A novel chemically modified curcumin reduces inflammation-mediated connective tissue breakdown in a rat model of diabetes: periodontal and systemic effects.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Periodontal disease is the most common chronic inflammatory disease known to mankind (and the major cause of tooth loss in the adult population) and has also been linked to various systemic diseases, particularly diabetes mellitus. Based on the literature linking periodontal disease with diabetes in a "bidirectional manner", the objectives of the current study were to determine: (i) the effect of a model of periodontitis, complicated by diabetes, on mechanisms of tissue breakdown including bone loss; and (ii) the response of the combination of this local and systemic phenotype to a novel pleiotropic matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, chemically modified curcumin (CMC) 2.24. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diabetes was induced in adult male rats by intravenous injection of streptozotocin (nondiabetic rats served as controls), and Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) was repeatedly injected into the gingiva to induce periodontitis. CMC 2.24 was administered by oral gavage (30 mg/kg) daily; untreated diabetic rats received vehicle alone. After 3 wk of treatment, the rats were killed, and gingiva, jaws, tibia and skin were collected. The maxillary jaws and tibia were dissected and radiographed. The gingival tissues of each experimental group (n = 6 rats/group) were pooled, extracted, partially purified and, together with individual skin samples, analyzed for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 by gelatin zymography; MMP-8 was analyzed in gingival and skin tissue extracts, and in serum, by western blotting. The levels of three bone-resorptive cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α], were measured in gingival tissue extracts and serum by ELISA. RESULTS: Systemic administration of CMC 2.24 to diabetic rats with endotoxin-induced periodontitis significantly inhibited alveolar bone loss and attenuated the severity of local and systemic inflammation. Moreover, this novel tri-ketonic phenylaminocarbonyl curcumin (CMC 2.24) appeared to reduce the pathologically excessive levels of inducible MMPs to near-normal levels, but appeared to have no significant effect on the constitutive MMPs required for physiologic connective tissue turnover. In addition to the beneficial effects on periodontal disease, induced both locally and systemically, CMC 2.24 also favorably affected extra-oral connective tissues, skin and skeletal bone. CONCLUSION: This study supports our hypothesis that CMC 2.24 is a potential therapeutic pleiotropic MMP inhibitor, with both intracellular and extracellular effects, which reduces local and systemic inflammation and prevents hyperglycemia- and bacteria-induced connective tissue destruction.

Diversity of melanoma plasma membrane proteinases: inhibition of collagenolytic and cytolytic activities by minocycline.

The tissue-destructive proteinases of B16-BL6 melanoma cells from C57BL/6 mice and subcellular fractions were examined. Cancer cell organelles were isolated following nitrogen cavitation with the use of sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Serine, cysteine, and metalloproteinases were assayed with the use of radiolabeled proteins and synthetic substrates. Tumor-induced red blood cell lysis was quantitated by measurement of the release of isotope from 59Fe-labeled red blood cells (RBC) cocultivated with melanoma cells; the RBC were from Wistar rats. Enzyme inhibitors with specificity toward different classes of proteinases were used in the above assays to categorize the enzymes responsible for substrate degradation. Results indicated that intact melanoma cells, cell organelles, and cytosol contain proteinases that can degrade collagen and gelatin and lyse normal RBC. Melanoma plasma membranes are highly enriched in collagenase, gelatinase, cysteine proteinase, plasminogen activator, and cytolytic activity. The inhibition of tumor collagenolytic, gelatinolytic, and cytolytic activities by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline but not by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and N alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone indicates that metalloproteinases are the active enzymes in these assays. Minocycline, a synthetic tetracycline with demonstrable inhibitory activity with other mammalian collagenases, also inhibited melanoma collagenolytic and cytolytic activities.

Enrichment of collagen and gelatin degrading activities in the plasma membranes of human cancer cells.

Interactions between connective tissue substrates and proteinases localized to the surface of cancer cells are implicated in cancer invasion. In this report we have compared the enrichment of collagen and gelatin degrading activities and cysteine proteinase(s) in well-characterized (enzyme markers and electron microscopy) subcellular membrane fractions isolated from human small cell lung cancer lines (NCI-H69 and NCI-H82) and the RWP-1 pancreatic cancer line. With each cell line collagenolytic, gelatinolytic, and cysteine proteinase activities were enriched 5- to 128-fold in the plasma membrane fractions with differences noted between microvilli versus smooth membrane profiles. Incubation of tumor plasma membranes with methyl-3H-labeled collagen resulted in extensive degradation of the gamma, beta, alpha 1, and alpha 2 chains, suggesting the combined action of metalloproteinases. Treatment of tumor plasma membranes with the chaotropic agent, 2 M KCl, did not diminish membrane collagen- or gelatin-degrading activity, but extensively leached out the cysteine proteinase, suggesting that the latter enzyme is not an integral membrane protein. Enzyme inhibitors specific for metalloproteinases and cysteine proteinase were used to corroborate enzymatic classification. In conclusion, we have demonstrated variations in the localization of proteinases in the plasma membrane domains of different human cancer cells.

The effect of experimental diabetes on the molecular characteristics of soluble rat-tail tendon collagen.

Acid soluble rat-tail tendon collagen was prepared from animals rendered diabetic by treatment with either streptozotocin or alloxan and from matched controls. In comparison to the normal, the diabetic collagens consistently demonstrated decreased solubility of reconstituted fibrils, marked increase in intrinsic viscosity and a decreased ratio of alpha to beta components. Electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels revealed a marked decrease in migration of alpha1, alpha2, and beta components from both types of diabetic collagen. These data indicate that diabetic collagens are larger than normal and are capable of higher degrees of polymerization due to increased intra- and inter-molecular interactions. These changes could explain, in part, the altered response of diabetic connective tissues to inflammation and trauma.

Diabetes stimulates procollagen degradation in rat tendon in vitro.

To identify the mechanisms responsible for the paucity of recently synthesized collagen in connective tissues during diabetes, in vitro procollagen metabolism was studied in non-diabetic (control) and diabetic rats. Achilles tendons from the two groups were incubated for 1-8 h (35 degrees C) in medium containing [14C]proline and the radiolabeled collagen in the tissue, and that released into the media, were examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. The bulk of the radiolabeled collagen in tendon from the diabetics was recovered as degradation products; these, but also procollagen and collagen components, were prominent in the control tissues. Moreover, the collagenous components synthesized by the diabetic rat tendons were more readily digested in vitro by trypsin than those produced by control tissues. We conclude that diabetes reduces collagen accretion in connective tissues in part due to increased intracellular degradation of procollagen.

A chemically modified tetracycline inhibits streptozotocin-induced diabetic depression of skin collagen synthesis and steady-state type I procollagen mRNA.

Wasting of connective tissues including skin, bone, and cartilage have been closely associated with elevated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and depressed collagen content in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat, while tetracyclines have been reported to normalize total body weight, skin hydroxyproline and collagen content in this model, in part through inhibition of MMPs. In the present study, we report the effect of CMT-1, a chemically modified tetracycline that lacks antimicrobial properties but retains divalent cation binding and MMP inhibitory activity, on diabetic skin collagen synthesis and steady-state levels of procollagen alpha 1(I) mRNA. Male, 4-month old Sprague-Dawley rats received a single injection of 75 mg/kg STZ or citrate vehicle alone and diabetic status was confirmed by positive glucosuria. Some diabetic animals received 10 mg/day of CMT-1 by oral gavage and, 28 days after STZ treatment, body weight, blood glucose values and the in vivo rates of skin collagen production were measured using the pool-expansion technique. Steady-state levels of procollagen alpha 1(I) mRNA were analyzed 21 days after STZ treatment by hybridization of total RNA with a 32P labelled cDNA to rat type I procollagen alpha 1(I) mRNA in a dot-blot assay. STZ treatment was found to significantly depress body weight, skin collagen hydroxyproline content, the in vivo rate of collagen production, and hybridizable levels of type I procollagen alpha 1(I) mRNA. CMT-1 administered daily to STZ-treated rats inhibited the diabetic depression of these parameters but had little or no effect on non-diabetic controls or on STZ-induced hyperglycemia. Thus, in addition to the inhibition of MMP mediated extracellular collagen degradation, these results suggest CMT-1 also acts to inhibit diabetic connective tissue breakdown in STZ-induced diabetes by increasing both steady-state levels of type I procollagen mRNA and collagen synthesis through mechanism(s) that are independent of the antibacterial properties of tetracyclines.

Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor prevents acute lung injury after cardiopulmonary bypass.

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) results from sequential priming and activation of neutrophils. Activated neutrophils release neutral serine, elastase, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and oxygen radical species, which damage alveolar-capillary basement membranes and the extracellular matrix, resulting in an ALI clinically defined as adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We hypothesized that treatment with a potent MMP and elastase inhibitor, a chemically modified tetracycline (CMT-3), would prevent ALI in our sequential insult model of ALI after CPB. METHODS AND RESULTS: Anesthetized Yorkshire pigs were randomized to 1 of 5 groups: control (n=3); CPB (n=5), femoral-femoral hypothermic bypass for 1 hour; LPS (n=7), sham bypass followed by infusion of low-dose Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 microgram/kg); CPB+LPS (n=6), both insults; and CPB+LPS+CMT-3 (n=5), both insults plus intravenous CMT-3 dosed to obtain a 25-micromol/L blood concentration. CPB+LPS caused severe lung injury, as demonstrated by a significant fall in PaO(2) and an increase in intrapulmonary shunt compared with all groups (P<0.05). These changes were associated with significant pulmonary infiltration of neutrophils and an increase in elastase and MMP-9 activity. CONCLUSIONS: All pathological changes typical of ALI after CPB were prevented by CMT-3. Prevention of lung dysfunction followed an attenuation of both elastase and MMP-2 activity. This study suggests that strategies to combat ARDS should target terminal neutrophil effectors.

Reactive oxygen species activate and tetracyclines inhibit rat osteoblast collagenase.

Recent studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines (TCs) scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), an ROS produced by neutrophils, has been shown to activate neutrophil procollagenase. The objective of the present study was to determine whether (1) HOCl also activated osteoblast procollagenase and (2) TCs inhibited this enzyme in the presence of HOCl. HOCl (5 microM) activated the proenzyme approximately sixfold (P < 0.01) from the medium of PTH-treated UMR-106-01 osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells as determined by functional collagenase assay (3H-methyl-labeled collagen substrate). Doxycycline (50-400 microM) and chemically modified tetracycline, CMT-1 (100-400 microM), significantly inhibited collagenase activity 50-90% and 40-80%, respectively, in the presence of 5 microM HOCl. Concentrations of 6-25 microM doxycycline and 10-50 microM CMT-1 had no significant effect. Furthermore, an excess concentration of cation (50 mM CaCl2 or 50 microM ZnCl2) added to the incubation mixtures containing either doxycycline or CMT-1 did not restore collagenase activity, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE-fluorography. These data suggested that TCs reduced available HOCl and thus prevented the hypochlorous acid conversion of the osteoblast proenzyme to active collagenase. TCs may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of periodontitis and other diseases by several mechanisms that inhibit pathologic collagen breakdown.

Chemically modified tetracyclines inhibit human melanoma cell invasion and metastasis.

Recent work has shown that chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs) are potent inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, both in vitro and in vivo, which is distinct from their antimicrobial activities (Golub et al. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med, 2, 297-321, 1991; Ryan et al. Curr Opin Rheumatol, 8, 23847, 1996). The process of tumor cell invasion requires MMP-mediated degradation of extracellular matrix barriers as a key step in the metastasic cascade. In this study, we examined the effect(s) of doxycycline and CMTs on extracellular levels of gelatinase A and B activity from a highly invasive and metastatic human melanoma cell line C8161, and correlated these observations with changes in the cells' biological behavior in an in vitro invasion assay and in an in vivo SCID mouse model. The results indicate that coincident with the ability of these compounds to differentially suppress extracellular levels of gelatinase activity, C8161 cells treated with doxycycline, CMT-1, CMT-3, or CMT-6 were less invasive in vitro in a dose-dependent manner (3-50 microg/ml). Furthermore, data derived from the in vivo model indicate that SCID mice dosed orally with CMT-1 or CMT-3 contained a reduced number of lung metastases following i.v. injection of C8161 cells via tail vein inoculation. These observations suggest that careful screening of different CMTs could lead to the identification of compounds which suppress the formation and magnitude of metastases associated with certain cancers, and if used as an adjunct to other treatment regimes, lead to greater efficacy in the treatment of metastatic cancers.

Biodistribution of radiolabeled [(3)H] CMT-3 in rats.

CMT-3 is a NON-ANTIMICROBIAL tetracycline (TC), chemically modified to enhance its collagenase-inhibitory property. This property is therapeutically useful in treating diseases such as periodontitis, cancer and arthritis. CMT-3 was labeled with tritium [(3)H] at Carbon 7. Four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (350--400 g body weight) were gavaged once with a mixture of cold CMT-3 and [(3)H] CMT-3 (750 microCi). An additional four rats were gavaged for 2 days with cold CMT-3(15 mg/Kg/day) and on the third day the rats were gavaged with a mixture of cold and [(2)H] CMT-3 (750 microCi); and all 8 rats were placed in the metabolic cages. Blood samples were collected from the tail at multiple intervals from 1--14 hr after [(3)H] CMT-3 administration. At 14 hr, the rats were anesthetized, euthanized and various tissues including visceral organs were removed and weighed. The contents of GI tracts were emptied and added to the fecal pellets and weighed. The urine samples were collected and volume measured. Each tissue or organ was minced finely with scissors and 100 mg of tissue was digested in 1 ml of Tissue-solv (Packard Lab), for 4 hrs at 37 degrees C and each sample was diluted up to 10 ml of distilled water. A 100 microl aliquot was taken and diluted with an equal volume of glacial acetic acid, 10 ml of Atom-lite was added and counted for radioactivity in a liquid scintillation spectrometer. This biodistribution study revealed that over 14 hrs, 54% and 3% of [(3)H] CMT-3 were excreted in the feces and urine, respectively. The serum [(3)H] CMT-3 count reached its maximum value at about 12 hours. The tissues retained the CMTs as follow: muscle (23%); skin (2.41%); bone (1.72%); and the brain retained 0.21% of the label. The radioactive CMT-3 in the visceral organs is as follows: GI tract - its contents (8.9%); heart (0.41%), testis (0.41%); lungs >(0.16%); spleen (0.08%); liver (0.03%); kidneys > (0.02%).

Inhibition of tumor cell invasiveness by chemically modified tetracyclines.

COLO 205 is a cell line derived from a human colon carcinoma with high degradative activity towards extracellular matrix (ECM). It has been shown that COLO 205 cells produce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs are a family of enzymes known to degrade components of the ECM and have been implicated in tumor invasion. In the present study, we have analyzed the multiple effects of chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs) on the expression and activity of MMPs secreted by COLO 205 cells in vitro with the aim of evaluating these compounds for potential use in management of invasive tumors. Because COLO 205 cells can degrade an interstitial ECM in serum-free medium in vitro, we have been able to compare the effects of the tetracyclines on this measure of invasive activity with their effects on proteinase expression and activity. We demonstrate here that one of the chemically modified tetracyclines, 6-deoxy-6-demethyl-4-de(dimethylamino)tetracycline (CMT-3) can effectively inhibit ECM degradation mediated by COLO 205 cells or their conditioned medium. Gelatin zymography and immunoblots show that CMT-3 has the ability to inhibit release of MMP-2 into conditioned medium as well as to inhibit MMP-2 gelatinolytic activity, which correlates with the results from ECM degradation assays. On the basis of our findings with COLO 205 cells we have expanded our evaluation of the tetracyclines to include effects on a genetically engineered line of MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells overexpressing MMP-9 at levels over tenfold those of the parent cell line, and on three human prostate tumor cell lines, LNCaP, DU-145, and PC-3. We show here that CMT-3 displays multiple modes of action: inhibiting MMP activity, reducing levels of MMP expression, and exhibiting selective cytotoxicity towards some of the tumor cell lines.

Excessive matrix metalloproteinase activity in diabetes: inhibition by tetracycline analogues with zinc reactivity.

Diabetes mellitus in rats is characterized by excessive activity of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), notably collagenase(s) and gelatinase(s), in skin, gingiva, and other tissues. A number of tetracyclines (TCs), both antimicrobial compounds as well as chemically modified non-antimicrobial TC analogues (CMTs) are known to possess potent inhibitory activity against these enzymes. Three conventional antimicrobial TCs and six CMTs were used in this study. In vitro, doxycycline was shown to possess higher inhibitory capacity (i.e. lower IC(max)) against diabetic rat skin collagenase than either minocycline or tetracycline HCl. Addition of excess zinc partially reversed the proteinase inhibition by TCs. In vivo, using rats made diabetic with streptozotocin (STZ), oral administration of various TCs led to decreased weight loss and substantial reductions in the activity of both skin collagenase and skin gelatinase (primarily MMP-9, 92 kDa) without affecting blood glucose. Using an in vitro spectrophotometric technique, the Zn(++) reactivity of several CMTs was assessed and found to be positively related to the potency of these compounds as MMP inhibitors. One particular CMT (CMT-5, pyrazole analogue), which is neither antimicrobial nor capable of binding metal cations, did not inhibit the MMPs. TCs have potential utility in management of diabetic complications mediated by excessive activity of MMPs.

The lipophilicity, pharmacokinetics, and cellular uptake of different chemically-modified tetracyclines (CMTs).

CMTs are analogs of tetracyclines, which are chemically modified to eliminate their antimicrobial efficacy but which retain their inhibitory activity against matrix metalloproteinases. These compounds have been found to inhibit connective tissue breakdown in animal models of diseases such as periodontitis, arthritis and cancer. Because CMTs exhibit different in vivo efficacy in these various models of disease, the current study compared their pharmacokinetics and other properties as follows: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered by oral gavage a single dose of 5mg of different CMTs suspended in 1 ml 2% carboxymethyl-cellulose, and blood samples were collected from 1-48 hours after dosing. The sera were extracted, then analyzed by HPLC using a C-18 reverse-phase column. The results showed that the peak concentrations (C(max)) in rat sera 1-12 hours after oral administration of CMTs -1, -2,-3, -4,-5,-6,-7,-8 and doxycycline were 5.5, 0.7, 4.6, 6.2, 0.8, 0.7, 9.0 (note: the 3 peaks detected for CMT-7 were combined), 15.0 and 0.9 microg/ml, respectively. Their in vivo half-lives (t(1/2)) were 11, 5, 22, 11, 32, 15, 37, 38, and 17 hours, respectively. Of the anticollagenase CMTs tested, CMT-8 showed the greatest C(max) and t(1/2)values, followed by CMTs-3, -1, -4, and perhaps -7; CMTs-2, -5, and -6 exhibited much lower levels in serum. The relative lipophilicities of the 8 CMTs and doxycycline were tested by examining their extractability in octanol. The results showed that CMT-2, -5, and -6 had the lowest partition coefficients using this organic solvent, while CMT-3 was the most lipophilic. The lipophilicity of the different CMTs was also positively correlated (r(2)=0.767, P<0.05) to peak serum concentrations (C(max)), but not to their serum half-lives (r(2)=0.25,P=0.49). This property of the different CMTs was also found to be positively correlated to their ability to enter into human whole blood cells in vitro (r2=0.95, P<0.001). Since CMT-8, as well as CMTs-3 and -1, consistently exhibited the greatest in vivo efficacy in animal models of tissue breakdown, this may reflect, at least in part, their favorable pharmacokinetics and tissue uptake.

CMT-3, a non-antimicrobial tetracycline (TC), inhibits MT1-MMP activity: relevance to cancer.

Tetracyclines (TCs) and their non-antimicrobial analogs (CMTs) have therapeutic potential to inhibit tissue destructive disease processes, such as cancer invasion and metastasis, by inhibiting certain matrix metalloproteinases. Enhanced matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2; gelatinase A) activity has been correlated to cancer invasiveness, and membrane type MMP (MT1-MMP) expressed by tumor cells is involved in localizing and activating pro-MMP-2, a pathway believed to mediate cancer induced tissue breakdown. CMT-3 (6-demethyl, 6-deoxy, 4-dedimethylamino TC) has been shown to experimentally suppress prostate cancer, colon adenocarcinoma and melanoma invasiveness in cell culture and to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in vivo and was used in the current in vitro study. Confluent MT1-MMP transfected COS-1 cells were harvested, washed thoroughly, subjected to N(2) cavitation and cell membrane enriched fractions were isolated by sequential centrifugations. This MT1-MMP preparation exhibited (i) pro-MMP-2 activating activity as shown by molecular weight shift of this gelatinase from 72 kDa to 62 kDa using gelatin zymography, and (ii) the ability to degrade both [(3)H-methyl] gelatin and casein at 37 degrees C. Adding CMT-3 at final concentrations of 5--20microM inhibited MT1-MMP gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activity, blocked MT1-MMP activation of pro-MMP-2, and decreased invasiveness (using the Matrigel system) of HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells. The inhibition of MT1-MMP by CMT-3 may partially explain the inhibition of cancer cell -mediated tissue breakdown and invasiveness by this non-antimicrobial tetracycline analog.

A combination of subtherapeutic doses of chemically modified doxycycline (CMT-8) and a bisphosphonate (clodronate) inhibits bone loss in the ovariectomized rat: a dynamic histomorphometric and gene expression study.

Recent studies have demonstrated that tetracyclines can reduce bone loss in the ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis. In the current study, a non-antimicrobial, chemically modified doxycycline (CMT-8), alone or in combination with a bisphosphonate (Clodronate), was evaluated in this model. Forty-two, 6month old, female rats were randomly assigned to the following groups, (6/ group): a) sham/vehicle, b) OVX/vehicle; c) OVX/1 mg/day CMT-8; d) OVX/2 mg/day CMT-8, e) OVX/1 mg/week Clodronate; and f) OVX/1 mg/day CMT-8 + 1 mg/week Clodronate, CMT-8 was administered by oral gavage, Clodronate injected S/C. Following sham surgery or OVX, the rats were treated for 90 days with CMT-8 or vehicle alone, injected at three different times with fluorochrome labels, the rats were sacrificed, and the tibiae excised for analysis by dynamic bone histomorphometry. Femurs were aseptically removed and analyzed for collagen, collagenase and osteopontin mRNAs by Northern and dot blot analysis. As expected, OVX decreased trabecular bone volume (BV/TV by 73.8% vs. sham p<.01), and also reduced trabecular thickness, numbers, and increased spacing. Bone loss in the OVX animals was partially prevented with either 2 mg/day CMT-8 or 1 mg/wk Clodronate (p<.01), while the 1 mg/day CMT-8 had no effect. Interestingly, the efficacy of the combination therapy of CMT-8 and Clodronate was significantly better than either treatment by itself, maintaining bone mass and structural indices at levels identical to sham values. OVX rats mRNA for collagen, collagenase and osteopontin were elevated indicating high-turnover bone loss. Only COMBO therapy significantly reduced the collagenase and osteopontin mRNA. In summary, CMT-8 mono-therapy (2 mg) alone partially inhibited bone loss in this animal model of osteoporosis. However, 1 mg/day (CMT-8) monotherapy had no effect on bone loss or bone mRNA levels and when combined with Clodronate, interacted to increase efficacy. Thus, a combination of a suboptimal dose of CMT-8 and a bisphosphonate appears to increase the amount of bone by suppressing resorption in a model of osteoporosis.

Bone cells and matrix bind chemically modified non-antimicrobial tetracycline.

3H-labeled chemically modified, non-antimicrobial tetracycline (4-de-dimethyl-aminotetracycline; CMT) was injected intraperitoneally into neonatal rats and the animals killed at 20 min, 2 or 4 h after isotope injection. The binding of 3H-CMT in the calvariae was localized by light and electron microscopic autoradiography. At 20 min after injection, a high level of bound 3H-CMT was localized in the cells of the periosteum including the osteoblasts and preosteoblasts. The newly formed bone matrix was also heavily labeled by silver grains. At the ultrastructural level, many silver grains appeared over the cytoplasm of osteoblasts and preosteoblasts, particularly along the plasma membranes, in the periosteum. At 2 and/or 4 h after isotope injection, the number of silver grains over the cells was markedly reduced by that over the bone matrix appeared unchanged. These results indicate that, in addition to the mineral phase of bone, CMT directly binds to (or is taken up by) osteogenic cells and is then rapidly metabolized by these cells.

Tetracycline/flurbiprofen combination therapy modulates bone remodeling in ovariectomized rats: preliminary observations.

The loss of trabecular bone in the ovariectomized (OVX) rat provides a useful experimental model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In this study, two bone-modulating compounds, an NSAID (flurbiprofen: FBP) and a chemically modified nonantimicrobial tetracycline (CMT), were tested either individually or in combination in this model. Ninety days after OVX, 6-month-old female rats were distributed into the following groups: sham-operated controls, untreated OVX, CMT-treated OVX (5 mg P.O./day), FBP-treated OVX (0.3 mg P.O./day), and combination (CMT plus FBP)-treated OVX (COMBO) groups. Untreated 3-month-old rats were used as pretreatment group. After 21 days of therapy, the dissected distal femurs were processed for light and fluorescence microscopic and backscattered electron microscopic examinations. Net trabecular bone values showed that all the treatment groups lost trabecular bone over the 111 day protocol compared to pretreatment group. In the untreated OVX rats, trabecular bone volume/unit area was reduced by 56% compared to that in the sham-operated controls, this bone loss associated with increased numbers of osteoclasts (p < 0.05). Cortical bone volume was, however, not significantly reduced in OVX rats. Both FBP-alone and COMBO therapy showed marginal, but significant, (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) inhibition of trabecular bone loss, and osteoclast numbers were also decreased (p < 0.05). Both CMT alone and COMBO therapy appeared to increase bone deposition (p < 0.01) at the endosteal surfaces of cortical bone. These results suggest that, in this animal model, (a) cortical bone volume increases by CMT; (b) FBP inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption in the trabecular area, and (c) a combination of these drugs may synergistically prevent bone loss.

In vitro sensitivity of the three mammalian collagenases to tetracycline inhibition: relationship to bone and cartilage degradation.

There are at least nine tetracycline (TC) analogs (both antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial) with documented capacity to inhibit, both in vitro and in vivo, the connective tissue degrading activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Of the three MMPs that can degrade native helical collagens, MMP-13 (initially identified as rat osteoblast and human breast cancer collagenase, and now known to also be expressed by human cartilage and bone cells) is the most sensitive to TC inhibition (IC50 values in vitro generally less than 1 microgram/mL); the TCs inhibit both the collagenolytic as well as the gelatinolytic activity of this enzyme. The IC50 for MMP-8 (neutrophil collagenase) in vitro ranges from 15 to 86 micrograms/mL depending on assay conditions and choice of TC, whereas inhibition of the fibroblast enzyme (MMP-1) generally requires levels in excess of 200 micrograms/mL (except for CMT-3). The TC compounds that are highly effective against MMP-13 in vitro are also highly inhibitory of glycosaminoglycan release from interleukin-1-stimulated cartilage explants in culture. The current data correlate well with: (i) literature values for TC inhibition of bone resorption by isolated osteoclasts; (ii) inhibition by TCs of avian tibial resorption in organ culture; and (iii) the dramatic ability of TCs to inhibit bone destruction in many rat models (rats have only MMP-8 and MMP-13, and no MMP-1). By carefully selecting a TC-based MMP inhibitor and controlling dosages, it should be possible to inhibit pathologically excessive MMP-8 and/or MMP-13 activity, especially that causing bone erosion, without affecting the constitutive levels of MMP-1 needed for tissue remodeling and normal host function; in this regard, three newly developed CMTs (especially CMT-8, and, to a lesser extent, CMT-3 and -7) appear to be most effective.

Tetracycline prevents cancellous bone loss and maintains near-normal rates of bone formation in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

The skeletal consequences of streptozotocin-induced (STZ) diabetes in the rat are characterized by decreased bone formation and, consequently, reductions in bone mass. Given the ability of tetracyclines to inhibit the breakdown of connective tissue collagen in experimental diabetes (and in other diseases), we examined the potential of this drug to prevent the osteopenia associated with STZ diabetes. To evaluate drug efficacy, the cortical and trabecular bone histomorphometry were analyzed and compared between vehicle-treated control and diabetic rats and control and diabetic rats treated orally with 20 mg/day of minocycline, a semisynthetic tetracycline. In addition, blood and urine glucose, body weight change, tibia lengths, cortical bone densities, and bone ash content were compared. At the end of the 26 day experimental period, diabetic (D) and minocycline-treated diabetic (MTD) rats were polyuric with reduced body weights and significantly elevated blood and urinary glucose levels (p < 0.01). Compared to control (C) and minocycline-treated control (MTC) animals, the periosteal and cancellous bone formation in the D rats had virtually ceased (p < 0.001), and the cancellous bone mass in the tibial metaphysis was reduced 47% (p < 0.01). In contrast, bone formation rates in the MTD animals were increased compared to the D rats (p < 0.001), while cancellous bone areas in the MTD animals were essentially equivalent to those observed in the C and MTC groups. Moreover, growth plate thickness, reduced 43% in the D rats, was preserved in the diabetic animals treated with minocycline. These results demonstrate that minocycline treatment of the streptozotocin diabetic rat maintains normal bone formation, normalizes growth plate thickness, and prevents cancellous bone loss.

Double-blind, randomized trial of a calf lung surfactant extract administered at birth to very premature infants for prevention of respiratory distress syndrome.

Organic solvent extraction of surfactant obtained by lavage of calf lungs yields a highly surface-active material. A double blind, randomized clinical trial to determine the effect of this material on respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants was initiated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Rochester in December 1983. Infants 25 to 29 weeks gestational age were eligible for entry into the trial. At the time of this interim analysis 32 patients had been randomly selected and entered into the trial, 16 surfactant-treated patients and 16 in a control group who received only saline. At birth, intrapulmonary instillation of the calf lung surfactant extract dispersed in saline or saline alone occurred in the delivery room immediately after intubation and prior to ventilation; infants were then ventilated and treated as usual. At 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after birth, the severity of respiratory distress was categorized as either minimal, intermediate, or severe based on oxygen and mean airway pressure requirements. Differences observed at six hours after birth were of marginal significance, but at 12 and 24 hours the surfactant-treated group had significantly (P less than .01) less severe respiratory distress compared with the control group. Differences between treated and control infants were not statistically significant at 48 and 72 hours after birth. In four surfactant-treated infants the severity of respiratory distress worsened between 24 and 48 hours after birth, suggesting that one dose of surfactant at birth may not be sufficient for some infants.