Lead identification and optimization of bacterial glutamate racemase inhibitors

Mycobacterium tuberculosis glutamate racemase is an essential enzyme involved in peptidoglycan synthesis and conserved in most bacteria. Small molecule inhibitors were reported on other bacterial species whereas in M. tuberculosis it wasn’t explored much. In this study we have screened in house compound library using fluorescence thermal shift assay and enzyme inhibition assay, form this (1-(3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)phenyl)-3-(p-tolyl)thiourea) was identified as lead compound with IC₅₀ 19.47?±?0.81?μM. Further lead optimization by synthesis resulted in twenty-three compounds, of which Compound 25?has shown more efficacy compared to lead 1 showing non-competitive mode of inhibition with IC₅₀ 1.32?±?0.43?μM. It also showed significant activity (represented in log reduction) in nutrient starved dormant M. tuberculosis model (2.1), M. tuberculosis biofilm assay (2.0) and in vivo M. marinum infected zebrafish model (3.5).     

Analysis by LC/ESI-MS of iophenoxic acid derivatives and evaluation as markers of oral baits to deliver pharmaceuticals to wildlife

Iophenoxic acid and its derivatives (methyl, ethyl, and propyl) are organic chemicals used as markers in baiting campaigns to deliver vaccines, pharmaceuticals, contraceptives or poisons to wildlife. In this study we develop a method of detection of IPA derivatives by LC/ESI-MS (using butyl-IPA as internal standard) obtaining a limit of detection and quantification in wild boar (Sus scrofa) serum of 0.037 μg/ml and 0.123 μg/ml, respectively. The average recovery of IPA derivatives was 88% at levels >0.2 μg/ml, with coefficients of variation <15%. Wild boars in captivity were orally treated with 5 mg/kg b.w. (three adults) or 15 mg/kg b.w (two piglets and three adults) of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-IPA and the serum levels of these were monitored during 18 months after dosing. Ethyl- and propyl-IPA were detected up to 18 months after a single oral dose in wild boar, especially at 15 mg/kg. Methyl-IPA was detected until 9 months after dosing. Half-lives of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-IPA were (mean ± SD) 41 ± 5, 183 ± 85 and 165 ± 45 days, respectively. One control piglet not exposed to IPA, but housed in the same facility than treated animals showed detectable IPA levels in serum. Piglets born from mothers exposed to marked baits also showed detectable IPA levels in serum. The high persistence of Et- and Pr-IPA must be considered in the field trials, because the presence of the product at low levels in one animal may not reflect a real ingestion of the marked bait.     

结核病动物模型研究进展

结核病是由结核分枝杆菌感染引起的传染病,是危害人类健康的主要传染病之一。动物模型已经成为研究人类传染病的标准化工具。虽然对于结核分枝杆菌而言并没有真正意义的动物资源,但由于不同种类的动物,对分枝杆菌的敏感性不一样,因此可以成为结核病研究的有利工具。结核病最常用的实验动物模型包括小鼠、兔和豚鼠。每种动物有其自身特点,但并不能完全模拟人类疾病。通过建立结核病的动物模型,可以大大增加我们对疾病的病因、毒力和发病机制的理解。除了这三种模型外,非人灵长类也常被用于结核病的研究。本文总结了这几种结核病模型的研究状况。     

宠物结核病的危害及其防治

随着生活水平的提高,宠物的数量和种类增长迅速。结核病是目前病死人数最多的人兽共患病,犬、猫和鸟类都能感染发病,对人类,尤其是免疫抑制人群威胁很大。监测和防治宠物结核病对人类结核根除计划具有重要意义。     

MTB新疆临床分离株MDR-TB和XDR-TB耐药情况初步调查

目的:分析新疆喀什地区结核分枝杆菌(MTB)临床分离株对4种一线和7种二线抗结核药物的耐药情况,初步探讨本地区耐多药结核病(MDR-TB)和广泛耐药结核病(XDR-TB)的流行情况。方法:收集2008.11.1~2009.10.31日期间新疆喀什地区结核病患者痰液标本,进行分离培养及菌种鉴定,并应用比例法对所分离得到的菌株进行耐药性检测。结果:102株分枝杆菌中,88株(86.3%)属于结核分枝杆菌复合群,7株(6.9%)属于牛型分枝杆菌,7株(6.9%)属于非结核分枝杆菌。对一种以上的抗结核药物具有耐药性的有20株,总耐药率为22.7%(20/88),耐多药率为6.8%(6/88),pre-XDR为33.3%(2/6),无XDR-TB病例。结论:新疆喀什地区结核病患者耐药率较高,在结核病治疗工作中应给予重视,尤其应加强对Pre-XDR的重视,以免发展成XDR-TB。     

Molecular Basis of Phosphatidyl-myo-inositol Mannoside Biosynthesis and Regulation in Mycobacteria

Phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (PIMs) are unique glycolipids found in abundant quantities in the inner and outer membranes of the cell envelope of all Mycobacterium species. They are based on a phosphatidyl-myo-inositol lipid anchor carrying one to six mannose residues and up to four acyl chains. PIMs are considered not only essential structural components of the cell envelope but also the structural basis of the lipoglycans (lipomannan and lipoarabinomannan), all important molecules implicated in host-pathogen interactions in the course of tuberculosis and leprosy. Although the chemical structure of PIMs is now well established, knowledge of the enzymes and sequential events leading to their biosynthesis and regulation is still incomplete. Recent advances in the identification of key proteins involved in PIM biogenesis and the determination of the three-dimensional structures of the essential phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA and the lipoprotein LpqW have led to important insights into the molecular basis of this pathway.     

On the Mathematical Reconstruction of Two Dimensional Plants

A set of 10, chosen medicinal plants (some of them with a reputation as remedies for tuberculosis) has been investigated through Partitioned Iterated Function Systems-Semi Fractals with Angle (PIFS-SFA) coding, Lempel, Ziv, Welch with quantization and noise (LZW-QN) compression, and surface density statistics (f(α)-SDS) discrimination techniques. The final outcomes of this quantitative analysis were, firstly: the linear ordering of the plants in question accompanied by the hope that it reflects their medical significance, secondly: the mathematical representation of each of the plants, and thirdly: the impressive compression achieved, leading to remarkable computer memory saving, and still permitting successful pattern recognition i.e., proper identification of the plant from the compressed image.     

Synthesis and anti-tuberculosis activity of glycitylamines

A series of glycitylamines, which were prepared in few steps from readily available carbohydrates, were tested for their ability to inhibit tuberculosis growth in an Alamar Blue BCG colourimetric assay. Several derivatives, including (2R,3R)-1-(hexadecylamine)pent-4-ene-2,3-diol, (2R,3R)-1-(hexadecylmethylamino)pent-4-ene-2,3-diol and 5-deoxy-5-hexadecylmethylamino-d-arabinitol, were prepared in good to excellent (44–90%) overall yield and exhibited micromolar (20–41 μM) inhibitory activity that was similar to the first line tuberculosis (TB) drug ethambutol (39 μM) in the same assay. The ease and low cost of the synthesis of the glycitylamines offers definite advantages for their use as potential TB drugs.     

IL-18 and related function proteins associated with tuberculosis severity and screening for active TB among patients with non-mycobacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)

BackgroundDifferentiation of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) from non-mycobacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) still remains a diagnostic challenge.ObjectiveThe study aimed to quantify the IL-18, IFN-γ, IL-18BP, IL-37, and IP-10 levels in serum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) antigens-stimulated blood cultures from TB or CAP patients and explore if the proteins can be a useful basis for discriminating these diseases.MethodsIn total, 124 Polish adults, including mild/moderate (M/MTB) or advanced (ATB) TB patients, and CAP patients, were enrolled in the study. The concentrations of IL-18, IL-18BP, IFN-γ, IL-37, and IP-10 in sera and M.tb-stimulated cultures were measured by ELISA.ResultsThe most specific and sensitive serum proteins discriminating TB from CAP were IP-10 and IL-18BP; however, IP-10 had the highest AUC in the ROC curve for the diagnosis. Serum IP-10 and IL-18BP levels increased significantly in M/MTB or ATB groups. The IL-18BP elevation in ATB group was accompanied by an increase in IL-18. No single protein measured in M.tb-stimulated cultures differed TB from CAP patients.ConclusionsThe combined analysis of serum IL-18BP and IP-10 might be considered as an auxiliary tool in the differentiation of TB from CAP.     

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of nucleoside prodrugs designed to target siderophore biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The nucleoside antibiotic, 5′-O-[N-(salicyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (1), possesses potent whole-cell activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB). This compound is also active in vivo, but suffers from poor drug disposition properties that result in poor bioavailability and rapid clearance. The synthesis and evaluation of a systematic series of lipophilic ester prodrugs containing linear and α-branched alkanoyl groups from two to twelve carbons at the 3′-position of a 2′-fluorinated analog of 1 is reported with the goal to improve oral bioavailability. The prodrugs were stable in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and under physiological conditions (pH 7.4). The prodrugs were also remarkably stable in mouse, rat, and human serum (relative serum stability: human ∼ rat ≫ mouse) displaying a parabolic trend in the SAR with hydrolysis rates increasing with chain length up to eight carbons (t_1/2 = 1.6 h for octanoyl prodrug 7 in mouse serum) and then decreasing again with higher chain lengths. The permeability of the prodrugs was also assessed in a Caco-2 cell transwell model. All of the prodrugs were found to have reduced permeation in the apical-to-basolateral direction and enhanced permeation in the basolateral-to-apical direction relative to the parent compound 2, resulting in efflux ratios 5–28 times greater than 2. Additionally, Caco-2 cells were found to hydrolyze the prodrugs with SAR mirroring the serum stability results and a preference for hydrolysis on the apical side. Taken together, these results suggest that the described prodrug strategy will lead to lower than expected oral bioavailability of 2 and highlight the contribution of intestinal esterases for prodrug hydrolysis.