Structural alterations that differentially affect the mutagenic and antitrichomonal activities of 5-nitroimidazoles.

Two approaches have been used to develop nonmutagenic 5-nitroimidazoles. Both approaches are based on knowledge of the likely mechanisms by which this class of compounds cause mutagenicity. The first approach involved incorporating readily oxidizable gallate derivatives into the molecule. In one case, a very weakly mutagenic active antitrichomonal agent was obtained. The second approach involved incorporating a substituent at the C4 position of the ring. This generally resulted in a large reduction in mutagenicity and a lowering of antitrichomonal activity in vitro. In certain cases, however, mutagenicity was dramatically reduced while moderate antitrichomonal activity was retained. For example, 1,2-dimethyl-4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-nitroimidazole (5) showed good antitrichomonal activity in vitro (ED50 = 2 micrograms/kg) while possessing only 4% of the mutagenicity of metronidazole.

Drug residue formation from ronidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole. III. Studies on the mechanism of protein alkylation in vitro.

Ronidazole (1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-2-methanol carbamate) is reductively metabolized by liver microsomal and purified NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase preparations to reactive metabolites that covalently bind to tissue proteins. Kinetic experiments and studies employing immobilized cysteine or blocked cysteine thiols have shown that the principal targets of protein alkylation ara cysteine thiols. Furthermore, ronidazole specifically radiolabelled with 14C in the 4,5-ring, N-methyl or 2-methylene positions give rise to equivalent apparent covalent binding suggesting that the imidazole nucleus is retained in the bound residue. In contrast, the carbonyl-14C-labeled ronidazole gives approx. 6--15-fold less apparent covalent binding indicating that the carbamoyl group is lost during the reaction leading to the covalently bound metabolite. The conversion of ronidazole to reactive metabolite(s) is quantitative and reflects the amazing efficiency by which this compound is activated by microsomal enzymes. However, only about 5% of this metabolite can be accounted for as protein-bound products under the conditions employed in these studies. Consequently, approx. 95% of the reactive ronidazole metabolite(s) can react with other constituents in the reaction media such as other thiols or water. Based on these results, a mechanism is proposed for the metabolic activation of ronidazole.

Drug residue formation from ronidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole. VIII. Identification of the 2-methylene position as a site of protein alkylation.

Ronidazole protein-bound adducts were generated by the in vitro anaerobic incubation of [2-methylene-14C]ronidazole with microsomes from the livers of male rats. Acid hydrolysis of the protein adducts yielded an imidazole ring fragment bearing the radiolabel and an amino acid residue derived from the proteins. This fragment has been identified as carboxymethylcysteine by co-chromatography of the amino acid and its dansyl derivative with known standards under a variety of conditions. The carboxymethylcysteine was estimated to represent at least 15% of the radioactivity derived from the protein-bound adducts and provides unequivocal evidence that nucleophilic attack by protein cysteine thiols occurred at the 2-methylene position of ronidazole.

Drug residue formation from ronidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole. VII. Comparison of protein-bound products formed in vitro and in vivo.

In vivo experiments were conducted with ronidazole radiolabelled in the 2-14CH2-, 4,5-14C-, N-14CH3- and 4-3H-positions. The hepatic protein-bound residues, assessed by the radioactivity of exhaustively washed protein samples, were independent of the radiolabel position and occurred with 4-3H loss (greater than 80%) in excellent agreement to previous results obtained in vitro with anaerobic incubations of liver microsomes (Miwa et al., Chem. Biol. Interact., 41 (1982) 297). HPLC analysis of acid hydrolyzed in vivo protein-bound residues, obtained from [2-14CH2] ronidazole, produced a radiochromatographic profile which was virtually identical to that obtained from a similarly treated in vitro sample. Moreover, almost quantitative (76-96%) liberation of radiolabelled methylamine was obtained from hydrolysates of in vivo and in vitro residue samples formed from [N-14CH3] ronidazole. With 4,5-ring labeled ronidazole the distribution of total radioactivity of the protein hydrolysate on cation exchange resin and the fraction of the residue recovered as oxalic acid were nearly identical for the in vivo and in vitro products. We interpret these data to indicate that ronidazole alkylates proteins with retention of most of the carbon framework of the molecule, in vivo. It is also concluded that the in vitro model, previously used to examine the mechanism of protein alkylation, accurately reflects the salient process initially occurring in the intact animal during the formation of protein-bound residues of this drug.

Testing paradigm for prediction of development-limiting barriers and human drug toxicity.

The financial investment grows exponentially as a new chemical entity advances through each stage of discovery and development. The opportunity exists for the modern toxicologist to significantly impact expenditures by the early prediction of potential toxicity/side effect barriers to development by aggressive evaluation of development-limiting liabilities early in drug discovery. Improved efficiency in pharmaceutical research and development lies both in leveraging "best in class" technology and integration with pharmacologic activities during hit-to-lead and early lead optimization stages. To meet this challenge, a discovery assay by stage (DABS) paradigm should be adopted. The DABS clearly delineates to discovery project teams the timing and type of assay required for advancement of compounds to each subsequent level of discovery and development. An integrative core pathology function unifying Drug Safety Evaluation, Molecular Technologies and Clinical Research groups that effectively spans all phases of drug discovery and development is encouraged to drive the DABS. The ultimate goal of such improved efficiency being the accurate prediction of toxicity and side effects that would occur in development before commitment of the large prerequisite resource. Good justification of this approach is that every reduction of development attrition by 10% results in an estimated increase in net present value by $100 million.

Drug residue formation from ronidazole, a 5-nitro-imidazole. IV. The role of the microflora.

When radioactive 1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-2-methanol carbamate, ronidazole, labeled at the 4,5-ring positions was administered orally to germ-free and conventional rats, a much larger fraction of the radioactivity was excreted in the feces of the conventional animals. Determination of the total radioactive residues present in the carcass, blood, plasma, liver, fat and kidney 5 days after dosing indicated that the carcass of the germ-free animals contained a greater quantity of residue than that of conventional rats. On the other hand, the blood of the conventional animals contained a much higher level of radioactivity than that of the germ-free animals. These results show that while the microflora influence the distribution of the drug their presence is not obligating for the formation of persistent tissue residues in rats dosed with ronidazole.

Studies on the mechanism of activation and the mutagenicity of ronidazole, a 5-nitroimidazole.

Substantial evidence implicates the obligatory nucleophilic attack by water at C4 for the elimination of the carbamate and subsequent immobilization by electrophilic attack on protein thiols. Consequently, the strong correlation between the structural requirements for protein alkylation and for mutagenicity in TA100 suggests a possible role of nucleophilic addition at C4 or at the 2-methylene carbon for the expression of mutagenicity. Further studies directed at evaluating this possibility are currently in progress.

Goals, design, timing, and future opportunities for nonclinical drug metabolism studies.

The nonclinical ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) studies employed during drug development are dependent on the regulatory expectations and the changing development focus from nonclinical to clinical issues. These evolving issues necessitate that the development goals for ADME studies also change during the development process. The rationale for these goal changes and their impact on the timing and design of the ADME studies are discussed in the context of drug development at Glaxo Inc. The progress in the technology and knowledge in drug metabolism and in biology provide new opportunities for pharmaceutical companies in predicting drug toxicities relevant to humans. Two case examples are discussed to illustrate this opportunity.

The mechanism of the cytochrome P-448 mediated 6-hydroxylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin.

Deuterium labeling of 7-ethoxycoumarin on the carbon undergoing oxidation by cytochrome P-450 results in a redirection of metabolism from O-deethylation to ring hydroxylation at C6 (Harada, N. et al (1984) J Biol Chem 259, 3005-3010). Consequently, this substrate has been specifically labeled with deuterium at C6 aromatic in order to determine the mechanism of this ring hydroxylation reaction. Although product yield occurred over a 20-fold range when catalyzed by purified and microsomal preparations of cytochrome P-450, deuterium migration to C5 was always observed. Moreover, cumene hydroperoxide-supported reactions also proceeded with this NIH-shift. These data demonstrate that the 6-hydroxylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin occurs through a 5,6-oxide intermediate.

The association of cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in phospholipid membranes.

NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and two purified isozymes of cytochrome P-450 have been incorporated into phospholipid vesicles by a cholate dialysis technique. The enzyme system reconstituted in this manner was catalytically active. The observed kinetics for substrate oxidation indicated that both enzymes were associated with the liposomal membranes, and were not simply entrapped in the interior of the vesicle. The N-demethylation of benzphetamine was measured in order to determine the effect of variations in the mole ratio between the two enzymes and between the lipid and the total enzyme on the observed steady-state kinetics. In addition, the kinetic isotope effects for the O-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin were measured in order to compare these parameters to those previously observed in a reconstituted system [G. T. Miwa, and A. Y. H. Lu (1981) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 211, 454-458]. The results were all consistent with the association of the two proteins by lateral diffusion in the vesicle membrane. Moreover, the observed reduction in catalytic activity, as the enzymes were diluted in the vesicle membrane, can only be explained by the formation of a transient P-450-reductase complex, and not by the existence of a stable complex between the two proteins. These results provide compelling evidence for a mass action model for the interaction of these two enzymes in liposomal membranes.

Rat liver cytosolic azoreductase. Purification and characterization.

An azoreductase has been purified to apparent homogeneity from the hepatic 105,000 x g supernatant fraction of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. In the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, the purified enzyme preparation electrophoreses on polyacrylamide gels as a single protein band with a molecular weight of 30,000. In the absence of detergent, chromatography of the azoreductase on Sephadex G-100 gives a molecular weight of about 52,000 suggesting that the native enzyme may exist as a dimer. The purified azoreductase has a typical flavoprotein absorption spectrum and contains 2 mol of FAD/mol of enzyme. The enzyme catalyzes the reductive fission of methyl red (2'-carboxy-4-N,N-dimethylaminoazobenzene) and a structure-activity study indicates that the 2'-carboxyl group of methyl red is essential for catalysis since other structurally related analogs are totally inactive.

Application of jackknife procedures to inter-experiment comparisons of parameter estimates for the Michaelis-Menten equation.

The jackknife procedure is introduced as a means of making comparisons among Michaelis-Menten parameter estimates for six different experimental conditions. In addition to providing a solution to the general inter-experimental comparison problem, the jackknife procedure will provide valid parameter estimates even when some of the assumptions usually required for statistical analysis are violated, e.g., the random errors are not normally distributed and the variances are not homogeneous. Other recent variations of the jackknife have also been introduced and briefly investigated: (i) the linear jackknife, which is more efficient computationally, and (ii) the weighted jackknife, which reduces the influence of design points (substrate concentrations) that have an excessive influence on the precision of parameter estimates.

(-)-6-Aminocarbovir pharmacokinetics and relative carbovir exposure in rats.

The potential for the metabolic conversion of (-)-6-aminocarbovir to (-)-carbovir, a potent reverse transcriptase inhibitor effective against human immunodeficiency virus, has been examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Plasma (-)-6-aminocarbovir concentrations declined rapidly in a biphasic manner following an iv bolus dose of 20 mg/kg. The total systemic clearance was 5.4 liter/hr/kg and the terminal t1/2 was 0.35 hr. Following iv dosing, approximately half of the dose was excreted into the urine and comprised equivalent quantities of (-)-carbovir and (-)-6-aminocarbovir. Orally administered (-)-6-aminocarbovir was rapidly absorbed (tmax of 0.39 hr and Cmax of 4.96 micrograms/ml) following a 60 mg/kg dose. Following oral administration, 32% of the dose was eliminated in the urine, and comprised (-)-carbovir (75%) and (-)-6-aminocarbovir (25%). The oral bioavailability of (-)-6-aminocarbovir was 46% by plasma AUC comparison and 33% based on urinary excretion data. Exposure to (-)-carbovir was lower following (-)-6-aminocarbovir dosing than observed following (-)-Carbovir dosing, by both the oral and iv routes.

Kinetic isotope effects on cytochrome P-450-catalyzed oxidation reactions: full expression of the intrinsic isotope effect during the O-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced hamsters.

The intrinsic primary deuterium isotope effect for the O-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin has been estimated by the Northrop method [D. B. Northrop (1977) in Isotope Effects on Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions (Cleland, W. W., O'Leary, M. H., and Northrop, D. B., eds.), pp. 122-152, University Park Press, Baltimore] for the microsomal cytochrome P-448 system from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced hamster livers. The intrinsic isotope effect (Dk = 5.5) was found to be equivalent to the observed deuterium isotope effect, demonstrating that the isotope effect for this reaction was fully expressed by this cytochrome P-448 system. These data unequivocally demonstrate that C-H bond cleavage is the rate-limiting step in the overall reaction catalyzed by this system. The decrease in the rate of product formation, occurring as a consequence of deuterium substitution, resulted in a reduction in the quantity of substrate metabolized but was not accompanied by the change in regiospecificity observed in previous studies with a hepatic cytochrome P-448 isozyme purified from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced rats. These data demonstrate that the catalytic site of the hamster isozyme(s) offers more constraints to 7-ethoxycoumarin reorientation than does the catalytic site of the rat liver isozyme.

Mechanism of reductive activation of a 5-nitroimidazole by flavoproteins: model studies with dithionite.

The flavoprotein nitroreductases NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase and xanthine oxidase catalyzed the cofactor-dependent anaerobic nitro group reduction and covalent binding to protein sulfhydryl groups of the 5-nitroimidazole substrate ronidazole [1-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-2-yl)-methyl carbamate). Studies with variously radiolabeled ronidazole molecules demonstrated that the imidazole ring was intact while greater than 80% of the C-4 3H and 2-carbamoyl group were lost from the covalently bound product. The stoichiometry of cofactor consumption during the enzyme-catalyzed reduction of the substrate could not be determined, so a model nitroreductase system which utilized dithionite as the reductant and agarose-immobilized cysteine as the target for alkylation was developed. Two moles of dithionite was consumed per mole of substrate for maximal reduction of uv absorbance due to the nitro group, for maximal release of C-4 3H, and for maximal covalent binding to agarose-immobilized cysteine. These results indicate that four electrons are required for the reductive activation of the substrate, consistent with formation of a hydroxylamine reactive intermediate. Covalent binding of variously radiolabeled substrate molecules after dithionite reduction exhibited the same labeling pattern as flavoprotein-catalyzed covalent binding, suggesting that covalent binding is mediated by the same species in both chemical and biological systems. The data are consistent with a mechanism where the substrate undergoes four-electron reduction to form a hydroxylamine, which is susceptible to nucleophilic attack at C-4. When water attacks C-4, the 2-carbamoyl group can eliminate to form a Michael-like acceptor which adds thiols at the 2-methylene position.