Rational design of novel CYP2A6 inhibitors.

Inhibition of CYP2A6-mediated nicotine metabolism can reduce cigarette smoking. We sought potent and selective CYP2A6 inhibitors to be used as leads for drugs useful in smoking reduction therapy, by evaluating CYP2A6 inhibitory effect of novel formyl, alkyl amine or carbonitrile substituted aromatic core structures. The most potent CYP2A6 inhibitors were thienopyridine-2-carbaldehyde, benzothienophene-3-ylmethanamine, benzofuran-5-carbaldehyde and indole-5-carbaldehyde, with IC50 values below 0.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel cyclic phosphates of 5-aminosalicylic acid as cytochrome p450-activated prodrugs.

Four novel cyclic phosphates of the anti-inflammatory agent 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) were designed and synthesized as cytochrome P450 (CYP)-activated prodrugs. These prodrugs can be used for targeting into gut wall, since these types of cyclic phosphates are known to be activated mainly by CYP3A forms, which are expressed not only in the liver but also in the small intestine and to a lesser extent in the colon. The present study shows that aromatic ring activating substituents, like chlorine, are definitely needed to obtain the desired enzymatic cleavage of the cyclic phosphate prodrugs of 5-ASA.

Antifungal activities of novel non-azole molecules against S. cerevisiae and C. albicans.

Because of the increasing number of immunocompromised patients and due to problems with antifungal treatment, especially with the most widely used antifungals, azoles, there is an urgent need for new, potent and safe antifungals with fewer cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated interactions with other drugs. In the present study, 54 novel non-azole molecules were selected with the help of molecular modelling and virtual molecule database screening to identify new fungistatic or fungicidic compounds with functional groups that would produce reactive intermediates killing the yeast cells. Database screening and selection of tested compounds were based on the construction of two pharmacophores and docking hits to the active site of the CYP51 homology model.