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Biomedical subjects

R G Micetich

Publications and source records attributed to R G Micetich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one derivatives as anti-tumor agents.

A series of naturally occurring and synthetic novel oxapenam (4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0] heptan-7-one) derivatives with their antitumor activity and the structure-activity relationship among this class of compounds is reported. Among the synthetic 4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one having an ester, amide, ether derivatives of hydroxy group at C-3 position exhibited either no activity or reduced the antitumor activity in vitro. The 3-amino acid 4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one derivatives showed better antitumor activity than naturally occurring 4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one derivative G0069A. The trans isomers exhibited superior stability and activity over the cis isomers at the 3- and 5-position. Some of these compounds showed strong cytotoxicity against P388 and KB cells with IC(50) value ranging from 0.004 to 0.6 micro g/ml and they did not show any cross resistance against ADR, 5-FU and VCR resistant cell lines in vitro. Of these, 3-hydroxy methyl, 3-(2-amino-2-carboxy-1-benzyloxy ethyl) and 3-(2-amino-2-carboxy ethyl) 4-oxa-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0] heptan-7-one inhibited 71-84% in vivo tumor growth of colon 26 and S-180 cells subcutaneously implanted into mice at a varying dose between 0.625-15 mg/kg/day depending upon the compounds and the tumor cell lines.

Animals↗

Practical aspects of liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry for rapid identification of metabolites of a new antifungal agent SYN-2836 in dog urine.

This report presents the structural elucidation of 12 urinary metabolites of SYN-2836, a new antifungal agent showing extensive metabolism in beagle dogs, using complementary liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) methodologies. The 12 SYN-2836 metabolites were readily divided into four groups by considering that all three members of each group, although differing in masses, exhibited highly similar product ion mass spectra. This suggests that the metabolites within each group share a common major substructure. Therefore, all the grouped SYN-2836 metabolites were strategically identified by characterization of the major substructures followed by determination of the additional small substructures. This grouping strategy greatly facilitated the structural elucidation of these metabolites. Other strategies were also employed to achieve as rapid and unambiguous characterization of the SYN-2836 metabolites as possible.

Animals↗

In vitro and in vivo activities of syn2836, syn2869, syn2903, and syn2921: new series of triazole antifungal agents.

The in vitro and in vivo activities of four azole compounds belonging to a new series of 2(2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-(4-substituted piperazin-1-yl)-1-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) butanol antifungal agents is described. The compounds were selected from a library of azole compounds synthesized by our group. The in vitro activities of Syn2869, Syn2836, Syn2903, and Syn2921 against a panel of over 240 recently collected clinical isolates of yeast and molds were determined, and the results were compared with those obtained with fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (ITC), and amphotericin B (AMB). The MICs at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited (MIC(90)s) for the four test compounds for strains of Candida spp. ranged from <0.048 to 0.78 microg/ml. All compounds were also active against FLC-resistant Candida albicans and other Candida sp. strains. Moreover, MIC(90)s for strains of Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus spp., Trichophyton spp., and Microsporum spp. were also low and ranged from <0.048 to 0.39 microg/ml. The test compounds produced a fungistatic pattern during the time-kill kinetic studies. In vivo studies indicated that all four test compounds have good efficacies against C. albicans in a murine systemic infection model and significantly improved the survival rates of the infected mice. The results for Syn2903 were similar to those for FLC, while the other compounds were slightly less effective but had ranges of activities similar to the range of activity of ITC. The compounds were also evaluated against an Aspergillus fumigatus systemic infection. Syn2903 was also superior to ITC, whereas the efficacy data for the other compounds were similar to those for ITC. It was concluded from the data generated for this new series of azole compounds in the studies described above that further pharmacokinetic and toxicologic evaluations are warranted prior to selection of a candidate compound for preclinical testing.

Animals↗

Novel sample preparation method facilitating identification of urinary drug metabolites by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, efficient procedure was developed for the preparation of urine samples, which greatly facilitated the identification of the urinary metabolites of a new antifungal agent SYN-2836. The urine samples following dilution with acetonitrile (ACN) formed distinct upper (ACN) and lower (aqueous) solution phases. The SYN-2836 metabolites were concentrated in the upper solution except that two glucuronides were concentrated in the lower solution. The upper solutions, containing concentrated metabolites and significantly reduced endogenous polar species, were ideally suitable for the metabolite identification. This novel sample preparation procedure would be applicable in identification of urinary metabolites of other drugs and drug candidates.

Antifungal Agents↗

High-throughput caco-2 cell permeability screening by cassette dosing and sample pooling approaches using direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry.

A method for high-throughput Caco-2 permeability screening of drug candidates has been developed using thirteen generic drugs as test compounds. The high throughput was achieved by either a sample pooling or a cassette dosing approach, along with the use of a rapid, simple and sensitive direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometric assay that was also developed in this study. It was of concern that possible drug-drug interactions (e.g., inhibition of P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of a drug by another, and/or competition of the drugs for transport pathways), when the cassette dosing regimen was implemented, may give rise to inconsistent results compared with those attained by a traditional single-drug dosing approach. However, the apparent permeability coefficients of the test drugs across Caco-2 monolayers measured by the sample pooling or cassette dosing (up to five drugs co-administered in this study) strategy were in good conformity with the data obtained by single-drug dosing followed by discrete sample analysis.

Caco-2 Cells↗

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the determination of novel triazole antifungal agents in tissue. Application to tissue distribution studies.

A simple and rugged reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet absorbance detection at 263 nm was developed and validated for the analysis of novel triazole antifungal agents SYN-2869 and its derivatives in tissues. The method involved homogenization with 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.8) for lung, brain and spleen tissues. The liver and kidneys were homogenized with acetonitrile:acetone (1:1). The plasma proteins were precipitated with ice-cold acetonitrile and supernatent was evaporated to dryness. The reconstituted samples were injected onto an HPLC system. SYN-2869 was separated from the matrix components on a symmetry C(18) column using a aqueous mobile phase of acetonitrile and water with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. A step gradient of 40-80% acetonitrile eluted SYN-2869 and the internal standard (SYN-2506). The linear range was 0.5-10 microgram/g (r(2) > 0.99). The limit of quantitation was 0.5 microgram/g. The inter-day precision and accuracy for SYN 2869 standard concentration were from 2.6 to 7.4% and from -1.56 to +3.29%, respectively. The method was applied to tissue samples collected from single intravenous administration to mice to evaluate the distribution of these novel antifungal agents to different tissues.

Animals↗

New trends in antimicrobial development.

So far, two strategies have been applied to develop new anti-infective agents: (a) the synthesis of analogs of classical antibiotics with enhanced activity against resistant pathogens and (b) the screening of naturally occurring substances and libraries of synthetic compounds for antimicrobial activity in whole-cell assays. Today, the same principles are being used; however, the search for antimicrobial compounds with novel modes of action is based on targeting specific resistance and virulence factors. Novel targets for anti-infective agents are currently being discovered as a consequence of a better understanding of cell biology, the molecular basis of bacterial resistance, the gene-pathogenicity relationship and the mechanism of the infection process.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Interspecies comparison of pharmacokinetics of the novel triazole antifungal agent SYN-2869 and its derivatives.

The pharmacokinetics and distribution in tissue of several novel triazole antifungal agents were studied in different animal species in order to select an appropriate lead compound. The purpose of the study was also to determine species differences in pharmacokinetics for SYN azoles to select the most appropriate species for secondary efficacy and toxicological evaluation of the selected compound. SYN-2836, SYN-2869, SYN-2903, and SYN-2921 were rapidly absorbed into the systemic circulation and reached maximum concentrations (C(max)s) of 7.31 +/- 2.53, 6.29 +/- 0.85, 6.16 +/- 0.39, and 3.41 +/- 0.34 microg/ml, respectively, in BALB/c mice after administration of an oral dose of 50 mg/kg of body weight, with bioavailability being greater than 45% in all mice. The areas under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC(0-infinity)s) after administration of a single intravenous dose of 20 mg/kg to mice varied between 25.0 and 63.6 microg. h/ml. The half-life was in the range of 4.5 to 6 h. In Sprague-Dawley rats there was no significant difference in AUC(0-infinity) after administration of a single intravenous dose of 20 mg/kg, but on oral administration, the bioavailability of SYN-2836 was extremely low, while that of SYN-2869 was only 14.7%. In New Zealand White rabbits the C(max) and the time to reach C(max) for SYN-2836 and SYN-2869 after administration of a single oral dose of 50 mg/kg were similar. There were significant differences in AUC(0-infinity) and half-life between SYN-2836 and SYN-2869. On the other hand, in beagle dogs the C(max) and AUC(0-infinity) of SYN-2836 after administration of a single oral dose of 30 mg/kg were 4.82 +/- 1.54 microg/ml and 41.8 +/- 15.7 microg. h/ml, respectively, which were threefold higher than those of SYN-2869. The concentrations of the SYN compounds in tissue indicated that the AUC(0-infinity)s of SYN-2836, SYN-2869, SYN-2903, and SYN-2921 in mouse lungs were significantly different from each other. The ratios of the concentrations of the SYN azoles in lungs to those in plasma were also significantly different from those for itraconazole. Among the SYN azoles the highest concentration in the lungs was found for SYN-2869. The higher level of distribution of SYN-2869 into lung tissue was considered to contribute to the potent efficacy in respiratory tract infection models compared with the potency of itraconazole. Significant differences in the pharmacokinetics of these compounds were observed in different animal species, and selection of an animal model for further evaluation was based on results obtained from these studies.

Administration, Oral↗

Liquid chromatographic-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric determination of novel antifungal agents in plasma.

A rapid, selective, sensitive and reproducible HPLC-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed for the analysis of novel triazole antifungal agents, SYN-2869 and its derivatives (SYN-2836, SYN-2903 and SYN-2921), in rat plasma using SYN-2506 as an internal standard. Isolation of these compounds from plasma and sample desalting were performed by a simple extraction procedure involving protein precipitation, vacuum-drying and reconstitution with acetonitrile. For all the agents, linearity was observed over the range of 10-10,000 ng/ml (r > or = 0.996) and the limit of quantitation was 10 ng/ml using a 100-microliter plasma volume. A measurement rate of 400-500 samples/day/instrument could be achieved using this method.

Animals↗

Structure elucidation of three isomeric metabolites of SYN-2836, a novel antifungal agent, in dogs via liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry methodologies.

This paper presents liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) approaches for the rapid characterization of three urinary isomeric metabolites and their two precursor metabolites of SYN-2836, a novel antifungal agent, in dogs administered multiple oral doses of the agent (30 mg kg(-1) day(-1)). A collection of correlative data regarding the SYN-2836 metabolites was obtained by LC/MS and LC/MS/MS performed under complementary conditions such as the columns (C(18) vs cyano type), the mobile phase systems (acetonitrile-water-formic acid vs acetonitrile-water-ammonium acetate) and the electrospray ionization modes (positive vs negative). Metabolite identification was accomplished based on not only the LC/MS/MS data (product ion spectra) but also the LC/MS data indicating chromatographic behaviors of the metabolites. SYN-2836 and SYN-2869, an analog of the former, showed almost the same metabolic pathways following the same multiple-dose administration of the individual agents to the dogs. Therefore, correlation analysis in product ion spectra between corresponding metabolites of SYN-2836 and SYN-2869, and also in metabolic pathways between the two agents, was strategically used to facilitate the identification of the SYN-2836 (and SYN-2869 if necessary) metabolites. For the reason that various elucidation strategies were used complementarily, the chemical structures of the metabolites were unambiguously attained and the isomeric metabolites were explicitly differentiated without the use of other analytical methods. The methodologies used in this study may be applicable to metabolite screening of several structurally related agents simultaneously, promoting lead finding and optimization of drug candidates using a metabolism-based approach.

Animals↗

A rapid and reliable solid-phase extraction--LC/MS/MS assay for the determination of two novel human leukocyte elastase inhibitors, SYN-1390 and SYN-1396, in rat plasma.

A rapid and rugged solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatographic-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed to quantitate two novel human leukocyte elastase inhibitors, SYN-1390 and SYN-1396, in rat plasma. A reversed-phase column and an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water-formic acid (70:30:0.2, v/v/v) were used. The mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. For both analytes, standard curves were linear over a working range of 0.1-20 microg ml(-1) (r> or =0.995) and the limit of quantitation was 0.1 microg ml(-1) with a 150 microl plasma volume. This assay proved to be useful for the determination of SYN-1390 and SYN-1396 in plasma samples from pharmacokinetic study.

Animals↗

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of new triazole antifungal agent SYN-2869 and its derivatives in plasma.

A simple reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with UV detection was developed and validated for the quantitation of SYN-2869, a novel triazole antifungal agent and its analogs in rat plasma. The method involved a simple precipitation of plasma protein with acetonitrile (1:10 ratio). The reconstituted sample after evaporation to dryness was injected onto a HPLC column. SYN-2869 and its analogs were separated from the matrix components on a symmetry C18 column using an aqueous mobile phase of acetonitrile and water with a flow rate of 1 ml min(-1). A step gradient of 40-80% acetonitrile eluted all four compounds. The run time was 30 min. The linear range was 0.5 10 microg ml(-1)(r2 > 0.999). The limit of quantitation was 0.5 microg ml(-1). The inter-day precision and accuracy for SYN-2869 standard concentration were from 1.9 to 8.5% and from 1.4 to +/- 4.40%, respectively. The precision and accuracy of intra-day quality control samples were from 4.6 to 5.2% and from 4.6 to 12%, respectively.

Animals↗

Synthesis and antifungal activity of coumarins and angular furanocoumarins.

Angelicin, a naturally occurring furanocoumarin, that showed antifungal activity, was considered as a lead structure for a group of synthetic coumarins. Antifungal activities of the synthesized coumarins and angelicin derivatives were reported against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger. Human cell line cytotoxicity of several coumarins was evaluated against KB cells. Angelicin and several potent antifungals showed to be non-toxic in this assay.

Antifungal Agents↗

In vitro and in vivo activities of Syn2190, a novel beta-lactamase inhibitor.

Syn2190, a monobactam derivative containing 1,5-dihydroxy-4-pyridone as the C-3 side chain, is a potent inhibitor of group 1 beta-lactamase. The concentrations of inhibitor needed to reduce the initial rate of hydrolysis of substrate by 50% for Syn2190 against these enzymes were in the range of 0.002 to 0.01 microM. These values were 220- to 850-fold lower than those of tazobactam. Syn2190 showed in vitro synergy with ceftazidime and cefpirome. This synergy was dependent on the concentration of the inhibitor against group 1 beta-lactamase-producing strains, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Citrobacter freundii, and Morganella morganii. However, against beta-lactamase-derepressed mutants of P. aeruginosa, the MICs of ceftazidime plus Syn2190 were not affected by the amount of beta-lactamase, and the values were the same for the parent strains. The MICs at which 50% of isolates are inhibited (MIC(50)s) of ceftazidime plus Syn2190 were 2- to 16-fold lower than those of ceftazidime alone for ceftazidime-resistant, clinically isolated gram-negative bacteria. Similarly, the MIC(50)s of cefpirome plus Syn2190 were two- to eightfold lower for cefpirome-resistant clinical isolates. The synergies of Syn2190 plus ceftazidime or cefpirome observed in vitro were also reflected in vivo. Syn2190 improved the efficacies of both cephalosporins in both a murine systemic infection model with cephalosporin-resistant rods and urinary tract infection models with cephalosporin-resistant P. aeruginosa.

Animals↗

New trends in antimicrobial development.

The continual evolution of microbial resistance to the available classes of antibiotics poses a serious threat to the efficacy of traditional antibacterial therapy. Today, there are two main approaches that are being applied to discover better and more effective anti-infective agents against common as well as resistant pathogens: (a) the improvement of the "classical" antimicrobial agents by targeting the so called "resistance factors", and (b) the search of new anti-infective agents with novel modes of actions. This review will highlight the most relevant aspects of both of these approaches and some of the latest findings in the field of antimicrobial discovery.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Beta-lactamase inhibitors: agents to overcome bacterial resistance.

The extensive use of beta-lactam antibiotics in hospitals and community has created major resistance problems leading to increased morbidity, mortality and health-care costs. Resistance is most often mediated by -lactamases, which have emerged in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. A novel approach to countering bacterial beta-lactamases is the delivery of a beta-lactam antibiotic in combination with a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Several such combinations are currently available, containing inhibitors clavulanic acid, sulbactam and tazobactam. These inhibitors are not, however, active against all beta-lactamases and the AmpC chromosomal enzymes that are hyperproduced by some enterobacteria and pseudomonas are a particular gap. Moreover, genes for these AmpC enzymes have begun to escape to plasmids. Consequently, there is a growing need for new broad-spectrum beta-lactamase inhibitors. This review offers an overview of synthetic beta-lactamase inhibitors, emphasizing information on their structures, and highlighting their activity against various beta-lactamases, particularly AmpC enzymes. Effective inhibition of AmpC enzymes are to be found among the penems and monobactams, but none of these has yet proved suitable for pharmaceutical development.

Animals↗