|








| |
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, September 2004, p . 3272-3278, Vol . 48, No . 9
The Novel Azole R126638 Is a Selective Inhibitor of Ergosterol Synthesis in Candida albicans, Trichophyton spp., and Microsporum canis
Hugo Vanden Bossche,1, Jannie Ausma,2* Hilde Bohets,1 Karen Vermuyten,1 Gustaaf Willemsens,1 Patrick Marichal,1 Lieven Meerpoel,1 Frank Odds,3 and Marcel Borgers2
Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, a Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse,1
Barrier Therapeutics, Geel, Belgium,2
School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom3
Received 23 April 2004/
Returned for modification 20 May 2004/
Accepted 26 May 2004
R126638 is a novel triazole with in vitro activity similar to that of itraconazole against dermatophytes, Candida spp., and Malassezia spp . In animal models of dermatophyte infections, R126638 showed superior antifungal activity . R126638 inhibits ergosterol synthesis in Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, and Microsporum canis at nanomolar concentrations, with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) similar to those of itraconazole . The decreased synthesis of ergosterol and the concomitant accumulation of 14 -methylsterols provide indirect evidence that R126638 inhibits the activity of CYP51 that catalyzes the oxidative removal of the 14 -methyl group of lanosterol or eburicol . The IC50s for cholesterol synthesis from acetate in human hepatoma cells were 1.4 µM for itraconazole and 3.1 µM for R126638 . Compared to itraconazole (IC50 = 3.5 µM), R126638 is a poor inhibitor of the 1 -hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (IC50 > 10 µM) . Micromolar concentrations of R126638 and itraconazole inhibited the 24-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and the conversion of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 into polar metabolites . At concentrations up to 10 µM, R126638 had almost no effect on cholesterol side chain cleavage (CYP11A1), 11ß-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), 17-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase (CYP17), aromatase (CYP19), or 4-hydroxylation of all-trans retinoic acid (CYP26) . At 10 µM, R126638 did not show clear inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C10, CYP2C19, or CYP2E1 . Compared to itraconazole, R126638 had a lower interaction potential with testosterone 6ß hydroxylation and cyclosporine hydroxylation, both of which are catalyzed by CYP3A4, whereas both antifungals inhibited the CYP3A4-catalyzed hydroxylation of midazolam similarly . The results suggest that R126638 has promising properties and merits further in vivo investigations for the treatment of dermatophyte and yeast infections .
R126638 (Fig . 1) is a new triazole derivative with potent antifungal activities in vitro against Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton spp., Malassezia spp., and Candida albicans comparable to those of itraconazole (14) . In guinea pig models of cutaneous M . canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes infections, R126638 consistently showed antifungal activity superior to that of itraconazole (14) . Clinical studies are in progress to determine the value of R126638 for the oral treatment of dermatophytosis .
| FIG . 1 . Chemical structure of R126638 (C35H39F2N7O4) . Molecular weight, 659.74.
| |
The antifungal activities of azole derivatives such as miconazole, clotrimazole, bifonazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole, and voriconazole arise from a complex multimechanistic process initiated by the inhibition of a cytochrome P450 (CYP) involved in the biosynthesis of ergosterol, namely, CYP51 (also called Erg11p, according to different gene-based nomenclatures) (6, 16, 20, 24) . CYP51 (the product of the CYP51 gene) catalyzes the oxidative removal of the 14 -methyl group of lanosterol or eburicol .
Azole antifungal agents also affect other CYPs . At concentrations >100 nM, ketoconazole inhibits not only the mammalian CYP51 but also the 17-hydroxylase-17,20-lyase (CYP17), the cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1), and the 11ß-hydroxylase (CYP11B1) (18) . Itraconazole is almost devoid of effects on steroid metabolism (19) . However, like ketoconazole (10, 29), itraconazole inhibits CYP3A4, a major drug-metabolizing P450 isoform in the human liver (10, 29) . Lamb et al . (10) compared the inhibition by ketoconazole and itraconazole of human CYP3A4 and C . albicans CYP51 following heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of ketoconazole and itraconazole for CYP3A4 inhibition were 250 and 200 nM, respectively . The IC50s of ketoconazole and itraconazole for CYP51 inhibition were 8 and 7.6 nM, respectively . Fluconazole, miconazole (29), and voriconazole (6) are inhibitors of CYP2C9, which plays a major role in the metabolism of commonly prescribed drugs, such as phenytoin, S-warfarin, and a range of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (11) . Voriconazole also inhibits CYP2C19 (S-mephenytoin hydroxylase) and CYP3A4 (6, 7) . The ideal azole antifungals are those that react strongly with fungal CYP51 and that have weak activities against mammalian CYPs .
Preclinical studies of new triazoles often consist of an in vitro test to help select congeners that will have the least drug-drug interactions in clinical trials .
In this study we describe the effects of R126638 and itraconazole on ergosterol synthesis in C . albicans, T . mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, and M . canis and on CYP-mediated reactions in mammalian cells, human liver and placental microsomes, rat testis microsomes, bovine adrenocortical and rat kidney mitochondria, and human skin epidermis .
Antifungal drugs.
Analytical-grade powders of itraconazole and R126638, (2S-cis)-1-{4-[4-(4-{[4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)-1,3-dioxalan-2-yl]methoxy}phenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]phenyl}-3-(1-methyl-ethyl)-2-imidazolidinone, both from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (Beerse, Belgium), were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) . The stock solutions (10 mM) were further diluted in 100% DMSO and added to the incubation mixtures at a final solvent concentration of 0.1% .
Cells.
he C . albicans (B2630), T . rubrum (B68183), T . mentagrophytes (B32663), and M . canis (B68128) isolates were from the Janssen Pharmaceutica collection . The mammalian cells used were human hepatoma cells (HepG2, ATCC HB 8065), human tongue squamous carcinoma cells (SCC25, ATCC CRL 1628), and HD-11 cells (v-myc-transformed chicken myelomonocytic cell line; a gift from Thomas Graf, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany) .
Inoculum preparation and culture conditions.
C . albicans (2.5 x 107 cells) was grown in 100 ml of CYG medium (casein hydrolysate [Merck, Darmstadt, Germany], yeast extract [Difco, Detroit, Mich.], and glucose, each at a concentration of 5 g liter1) in 500-ml Erlenmeyer flasks in a reciprocating shaker, set at 100 strokes per min, at 37°C (9) . T . rubrum, T . mentagrophytes, and M . canis were grown at 30°C on potato dextrose agar (39 g liter1; Difco) .
Ergosterol synthesis experiments.
To study the effects of R126638 and itraconazole on ergosterol synthesis in C . albicans, 100 ml of CYG medium was supplemented with 5 µCi of sodium [14C]acetate (specific activity, 58 µCi mmol1; Radiochemical Center, Amersham, United Kingdom) and different concentrations of an azole antifungal and/or DMSO immediately before inoculation (12) . Inoculation (2.5 x 105 cells ml1) and growth conditions were as described above . After 24 h of growth, cell concentrations were determined with a Coulter counter, as described earlier (21) . Cells were collected by centrifugation at 1,500 x g, and the cell pellet was washed twice with distilled water . The pellets were suspended in 8 ml of water and added to 5 g of acid-washed glass beads (diameter, 0.40 to 0.45 mm) in Packard Super polyethylene vials . Cells were shaken vigorously in a Retsch laboratory mixer mill 2000 set at maximum speed for 5 min . The homogenates were quantitatively separated from the glass beads, supplemented with 15% KOH dissolved in 90% ethanol, and saponified at 85°C . Nonsaponifiable lipids were extracted with 1 volume of n-heptane (spectrograde) (12) .
M . canis, T . mentagrophytes, and T . rubrum conidia were collected after 2 to 3 weeks of growth by pipetting a solution of 0.01% Tween 40 onto the agar surface, followed by agitation . The culture suspensions were transferred to 500-ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing three layers of sterile glass beads (diameter, 0.40 to 0.45 mm) . The flasks were shaken on a gyratory shaker at 250 rpm for 30 min, after which the suspensions were filtered through sterile glass wool and the filtrate was centrifuged aseptically for 20 min at 5,000 x g . The pellets were washed twice with physiological saline . To evaluate the effects of R126638 and itraconazole on ergosterol synthesis, T . mentagrophytes (2.5 x 105 conidia), T . rubrum (5 x 105 conidia), or M . canis (5 x 105 conidia) was inoculated in 75 ml of PYG medium, which contained 10 g of polypeptone, 10 g of yeast extract, and 40 g of glucose per liter, and were grown in 175-cm2 Falcon culture flasks at 30°C . Itraconazole or R126638 and/or DMSO was added to the medium immediately before inoculation . After 32 h (T . mentagrophytes), 40 h (T . rubrum), and 72 h (M . canis) of growth, 5 µCi of sodium [14C]acetate was added . T . mentagrophytes was grown for another 16 h, and T . rubrum and M . canis were grown for another 24 h . At the end of the incubation period, mycelium was collected by filtration on 8-µm-pore-size Millipore HAWP filters and washed with distilled water . The pellets were homogenized and saponified, and the nonsaponifiable lipids were extracted as described above for C . albicans . The total radioactivity in the extracts was determined by liquid scintillation counting (22) .
The heptane extracts were dried under a stream of nitrogen and dissolved in minimal volumes of methanol-water (95:5) . Sterols were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a Varian 9010 liquid chromatograph equipped with a Varian 9095 automatic injector, a Varian 9065 Polychrom detector, and a Berthold LB507A HPLC radioactivity monitor with Pico Aqua (Canberra Packard) as a scintillant and connected to a Compaq 386/33 computer (23) .
Cholesterol synthesis.
The effects of R126638 and itraconazole on cholesterol synthesis from sodium [14C]acetate in human hepatoma cells (HepG2) were studied as described previously (22) . Cholesterol and its precursors were separated by thin-layer chromatography on precoated silica gel plates (no . 5554-60F254; Merck) and developed in a solvent system consisting of heptane-diisopropylether-acetic acid-ethyl acetate (60:40:4:34.7; vol/vol/vol/vol) . To visualize the radioactive fractions, the thin-layer chromatography plates were exposed to Kodak autoradiograph film for 3 days . The fractions were quantitated by digitizing the films with an RX5 video camera attached to a Macintosh IIfx computer . Integration of the density was done by means of Image (version 1.28) software .
Cholesterol side chain cleavage, 11ß-hydroxylase, and androgen and estrogen biosynthesis.
Cholesterol side chain cleavage and 11ß-hydroxylase were studied by using extracts from sonicated bovine adrenocortical mitochondria (25) .
Androgen biosynthesis from [14C]pregnenolone in S 10,000 fractions (microsomes plus cytosol) of Wistar rat testes was studied as described previously (26) .
The conversion of [3H]androstenedione to estrone by aromatase in human placental microsomes was carried out as described previously (22) .
Retinoic acid metabolism.
Human skin was obtained from patients undergoing plastic surgery at local hospitals and was immediately transported to the laboratory in sterile transport medium (T medium) containing phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; Gibco) with calcium (CaCl2 · 2H2O; 0.132 g liter1) and magnesium (MgCl2 · 6H2O; 0.10 g liter1) but without sodium bicarbonate . T medium also contained 10 µg of gentamicin ml of PBS1 . Upon arrival, the skin was washed three times with T medium, and the adipose tissue was scraped off . Punch specimens of 0.8 cm in diameter were obtained with a Keyes' skin puncher and placed in cold normal human keratinocyte medium (NHK medium) (27) . NHK medium contained 3 parts Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM; Gibco) and 1 part Ham's F-12 medium (Gibco) plus 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 2 mM L-glutamine, 2 nM triiodothyronine (T3), 0.18 mM adenine, 0.1 nM cholera toxin, 5 µg of gentamicin, 0.4 µg of hydrocortisone, 5 µg of insulin, 5 µg of transferrin, and 10 ng of epidermal growth factor per ml of medium . Fifty skin punch specimens (diameter, 8 mm) were incubated overnight at 4°C in 15 ml of PBS (without calcium or magnesium) containing 2 ml of Dispase II (24 U ml1; Boehringer, Mannheim, Germany) . After incubation, the epidermis was separated from the dermis with sterile forceps and placed in a six-well plate (two epidermal sheets per well), dermal side down, on 2 ml of NHK medium containing 2 µl of drug and/or DMSO and 1 µCi of [11,12-3H(N)]all-trans retinoic acid (20 pmol; specific activity, 50.7 Ci mmol1; New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass.) . After 24 h of incubation at 37°C in a 5% CO2-humidified atmosphere, the medium was extracted for 30 min with 5 ml of ethyl acetate containing 0.005% (wt/vol) butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) . After evaporation of the organic solvent the samples were analyzed by HPLC as described by Van Wauwe et al . (28) . All operations were carried out in a darkened room illuminated with yellow light .
25-Hydroxyvitamin D3-1 -hydroxylase.
v-myc-transformed chicken myelomonocytic (HD-11) cells (1) were grown on DMEM supplemented with 4 mM glutamine, 10% FCS, and 1% antibiotica-antimycotica mixture (Gibco) . Monolayers of HD-11 cells were preincubated for 16 h in serum-free medium, after which the medium was replaced by 2 ml of fresh medium, to which drugs and/or DMSO was added . The reaction was started by adding 100 pmol of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, of which 0.3 pmol was [26,27-3H]25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (specific activity, 165 Ci.mmol1; New England Nuclear) . At the end of the 3-h incubation period, the medium was transferred into a brown test tube containing 3 ml of chloroform and 0.5 ml of 10% formic acid . The cells were trypsinized with 1 ml of 0.125% trypsin-0.01% EDTA, and after 10 to 15 min of incubation at room temperature, the trypsinized cells were combined with the medium-chloroform mixture . The six-well plates were washed twice with 1.5 ml of methanol . After 20 min of extraction, the chloroform layer was separated by centrifugation (10 min at 2,400 rpm [MSE-GF8 centrifuge]) and dried under a stream of nitrogen . 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 and its metabolites were separated by HPLC (Zorbax 5Si column; 250 by 4.5 mm; 5 µm; 30°C; flow rate, 1 ml min1) by a modification of the method described by Jones et al . (9) .
25-Hydroxyvitamin D3-24-hydroxylase.
Male Wistar rats (weight, 200 to 220 g) were pretreated (intraperitoneally) with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1 µg kg of body weight1 per day) for three consecutive days . The animals were left for the last 24 h without food but with free access to water (8) . Kidney mitochondria were isolated as described by Vieth and Fraser (30) . They were suspended in ice-cold incubation medium, composed of 50 mM Tris-acetate buffer (pH 7.42), 10 mM MgCl2 · 6H2O, 12 mM isocitrate, and 2.5 µg of diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine . Incubations were carried out in brown tubes containing the following in a final volume of 1 ml of medium to which drugs and/or DMSO was added: 2 mg of mitochondrial protein, 500 pmol of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and 0.05 µCi of [26,27-3H]25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (specific activity, 165 Ci mmol1; New England Nuclear) . After incubation at 37°C for 30 min in a shaking water bath, the reaction was stopped by addition of 3.75 ml of methanol-chloroform (1:2; vol/vol) containing 0.01% BHT . Extraction and separation of the metabolites were performed as described above .
Catabolism of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.
Squamous carcinoma (SCC25) cells were seeded at a density of 2 x 105 cells per 2 ml in six-well plates on a 1:1 mixture of Ham's F-12 medium and DMEM (Gibco) containing 0.36 µg of hydrocortisone ml1 and 10% FCS . The cells were grown for 4 days at 37°C in a humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere . At the end of the incubation period, the medium was replaced by serum-free keratinocyte medium (Gibco), and the confluent cells were incubated for an additional 3 days .
Human hepatoma (HepG2) cells were seeded at a density of 105 cells ml1 in six-well plates (2 ml of cell suspension per well) and grown for 1 week in MEM-Rega 3 medium (Gibco) containing 10% FCS .
Sixteen hours before and at the onset of the experiment, the media were replaced by 2 ml of serum-free keratinocyte medium (SCC25 cells) or serum-free MEM-Rega 3 medium (HepG2 cells) . The reaction was initiated by adding 0.1 µCi of 1 ,25-[26, 27-3H]dihydroxyvitamin D3 (specific activity, 170 Ci mmol1) in 10 µl of ethanol and 2 µl of drug and/or DMSO . At the end of a 3-h incubation period, substrate and metabolites were extracted and separated as described above .
Effects of R126638 on oxidative drug metabolism by human liver microsomes.
Microsomes were prepared from four human livers as described previously (3) . All inhibition experiments were performed in a pooled batch of microsomes, which was characterized for the different CYP activities (3) . Incubations were performed in triplicate at concentrations of 0, 1, 3, 10, and 30 mM R126638 for the CYP3A4 substrates cyclosporine, testosterone, and midazolam and the CYP2C19 substrate S-mephenytoin . Itraconazole was included as a reference compound . Inhibition of the other CYP forms was investigated at an R126638 concentration of 10 µM . The incubation conditions are summarized in Table 1 .
| TABLE 1 . Incubation conditions of the CYP probe substrates in human liver microsomes
| |
The percent inhibition of the metabolism of a probe substrate or the percent inhibition of metabolite formation after incubation with R126638 or itraconazole was determined as follows: 100 [(C+ inhibitor/Ccontrol) x 100], where C+ inhibitor and Ccontrol represent the overall metabolism or the relative amounts of the metabolites in the presence and the absence of R126638, respectively .
IC50s were determined from a plot of the percent inhibition against the logarithm of the R126638 or itraconazole concentration . The value was obtained by regression analysis of the linear part of the curve .
Effect on fungal CYP-dependent reactions.
To prove that R126638 shares with other azole antifungal agents the property of CYP51-dependent ergosterol synthesis inhibition, its effects on ergosterol synthesis were studied in C . albicans, T . mentagrophytes, T . rubrum, and M . canis (Table 2) . Itraconazole was used as the standard throughout the study . After 24 h of growth of C . albicans in CYG medium supplemented with [14C]acetate and R126638 or itraconazole, the IC50s of R126638 and itraconazole for ergosterol synthesis were 2.2 and 2.8 nM, respectively . Although the IC50s were almost identical, R126638 was a more potent inhibitor than itraconazole; 94% inhibition of [14C]acetate incorporation into ergosterol was achieved at 30 nM; at least 100 nM itraconazole was needed to achieve a similar level of inhibition (Fig . 2) .
| TABLE 2 . Effects of R126638 and itraconazole on ergosterol synthesis from [14C]acetate
| |
R126638 and itraconazole showed similar inhibitory activities against sterol synthesis in T . rubrum, with IC50s of 33 and 18.5 nM, respectively . R126638 (IC50 = 22 nM) was 3.7 times more active than itraconazole (IC50 = 82 nM) against ergosterol biosynthesis in T . mentagrophytes . Compared to itraconazole, R126638 had a similar activity against sterol synthesis in M . canis, with IC50s of 280 and 310 nM, respectively .
Inhibition of ergosterol synthesis in C . albicans coincided with the accumulation of 14 -methyl-ergosta-8,24(28)-dien-3ß,6 -diol (3,6-diol) (Fig . 2); small amounts of two other 14-methylated sterols, i.e., obtusifoliol and eburicol (24-methylenedihydrolanosterol) also accumulated .
In the presence of either R126638 or itraconazole, T . rubrum, T . mentagrophytes, and M . canis accumulated much more eburicol than 3,6-diol and obtusifoliol (Fig . 3) .
| FIG . 3 . Effects of R126638 (left panels) or itraconazole (right panels) on [14C]acetate incorporation into ergosterol by T . rubrum, T . mentagrophytes, or M . canis. Azoles were added immediately after inoculation; [14C]acetate was added after 0, 72, 32, or 40 h of incubation . Thereafter, T . mentagrophytes was incubated for another 16 h and T . rubrum and M . canis were incubated for another 24 h . The results are expressed as the percentage of radioactivity incorporated into desmethylsterols (ergosterol), 14-methylated sterols, and squalene .
, ergosterol;
, eburicol;
, obtusifoliol;
, 3,6-diol.
| |
Effects on mammalian CYP-dependent reactions.
In contrast to the potent inhibitory action of R126638 on ergosterol biosynthesis in intact C . albicans cells, a R126638 concentration 440 times higher was needed to inhibit mammalian cholesterol synthesis (Fig . 4) . Fifty percent inhibition of cholesterol synthesis from [14C]acetate was found when human hepatoma cells were incubated with 1.4 µM itraconazole or 3.1 µM R126638 .
The adrenal mitochondrial cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1) and 11ß-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), the 17-hydroxylase plus 17,20-lyase (CYP17) in the rat testis, the human placental aromatase (CYP19), and the 4-hydroxylation of all-trans retinoic acid (CYP26) in human skin epidermis were not affected at the concentrations of R126638 (10 µM) and itraconazole (5 µM) used .
As shown in Table 3, R126638 was also a poor inhibitor of the 1 -hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in chicken myelomonocytic cells; only 26% inhibition was achieved with 10 µM R126638 . The IC50 of itraconazole for this CYP27B1-catalyzed reaction was 3.5 µM .
| TABLE 3 . Effects of R126638 and itraconazole on mammalian CYP-dependent reactions
| |
Both R126638 and itraconazole inhibited the 24-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 at micromolar concentrations in rat kidney mitochondria . The catabolism of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by human squamous carcinoma (SCC25) cells and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells was inhibited at lower concentrations . The IC50s of R126638 for the conversion of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 into more polar metabolites by SCC25 and HepG2 cells were 0.17 and 1.82 µM, respectively, and those of itraconazole were 0.42 and 0.67 µM, respectively .
Effects on oxidative drug metabolism by human liver microsomes.
The inhibitory effects of 10 µM R126638 on debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation (CYP2D6), coumarin 7-hydroxylation (CYP2A6), caffeine N3-demethylation (CYP1A2), tolbutamide hydroxylation (CYP2C8, -9, and -10), phenytoin hydroxylation (CYP2C8, -9, and -10), S-mephenytoin 4-hydroxylation (CYP2C19), and chlorzoxazone hydroxylation (CYP2E1) were studied in human liver microsomes . For R126638, no clear inhibition of the metabolism of the CYP probe substrates could be observed .
The effects of R126638 on the metabolism of the CYP3A4 substrates testosterone, cyclosporine, and midazolam were investigated in more detail . The inhibitory potential of R126638 was compared to the inhibitory capacity of itraconazole in the same set of experiments . On the basis of the testosterone 6ß hydroxylation data and the overall metabolism data for cyclosporine, a lower intrinsic interaction potential with CYP3A4 substrates was observed for R126638 (Table 3) than for itraconazole . However, these triazole derivatives inhibited the formation of the 1'-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy metabolites from midazolam at similar concentrations (Table 3) .
Imidazole and triazole derivatives exhibit their antifungal activities by inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis . Ergosterol is an essential component of the fungal plasma membrane: it regulates membrane permeability and the activities of membrane-bound enzymes, is a major component of secretory vesicles, and has an important role in mitochondrial respiration (5, 20) . The target enzyme of azole antifungal agents is the sterol 14 -demethylase, a CYP (CYP51) enzyme encoded by the CYP51 gene . Interaction with CYP51 results in a decreased availability of ergosterol and the accumulation of 14-methylsterols, such as 3,6-diol, obtusifoliol, and eburicol .
R126638 and itraconazole are almost equipotent inhibitors of ergosterol biosynthesis in C . albicans and the dermatophytes studied . The decreased synthesis of ergosterol and the concomitant accumulation of 14 -methylsterols provide indirect evidence that R126638 inhibits CYP51 in C . albicans, T . rubrum, T . mentagrophytes, and M . canis at nanomolar concentrations . The antifungal activity of R126638 in vivo was consistently superior to that of itraconazole (14) . Since R126638 is an almost equipotent inhibitor of the 14 -demethylase as itraconazole, the higher degree of efficacy against guinea pig and mouse dermatophytoses (14) suggests that R126638 has a better pharmacokinetic profile in these particular animal models .
R126638 shares with other azole antifungal agents the capability to block mammalian cholesterol synthesis at CYP51 . However, as with the other azoles (e.g., itraconazole) the concentration required to cause the same degree of inhibition is much higher than that required to inhibit C . albicans and dermatophytes . Although the effects of R126638 on the in vivo 14 -demethylation of lanosterol have not been studied, studies with itraconazole suggest that the interaction with mammalian cholesterol synthesis in vivo might be negligible . Eight days of treatment of female rats with itraconazole doses as high as 40 mg kg of body weight1 did not affect liver cholesterol synthesis (17) .
Micromolar concentrations of itraconazole are needed to inhibit the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 -hydroxylase (CYP27B1) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-24-hydroxylase (CYP24); R126638 is even less active . Both triazoles are, at least in the models used, more active against the further metabolism of 1 ,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 . In particular, the catabolism of 1 ,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by human tongue squamous carcinoma cells is sensitive to inhibition . Again, however, R126638 affects 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 at concentrations much higher than those needed to inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis in C . albicans .
Contrary to ketoconazole (28), both itraconazole and R126638 do not interfere with the in vitro metabolism of retinoic acid . R126638 at concentrations up to 10 µM did not affect CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C10, CYP2C19, or CYP2E1 activity .
Back and Tjia (2) studied ketoconazole, itraconazole, and fluconazole for their effects on the metabolism of cyclosporine by human liver microsomes . Cyclosporine is metabolized by the major drug-metabolizing CYP isoform in human liver, CYP3A4 . Ketoconazole caused marked inhibition of cyclosporine hydroxylase, with an IC50 of 0.24 µM; itraconazole was 10 times less potent, and the fluconazole IC50 was greater than 100 µM (2) . In the present study the IC50 of itraconazole was similar; the inhibitory potency of R126638 was much lower . CYP3A4 also contributes to testosterone 6ß hydroxylation . Again, R126638 showed a lower interaction potential with testosterone 6ß-hydroxylase than itraconazole . Although the level of inhibition of these CYP3A4-catalyzed reactions by R126638 was much less than that by itraconazole, R126638 and itraconazole at similar concentrations inhibited the formation of the 1'-hydroxy and 4-hydroxy metabolites of midazolam, a well-known substrate of CYP3A4 . The clinical relevance of these effects observed in vitro will be further studied .
Our results suggest that R126638 has promising properties and is deserving of further clinical investigations as a treatment for dermatophyte and yeast infections of the skin, since R126638 showed high degrees of efficacy in animal models and has a low affinity for most mammalian P450s studied .
* Corresponding author . Mailing address: Barrier Therapeutics nv, Cipalstraat, 3, B2440 Geel, Belgium . Phone: 32 14 570524 . Fax: 32 14 570515 . E-mail: jausma{at}barriertherapeutics.com .
Present address: Steenweg op Gierle, 68, B2300 Turnhout, Belgium .
- Adams, J . S., T . G . Beeker, T . Hongo, and T . L . Clemens. 1990 . Constitutive expression of a vitamin D1-hydroxylase in a myelomonocytic cell line: a model for studying 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D production in vitro . J . Bone Mineral . Res . 12:1265-1269.
- Back, D . J., and J . F . Tjia. 1991 . Comparative effects of the antimycotic drugs ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole and terbinafine on the metabolism of cyclosporin by human liver microsomes . Br . J . Clin . Pharmacol . 32:624-626.
- Bohets, H., K . Lavrijsen, J . Hendrickx, J . Van Houdt, V . Van Genechten, P . Verboven, W . Meuldermans, and J . Heykants. 2000 . Identification of the cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolism of cisapride: in vitro studies of potential co-medication interactions . Br . J . Pharmacol . 129:1655-1667.
- Bouillon, R., W . H . Okamura, and A . W . Norman. 1995 . Structure- function relationships in the vitamin D endocrine system . Endocrine Rev . 16:200-257.
- Daum, G., N . D . Lees, M . Bard, and R . Dickson. 1998 . Biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology of lipids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Yeast 14:1471-1510.
- Ghannoum, M . A., and D . M . Kuhn. 2002 . Voriconazolebetter changes for patients with invasive mycoses . Eur . J . Med . Res . 7:242-256.
- Groll, A . H., H . Kolve, K . Ehlert, M . Paulussen, and J . Vormoor. 2004 . Pharmacokinetic interaction between voriconazole and cyclosporin A following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation . J . Antimicrob . Chemother . 53:113-114.
- Hagenfeldt-Pernow, Y., Y . Ohyama, E . Sudjana-Sugiaman, K . Okuda, and I . Björkhem. 1994 . Short-term starvation increases calcidiol-24-hydroxylase activity and mRNA level in rat kidney . Eur . J . Endocrinol . 130:608-611.
- Jones, G., D . Vriezen, D . Lohnes, V . Palda, and N . S . Edwards. 1987 . Side-chain hydroxylation of vitamin D3 and its physiological implications . Steroids 49:29-53.
- Lamb, D . C., D . E . Kelly, B . C . Baldwin, and S . L . Kelly. 2000 . Differential inhibition of human CYP3A4 and Candida albicans CYP51 with azole antifungal agents . Chem . Biol . Interact . 125:165-175.
- Lee, C . R., J . A . Goldstein, and J . A . Pieper. 2002 . Cytochrome P450 2C9 polymorphism: a comprehensive review of the in vitro and human data . Pharmacogenetics 12:251-263.
- Marichal, P., J . Gorrens, L . Laurijssens, K . Vermuyten, C . Van Hove, L . Le Jeune, P . Verhasselt, D . Sanglard, M . Borgers, F . C . S . Ramaekers, F . Odds, and H . Vanden Bossche. 1999 . Accumulation of 3-ketosteroids induced by itraconazole in azole-resistant clinical Candida albicans isolates . Antimicrob . Agents Chemother . 43:2663-2670.
- Miller, G . L. 1959 . Protein determination for large numbers of samples . Anal . Chem . 31:964-971.
- Odds, F . C., J . Ausma, F . Van Gerven, L . Meerpoel, J . Heeres, H . Vanden Bossche, and M . Borgers. 2004 . In vitro and in vivo activities of the novel azole antifungal agent R126638 . Antimicrob . Agents Chemother . 48:388-391.
- Patki, K . C., L . L . von Moltke, and D . J . Greenblat. 2003 . In vitro metabolism of midazolam, triazolam, nifedipine, and testosterone by human liver microsomes and recombinant cytochromes P450: role of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 . Drug Metab . Dispos . 31:938-944.
- Sanglard, D., and J . Bille. 2002 . Current understanding of the modes of action of and resistance mechanisms to conventional and emerging antifungal agents for treatment of Candida infections, p . 349-383 . In R . A . Calderone (ed.), Candida and candidiasis . ASM Press, Washington, D.C.
- Vanden Bossche, H. 1987 . Itraconazole: a selective inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 dependent ergosterol biosynthesis, p . 207-221 . In R . A . Fromtling (ed.), Recent trends in the discovery, development and evaluation of antifungal agents . J . R . Prous Science Publishers, S.A., Barcelona, Spain.
- Vanden Bossche, H. 1992 . Inhibitors of P450-dependend steroid biosynthesis: from research to medical treatment . J . Steroid Biochem . Mol . Biol . 43:1003-1021.
- Vanden Bossche, H., D . Bellens, W . Cools, J . Gorrens, P . Marichal, H . Verhoeven, G . Willemsens, R . De Coster, D . Beerens, C . Haelterman, M.-C . Coene, W . Lauwers, and L . Le Jeune. 1986 . Cytochrome P450: target for itraconazole . Drug Dev . Res . 8:287-298.
- Vanden Bossche, H., M . Engelen, and F . Rochette. 2003 . Antifungal agents of use in animal healthchemical, biochemical and pharmacological aspects . J . Vet . Pharmacol . Ther . 26:5-29.
- Vanden Bossche, H., P . Marichal, J . Gorrens, D . Bellens, H . Verhoeven, M.-C . Coene, W . Lauwers, and P . A . J . Janssen. 1987 . Interaction of azole derivatives with cytochrome P450 systems in yeast, fungi, plants and mammalian cells . Pestic . Sci . 21:289-306.
- Vanden Bossche, H., P . Marichal, G . Willemsens, D . Bellens, J . Gorrens, I . Roels, M.-C . Coene, L . Le Jeune, and P . A . J . Janssen. 1990 . Saperconazole: a selective inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450-dependent ergosterol synthesis in Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes . Mycoses 33:335-352.
- Vanden Bossche, H., P . Marichal, L . Le Jeune, M.-C . Coene, J . Gorrens, and W . Cools. 1993 . Effects of itraconazole on cytochrome P-450-dependent sterol 14
-demethylation and reduction in Cryptococcus neoformans . Antimicrob . Agents Chemother . 37:2101-2105.
- Vanden Bossche, H., G . Willemsens, W . Cools, W . Lauwers, and L . Le Jeune. 1978 . Biochemical effects of miconazole on fungi . II . Inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis in Candida albicans . Chem . Biol . Interact . 21:59-78.
- Vanden Bossche, H., G . Willemsens, W . Cools, and D . Bellens. 1984 . Effects of etomidate on steroid biosynthesis in subcellular fractions of bovine adrenals . Biochem . Pharmacol . 33:3861-3868.
- Vanden Bossche, H., G . Willemsens, I . Roels, D . Bellens, H . Moereels, M.-C . Coene, L . Le Jeune, W . Lauwers, and P . A . J . Janssen. 1990 . R76713 and enantiomers: selective nonsteroidal inhibitors of the cytochrome P450-dependent oestrogen synthesis . Biochem . Pharmacol . 40:1707-1718.
- Vanden Bossche, H., G . Willemsens, H . Schreuders, M.-C . Coene, C . Van Hove, and W . Cools. 1993 . Use of human skin models in the study of retinoic acid metabolism and lipid synthesis, effects of liarozole, p . 61-76 . In V . Rogiers, W . Sonck, E . Shephard, and A . Vercruysse (ed.), Human cells in in vitro pharmaco-toxicology . VUBPRESS, Brussels, Belgium.
- Van Wauwe, J . P., M.-C . Coene, J . Goossens, G . Van Nyen, W . Cools, and P . A . J . Janssen. 1988 . Ketoconazole inhibits the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of all-trans-retinoic acid . J . Pharmacol . Exp . Ther . 245:718-722.
- Venkatakrishnan, K., L . L . von Moltke, and D . J . Greenblatt. 2000 . Effects of antifungal agents on oxidative drug metabolism: clinical relevance . Clin . Pharmacokinet . 38:111-180.
- Vieth, R., and D . Fraser. 1979 . Kinetic behaviour of 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1-hydroxylase and -24-hydroxylase in rat kidney mitochondria . J . Biol . Chem . 254:12455-12460.
Free Online Full-text Article
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
|