A novel class of fast-acting antimalarial agents: Substituted 15-membered azalides.

Background And Purpose: Efficacy of current antimalarial treatments is declining as a result of increasing antimalarial drug resistance, so new and potent antimalarial drugs are urgently needed. Azithromycin, an azalide antibiotic, was found useful in malaria therapy, but its efficacy in humans is low.

Experimental Approach: Four compounds belonging to structurally different azalide classes were tested and their activities compared to azithromycin and chloroquine.

Around the macrolide - Impact of 3D structure of macrocycles on lipophilicity and cellular accumulation.

The aim of this study was to investigate lipophilicity and cellular accumulation of rationally designed azithromycin and clarithromycin derivatives at the molecular level. The effect of substitution site and substituent properties on a global physico-chemical profile and cellular accumulation of investigated compounds was studied using calculated structural parameters as well as experimentally determined lipophilicity. In silico models based on the 3D structure of molecules were generated to investigate conformational effect on studied properties and to enable prediction of lipophilicity and cellular accumulation for this class of molecules based on non-empirical parameters.

Structure and conformational analysis of spiroketals from 6-O-methyl-9(E)-hydroxyiminoerythronolide A.

Three novel spiroketals were prepared by a one-pot transformation of 6-O-methyl-9(E)-hydroxyiminoerythronolide A. We present the formation of a [4.5]spiroketal moiety within the macrolide lactone ring, but also the unexpected formation of a 10-C=11-C double bond and spontaneous change of stereochemistry at position 8-C.

A comparison of in vitro ADME properties and pharmacokinetics of azithromycin and selected 15-membered ring macrolides in rodents.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of structural modifications on the 15-membered macrolactone ring and/or substituents on the in vitro ADME properties and in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) profile for selected derivatives in rodents in comparison to azithromycin. Azithromycin and seven selected 15-membered macrolide derivatives, modified either by removal of the sugar moieties, replacement of the amine with a lactam, or addition of lipophilic substituents, were screened in several in vitro ADME assays and in vivo PK studies in rodents. In vitro ADME profiling included assessment of passive permeability and P-gp substrate, metabolic stability in liver microsomes and hepatocytes, as well as CYP direct inhibition measurements.

Structure-property relationship for cellular accumulation of macrolones in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs).

Macrolones are a new class of antimicrobial compounds consisting of a macrolide scaffold linked to a 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid moiety via C(4″) position of a macrolide. As macrolides are known to possess favorable pharmacokinetic properties by accumulating in inflammatory cells, in this study we determined the intensity of accumulation in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) of 57 compounds of the macrolone class and analyzed the relationship between the molecular structure and this cellular pharmacokinetic property. Accumulation of macrolones ranged from 0 to 5.

Fluorescently labeled macrolides as a tool for monitoring cellular and tissue distribution of azithromycin.

Exceptional therapeutic effects of macrolides in treating various infections and inflammatory conditions can be significantly contributed to their unique pharmacokinetic properties. Macrolides accumulate in cells and tissues, with concentrations usually 10 to more than 100 times higher of those measured in plasma. Intracellular distribution of macrolides has so far been examined using extensive subcellular fractionation techniques, radiolabeled compounds and conventional pharmacokinetic methods.

Design, synthesis, and in vitro activity of novel 2'-O-substituted 15-membered azalides.

Malaria remains one of the most widespread human infectious diseases, and its eradication will largely depend on antimalarial drug discovery. Here, we present a novel approach to the development of the azalide class of antimalarials by describing the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel 2'-O-substituted-9-deoxo-9a-methyl-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A derivatives consisting of different quinoline moieties covalently liked to a 15-membered azalide scaffold at position 2'. By multistep straightforward synthesis, 19 new, stable, and soluble compounds were created and biologically profiled.

Novel hybrid molecules based on 15-membered azalide as potential antimalarial agents.

Malaria remains the most prevalent tropical disease, and due to the spread of resistant parasites novel therapeutics are urgently needed. Azithromycin has shown potential in malaria treatment so we designed hybrid azalide molecules with the aim to improve activity against and selectivity for the malaria parasite. Novel hybrid molecules comprising 4-aminoquinoline moiety covalently liked to 15-membered azalide scaffold at position C-3' were synthesized and biologically evaluated.

Physicochemical profile of macrolides and their comparison with small molecules.

Macrolides are stereospecific macrolactones of high molecular weights. Herein, 600 mostly semisynthetic macrolides are compared with 50,000 small non-macrolide synthetic molecules in terms of measured physicochemical properties in order to assess the drug-likeness and developability chances of macrolides. The pre-selected set of diverse macrolides is comprised mostly of derivatives of clarithromycin and azithromycin cores.

Antimalarial activity of 9a-N substituted 15-membered azalides with improved in vitro and in vivo activity over azithromycin.

Novel classes of antimalarial drugs are needed due to emerging drug resistance. Azithromycin, the first macrolide investigated for malaria treatment and prophylaxis, failed as a single agent and thus novel analogues were envisaged as the next generation with improved activity. We synthesized 42 new 9a-N substituted 15-membered azalides with amide and amine functionalities via simple and inexpensive chemical procedures using easily available building blocks.

Investigating the barriers to bioavailability of macrolide antibiotics in the rat.

The aim of this study was to compare the roles of gastrointestinal absorption and hepatic extraction as barriers to oral bioavailability for macrolide antibiotics erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and telithromycin. In this study, the in vitro metabolic stability in rat liver microsomes and hepatocytes, as well as the in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats were determined following intravenous, intraportal, oral and intraduodenal routes of administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for each compound for each route of administration.

Synthesis and activity of new macrolones: conjugates between 6(7)-(2'-aminoethyl)-amino-1-cyclopropyl-3-carboxylic acid (2'-hydroxyethyl) amides and 4″-propenoyl-azithromycin.

A set of novel macrolones containing the flexible C8 basic linker and quinolone 3-(2'-hydroxyethyl)carboxamido group has been prepared and structurally characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and molecular modeling. The new compounds were evaluated in vitro against a panel of erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Compared to azithromycin, most of the compounds exhibited improved in vitro potency against the key respiratory pathogens.

Characterization of rhodamine-123, calcein and 5(6)-carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (CDCF) export via MRP2 (ABCC2) in MES-SA and A549 cells.

Based on our initial results on the effects of several ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter inhibitors on rhodamine-123 efflux from A549, a human lung carcinoma, and MES-SA, a human uterine sarcoma cell line, the aim of this study was to identify the transporter responsible for this export. Export of two fluorescent dyes, rhodamine-123 and calcein, was investigated in both cell lines by testing five commonly used inhibitors of ABC transporters: verapamil, cyclosporin A, MK571, GF129018 and fumitremorgin C. A very high degree of correlation (R(2)=0.

Synthesis, structure-activity relationship, and antimalarial activity of ureas and thioureas of 15-membered azalides.

Azithromycin, a first member of the azalide family of macrolides, while having substantial antimalarial activity, failed as a single agent for malaria prophylaxis. In this paper we present the first analogue campaign to identify more potent compounds from this class. Ureas and thioureas of 15-membered azalides, N''-substituted 9a-(N'-carbamoyl-β-aminoethyl), 9a-(N'-thiocarbamoyl-β-aminoethyl), 9a-[N'-(β-cyanoethyl)-N'-(carbamoyl-β-aminoethyl)], 9a-[N'-(β-cyanoethyl)-N'-(thiocarbamoyl-β-aminoethyl)], 9a-{N'-[β-(ethoxycarbonyl)ethyl]-N'(carbamoyl-β-aminoethyl)}, and 9a-[N'-(β-amidoethyl)-N'-(carbamoyl-β-aminoethyl)] of 9-deoxo-9-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A, were synthesized and their biological properties evaluated.

The effect of apigenin on cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin genotoxicity in vitro and in vivo.

The aim of this study was to investigate the mutagenic and antigenotoxic effects of different doses of the flavonoid, apigenin, alone and in combination with the antitumor drugs, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin, in vitro and in vivo. Using bacterial reverse mutation inhibition in vitro, with and without metabolic activation, the effect of apigenin (10-400 μg/plate) was studied on genotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide (800 μg/plate) and by doxorubicin (0.2 μg/plate).

Crystal structure and physicochemical properties of crystalline form of 2'-O-{3-[(7-chloro-4-quinolinyl)amino]propyl}-9-deoxo-9a-methyl-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A.

The intent of the study was to prepare and characterize crystalline form of 2'-O-{3-[(7-chloro-4-quinolinyl)amino]propyl}-9-deoxo-9a-methyl-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (1), a novel 15-membered azalide derivative with antimalarial activity. The crystalline material was prepared by crystallization from acetonitrile reproducible in high yield and purity. Single crystal X-ray studies, X-ray powder diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, moisture adsorption, Karl Fischer titration, gas chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, solubility, and solid-state and solution stability were conducted to investigate physicochemical properties of the existing crystalline form.

An automated, polymer-assisted strategy for the preparation of urea and thiourea derivatives of 15-membered azalides as potential antimalarial chemotherapeutics.

A series of 15-membered azalide urea and thiourea derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine-sensitive (D6), chloroquine/pyremethamine resistant (W2) and multidrug resistant (TM91C235) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. We have developed an effective automated synthetic strategy for the rapid synthesis of urea/thiourea libraries of a macrolide scaffold. Compounds have been synthesized using a solution phase strategy with overall yields of 50-80%.

Modeling cellular pharmacokinetics of 14- and 15-membered macrolides with physicochemical properties.

Macrolides with 14- and 15-membered ring are characterized by high and extensive tissue distribution, as well as good cellular accumulation and retention. Since macrolide structures do not fit the Lipinski rule of five, macrolide pharmacokinetic properties cannot be successfully predicted by common models based on data for small molecules. Here we describe the development of the first models for macrolide cellular pharmacokinetics.

Comparison of pulmonary inflammatory and antioxidant responses to intranasal live and heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice.

Inflammatory and antioxidant responses, in male C57Bl6J mice, to single intranasal inoculations with live or heat-killed Streptococcus pneumoniae were studied in order to tease out differences in responses. Heat-killed bacteria elicited weak lung neutrophil infiltration and raised concentrations (peak 6-8 h), in serum or lung tissue, of CXCL1 and 2, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor, with later increases in CCL2 and IL-1β. Live bacteria induced profound pulmonary neutrophil infiltration and acute chemokine/cytokine elevations.

Determination of aqueous stability and degradation products of series of coumarin dimers.

The stability in aqueous solution of five classes of coumarin dimers (I-V, compounds 1-29) was studied by HPLC-MS/MS at various pH values. The relationship between chemical structure and stability is discussed. It was found that dimeric compounds with strong electron withdrawing groups (EWGs) on the α-carbon to the bridging C-atom are stable at all pH values, whereas other derivatives undergo retro-Michael addition at rates which are also affected by the substituents on the aromatic rings.

Synthesis and properties of macrolones characterized by two ether bonds in the linker.

In this paper synthesis of macrolones 1-18 starting from azithromycin is reported. Two key steps in the construction of the linker between macrolide and quinolone moiety, are formation of central ether bond by alkylation of unactivated OH group, and formation of terminal C-C bond at 6-position of the quinolone unit. Due to the difficulty in formation of these two bonds the study of alternative synthetic methodologies and optimization of the conditions for the selected routes was required.

6-Alkylquinolone-3-carboxylic acid tethered to macrolides synthesis and antimicrobial profile.

Two series of clarithromycin and azithromycin derivatives with terminal 6-alkylquinolone-3-carboxylic unit with central ether bond in the linker were prepared and tested for antimicrobial activity. Quinolone-linker intermediates were prepared by Sonogashira-type C(6)-alkynylation of 6-iodo-quinolone precursors. In the last step, 4'' site-selective acylation of 2'-protected macrolides was completed with the EDC reagent, which selectively activated a terminal, aliphatic carboxylic group in dicarboxylic intermediates.

4''-O-(omega-Quinolylamino-alkylamino)propionyl derivatives of selected macrolides with the activity against the key erythromycin resistant respiratory pathogens.

Four macrolides-6-O-methyl-8a-aza-8a-homoerythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and azithromycin 11,12-cyclic carbonate, have been selected for the construction of a series of new quinolone derivatives. The quinolone moiety is connected to the macrolide scaffold via a diaminoaklyl 4''-O-propionyl ester chain of varying length. At the terminus the linker is attached via one of the nitrogen atoms in the linker at C(6) or C(7) of the quinolone.

Differences in assessment of macrolide interaction with human MDR1 (ABCB1, P-gp) using rhodamine-123 efflux, ATPase activity and cellular accumulation assays.

In this study five macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and telithromycin) were compared based on their ability to interact with human MDR1 (ABCB1, P-glycoprotein), studied from two main aspects: by determining the influence of macrolide antibiotics on MDR1 function, as well as the influence of MDR1 on macrolide accumulation in MES-SA/Dx5 cells overexpressing human MDR1. At higher micromolar concentrations five tested macrolides were shown to inhibit MDR1 function in terms of rhodamine-123 efflux and verapamil-activated ATPase function, whereas at lower concentrations they activated MDR1 ATPase. They were confirmed to be substrates of MDR1 and to compete with each other, as well as with verapamil for transport via this transporter.

Synthesis and biological activity of 4''-O-acyl derivatives of 14- and 15-membered macrolides linked to omega-quinolone-carboxylic unit.

The synthesis and antimicrobial activity of a new class of macrolide antibiotics which consist of a macrolide scaffold and a quinolone unit covalently connected by an appropriate linker are described. Optimization of several synthetic steps and structural properties of lead compound 26 are discussed. Promising antibacterial properties of this compound and some of its analogues are reported.