Macromolecular immunosuppressants

Recombinant immunosuppressants have come of age and represent a significant class of quite diverse drugs. They target extracellular molecules, and either label or inhibit them. Those targets are soluble factors or membrane proteins almost all of which are components of a very complex molecular network of communication and amplification. Notably, many recombinant immunosuppressants have been developed in a rather short period of time. This is due to the fact that developing the actual drug is left to nature, so to speak; either it is a human protein as is the case for Anakinra or it is an antibody or antibody derivative "developed" by the immune system of mice or rats following exposure to the antigen. The challenge for developing recombinant immunosuppressants is to identify relevant targets. It is no longer very difficult to generate proteins to targets, once those are identified. The clinical use of recombinant immunosuppressants has yet to show which targets are truly relevant and which drugs prove effective.     

Unexpected applications of secondary metabolites

Secondary metabolites have been found to have interesting applications over and above their well-known medical uses, e.g., as antimicrobials, etc. These alternative applications include antitumor, cholesterol-lowering, immunosuppressant, antiprotozoal, antihelminth, antiviral and anti-ageing activities. Polyene antibiotics, such as amphotericin B, are of use as antiprion agents, antitumor drugs and against leishmaniasis. Other microbial natural products that show antibiotic activity are used against cancer e.g., doxorubicin, neomycin, β-lactams, bleomycin and rapamycin. Macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, improve pulmonary function in patients suffering from panbion cholitis. Pigments like prodigiosin and shikonin have antitumor activity, while violacein has anti-ulcer and antitumor activity and also acts as an antiprotozoal agent. Statins, in addition to lowering cholesterol and LDL levels, also decrease elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels independent of their cholesterol effects. Immunosppressants have many alternative effects: (i) Cyclosporin is proving useful in treatment of inflammatory disease such as asthma and muscular dystrophy. (ii) Rapamycin is extremely useful in preventing restenosis of stents grafted in balloon angioplasty. (iii) Tacrolimus and ascomycin help in treating inflammatory skin disease such as allergic contact dermatitis and psoriasis. Artemisinin, an antimalarial agent, is also showing antitumor activity. Other natural products, including those from plants (betulinic acid and shikonin), animals (bryostatins) and microbes (squalestatin and sophorolipids) have a multiplicity of potentially useful actions. Unexpected functions of known secondary metabolites are continuously being unraveled, and are fulfilling some of the needs of present day medicine and show great promise for the future.     

Carbon source nutrition of rapamycin biosynthesis inStreptomyces hygroscopicus

Summary Chemically-defined media were developed for rapamycin production byStreptomyces hygroscopicus. Thirty-five carbon sources were tested for their effect on production. Eight failed to support growth and seven appeared to repress or inhibit rapamycin formation. The best combination of two carbon sources were 2% fructose and 0.5% mannose. Acetate and propionate, which are known to contribute most of the carbon atoms of the lactone ring, were unsatisfactory for growth and/or rapamycin production.This paper is dedicated to Professor Herman Jan Phaff in honor of his 50 years of active research which still continues.     

Cyclosporin A--a review on fermentative production, downstream processing and pharmacological applications

In present times, the immunosuppressants have gained considerable importance in the world market. Cyclosporin A (CyA) is a cyclic undecapeptide with a variety of biological activities including immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiparasitic properties. CyA is produced by various types of fermentation techniques using Tolypocladium inflatum. In the present review, we discuss the biosynthetic pathway, fermentative production, downstream processing and pharmacological activities of CyA.     

原发性胆汁性肝硬化的药物治疗进展

原发性胆汁性肝硬化(Primary Biliary Cirrhosis,PBC)是一种以胆汁淤积及慢性非化脓性破坏性胆管炎为特点的自身免疫介导的慢性肝脏病。熊去氧胆酸(UDCA)作为PBC患者的首选治疗药物可使患者的生化指标、存活指标以及组织学等都得以改善。尽管如此,PBC的治疗仍是临床医师的一大难题,大约40%的PBC患者对UDCA的治疗仅获得了不完全应答,而肝移植则为晚期PBC患者治疗之首选。本文简要介绍近些年治疗PBC药物的新进展,包括熊去氧胆酸、布地奈德、免疫抑制剂、贝特类、6α-乙基鹅去氧胆酸、利妥昔单抗以及抗逆转录病毒药物等,期望为PBC的治疗提供帮助。     

The cyclohexane moiety of rapamycin is derived from shikimic acid inStreptomyces hygroscopicus

Summary Although the addition of shikimic acid to the medium had no effect on the level of production of rapamycin byStreptomyces hygroscopicus,¹⁴C-shikimic acid was incorporated into rapamycin to a very high degree.¹³C-Shikimic acid was successfully prepared from 1-[¹³C]-glucose using a mutant ofKlebsiella pneumoniae, and used to label rapamycin. It was found that¹³C-shikimic acid was incorporated into the cyclohexane moiety of rapamycin, thereby establishing the shikimic acid pathway origin of the seven-carbon starter unit.