Pyrrolobenzoxazepinone derivatives as non-nucleoside HIV-1 RT inhibitors: further structure-activity relationship studies and identification of more potent broad-spectrum HIV-1 RT inhibitors with antiviral activity.

Pyrrolobenzoxazepinone (PBO) derivatives represent a new class of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NNRTs) whose prototype is (+/-)-6-ethyl-6-phenylpyrrolo[2,1-d][1,5]benzoxazepin-7(6H)- one (6). Docking studies based on the three-dimensional structure of RT prompted the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel derivatives and analogues of 6 featuring a meta-substituted phenyl or a 2-thienyl ring at C-6 and a pyridine system in place of the fused-benzene ring to yield pyrrolopyridooxazepinones (PPOs). Compared with the lead 6 and nevirapine, several of the synthesized compounds (PBOs 13a-d and PPOs 13i-k) displayed higher inhibitory activity against wild-type RT and clinically relevant mutant RTs containing the single amino acid substitutions L100I, K103N, V106A, Y181I, and Y188L. The most potent inhibitors were further evaluated for in vitro antiviral activity on lymphocytes and monocyte-macrophages, for cytotoxicity on a panel of cell lines, and for potential synergistic antiviral activity with AZT. Pharmacokinetic studies performed on 13b, 13c, and 13i showed that these compounds achieve high concentrations in the brain. The results of the biological and pharmacokinetic experiments suggest a potential clinical utility of analogues such as 13b-d, 13i, and 13j, in combination with nucleoside RT inhibitors, against strains of HIV-1 bearing those mutations that confer resistance to known NNRTI.

Non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors: synthesis and biological evaluation of novel quinoxalinylethylpyridylthioureas as potent antiviral agents.

New heterocyclic derivatives of ethylpyridylthiourea, quinoxalinylethylpyridylthiourea (QXPT) and analogues, inhibited human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) activity and prevented HIV-1 cytopathogenicity in T4 lymphocytes. Several of these novel non-nucleoside RT inhibitors, with a substituted pyrroloquinoxalinone heteroaromatic skeleton, showed inhibitory activity against wild-type RT as well as against mutant RTs containing the single amino acid substitutions L1001, K103N, V106A, Y1811 and Y188L that was much greater than other non-nucleoside inhibitors such as nevirapine. Maximum potency in enzymatic assays was achieved with a fluoropyrroloquinoxaline skeleton linked to the ethylpyridylthiourea moiety (FQXPT). In cell-based assays on different cell lines and on human monocyte-macrophages, 6-FQXPT exhibited EC50 values in the nanomolar range, with a promising selectivity index. Moreover, 6-FQXPT showed synergistic antiviral activity with zidovudine.

HIV-1 does not alter in vitro and in vivo IL-10 production by human monocytes and macrophages.

The present study analyses the ability of HIV-1 to modulate IL-10 production in cells of monocyte-macrophage lineage cultured in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Both monocytes and macrophages spontaneously produced low amount of IL-10. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced a strong IL-10 response in fresh monocytes and in M-CSF-treated macrophages. In contrast, macrophages cultured in the absence of M-CSF exhibited a marked decrease in their susceptibility to LPS stimulation. M-CSF increased the IL-10 response of macrophages to LPS by enhancing both the expression of membrane-bound CD14, the protein that serves as LPS receptor, and the sensibility of CD14-expressing cells to LPS stimulation. Neither spontaneous nor LPS-induced expression of IL-10 was modulated in monocytes and macrophages by infection with eight monocytotropic strains, as demonstrated by ELISA and cytofluorimetric analysis. In contrast, all the HIV-1 strains primed macrophages for an increased IL-6 response to LPS stimulation. To determine whether IL-10 production was associated with in vivo infection, monocytes from AIDS individuals were analysed for IL-10 production. We found that neither spontaneous nor LPS-induced IL-10 production were different between healthy controls and HIV-infected patients. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that HIV-1 infection of monocytes-macrophages does not play a significant role in the regulation of IL-10 in infected patients. This study also emphasizes the role of M-CSF activation in the regulation of the cytokine response in macrophages.

In vitro inhibition of the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by beta-mercaptoethylamine (cysteamine).

This study investigates the effects of cysteamine alone and in association with zidovudine or didanosine on the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). More than 90% viral inhibition was obtained by 200 microM cysteamine in lymphocytes and 100 microM cysteamine in macrophages against 4 primary isolates and 2 laboratory strains of HIV-1. Polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that cysteamine interferes with early steps of HIV-1 replication, before proviral DNA formation. The use of cysteamine in conjunction with zidovudine or didanosine brought about an additive antiviral effect without concomitant increases in toxicity. The concentrations of cysteamine that are effective against HIV-1 in vitro have been well tolerated over long periods by patients under treatment for cystinosis, an inherited disorder. These observations suggest that cysteamine alone or in combination with zidovudine or didanosine could be a new potential treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Lack of evidence for the Th2 predominance in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

A T helper (Th)1 to Th2 shift has been proposed to be a critical pathogenic determinant in chronic hepatitis C. Here, we evaluated mitogen-induced and hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen-induced cytokine production in 28 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C. Flow cytometry demonstrated that after mitogenic stimulation the percentage of Th2 cells (IL-4 + or IL-13 +) and Th0 cells (IFN-gamma/IL-4 + or IL-2/IL-13 +) did not differ between patients and controls. In contrast, the percentage of Th1 cells (IFN-gamma + or IL-2 +) was significantly increased in CD4 +, CD8 +, 'naive'-CD45RA + and 'memory'-CD45RO + T-cell subsets from patients versus controls. Similar results were obtained by ELISA testing supernatants from mitogen-stimulated, unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. Interferon-alpha treatment was associated with a reduction in the mitogen-induced Th1 cytokine response in those patients who cleared their plasma HCV-RNA. Analysis of cytokine expression by CD4 + T cells after HCV core antigen stimulation in a subgroup of 13 chronic hepatitis C patients demonstrated no cytokine response in 74% of these patients and an IFN-gamma-restricted response in 26%. Finally, no Th2 shift was found in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocytes. These data indicate that a Th1 to Th2 shift does not occur in chronic hepatitis C.

Bile acids with differing hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties do not influence cytokine production by human monocytes and murine Kupffer cells.

Bile acids have been proposed to exert immunological effects of potential pathogenic or therapeutic relevance, yet the experimental evidence remains preliminary. We reexamined the effects of a variety of bile salts with differing hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties on the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) from monocytes and Kupffer cells. Monocytes from healthy human donors and Kupffer cells from 5-week-old mice were incubated for up to 18 hours with or without varying concentrations of bile salts and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Monocyte viability was > or = 95% with up to 250 mumol/L sodium ursodeoxycholate and < or = 90% with 200 mumol/L chenodeoxycholate, decreasing sharply at higher concentrations. Kupffer cells were more vulnerable, particularly to chenodeoxycholate (viabilities of 25% and 0% at concentrations of 100 mumol/L and 200 mumol/L, respectively). In monocytes incubated in the presence of 20% fetal calf serum, neither ursodeoxycholate and chenodeoxycholate, nor a variety of other unconjugated and conjugated bile acids, tested up to their maximal noncytotoxic concentrations, influenced the IL-6 and TNF alpha production, at any level of LPS stimulation. Similar to monocytes, incubation of murine Kupffer cells with ursodeoxycholate and chenodeoxycholate did not influence cytokine release. In contrast, the addition of 10 nmol/L dexamethasone to monocytes significantly decreased TNF-alpha and IL-6 release (69 +/- 11% and 48 +/- 15%, respectively). When monocytes were incubated with 200 mumol/L chenodeoxycholate in the presence of lower concentrations of fetal calf serum (10% and 5%, respectively) a significant inhibition of cytokine release was observed, whereas incubation with ursodeoxycholate did not cause any effect. Flow cytometry using fluoresceinated LPS showed that chenodeoxycholate does not interact with the CD14 receptor, thus excluding the possibility of an interference with the LPS uptake by monocytes. Incubation with [14C]-chenodeoxycholate showed that the intracellular bile acid uptake was inversely related to the concentration of fetal calf serum, being negligible (< 3 fmol/cell) at the highest level. In conclusion, bile acids with widely different hydrophobicities are incapable of influencing the release of IL-6 and TNF alpha by monocytes and Kupffer cells, provided they are studied at noncytotoxic concentrations and in the presence of physiological amounts of proteins.

Enhanced production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 due to prolonged response to lipopolysaccharide in human macrophages infected in vitro with human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Elevated levels of circulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 have been detected in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 infection. The overproduction of these cytokines could contribute to AIDS pathogenesis. Thus, the expression of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in human macrophages infected with HIV-1 was investigated. HIV-1 infection, per se, did not induce any TNF-alpha or IL-6 production or cytokine-specific mRNA expression. In contrast, HIV-1 primed macrophages to a prolonged TNF-alpha and IL-6 response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation with respect to uninfected cells. Time-course analysis and flow cytometry demonstrated that cytokine production stopped at 6 h in uninfected macrophages but continued up to 24 h in HIV-1-infected cells. RNA studies suggested that HIV-1 interfered with late steps of cytokine synthesis. No modulation of membrane CD14 was found to account for the enhanced response to LPS. Finally, the effect of HIV-1 on cytokine response could not be abolished by the antiviral compound U75875.

Human immunodeficiency virus-induced cell death in cytokine-treated macrophages can be prevented by compounds that inhibit late stages of viral replication.

The basis of the cytopathic effect induced by a laboratory strain and several clinical isolates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in human macrophages cultured in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor was studied. Infected macrophages die of necrosis, the consequence of the production of mature virions in infected cells. Cell death can be prevented by antiviral compounds that interfere with the assembly and budding of virions. Programmed cell death (apoptosis), a potential mechanism of HIV-mediated cell death in CD4 T lymphocytes, does not occur in infected macrophages as shown by electron microscopy, cytofluorometric and gel electrophoretic DNA analysis, and nuclear fluorescent staining by Hoechst and terminal dUTP-nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. The data suggest that macrophage killing by HIV may occur in vivo. Thus, combination therapies that include compounds that inhibit the cytopathic effect of HIV in macrophages should be considered for AIDS patients.