Penetrating the Blood-Brain Barrier with New Peptide–Porphyrin Conjugates Having anti-HIV Activity
Diogo A. Mendonça, Mariët Bakker, Christine Cruz-Oliveira, Vera Neves, M. Ángeles Jiménez, Sira Defaus, Marco Cavaco, Ana Salomé Veiga, Íris Cadima-Couto, Miguel A. R. B. Castanho, David Andreu, Toni Todorovski
Abstract
-terminal or a Lys side chain) of the peptide shuttle and show effective in vitro BBB translocation ability, low cytotoxicity toward mouse brain endothelial cells, and low hemolytic activity. Three of the PPCs, MP-P5, P4-MP, and P4-L-MP, effectively inhibiting HIV infectivity in vitro, stand out as most promising. Their efficacy against other brain-targeting viruses (Dengue, Zika, and SARS-CoV-2) is currently under evaluation, with preliminary results confirming that PPCs are a promising strategy to treat viral brain infections.
Topics & Concepts
ChemistryConjugateBlood–brain barrierPorphyrinPeptideHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)BiophysicsBiochemistryVirologyCentral nervous systemNeuroscienceMathematicsBiologyMathematical analysisHIV Research and TreatmentAdenosine and Purinergic SignalingSupramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials