Long-lasting enfuvirtide carrier pentasaccharide conjugates with potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 activity

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010 Jan;54(1):134-42. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00827-09. Epub 2009 Oct 5.

Abstract

Enfuvirtide (also known as Fuzeon, T-20, or DP-178) is an antiretroviral fusion inhibitor which prevents human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from entering host cells. This linear 36-mer synthetic peptide is indicated, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, for the treatment of HIV-1-infected individuals and AIDS patients with multidrug-resistant HIV infections. Although enfuvirtide is an efficient anti-HIV-1 drug, its clinical use is limited by a short plasma half-life, i.e., approximately 2 h, which requires twice-daily subcutaneous injections, often resulting in skin sensitivity reaction side effects at the injection sites. Ultimately, 80% of patients stop enfuvirtide treatment within 6 months because of these side effects. We report on the development of long-lasting enfuvirtide conjugates by the use of the site-specific conjugation of enfuvirtide to an antithrombin-binding carrier pentasaccharide (CP) through polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers of various lengths. These conjugates showed consistent and broad anti-HIV-1 activity in the nanomolar range. The coupling of the CP to enfuvirtide only moderately affected the in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity in the presence of antithrombin. Most importantly, one of these conjugates, enfuvirtide-PEG(12)-CP (EP40111), exhibited a prolonged elimination half-life of more than 10 h in rat plasma compared to the half-life of native enfuvirtide, which was 2.8 h. On the basis of the pharmacokinetic properties of antithrombin-binding pentasaccharides, the anticipated half-life of EP40111 in humans would putatively be about 120 h, which would allow subcutaneous injection once a week instead of twice daily. In conclusion, EP40111 is a promising compound with strong potency as a novel long-lasting anti-HIV-1 drug.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anti-HIV Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Anti-HIV Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Anti-HIV Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antithrombins / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Delayed-Action Preparations
  • Drug Carriers
  • Enfuvirtide
  • Factor Xa Inhibitors
  • Female
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / administration & dosage*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / chemical synthesis
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / pharmacology*
  • HIV-1 / drug effects*
  • Half-Life
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neutrophils / drug effects
  • Neutrophils / virology
  • Peptide Fragments / administration & dosage*
  • Peptide Fragments / chemical synthesis
  • Peptide Fragments / pharmacology*
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents
  • Antithrombins
  • Delayed-Action Preparations
  • Drug Carriers
  • Factor Xa Inhibitors
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp41
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Polysaccharides
  • Enfuvirtide
  • Polyethylene Glycols