IgG Fc-binding motif-conjugated HIV-1 fusion inhibitor exhibits improved potency and in vivo half-life: Potential application in combination with broad neutralizing antibodies

PLoS Pathog. 2019 Dec 5;15(12):e1008082. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008082. eCollection 2019 Dec.

Abstract

The clinical application of conventional peptide drugs, such as the HIV-1 fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide, is limited by their short half-life in vivo. To overcome this limitation, we developed a new strategy to extend the in vivo half-life of a short HIV-1 fusion inhibitory peptide, CP24, by fusing it with the human IgG Fc-binding peptide (IBP). The newly engineered peptide IBP-CP24 exhibited potent and broad anti-HIV-1 activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.2 to 173.7 nM for inhibiting a broad spectrum of HIV-1 strains with different subtypes and tropisms, including those resistant to enfuvirtide. Most importantly, its half-life in the plasma of rhesus monkeys was 46.1 h, about 26- and 14-fold longer than that of CP24 (t1/2 = 1.7 h) and enfuvirtide (t1/2 = 3 h), respectively. IBP-CP24 intravenously administered in rhesus monkeys could not induce significant IBP-CP24-specific antibody response and it showed no obvious in vitro or in vivo toxicity. In the prophylactic study, humanized mice pretreated with IBP-CP24 were protected from HIV-1 infection. As a therapeutic treatment, coadministration of IBP-CP24 and normal human IgG to humanized mice with chronic HIV-1 infection resulted in a significant decrease of plasma viremia. Combining IBP-CP24 with a broad neutralizing antibody (bNAb) targeting CD4-binding site (CD4bs) in gp120 or a membrane proximal external region (MPER) in gp41 exhibited synergistic effect, resulting in significant dose-reduction of the bNAb and IBP-CP24. These results suggest that IBP-CP24 has the potential to be further developed as a new HIV-1 fusion inhibitor-based, long-acting anti-HIV drug that can be used alone or in combination with a bNAb for treatment and prevention of HIV-1 infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies / pharmacology*
  • HIV Fusion Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • HIV Fusion Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Half-Life
  • Humans
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Mice
  • Pyridines* / chemistry
  • Pyridines* / pharmacology
  • Receptors, IgG* / chemistry

Substances

  • 1-butyl-2-methyl-3-hydroxypyridin-4-one
  • Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies
  • HIV Fusion Inhibitors
  • Pyridines
  • Receptors, IgG