihui Chong, Jing Xue, Shengwen Xiong, Zhe Cong, Xiaohui Ding, Yuanmei Zhu, Zixuan Liu, Ting Chen, Yifan Feng, Lei He, Yan Guo, Qiang Wei, Yusen Zhou, Chuan Qin, Yuxian He
• Journal: Journal of virology (J Virol) Vol. 91 Issue 11 (06 01 2017) ISSN: 1098-5514 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 28356533 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Chemical References

• HIV Envelope Protein gp41
• HIV Fusion Inhibitors
• Lipopeptides
• Peptide Fragments
• gp41 protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1
• Enfuvirtide

Topics

• Animals
• Drug Design
• Drug Discovery
• Enfuvirtide
• HIV Envelope Protein gp41 (chemistry, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• HIV Fusion Inhibitors (chemistry, isolation & purification, pharmacology)
• HIV Infections (drug therapy, virology)
• HIV-1 (drug effects)
• HIV-2 (drug effects, physiology)
• Half-Life
• Humans
• Lipopeptides (chemistry, isolation & purification, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Macaca mulatta
• Peptide Fragments (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (drug therapy, virology)
• Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (drug effects, physiology)
• Viral Load (drug effects)
• Virus Internalization (drug effects)