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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, December 2001, p. 3304-3309, Vol. 45, No. 12
GlaxoSmithKline1 and
Morphology Department, School of Medicine, Autonoma University
of Madrid,2 Madrid, Spain
Received 27 December 2000/Returned for modification 3 June
2001/Accepted 12 August 2001
Sordarins constitute a new class of antifungal agents with a novel
mechanism of action involving the selective inhibition of fungal
protein synthesis. A further evolution of this class of antifungals has
led to a new family of sordarin derivatives called azasordarins. The
therapeutic efficacies of two new azasordarins, GW471552 and GW471558,
were studied in experimental models of oral and vulvovaginal
candidiasis in immunosuppressed rats. In all cases rats were
immunosuppressed with dexamethasone in the drinking water. Oral
candidiasis was established by inoculating 0.1 ml of a yeast suspension
containing 5 × 108 cells of Candida
albicans 4711E with a cotton swab on three alternate days.
Vulvovaginal candidiasis was established in ovariectomized and
estrus-induced rats by intravaginal inoculation of 107 CFU
of C. albicans 4711E in 0.1 ml of saline. GW471552 and
GW471558 were administered at 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg of body weight via the subcutaneous route. In oral candidiasis, azasordarins were administered each 8 h for 7 consecutive days, while in vaginal candidiasis the
compounds were given each 4 h for 3 consecutive days. Antifungal activity of azasordarins was assessed by colony counts and by histological examination 1 day after treatment. In the oral infection model, GW471552 and GW471558 administered at 5 mg/kg significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the number of CFU of C. albicans compared with untreated controls. In addition, GW471552
and GW471558 given at 10 mg/kg eradicated C. albicans from
the oral cavities of 100% of infected animals. Against vulvovaginal
infection, both compounds showed significant therapeutic efficacy.
GW471552 was able to eradicate the vaginal fungal burden at a dose of
10 mg/kg, and it significantly reduced the number of CFU of C. albicans in vaginas of rats treated with a dose of 5 mg/kg
(P < 0.05). GW471558 showed greater efficacy,
eradicating the fungal burden of 100% of infected rats at a dose of 5 mg/kg and significantly reducing (P < 0.05) the
C. albicans vaginal counts even at a dose of 1 mg/kg. In
both therapeutic efficacy studies, the histological findings confirmed the microbiological results. The experimental results presented show
that the tested azasordarins are effective against oral and vulvovaginal candidiasis in immunosuppressed rats and could be promising antifungal agents for use in humans.
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.45.12.3304-3309.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Antifungal Activities of Two New Azasordarins,
GW471552 and GW471558, in Experimental Models of Oral and Vulvovaginal
Candidiasis in Immunosuppressed Rats
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: GlaxoSmithKline,
Parque Tecnológico de Madrid, Severo Ochoa 2, 28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain. Phone: 34.91.80.70.481. Fax: 34.91.80.70.595. E-mail: dgv28867{at}gsk.com.
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