阿爾茲海默癥人工智能藥物設(shè)計(jì)
本項(xiàng)目中我們將從分子結(jié)構(gòu)入手,設(shè)計(jì)開發(fā)BODIPY使其不僅可以診斷早期AD,并能干預(yù)抑制AD發(fā)展,開發(fā)出基于BODIPY的阿爾茲海默癥人工智能藥物,達(dá)到AD早期診斷和干預(yù)治療的目的,為臨床AD早期診療提供理論基礎(chǔ)和技術(shù)支持。整個(gè)研究工作具備以下特點(diǎn):(1)設(shè)計(jì)開發(fā)近紅外BODIPY熒光探針對(duì)細(xì)胞和活體進(jìn)行成像可避免生物背景熒光的干擾;(2)BODIPY對(duì)與AD早期相關(guān)的Aβ寡聚體具有特異響應(yīng),為臨床前AD早期診斷提供科學(xué)依據(jù);(3)BODIPY通過(guò)與Aβ聚集的作用點(diǎn)結(jié)合,呈現(xiàn)熒光,到達(dá)有效診斷的目的,在此基礎(chǔ)上Aβ聚集纏結(jié)的作用點(diǎn)被BODIOY占據(jù)從而達(dá)到一定程度上抑制AD發(fā)展的目的;(4)將抑制Aβ聚集的天然小分子藥物山柰酚與BODIPY有效結(jié)合,可進(jìn)一步提高AD早期診療的效果。
Scheme 1. Aβ derives from the proteolytic cleavage of a larger glycoprotein named amyloid precursor protein. (A) A near-infrared BODIPY probe (NB-K) was synthesized which detected and drove self-assembly of FF. (B) NB-K designed according to the structure of FF and the two aromatic rings of FF overlap well with the two aromatic rings of NB-K. When NB-K binds to Aβ oligomers, free rotation of three benzene rings of NB-K is restricted resulting in 1650% increasing of NB-K fluorescence. (C) Overview of the amino acid sequences of the Aβ-related peptides Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42. (D) Aβ produces β-folds and then aggregates to form tetrad oligomers. NB-K could be potentially useful in the early diagnosis (via imaging) of AD via binding to the FF of oligomeric Aβ. On the other hand, the tetramer could rotate 90° along the β-fold axis to form fibrils.
Aβ源自β-和γ-分泌酶對(duì)糖蛋白(稱為淀粉樣前體蛋白(APP))的蛋白水解切割(Scheme 1C)。二苯丙氨酸二肽(FF)是Aβ折疊起始作用點(diǎn),對(duì)Aβ聚集過(guò)程起著關(guān)鍵作用。四個(gè)β折疊的Aβ通過(guò)FF的π-π堆積作用和其它氨基酸之間的氫鍵作用以面對(duì)面的方式排列形成Aβ寡聚物,這是AD早期的重要生理標(biāo)志,嚴(yán)重?fù)p害了大腦的健康。當(dāng)β折疊的Aβ形成四聚體Aβ寡聚物時(shí),F(xiàn)F幾乎被完全暴露,這為近紅外BODIPY熒光探針(NB-K)與FF有意組合提供了極好的機(jī)會(huì)(Scheme 1D),并能夠通過(guò)熒光信號(hào)傳輸有效地診測(cè)早期AD。Aβ寡聚物沿β折疊鏈方向逐漸以90°旋轉(zhuǎn),變成Aβ原纖維,其比Aβ八聚體更大,且與中期/晚期AD有關(guān)。當(dāng)β折疊的Aβ形成原纖維時(shí),疏水性片段(包括FF)聚集在球形結(jié)構(gòu)的核心,大多數(shù)FF參與Aβ的自組裝并形成球形結(jié)構(gòu),導(dǎo)致NB-K與Aβ原纖維的結(jié)合不良(Scheme 1D)。而且,Aβ單體表現(xiàn)出更大的自由彈性,這可能導(dǎo)致NB-K對(duì)Aβ單體的不良反應(yīng)??偟膩?lái)說(shuō),NB-K可以有效地分化以響應(yīng)寡聚體和單體/原纖維,從而達(dá)到AD早期診斷的目的。如Scheme 1B所示,F(xiàn)F的兩個(gè)芳環(huán)與NB-K的兩個(gè)芳環(huán)很好地重疊,形成穩(wěn)定的π-π結(jié)構(gòu)。FF的羧基和氨基進(jìn)一步促進(jìn)了NB-K-FF的結(jié)合。NB-K和ThS在染色Aβ方面的主要區(qū)別如下:1)NB-K的分子量約為ThS的三倍。由于更大的空間位阻,NB-K不能進(jìn)入由芳香環(huán)形成的淺槽,因此NB-K不能染色結(jié)合Aβ原纖維。 2)Aβ中的NB-K結(jié)合基段為FF。當(dāng)Aβ形成β折疊時(shí),折疊點(diǎn)恰好在FF,然后Aβ形成Aβ寡聚體。如Scheme 1所示,Aβ寡聚物中的FF幾乎完全暴露,結(jié)果是NB-K會(huì)牢固結(jié)合識(shí)別響應(yīng)Aβ寡聚物。
Figure 1. (A) Aβ aggregation assay: in vitro study to detect Aβ aggregation over time. ThT was used to detect formation of fibrillary Aβ species. Total fluorescence (%) was plotted as the fluorescence intensity divided by the maximum fluorescence intensity obtained during the plateau; (B) and (C) Fluorescence emission of NB-K and ThT response to buffer (background fluorescence, black line), oligomer and fibrils; (D) △I refers to the increased fluorescence intensity, I0 corresponds to background fluorescence of NB-K or ThT; Aβ morphology was evaluated by SEM after 160 hours incubation with NB-K (E) or ThT (F).
單體Aβ可以在24小時(shí)內(nèi)衍變形成Aβ寡聚物,在72小時(shí)后開始有Aβ纖維形成。硫黃素-T(ThT)是市售檢測(cè)Aβ原纖維的綠色熒光探針,以它為參照對(duì)比NB-K,以實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)測(cè)單體Aβ隨時(shí)間的衍變聚集。在72小時(shí)后,ThT熒光強(qiáng)度略有增加,表明Aβ原纖維的形成(Figure 1A, )。而對(duì)于NB-K,熒光強(qiáng)度在10小時(shí)后迅速增加,僅在40小時(shí)后才達(dá)到平穩(wěn)狀態(tài),這表明NB-K縮短了Aβ衍變聚集成核相時(shí)間(Figure 1A, )。 在24小時(shí)NB-K熒光強(qiáng)度急劇升高,這應(yīng)與NB-K陽(yáng)性Aβ物種有關(guān),即Aβ寡聚體。換句話說(shuō),NB-K抑制寡聚體轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)樵w維。此外,使用熒光光譜法評(píng)價(jià)了NB-K在Aβ寡聚物和原纖維的溶液中區(qū)分識(shí)別Aβ寡聚物與Aβ原纖維的能力。對(duì)于Aβ寡聚物和Aβ原纖維,NB-K熒光分別增強(qiáng)了1650%±15%和450%±10%(Figure 1B, 1D)。相比之下,ThT熒光強(qiáng)度并未隨Aβ寡聚物而增加,而隨Aβ原纖維而增加了460%±10%(Figure 1C, 1D)。這說(shuō)明ThT只對(duì)Aβ原纖維有熒光響應(yīng)信號(hào),而NB-K對(duì)Aβ寡聚物有很好的熒光響應(yīng)信號(hào),相比之下,NB-K對(duì)Aβ寡聚物的熒光響應(yīng)性能高于ThT對(duì)Aβ原纖維熒光響應(yīng)。此外,分別在ThT和NB-K存在下,Aβ單體衍變聚集160小時(shí)后,通過(guò)SEM觀察Aβ單體最終衍變聚集形態(tài)。我們發(fā)現(xiàn),在NB-K存在下,Aβ顯示出六邊形結(jié)構(gòu)(Figure 1E),而在ThT存在下,Aβ顯示出復(fù)雜的如斑塊狀的聚集體結(jié)構(gòu)(Figure 1F)。這表明NB-K可能影響Aβ的構(gòu)象聚集,從而產(chǎn)生有序排列的結(jié)構(gòu),而ThT對(duì)Aβ單體衍變聚集沒(méi)有良性影響。
Figure 2. Epifluorescence microscopy of transgenic AD mouse (APP/PS1) brain stained with ThS or NB-K. ThS emission was obtained at 488 nm (left panels) and NB-K fluorescence was obtained at 561 nm (middle panels). Merged images of ThS and NB-K are shown on the right panels. Hippocampus is shown in A-C, whereas cortex is shown in D-F. G-I are magnified images from dotted squares in D-F, respectively. Scale bar: 100 µ (A-F), 50 µ (G-I).
在Aβ聚集的過(guò)程中,核心纏結(jié)成不溶性的原纖維,周圍是由可溶性寡聚物組成的環(huán)狀結(jié)構(gòu),這些可溶性寡聚物正在慢慢向原纖維衍變。AD腦組織的ThS / NB-K雙重染色清楚地表明了這種現(xiàn)象,如Figure 2所示,Aβ原纖維的ThS綠色熒光染色被Aβ寡聚物的NB-K紅色熒光染色所包圍。 另外,在正常對(duì)照小鼠的腦切片中,未觀察到NB-K染色,進(jìn)一步說(shuō)明NB-K對(duì)Aβ寡聚物的特殊識(shí)別性和熒光信號(hào)響應(yīng)性,這對(duì)AD早期診斷預(yù)防研究無(wú)疑是一個(gè)有價(jià)值的信息。
淮陰工學(xué)院
2021-05-11