Structural Optimization of Ghrelin Receptor Inverse Agonists to Improve Lipophilicity and Avoid Mechanism-Based CYP3A4 Inactivation.

Structural optimization of 2-aminonicotinamide derivatives as ghrelin receptor inverse agonists is reported. So as to avoid mechanism-based inactivation (MBI) of CYP3A4, 1,3-benzodioxol ring of the lead compound was modified. Improvement of the main activity and lipophilicity was achieved simultaneously, leading to compound 18a, which showed high lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE) and low MBI activity.

Effects of neurotoxin 6-aminonicotinamide on levels of enzyme activities and metabolites in quail plasma.

Effects of 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) on the levels of proteins, metabolites and enzyme activities in the plasma of Japanese quail were investigated. The concentrations of soluble proteins in the pectoral and hindlimb muscle of the 6-AN treated and the pair-fed groups were significantly reduced compared to the control group. In the plasma, the levels of total proteins and albumin were not affected, but the levels of globulin were significantly lower than those of the control and pair-fed groups. In contrast, the levels of glucose and creatine were significantly elevated. Cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis showed that 6-AN induced a new synthesis of prealbumin and also increased the levels of beta-globulin relative to the control and pair-fed groups. In contrast, the levels of gamma-globulin were markedly lower than those of the control group, whereas the levels of alpha-globulin were not affected. The specific activity of alkaline phosphatase of the 6-AN group was significantly lower than that of the control and pair-fed groups and that of aspartate aminotransferase only lower than that of the control group but not the pair-fed group. The specific activities of creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase of the 6-AN group were the greatest among the three groups, whereas those of the pair-fed group were greater than those of the control group. The results suggest that 6-AN may interfere with the proper maintenance of energy charges and the immune system function.

IL-6 deficiency leads to reduced metallothionein-I+II expression and increased oxidative stress in the brain stem after 6-aminonicotinamide treatment.

We examined the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) deficiency on brain inflammation and the accompanying bone marrow (BM) leukopoiesis and spleen immune reaction after systemic administration of a niacin antagonist, 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN), which causes both astroglial degeneration/cell death in brain stem gray matter areas and BM toxicity. In both normal and genetically IL-6-deficient mice (IL-6 knockout (IL-6KO) mice), the extent of astroglial degeneration/cell death in the brain stem was similar as determined from disappearance of GFAP immunoreactivity. In 6-AN-injected normal mice reactive astrocytosis encircled gray matter areas containing astroglial degeneration/cell death, which were infiltrated by several macrophages and some T-lymphocytes. Reactive astrocytes and a few macrophages increased significantly the antioxidants metallothionein-I+II (MT-I+II) and moderately the MT-III isoform. In 6-AN-injected IL-6KO mice reactive astrocytosis and recruitment of macrophages and T-lymphocytes were clearly reduced, as were BM leukopoiesis and spleen immune reaction. Expression of MT-I+II was significantly reduced while MT-III was increased. Oxidative stress, as determined by measuring nitrated tyrosine and malondialdehyde, was increased by 6-AN to a greater extent in IL-6KO mice. The blood-brain barrier to albumin was only disrupted in 6-AN-injected normal mice, which likely is due to the substantial migration of blood-derived inflammatory cells into the CNS. The present results demonstrate that inflammation in CNS is clearly reduced during IL-6 deficiency and this effect is likely due to significant inhibition of BM leukopoiesis. We also show that IL-6 deficiency reduces the levels of neuroprotective antioxidants MT-I+II followed by an increased oxidative stress during CNS inflammation.

Murine pharmacokinetics of 6-aminonicotinamide (NSC 21206), a novel biochemical modulating agent.

The pyridine nucleotide 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) was shown recently to sensitize a number of human tumor cell lines to cisplatin in vitro. The present studies were undertaken to compare the drug concentrations and length of exposure required for this sensitization in vitro with the drug exposure that could be achieved in mice in vivo. Human K562 leukemia cells and A549 lung cancer cells were incubated with 6AN for various lengths of time, exposed to cisplatin for 1-2 hr, and assayed for Pt-DNA adducts as well as the ability to form colonies. K562 cells displayed progressive increases in Pt-DNA adducts and cisplatin sensitivity during the first 10 hr of 6AN exposure. An 18-hr 6AN exposure was likewise more effective than a 6-hr 6AN exposure in sensitizing A549 cells to cisplatin. HPLC analysis of 6AN and its metabolite, 6-amino-NAD+, permitted assessment of exposures achieved in vivo after i.v. administration of 10 mg/kg of 6AN to CD2F1 mice. 6AN reached peak serum concentrations of 80-90 microM and was cleared rapidly, with T1/2alpha and T1/2beta values of 7.4 and 31.3 min, respectively. Bioavailability was 80-100% with identical plasma pharmacokinetics after i.p. administration. At least 25% of the 6AN was excreted unchanged in the urine. The metabolite 6-amino-NAD+ was detected in perchloric acid extracts of brain, liver, kidney, and spleen, but not in serum. Efforts to prolong systemic 6AN exposure by administering multiple i.p. doses or using osmotic pumps resulted in lethal toxicity. These results demonstrated that 6AN exposures required to sensitize tumor cells to cisplatin in vitro are difficult to achieve in vivo.

[Drugs, inhibitors and other stories. From cancer chemotherapy to nutritional toxicology]. / Drogas, inhibidores y otras historias. De la quimioterapia a la toxicologia nutricional.

The designation as speaker of the XVIII Annual Conference "Karl Gaede", sponsored by the Asociación Venezolana de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, provided me with the opportunity to revisit the path constructed in twenty five years of biochemical research. This path stretches from cancer chemotherapy to nutritional toxicology, following the elusive thread that interconnects the metabolic network buried in the ground of any biological process. This work summarizes experiences derived from the use of drugs, inhibitors and stimulators that act on specific enzymatic steps. As a metabolic artisan, I have used these tools to unveil the peculiarities and the inherent character that give continuity to the conductive thread across the whole biological universe.

Drogas, inibidores y otras historias. De la quimioterapia a la toxicologia nutricional / Drugs, inhibitors and other stories. From cancer chemotherapy to nutritional toxicology

La designación como ponente de la XVIII Conferencia Annual "Karl Gaede", instituída por la Asociación Venezolana de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, me brindó la oportunidad para emprender un viaje retrospectivo a través de algunos aspectos de la actividad de investigación realizada a lo largo de 25 años de dedicación al oficio de la bioquímica. Dicho derrotero se desplaza desde la quimioterapia del cáncer a la toxicología nutricional, siguiendo el elusivo hilo conductor del metabolismo, realidad subyacente bajo todo proceso biológico. El presente ensayo resume experiencias derivadas del abordaje de problemas metabólicos a través del uso de drogas, inhibidores y estimuladores que actúan sobre pasos enzimáticos específicos. Con estas herramientas del artesano metabólico es posible descorrer los velos que recubren al hilo conductor, para exponer las peculiaridades que lo caracterizan en el entorno de un problema particular y las semejanzas con los de otros que le dan continuidad en el amplio espectro del universo que nos atañe.

6-Aminonicotinamide sensitizes human tumor cell lines to cisplatin.

The nicotinamide analogue 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) is presently undergoing evaluation as a potential modulator of the action of various antineoplastic treatments. Most previous studies of this agent have focused on a three-drug regimen of chemical modulators that includes 6AN. In the present study, the effect of single-agent 6AN on the efficacy of selected antineoplastic drugs was assessed in vitro. Colony-forming assays using human tumor cell lines demonstrated that pretreatment with 30-250 microM 6AN for 18 h resulted in increased sensitivity to the DNA cross-linking agent cisplatin, with 6-, 11-, and 17-fold decreases in the cisplatin dose that diminishes colony formation by 90% being observed in K562 leukemia cells, A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells, and T98G glioblastoma cells, respectively. Morphological examination revealed increased numbers of apoptotic cells after treatment with 6AN and cisplatin compared to cisplatin alone. 6AN also sensitized cells to melphalan and nitrogen mustard but not to chlorambucil, 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, etoposide, or daunorubicin. In additional studies undertaken to elucidate the mechanism underlying the sensitization to cisplatin, atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed that 6AN had no effect on the rate of removal of platinum (Pt) adducts from DNA. Instead, 6AN treatment was accompanied by an increase in Pt-DNA adducts that paralleled the degree of sensitization. This effect was not attributable to 6AN-induced decreases in glutathione or NAD+, because other agents that depleted these detoxification cofactors (buthionine sulfoximine and 3-acetylpyridine, respectively) did not increase Pt-DNA adducts. On the contrary, 6AN treatment increased cellular accumulation of cisplatin. Further experiments revealed that 6AN was metabolized to 6-aminonicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (6ANAD+). Concurrent administration of nicotinamide and 6AN had minimal effect on cellular 6AN accumulation but abolished the formation of 6ANAD+, the increase in Pt-DNA adducts, and the sensitizing effect of 6AN in clonogenic assays. These observations identify 6AN as a potential modulator of cisplatin sensitivity and suggest that the 6AN metabolite 6ANAD+ exerts this effect by increasing cisplatin accumulation and subsequent formation of Pt-DNA adducts.

Mechanisms of resistance to 6-aminonicotinamide.

Several cell lines resistant to 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) have been isolated, some selected with 6-AN and others with tiazofurin. These cell lines have been characterized with respect to several parameters including cross-resistance to tiazofurin, ability to metabolize 6-AN or tiazofurin to the respective analog metabolites of NAD, accumulation of 6-phosphogluconate in the presence of drug, and levels of NAD pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.1). Cell lines selected with 6-AN (ANR) are not cross-resistant to tiazofurin and have retained the ability to synthesize the NAD analogs, 6-aminonicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (6-ANAD), the phosphorylated derivative (6-ANADP) and thiazole-4-carboxamide adenine dinucleotide (TAD) when treated with 6-AN or tiazofurin respectively. The cell lines selected with tiazofurin are all cross-resistant to 6-AN; the most resistant of the lines are unable to form the NAD analog metabolites in detectable amounts and appear deficient in NAD pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.1) activity, the enzyme that is presumably responsible for their formation. The parent CHO line accumulates 6-phosphogluconate in the presence of 6-AN indicating inhibition of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Of the resistant cell lines only two of them accumulate this intermediate.

13C and 31P NMR investigation of effect of 6-aminonicotinamide on metabolism of RIF-1 tumor cells in vitro.

The effect of 6-aminonicotinamide on the metabolism of RIF-1 tumor cells was investigated using 13C and 31P NMR spectroscopy. 6-Aminonicotinamide can be metabolized to 6-amino-NAD(P), a competitive inhibitor of NAD(P)-requiring processes. 40 microM 6-aminonicotinamide led to an inhibition of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and an accumulation of 6-phosphogluconate. A subsequent accumulation of the 6-phosphogluconate precursor 6-phosphoglucono-delta-lactone was observed in the 13C NMR spectrum. These metabolites were shown to be intracellular, although a small amount of leakage of 6-phosphoglucono-delta-lactone occurred. The intracellular concentrations of 6-phosphogluconate and 6-phosphoglucono-delta-lactone were 1.9 +/- 0.8 micromol/108 cells (+/-1 standard deviation) and 0.8 +/- 0.4 micromol/10(8) cells, respectively, after 15 h. Glucose utilization and lactate production were significantly inhibited by 6-aminonicotinamide (both p < 0.05), indicating inhibition of glycolysis. 31P NMR data showed that phosphocreatine was significantly depleted in cells exposed to 6-aminonicotinamide (p < 0.05). Exposure of RIF-1 cells to 6-aminonicotinamide prior to 3- or 6-Gy x-irradiation induced a supra-additive cell kill, indicating that 6-aminonicotinamide is acting as a radiosensitizer. There was no effect of 6-aminonicotinamide alone or when the drug was given postradiation, suggesting that its mechanism of action may be by inhibition of radiation-induced repair.

Alterations of glycosaminoglycans synthesized by chick embryo cartilage treated with 6-amino-nicotinamide.

Treatment of day-4 chick embryos with 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) impairs limb chondrogenesis and produces micromelia. However, treatment of day-10 chick embryos with 6-AN does not produce micromelia. In the present study, the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthesis in the cartilage isolated from the day-10 chick embryos treated with 6-AN in vitro and in the cartilage from the day-11 chick embryos treated with 6-AN in ovo at day-10 was examined. In the epiphyseal cartilage treated in vitro, the radioactivity incorporated into the GAG fraction was significantly decreased and the 35S/3H ratio in the GAG fraction and the molecular size of GAG chain were also decreased. However, the percent distribution of delta Di-0S was almost unchanged. In the epiphyseal and diaphyseal cartilage treated in ovo at day-10, the alteration in GAG biosynthesis was not observed except the reduction of the molecular size of GAG in epiphyseal cartilage. Furthermore, the biosynthetic activity of GAG in the process of recovery/repair was also examined using the micromelial cartilage isolated from day 11-chick embryos given 6-AN in ovo at day-4. In the diaphyseal cartilage, the radioactivity incorporated into the GAG fraction and the 35S/3H ratio were increased, whereas the percent distribution of delta Di-0S was almost unchanged. These results indicate that treatment of day-4 chick embryos with 6-AN produces the rebound phenomena in the diaphyseal cartilage isolated at day-11.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

6-Aminonicotinamide-resistant mutants of Salmonella typhimurium.

Resistance to the nicotinamide analog 6-aminonicotinamide has been used to identify the following three new classes of mutants in pyridine nucleotide metabolism. (i) pncX mutants have Tn10 insertion mutations near the pncA locus which reduce but do not eliminate the pncA product, nicotinamide deamidase. (ii) nadB (6-aminonicotinamide-resistant) mutants have dominant alleles of the nadB gene, which we propose are altered in feedback inhibition of the nadB enzyme, L-aspartate oxidase. Many of these mutants also exhibit a temperature-sensitive nicotinamide requirement phenotype. (iii) nadD mutants have mutations that affect a new gene involved in pyridine nucleotide metabolism. Since a high proportion of nadD mutations are temperature-sensitive lethal mutations, this appears to be an essential gene for NAD and NADP biosynthesis. In vivo labeling experiments indicate that in all the above cases, resistance is gained by increasing the ratio of NAD to 6-aminonicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. 6-Aminonicotinamide adenine dinucleotide turns over significantly more slowly in vivo than does normal NAD.