Peptide Derivatives of Retinylamine Prevent Retinal Degeneration with Minimal Side Effects on Vision in Mice
作者:Guanping Yu、Song-Qi Gao、Zhiqian Dong、Li Sheng、Da Sun、Ning Zhang、Jianye Zhang、Seunghee Margeivicus、Pingfu Fu、Marcin Golczak、Akiko Maeda、Krzysztof Palczewski、Zheng-Rong Lu
DOI:10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00043
日期:2021.3.17
Safe and effective molecular therapeutics for prophylactic treatment of retinal degenerative diseases are greatly needed. Disruptions in the clearance of all-trans-retinal (atRAL) by the visual (retinoid) cycle of the retina can lead to the accumulation of atRAL and its condensation products known to initiate progressive retinal dystrophy. Retinylamine (Ret-NH2) and its analogues are known to be effective in lowering the concentration of atRAL within the eye and thus preventing retinal degeneration in mouse models of human retinopathies. Here, we chemically modified Ret-NH2 with amino acids and peptides to improve the stability and ocular bioavailability of the resulting derivatives and to minimize their side effects. Fourteen Ret-NH2 derivatives were synthesized and tested in vitro and in vivo. These derivatives exhibited structure-dependent therapeutic efficacy in preventing light-induced retinal degeneration in Abca4–/–Rdh8–/– double-knockout mice, with the compounds containing glycine and/or L-valine generally exhibiting greater protective effects than Ret-NH2 or other tested amino acid derivatives of Ret-NH2. Ret-NH2-L-valylglycine amide (RVG) exhibited good stability in storage; and effective uptake and prolonged retention in mouse eyes. RVG readily formed a Schiff base with atRAL and did not inhibit RPE65 enzymatic activity. Administered by oral gavage, this retinoid also provided effective protection against light-induced retinal degeneration in Abca4–/–Rdh8–/– mice. Notably, the treatment with RVG had minimal effects on the regeneration of 11-cis-retinal and recovery of retinal function. RVG holds promise as a lead therapy for effective and safe treatment of human retinal degenerative diseases.
目前亟需安全有效的分子疗法来预防性治疗视网膜变性疾病。视网膜的视觉(视黄醇)循环对全反式视网膜(atRAL)的清除发生障碍,会导致atRAL及其缩合产物的积累,从而引发进行性视网膜营养不良。视黄醇胺(Ret-NH2)及其类似物可有效降低眼内atRAL的浓度,从而预防人类视网膜病变小鼠模型的视网膜变性。在此,我们用氨基酸和肽对 Ret-NH2 进行了化学修饰,以提高衍生物的稳定性和眼部生物利用度,并将其副作用降至最低。我们合成了 14 种 Ret-NH2 衍生物,并进行了体外和体内测试。与 Ret-NH2 或其他测试过的 Ret-NH2 氨基酸衍生物相比,含有甘氨酸和/或 L-缬氨酸的化合物通常具有更强的保护作用。Ret-NH2-L-valylglycine amide(RVG)在储存过程中表现出良好的稳定性;在小鼠眼睛中能有效吸收并长时间保留。RVG 很容易与 atRAL 形成希夫碱,并且不会抑制 RPE65 的酶活性。通过口服给药,这种视黄醇还能有效防止 Abca4-/-Rdh8-/- 小鼠因光引起的视网膜变性。值得注意的是,RVG 对 11-顺式视网膜的再生和视网膜功能的恢复影响极小。RVG有望成为一种有效、安全治疗人类视网膜变性疾病的先导疗法。