The metacaspase (Mca1p) has a dual role in farnesol-induced apoptosis in Candida albicans.

Manipulating the apoptotic response of Candida albicans may help in the control of this opportunistic pathogen. The metacaspase Mca1p has been described as a key protease for apoptosis in C. albicans but little is known about its cleavage specificity and substrates. We therefore initiated a series of studies to describe its function. We used a strain disrupted for the MCA1 gene (mca1Δ/Δ) and compared its proteome to that of a wild-type isogenic strain, in the presence and absence of a known inducer of apoptosis, the quorum-sensing molecule farnesol. Label-free and TMT labeling quantitative proteomic analyses showed that both mca1 disruption and farnesol treatment significantly affected the proteome of the cells. The combination of both conditions led to an unexpected biological response: the strong overexpression of proteins implicated in the general stress. We studied sites cleaved by Mca1p using native peptidomic techniques, and a bottom-up approach involving GluC endoprotease: there appeared to be a "K/R" substrate specificity in P1 and a "D/E" specificity in P2. We also found 77 potential substrates of Mca1p, 13 of which validated using the most stringent filters, implicated in protein folding, protein aggregate resolubilization, glycolysis, and a number of mitochondrial functions. An immunoblot assay confirmed the cleavage of Ssb1p, a member of the HSP70 family of heat-shock proteins, in conditions where the metacaspase is activated. These various results indicate that Mca1p is involved in a limited and specific proteolysis program triggered by apoptosis. One of the main functions of Mca1p appears to be the degradation of several major heat-shock proteins, thereby contributing to weakening cellular defenses and amplifying the cell death process. Finally, Mca1p appears to contribute significantly to the control of mitochondria biogenesis and degradation. Consequently, Mca1p may be a link between the extrinsic and the intrinsic programmed cell death pathways in C. albicans.

A review of potential pharmacogenetic effects on catecholamine responses.

Considerably, variability in the clinical response to inotropic agents is observed and could be explained partially by the genetic variants, such as single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in genes encoding for enzymes implicated in catecholamines synthesis, metabolism, storage and release or in the signaling pathway. This review highlights the potential effect of pharmacogenetics studies in hemodynamic response and identified 11 SNPs that could be relevant to explain the high variability drug response for a same dose. Cardiovascular instability, such as hypotension, is one of the premature birth complications. The pharmacogenetics studies evaluating these SNP may be useful to better understand the clinical outcome, particularly in this population.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of vigabatrin dose for the treatment of refractory focal seizures in children using adult and pediatric data.

Vigabatrin is indicated as adjunctive therapy for refractory focal seizures. For children, European recommendations indicate maintenance doses varying from 30 to 100 mg/kg/day for this indication. Since cumulated dose was associated with retinal toxicity, it is essential to administrate the lowest effective dose to patients. This work was conducted with the purpose to determine the pediatric doses of vigabatrin that allow a similar exposure than effective doses in adults (2-3 g/day) through a pharmacokinetic (PK) study, using both pediatric and adult data. For this study, we focused on the active S(+) enantiomer of vigabatrin. First, the adult effective exposition range of vigabatrin-S was determined from an adult PK model. Then, this same model was scaled to the pediatric population using allometry and maturation principles to account for growth and development. The ability of the model to predict pediatric data was assessed by comparing population predictions with observed pediatric data. Finally, the extrapolated pediatric model was used to simulate pediatric expositions which were compared to the adult exposition range (36.5-77.9 mg.h/L). From those simulations, we determined that, for children aged between 3 months and 18 years, doses between 40 and 50 mg/kg/day allow vigabatrin-S expositions similar to those found in adults at the recommended posology. We proposed those doses as optimal maintenance doses that may be increased, if necessary, by slow titration.

Proposition of a Minimal Effective Dose of Vigabatrin for the Treatment of Infantile Spasms Using Pediatric and Adult Pharmacokinetic Data.

Vigabatrin is an antiepileptic drug indicated as monotherapy in infantile spasms. However, the pharmacokinetic profile of this compound in infants and young children is still poorly understood, as is the minimal effective dose, critical information given the risk of exposure-related retinal toxicity with vigabatrin. A reasonable approach to determining this minimal dose would be to identify the lowest dose providing a low risk of exposure overlap with the 36-mg/kg dose, which is the highest dose associated with an increased risk for treatment failure, based on randomized dose-ranging data. A population pharmacokinetic model was consequently developed from 28 children (aged 0.4-5.7 years) for the active S(+)-enantiomer, using Monolix software. In parallel, a population model was developed from published adult data and scaled to children using theoretical allometry and maturation of the renal function. A one-compartment model with zero-order absorption and first-order elimination described the pediatric data. Mean population estimates (percentage interindividual variability) for the apparent clearance, apparent distribution volume, and absorption duration were 2.36 L/h (24.5%), 17 L (38%), and 0.682 hours, respectively. Apparent clearance and apparent distribution volume were related to body weight by empirical allometric equations. Monte Carlo simulations evidenced that a daily dose of 80 mg/kg should minimize exposure overlap with the 36-mg/kg dose. Similar results were obtained for the adult model scaled to children. Consequently, a minimal effective dose of 80 mg/kg/day could be considered for patients with infantile spasms.

Determination of the R(-) and S(+)-enantiomers of vigabatrin in human plasma by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass-spectrometry.

An analytical method was developed for the quantification in plasma of the R and S enantiomers of vigabatrin (VGB), a drug used for the treatment of some refractory pediatric epileptic syndromes. After adding 50µL of the internal standard, which consisted of a 15mg/L solution of deuterated racemic VGB, and 100µL of water to 100µL of plasma samples, a protein precipitation was performed by adding 600µL of methanol. The supernatant was evaporated to dryness under a stream of nitrogen and the dry residue was reconstituted with 500µL of water. Then, 100µL of 0.01M o-phthaldialdehyde and 0.01M N-acetyl-l-cysteine in borate buffer (0.1M, pH=9.5) were added for pre-column derivatization of the enantiomers as diastereomeric isoindoles. One microliter of the resulting mixture was injected in the chromatographic system. The chromatographic separation was performed in gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 400µL/min using a phenomenex EVO C-18 column with a mobile phase composed of 5mM ammonium acetate and a methanol:acetonitrile (63:37v/v) mixture. Detection was performed by mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring mode using heated electrospray ionization in positive mode as the ion source. Intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were lower than 15% over the calibration range (0.2-50mg/L for each enantiomer) and the method was successfully used to assess plasma concentrations of VGB in epileptic children.