Vladimír Kubíček

Substituted N-Benzylpyrazine-2-carboxamides: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

A series of twelve amides was synthesized via aminolysis of substituted pyrazinecarboxylic acid chlorides with substituted benzylamines. Compounds were characterized with analytical data and assayed in vitro for their antimycobacterial, antifungal, antibacterial and photosynthesis-inhibiting activity. 5-tert-Butyl-6-chloro-N-(4-methoxybenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (12) has shown the highest antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC = 6.25 µg/mL), as well as against other mycobacterial strains. The highest antifungal activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, the most susceptible fungal strain tested, was found for 5-chloro-N-(3-trifluoromethylbenzyl)-pyrazine-2-carboxamide (2, MIC = 15.62 µmol/L). None of the studied compounds exhibited any activity against the tested bacterial strains. Except for 5-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N-benzylpyrazine-2-carboxamide (9, IC50 = 7.4 µmol/L) and 5-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N-(4-chlorobenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (11, IC50 = 13.4 µmol/L), only moderate or weak photosynthesis-inhibiting activity in spinach chloroplasts (Spinacia oleracea L.) was detected.

The metabolism of flubendazole and the activities of selected biotransformation enzymes in Haemonchus contortus strains susceptible and resistant to anthelmintics.

Haemonchus contortus is one of the most pathogenic parasites of small ruminants (e.g. sheep and goat). The treatment of haemonchosis is complicated because of recurrent resistance of H. contortus to common anthelmintics. The aim of this study was to compare the metabolism of the anthelmintic drug flubendazole (FLU) and the activities of selected biotransformation enzymes towards model xenobiotics in 4 different strains of H. contortus: the ISE strain (susceptible to common anthelmintics), ISE-S (resistant to ivermectin), the BR strain (resistant to benzimidazole anthelmintics) and the WR strain (resistant to all common anthelmintics). H. contortus adults were collected from the abomasums from experimentally infected lambs. The in vitro as well as ex vivo experiments were performed and analysed using HPLC with spectrofluorimetric and mass-spectrometric detection. In all H. contortus strains, 4 different FLU metabolites were detected: FLU with a reduced carbonyl group (FLU-R), glucose conjugate of FLU-R and 2 glucose conjugates of FLU. In the resistant strains, the ex vivo formation of all FLU metabolites was significantly higher than in the susceptible ISE strain. The multi-resistant WR strain formed approximately 5 times more conjugates of FLU than the susceptible ISE strain. The in vitro data also showed significant differences in FLU metabolism, in the activities of UDP-glucosyltransferase and several carbonyl-reducing enzymes between the susceptible and resistant H. contortus strains. The altered activities of certain detoxifying enzymes might protect the parasites against the toxic effect of the drugs as well as contribute to drug-resistance in these parasites.

Biotransformation of benzimidazole anthelmintics in reed (Phragmites australis) as a potential tool for their detoxification in environment.

Benzimidazole anthelmintics, the drugs against parasitic worms, are widely used in human as well as veterinary medicine. Following excretion, these substances may persist in the environment and impact non-target organisms. In order to test phytoremediation as a possible tool for detoxification of anthelmintics in environment, the biotransformation pathways of albendazole (ABZ) and flubendazole (FLU) were studied in reed (Phragmites australis) in vitro. Reed cells were able to uptake and biotransform both anthelmintics. Ten ABZ metabolites and five FLU metabolites were found. Some atypical biotransformation reactions (formation of glucosylglucosides, acetylglucosides and xylosylglucosides), which have not been described previously, were identified. Based on the obtained results, the schemes of metabolic pathways of ABZ and FLU in reed were proposed. Most of ABZ and FLU metabolites can be considered as anthelmintically less active; therefore uptake and biotransformation of these anthelmintics by reed could be useful for decrease of their toxicity in environment.

Synthesis, Antimycobacterial Activity and In Vitro Cytotoxicity of 5-Chloro-N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides

5-Chloropyrazinamide (5-Cl-PZA) is an inhibitor of mycobacterial fatty acid synthase I with a broad spectrum of antimycobacterial activity in vitro. Some N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides with different substituents on both the pyrazine and phenyl core possess significant in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. To test the activity of structures combining both the 5-Cl-PZA and anilide motifs a series of thirty 5-chloro-N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides with various substituents R on the phenyl ring were synthesized and screened against M. tuberculosis H37Rv, M. kansasii and two strains of M. avium. Most of the compounds exerted activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv in the range of MIC = 1.56–6.25 µg/mL and only three derivatives were inactive. The phenyl part of the molecule tolerated many different substituents while maintaining the activity. In vitro cytotoxicity was decreased in compounds with hydroxyl substituents, preferably combined with other hydrophilic substituents. 5-Chloro-N-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (21) inhibited all of the tested strains (MIC = 1.56 µg/mL for M. tuberculosis; 12.5 µg/mL for other strains). 4-(5-Chloropyrazine-2-carboxamido)-2-hydroxybenzoic acid (30) preserved good activity (MIC = 3.13 µg/mL M. tuberculosis) and was rated as non-toxic in two in vitro models (Chinese hamster ovary and renal cell adenocarcinoma cell lines; SI = 47 and 35, respectively).

Synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of N-substituted 5-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamides.

To develop new potential antimycobacterial drugs, a series of pyrazinamide derivatives was designed, synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of selected mycobacterial strains (Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium kansasii and two strains of Mycobacterium avium). This Letter is focused on binuclear pyrazinamide analogues containing the -CONH-CH2- bridge, namely on N-benzyl-5-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamides with various substituents on the phenyl ring and their comparison with some analogously substituted 5-chloro-N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides. Compounds from the N-benzyl series exerted lower antimycobacterial activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv then corresponding anilides, however comparable with pyrazinamide (12.5-25 μg/mL). Remarkably, 5-chloro-N-(4-methylbenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (8, MIC=3.13 μg/mL) and 5-chloro-N-(2-chlorobenzyl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide (1, MIC=6.25 μg/mL) were active against M. kansasii, which is naturally unsusceptible to PZA. Basic structure-activity relationships are presented.

Synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of pyrazinamide derivatives with benzylamino substitution.

A series of 19 new compounds related to pyrazinamide were synthesized, characterized with analytical data and screened for in vitro whole cell antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium kansasii and two types of Mycobacterium avium. The series consisted of 3-(benzylamino)-5-cyanopyrazine-2-carboxamides and 3-(benzylamino)pyrazine-2,5-dicarbonitriles with various substituents on the phenyl ring. RP-HPLC method was used to determine the lipophilicity of the prepared compounds. Nine compounds exerted similar or better activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis compared to pyrazinamide (MIC=6.25-12.5 μg/mL). 3-(Benzylamino)pyrazine-2,5-dicarbonitrile inhibited all of the tested mycobacterial strains with MIC within the range 12.5-25 μg/mL. Although not the most active, 4-NH(2) substituted compounds possessed the lowest in vitro cytotoxicity (hepatotoxicity), leading to selectivity index SI=5.5 and SI >21.

Sensitive chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of anthelmintic flubendazole and its phase I metabolites in blood plasma using UV photodiode-array and fluorescence detection: Application to pharmacokinetic studies in sheep

Although benzimidazole anthelmintic flubendazole, methyl ester of [5-(4-fluorobenzoyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl]carbamic acid, is extensively used in veterinary and human medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal parasitic helminth infections, reliable data about its pharmacokinetics in various species have not been reported. Our previous work [M. Nobilis, Th. Jira, M. Lísa, M. Holcapek, B. Szotáková, J. Lamka, L.Skálová, J. Chromatogr. A 1149 (2007) 112-120] had described the stereospecificity of carbonyl reduction during phase I metabolic experiments in vitro. For in vivo pharmacokinetic studies, further improvement and optimization of bioanalytical HPLC method in terms of sensitivity and selectivity was necessary. Hence, a modified chiral bioanalytical HPLC method involving both UV photodiode-array and fluorescence detection for the determination of flubendazole, both enantiomers of reduced flubendazole and hydrolyzed flubendazole in the extracts from plasma samples was tested and validated. Albendazole was used as an internal standard. Sample preparation process involved a pH-dependent extraction of the analytes from the blood plasma into tert-butylmethyl ether. Chromatographic separations were performed on a Chiralcel OD-R 250 mm x 4.6mm column with mobile phase methanol-1M NaClO(4) (75:25, v/v) at the flow rate 0.5 ml min(-1). In quantitation, selective UV absorption maxima of 290 nm (for reduced flubendazole), 295 nm (for albendazole), 310 nm (for flubendazole) and 330 nm (for hydrolyzed flubendazole) were used in the UV photodiode-array detection, and lambda(exc.)/lambda(emis.)=228 nm/310 nm (for reduced flubendazole) and lambda(exc.)/lambda(emis.)=236 nm/346 nm (for albendazole) were set on the fluorescence detector. The fluorescence detection was approximately 10-times more sensitive than the UV detection. Each HPLC run lasted 27 min. The validated chiral HPLC-PDA-FL method was employed in the pharmacokinetic studies of flubendazole in sheep. The stereospecificity of the enzymatic carbonyl reduction of flubendazole was also observed in vivo. (+)-Reduced flubendazole was found to be the principal metabolite in ovine blood plasma and only low concentrations of hydrolyzed flubendazole, the parent flubendazole and (-)-reduced flubendazole were detected in this biomatrix.

Alkylamino derivatives of pyrazinamide: synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation.

A series of pyrazinamide derivatives with alkylamino substitution was designed, synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of selected mycobacterial, bacterial and fungal strains. The target structures were prepared from the corresponding 5-chloro (1) or 6-chloropyrazine-2-carboxamide (2) by nucleophilic substitution of chlorine by various non-aromatic amines (alkylamines). To determine the influence of alkyl substitution, corresponding amino derivatives (1a, 2a) and compounds with phenylalkylamino substitution were prepared. Some of the compounds exerted antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv significantly better than standard pyrazinamide and corresponding starting compounds (1 and 2). Basic structure-activity relationships are presented. Only weak antibacterial and no antifungal activity was detected.

Interactions with selected drug renal transporters and transporter-mediated cytotoxicity in antiviral agents from the group of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates

Members of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs) possess antiviral and antiproliferative activities. However, several clinically important ANPs may cause renal injury, most likely due to their active accumulation in the renal tubular cells. The goal of this study was to investigate in vitro relationships between the affinity of several structurally related potent ANPs to selected human transporters and their cytotoxicity. SLC (solute carrier family) transporters (hOAT1, hOCT2, hCNT2, hCNT3) and ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters (MDR1, BCRP), which are typically expressed in the kidney, were included in the study. The transport and toxic parameters of the tested compounds were compared to those of two clinically approved ANPs, adefovir and tenofovir. Transport studies with transiently transfected cells were used as the main method in the experiments. Most of the ANPs studied showed the potency to interact with hOAT1. GS-9191, a double prodrug of PMEG, displayed an affinity for hOAT1 comparable with that of adefovir and tenofovir. No significant interaction of the tested ANPs with hOCT2, hCNT2 and hCNT3 was observed. Only GS-9191 was found to be a strong inhibitor for both MDR1 and BCRP. PMEO-DAPy showed the potency to interact with MDR1. Most of the tested substances caused a significant decrease in cellular viability in the cells transfected with hOAT1. Only with the exclusion of GS-9191, a relatively lipophilic compound, did the in vitro cytotoxicity of the ANPs closely correspond to their potential to interact with hOAT1. The increased cytotoxicity of the studied ANPs found in OAT1 transfected cells was effectively reduced by OAT inhibitors probenecid and quercetin. The higher cytotoxicity of the compounds with affinity to hOAT1 proved in the inhibitory experiments evidences that ANPs are not only inhibitors but also substrates of hOAT1. Any clear relationship between the potency of ANPs to inhibit the studied efflux transporters and their cytotoxicity was not demonstrated. In conclusion, the study documented that among the studied transporters hOAT1 seems to be the decisive determinant for renal handling in most of the tested ANPs. This transporter may also play an important role in the mechanism of their potential cytotoxic effects. These facts are in good accordance with previous findings in the clinically used ANPs.

N-substituted 5-amino-6-methylpyrazine-2,3-dicarbonitriles: microwave-assisted synthesis and biological properties.

In this work a series of 15 N-benzylamine substituted 5-amino-6-methyl-pyrazine-2,3-dicarbonitriles was prepared by the aminodehalogenation reactions using microwave assisted synthesis with experimentally set and proven conditions. This approach for the aminodehalogenation reaction was chosen due to its higher yields and shorter reaction times. The products of this reaction were characterized by IR, NMR and other analytical data. The compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial, antifungal and herbicidal activity. Compounds 3 (R = 3,4-Cl), 9 (R = 2-Cl) and 11 (R = 4-CF3) showed good antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC = 6.25 µg/mL). It was found that the lipophilicity is important for antimycobacterial activity and the best substitution on the benzyl moiety of the compounds is a halogen or trifluoromethyl group according to Craig’s plot. The activities against bacteria or fungi were insignificant. The presented compounds also inhibited photosynthetic electron transport in spinach chloroplasts and the IC50 values of the active compounds varied in the range from 16.4 to 487.0 µmol/L. The most active substances were 2 (R = 3-CF3), 3 (R = 3,4-Cl) and 11 (R = 4-CF3). A linear dependence between lipophilicity and herbicidal activity was observed.