Compounds, compositions and methods for inhibiting a pathogen and/or modifying mucus

1. A method of modifying mucus in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising:

administering a nitric oxide (NO)-releasing biopolymer to the subject, wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is mucoadhesive and is administered to the subject in an amount that is mucolytic and antimicrobial, thereby modifying mucus in the subject, and

wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer releases nitric oxide in an amount of about 0.1 to about 2 μmol of nitric oxide per mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer and/or has a half-life of about 15 minutes to about 24 hours, each as measured in vitro via chemiluminescence with 1.0 mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer in 30 mL of deoxygenated phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37° C. with analysis terminated when NO concentrations are below 10 ppb NO/mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the administering comprises contacting mucus present in the subject with the NO-releasing biopolymer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in increasing mucus clearance from the subject compared to a control.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in inhibiting or killing a pathogen in mucus present in the subject.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is administered at a concentration that reduces the growth or kills one or more pathogens selected from the group consisting of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Stenotrophomonas maltophillia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium abscessus, and Mycobacterium intracelullare.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in decreasing mucus viscosity and/or elasticity in the subject by at least 10% compared to mucus viscosity and/or elasticity in the subject prior to the administering step and/or compared to a control mucus viscosity and/or elasticity.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in the NO-releasing biopolymer degrading at least a portion of mucus present in the subject.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in the NO-releasing biopolymer reducing mucin size and/or damaging the three-dimensional mucin network of at least a portion of mucus present in the subject.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in the NO-releasing biopolymer altering DNA present in the mucus.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the NO-releasing biopolymer results in clearing from the subject mucus present in an airway, lung, bronchi, and/or trachea of the subject.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject has or is suspected to have cystic fibrosis.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer releases nitric oxide for at least about 6 hours, as measured in vitro via chemiluminescence with 1.0 mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer in 30 mL of deoxygenated phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37° C. with analysis terminated when NO concentrations are below 10 ppb NO/mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is administered as a monotherapy.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is water soluble and/or has a molecular weight of about 10 kDa or less.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is a NO-releasing polyglucosamine.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer comprises at least one structural unit of Formula I:

and optionally at least one structural unit of Formula II:

wherein,

R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 , if present, are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —(C═O)C 1-5 alkyl, and C 1-5 alkyl;

, in each instance, is a single or double bond,

wherein in each instance where it is a double bond, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 or R 4 attached to the double bond-O is absent; when R 1 is absent, R 5 is hydrogen, hydroxyl, C 1-5 alkyl or C 1-5 alkoxy; when R 3 is absent, R 6 is hydrogen, hydroxyl, C 1-5 alkyl or C 1-5 alkoxy;

wherein in each instance where it is a single bond, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 or R 4 attached to the double bond-O is present; when R 1 is present, R 5 is hydrogen; when R 3 is present, R 6 is hydrogen;

W is -(Q-A) p -B, Q-A-B, or —C 1-20 alkyl-A-B;

Q is —(CR c R d ) v —;

wherein R c and R d are, in each instance, independently hydrogen or C 1-5 alkyl; and v is an integer from 2 to 6;

p is an integer from 1 to 100;

A is

 wherein, L is S, O or N; and

G, in each instance, is independently, hydrogen, or is taken together with L to form a nitric oxide donor or is absent;

X is hydrogen, C 1-5 alkyl or is taken together with N to form a nitric oxide donor;

B is absent or is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, C 1-5 alkyl, or —Y—Z, wherein Y is a spacer and Z is a polymer, terminus, or C 1-20 alkyl;

D is —NR a R b , wherein R a and R b are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, formyl, —(C═O)C 1-5 alkyl, C 1-5 alkyl and C 1-5 alkyl ester;

or D is

wherein the polyglucosamine comprises at least one nitric oxide donor; and

wherein G is taken together with L to form the at least one nitric oxide donor or X is taken together with N to form the at least one nitric oxide donor.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer comprises at least one nitric oxide donor that is a diazeniumdiolate.

18. A method of modifying mucus, the method comprising:

contacting a nitric oxide (NO)-releasing biopolymer to mucus, wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer is mucoadhesive and in an amount that is mucolytic and antimicrobial, thereby modifying the mucus, and

wherein the NO-releasing biopolymer releases nitric oxide in an amount of about 0.1 to about 2 μmol of nitric oxide per mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer and/or has a half-life of about 15 minutes to about 24 hours, each as measured in vitro via chemiluminescence with 1.0 mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer in 30 mL of deoxygenated phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 37° C. with analysis terminated when NO concentrations are below 10 ppb NO/mg of the NO-releasing biopolymer.