Nitric Oxide as a Central Molecule in Hypertension: Focus on the Vasorelaxant Activity of New Nitric Oxide Donors.

Cardiovascular diseases include all types of disorders related to the heart or blood vessels. High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiac complications and pathological disorders. An increase in circulating angiotensin-II is a potent stimulus for the expression of reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines that activate oxidative stress, perpetuating a deleterious effect in hypertension. Studies demonstrate the capacity of NO to prevent platelet or leukocyte activation and adhesion and inhibition of proliferation, as well as to modulate inflammatory or anti-inflammatory reactions and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells. However, in conditions of low availability of NO, such as during hypertension, these processes are impaired. Currently, there is great interest in the development of compounds capable of releasing NO in a modulated and stable way. Accordingly, compounds containing metal ions coupled to NO are being investigated and are widely recognized as having great relevance in the treatment of different diseases. Therefore, the exogenous administration of NO is an attractive and pharmacological alternative in the study and treatment of hypertension. The present review summarizes the role of nitric oxide in hypertension, focusing on the role of new NO donors, particularly the metal-based drugs and their protagonist activity in vascular function.

Further Insights into the Oxidative Pathway of Thiocarbonyl-Type Antitubercular Prodrugs: Ethionamide, Thioacetazone, and Isoxyl.

A chemical activation study of the thiocarbonyl-type antitubercular prodrugs, ethionamide (ETH), thioacetazone (TAZ), and isoxyl (ISO), was performed. Biomimetic oxidation of ethionamide using H2O2 (1 equiv) led to ETH-SO as the only stable S-oxide compound, which was found to occur in solution in the preferential form of a sulfine (ETH═S═O vs the sulfenic acid tautomer ETH-S-OH), as previously observed in the crystal state. It was also demonstrated that ETH-SO is capable of reacting with amines, as the putative sulfinic derivative (ETH-SO2H) was supposed to do. Unlike ETH, oxidation of TAZ did not allow observation of the mono-oxygenated species (TAZ-SO), leading directly to the more stable sulfinic acid derivative (TAZ-SO2H), which can then lose a SOxH group after further oxidation or when placed in a basic medium. It was also noticed that the unstable TAZ-SO intermediate can lead to the carbodiimide derivative as another electrophilic species. It is suggested that TAZ-SOH, TAZ-SO2H, and the carbodiimide compound can also react with NH2-containing nucleophilic species, and therefore be involved in toxic effects. Finally, ISO showed a very complex reactivity, here assigned to the coexistence of two mono-oxygenated structures, the sulfine and sulfenic acid tautomers. The mono- and dioxygenated derivatives of ISO are also highly unstable, leading to a panel of multiple metabolites, which are still reactive and likely contribute to the toxicity of this prodrug.

Synthesis and mechanistic investigation of iron(II) complexes of isoniazid and derivatives as a redox-mediated activation strategy for anti-tuberculosis therapy.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) represents a major threat to global health. Isoniazid (INH) is a prodrug used in the first-line treatment of tuberculosis. It undergoes oxidation by a catalase-peroxidase KatG, leading to generation of an isonicotinoyl radical that reacts with NAD(H) forming the INH-NADH adduct as the active metabolite. A redox-mediated activation of isoniazid using an iron metal complex was previously proposed as a strategy to overcome isoniazid resistance due to KatG mutations. Here, we have prepared a series of iron metal complexes with isoniazid and analogues, containing alkyl substituents at the hydrazide moiety, and also with pyrazinamide derivatives. These complexes were activated by H2O2 and studied by ESR and LC-MS. For the first time, the formation of the oxidized INH-NAD adduct from the pentacyano(isoniazid)ferrate(II) complex was detected by LC-MS, supporting a redox-mediated activation, for which a mechanistic proposition is reported. ESR data showed all alkylated hydrazides, in contrast to non-substituted hydrazides, only generated alkyl-based radicals. The structural modifications did not improve minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against MTB in comparison to isoniazid iron complex, providing support to isonicotinoyl radical formation as a requirement for activity. Nonetheless, the pyrazinoic acid hydrazide iron complex showed redox-mediated activation using H2O2 with generation of a pyrazinoyl radical intermediate and production of pyrazinoic acid, which is in fact the active metabolite of pyrazinamide prodrug. Thereby, this strategy can also unveil new opportunities for activation of this type of drug.

Antileishmanial Activity and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Activation by RuNO Complex.

Parasites of the genus Leishmania are capable of inhibiting effector functions of macrophages. These parasites have developed the adaptive ability to escape host defenses; for example, they inactivate the NF-κB complex and suppress iNOS expression in infected macrophages, which are responsible for the production of the major antileishmanial substance nitric oxide (NO), favoring then its replication and successful infection. Metal complexes with NO have been studied as potential compounds for the treatment of certain tropical diseases, such as ruthenium compounds, known to be exogenous NO donors. In the present work, the compound cis-[Ru(bpy)2SO3(NO)]PF6, or RuNO, showed leishmanicidal activity directly and indirectly on promastigote forms of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. In addition, treatment with RuNO increased NO production by reversing the depletion of NO caused by Leishmania. We also found increased expression of Akt, iNOS, and NF-κB in infected and treated macrophages. These results demonstrated that RuNO was able to kill the parasite by NO release and modulate the transcriptional capacity of the cell.

The Heme-Based Oxygen Sensor Rhizobium etli FixL: Influence of Auxiliary Ligands on Heme Redox Potential and Implications on the Enzyme Activity.

Conformational changes associated to sensing mechanisms of heme-based protein sensors are a key molecular event that seems to modulate not only the protein activity but also the potential of the FeIII/II redox couple of the heme domain. In this work, midpoint potentials (Em) assigned to the FeIII/II redox couple of the heme domain of FixL from Rhizobium etli (ReFixL) in the unliganded and liganded states were determined by spectroelectrochemistry in the presence of inorganic mediators. In comparison to the unliganded ReFixL protein (+19mV), the binding to ligands that switch off the kinase activity induces a negative shift, i. e. Em=-51, -57 and -156mV for O2, imidazole and CN-, respectively. Upon binding to CO, which does not affect the kinase active, Em was observed at +21mV. The potential values observed for FeIII/II of the heme domain of ReFixL upon binding to CO and O2 do not follow the expected trend based on thermodynamics, assuming that positive potential shift would be expected for ligands that bind to and therefore stabilize the FeII state. Our results suggest that the conformational changes that switch off kinase activity upon O2 binding have knock-on effects to the local environment of the heme, such as solvent rearrangement, destabilize the FeII state and counterbalances the FeII-stabilizing influence of the O2 ligand.

Thiol-Activated HNO Release from a Ruthenium Antiangiogenesis Complex and HIF-1α Inhibition for Cancer Therapy.

Metallonitrosyl complexes are promising as nitric oxide (NO) donors for the treatment of cardiovascular, endothelial, and pathogenic diseases, as well as cancer. Recently, the reduced form of NO(-) (protonated as HNO, nitroxyl, azanone, isoelectronic with O2) has also emerged as a candidate for therapeutic applications including treatment of acute heart failure and alcoholism. Here, we show that HNO is a product of the reaction of the Ru(II) complex [Ru(bpy)2(SO3)(NO)](+) (1) with glutathione or N-acetyl-L-cysteine, using met-myoglobin and carboxy-PTIO (2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) as trapping agents. Characteristic absorption spectroscopic profiles for HNO reactions with met-myoglobin were obtained, as well as EPR evidence from carboxy-PTIO experiments. Importantly, the product HNO counteracted NO-induced as well as hypoxia-induced stabilization of the tumor-suppressor HIF-1α in cancer cells. The functional disruption of neovascularization by HNO produced by this metallonitrosyl complex was demonstrated in an in vitro angiogenesis model. This behavior is consistent with HNO biochemistry and contrasts with NO-mediated stabilization of HIF-1α. Together, these results demonstrate for the first time thiol-dependent production of HNO by a ruthenium complex and subsequent destabilization of HIF-1α. This work suggests that the complex warrants further investigation as a promising antiangiogenesis agent for the treatment of cancer.

Activity of IQG-607, a new orally active compound, in a murine model of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

We have previously demonstrated a potent in vitro inhibitory activity for two pentacyano(isoniazid)ferrate(II) compounds, namely IQG-607 and IQG-639, against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme. In this study, the activity of these compounds was evaluated using an in vivo murine model of tuberculosis. Swiss mice were infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain and then IQG-607 or IQG-639 (250 mg/kg) was administered for 28 days or 56 days. In addition, a dose-response study was performed with IQG-607 at 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 250 mg/kg. The activity of test compounds was compared with that of the positive control drug isoniazid (INH) (25 mg/kg). After 28 days or 56 days of treatment, both IQG-607 and INH significantly reduced M. tuberculosis-induced splenomegaly as well as significantly diminishing the colony-forming units in the spleen and lungs. IQG-607 and INH ameliorated the lung macroscopic aspect, reducing lung lesions to a similar extent. However, IQG-639 did not significantly modify any evaluated parameter. Experiments using early and late controls of infection revealed a bactericidal activity for IQG-607. IQG-607 might well represent a good candidate for clinical development as a new antimycobacterial agent.