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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2005, p. 1076-1080, Vol. 49, No. 3
0066-4804/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AAC.49.3.1076-1080.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Laboratorio de Parasitologia, Divisao de Biologia Medica, Instituto Adolfo Lutz,2 Laboratorio de Protozoologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical,1 Departamento de Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de Sao Paulo,3 Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo, Brazil4
Received 16 July 2004/ Returned for modification 25 August 2004/ Accepted 12 November 2004
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Treatment of leishmaniasis suffers from problems of drug resistance and severe toxicity (9) and requires parenteral administration (14). Despite the great advances in many scientific fields, the 92-year-old antimonials (29) are still the main treatment in the majority of developing countries. In addition, problems have occurred with the manufacture and supply of antimonials in developing countries (20) and high levels of arsenic contaminants have also been described (22). Second-line drugs, such as pentamidine and amphotericin B, are important in combined therapy or in cases of antimony treatment failures (3). Experimental studies have identified the anticancer drug miltefosine as an effective antileishmanial agent (8). However, clinical trials in India have identified gastrointestinal toxicity and teratogenicity in association with this drug (9). Therefore, the development of new antiprotozoal compounds with improved pharmacological properties is imperative.
Several drugs based on the quinoline structure have improved the therapy of protozoal diseases, especially malaria (5). These have also shown considerable in vivo efficacy against Leishmania parasites; this is exemplified by the drug WR 6026, which is currently undergoing clinical trials for its effectiveness in treating visceral leishmaniasis (11). In this paper, we describe the synthesis of four novel 3-substituted quinolines with allyl and cinnamyl motifs covalently attached to the quinoline entity. In vitro parasite models are used to evaluate their antileishmanial activity. Possible mechanisms of action for the most active compound were investigated through ultrastructural studies and the potential activation of macrophages.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Animals and parasites. Animals were supplied by the Animal Breeding Facility at the Faculty of Medicine of São Paulo University. They were maintained in sterilized cages under a controlled environment, receiving water and food ad libitum. Animal procedures were performed under the approval of the Research Ethics Commission, according to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals from the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nap.edu). Leishmania chagasi (MHOM/BR/1972/LD) was maintained in golden hamsters. Approximately 60 to 70 days postinfection, amastigotes were obtained from the hamster spleen by differential centrifugation and the parasite burden was determined using the Stauber equation (24). Promastigotes were maintained in M-199 medium supplemented with 10% calf serum and 0.25% hemin at 24°C.
Determination of the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50). The antileishmanial activity against promastigotes was determined as described elsewhere (27), using pentamidine as the standard drug. Parasite viability was determined using the MTT assay (25). The antileishmanial activity against intracellular amastigotes was determined with infected macrophages (26), using pentavalent antimony as the standard drug. The parasite burden was defined as the number of infected macrophages in a total of 400 cells. Each assay was performed in triplicate.
Cytotoxicity assay. RAW 264.7 cells (ATCC TIB-71) were seeded (4 x 104/well) in 96-wells microplates and incubated with different drug concentrations for 48 h at 37°C in a humidified mixture of 5% CO2 and 95% air in an incubator. The cell viability was determined using the MTT assay. The selectivity index (S.I.) was calculated using the following equation: S.I. = IC50 (RAW 264.7 cells)/IC50 (Leishmania amastigotes).
Ultrastructural studies. L. chagasi promastigotes were incubated with compound 3b at 10 µg ml1 for both 30 and 60 min at 24°C in 24-well plates. They were then processed (12) and observed under a transmission electron microscope (JEOL).
Nitric oxide production. The nitric oxide production by macrophages was measured in the presence of compound 3b by the Griess reaction (19). Peritoneal macrophages were incubated for 24 h at 37°C with compound 3b (10 µg ml1). LPS (10 µg ml1) was used to induce NO up-regulation and was incubated alone with compound 3b (10 µg mL1) under the same conditions. The absorbance was determined at 540 nm using a Multiskan MS (Uniscience) microplate reader.
Drug synthesis. Ethyl-2-acetylpent-4-enoate (compound 1a) and ethyl-(4E)-2-acetyl-5-phenylpent-4-enoate (compound 1b) were obtained by a previously described method (1, 2). Ethyl-(2Z)-2-(1-anilinoethylidene)pent-4-enoate (compound 2a) and ethyl-(2Z,4E)-2-(1-anilinoethylidene)-5-phenylpent-4-enoate (compound 2b) were obtained from ketoester 1a or 1b and excess of aniline in the presence of molecular sieves: 5 Å (0.1 g/mmol) at 60°C for 24 h (16). 3-Substituted 4-hydroxyquinolines (compounds 3a and 3b) and 3-substituted 4-chloroquinolines (compounds 4a and 4b) were obtained by a previously described method (6, 7, 15).
(i) 3-Allyl-2-methylquinolin-4-ol (compound 3a). The yield was 1.494 g (75%) of a pale yellow solid with a melting point of 244°C to 245°C. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (DMSO-d6): 2.25 (s, 3H), 3.18 (d, 2H, J = 6.0 Hz), 4.81 (d, 1H, J = 9.3 Hz), 4.86 (d, 1H, J = 15.2 Hz), 5.73 (ddt, 1H, J = 15.2, J = 9.3, and J = 6.0 Hz), 7.16 (t, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz), 7.37 (d, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz), 7.48 (t, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz), 7.95 (d, 1H, J = 7.8 Hz), 11.37 (br s, 1H). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6): 17.3, 28.7, 114.0, 116.1, 117.5, 122.4, 123.3, 125.1, 131.0, 136.4, 139.1, 146.7, 175.1. MS (m/z): 199 [M]+, 184, 92, 77. Analysis calculated for C13H13NO (199.25): C, 78.37; H, 6.58; N, 7.03. Found: C, 78.17; H, 6.39; N, 7.11.
(ii) 2-Methyl-3-[(2E)-3-phenylprop-2-enyl]quinolin-4-ol (compound 3b). The yield was 1.542 g (56 %) of a yellow solid with a melting point of 238°C to 240°C. 1H NMR (DMSO-d6): 2.33 (s, 3H), 3.35 (d, 2H, J = 5.6 Hz), 6.18 (dt, 1H, J = 16.0 and J = 5.7 Hz), 6.29 (d, 1H, J = 16.0 Hz), 7.07 (t, 1H, J = 7.1 Hz), 7.10 to 7.15 (m, 4H), 7.25 (d, 1H, J = 7.2 Hz), 7.40 (d, 1H, J = 8.0 Hz), 7.50 (t, 1H, J = 7.5 Hz), 7.99 (d, 1H, J = 7.9 Hz), 11.43 (br s, 1H). 13C NMR (DMSO-d6): 17.5, 27.8, 116.3, 117.5, 122.4, 123.4, 125.1, 125.4, 125.7, 126.7, 128.4, 128.9, 131.0, 137.2, 139.1, 146.8, 175.2. MS (m/z): 275 [M]+, 184, 92, 77. Analysis calculated for C19H17NO (275.35): C, 82.88; H, 6.22; N, 5.09. Found: C, 82.57; H, 6.29; N, 5.01.
(iii) 3-Allyl-4-chloro-2-methylquinoline (compound 4a). The yield was 2.068 g (95%) as a brown solid with a melting point of 140°C. 1H NMR (CDCl3): 3.23 (s, 3H), 3.86 (d, 2H, J = 7.0 Hz), 4.98 (d, 1H, J = 17.1 Hz), 5.23 (d, 1H, J = 10.2 Hz), 5.93 (m, 1H), 7.89 (t, 1H, J = 7.4 Hz), 8.02 (t, 1H, J = 8.4 Hz), 8.39 (d, 1H, J = 8.5 Hz), 9.06 (d, 1H, J = 8.5 Hz). 13C NMR (CDCl3): 19.2, 33.6, 118.2, 122.2, 125.0, 125.9, 130.3, 130.8, 131.6, 134.1, 137.7, 150.6, 157.0. MS (m/z): 219, 217 [M]+, 184, 182, 169, 167, 77. Analysis calculated for C13H13NCl (217.69): C, 71.73; H, 5.55; N, 6.43, Cl, 16.29. Found: C, 71.28; H, 5.39; N, 6.61, Cl, 16.59.
(iv) 4-Chloro-2-methyl-3-[(2E)-3-phenylprop-2-enyl]quinoline (compound 4b). The yield was 2.203 g (75%) as a brown solid with a melting point of 108°C. 1H NMR (CDCl3): 2.84 (s, 3H), 3.93 (d, 2H, J = 3.4 Hz), 6.26 to 6.39 (m, 1H), 6.30 (d, 1H, J = 15.9 Hz), 7.19 to 7.29 (m, 5H), 7.61 (t, 1H, J = 8.3 Hz), 7.74 (t, 1H, J = 8.3 Hz), 8.11 (d, 1H, J = 8.3 Hz), 8.23 (d, 1H, J = 8.3 Hz). 13C NMR (CDCl3): 23.6, 33.63, 124.4, 124.7, 125.6, 125.9, 126.1, 127.3, 127.5, 128.0, 129.8, 130.2, 131.7, 136.7, 145.8, 158.7. MS (m/z): 295, 293 [M]+, 260, 258, 182, 180, 77. Analysis calculated for C19H16NCl (293.799): C, 77.68; H, 5.49; N, 4.77; Cl, 12.06. Found: C, 77.38; H, 5.31; N, 4.62; Cl, 11.59.
Statistical analysis. Data represent the mean and standard deviation of duplicate or triplicate samples from two or three independent assays. The IC50s were calculated using sigmoid dose-response curves in Graph Pad Prism 3.0 software, and the 95% confidence intervals are included in parentheses.
| RESULTS |
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Ultrastructural studies. To evaluate the intracellular damage caused in Leishmania promastigotes by compound 3b, the ultrastructural modifications were investigated by transmission electron microscopy after a short-term incubation (Fig. 2). The images clearly demonstrate time-dependent damage, with most significant changes at 60 min of incubation. After 60 min of incubation (Fig. 2C), compound 3b induced an enlargement of the kinetoplast and a considerable enhancement in the number of lipid granules and vacuoles. After 30 min of incubation (Fig. 2B), initial changes in promastigotes were observed as an increase in the number of vacuoles and lipid granules, which were much more pronounced at 60 min incubation.
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| DISCUSSION |
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Compound 3b had the lowest IC50 of any compounds tested against L. chagasi promastigotes, with an IC50 of 0.091 µg ml1. It was at least 22-fold more effective than the standard drug, pentamidine. However, antileishmanial activity against promastigotes does not guarantee activity against intracellular amastigotes, the clinically more relevant form of the parasite. The intracellular amastigotes have also been shown to express different enzymatic patterns, which could improve the parasite defense (21). Incubation of L. chagasi-infected macrophages with quinoline compounds demonstrated no significant antileishmanial activity for compounds 3a, 4a, and 4b at the highest concentration. Only compound 3b showed efficacy, with an IC50 of 3.55 µg/ml, which was 8.3-fold more active than the standard pentavalent antimony (IC50 = 29.55 µg/ml). Furthermore, this in vitro activity was similar to that of other antileishmanial quinolines, such as WR 6026, which had an IC50 of 1.6 µg/ml against Leishmania tropica-infected macrophages (6). The relationship between mammalian toxicity and antiparasitic effect, given by the S.I., demonstrated that compound 3b was at least 7.6-fold more harmful to intracellular amastigotes than to mammalian cells (RAW 264.7). These results also suggest that the introduction of OH into the quinoline ring might have contributed to the improved antileishmanial activity, compared to compound 4b, which had a Cl instead of OH in position 4. Furthermore, the potential in vivo antileishmanial activity of novel 2-substituted quinolines, originally isolated from medicinal plants, has been described previously (13).
The inefficacy of the other quinoline compounds against intracellular amastigotes might have been due to one of the following: poor drug uptake by macrophages and subsequently low drug concentration reaching the parasitophorous vacuole; inactivation of the quinoline compounds inside macrophages; or metabolic differences of amastigotes, such as the enzymatic antioxidant system (catalase or superoxide dismutase) (27). Compound 3b was chosen for further investigations since it had the lowest IC50 against promastigotes, the lowest deviation (95% confidence interval), and efficacy against intracellular amastigotes.
Macrophages, the target cells in therapy of leishmaniasis, play an important role in the immunological control of intracellular parasites through the production of cytokines and oxygen metabolites (4). One of the main mechanisms is the up-regulation of nitric oxide inside the cell, which is an effective mediator of amastigote killing (18). We have investigated the possible activation of macrophages induced by compound 3b by incubation of this compound with both LPS-activated and nonactivated macrophages. No up-regulation of nitric oxide was seen when compound 3b was incubated in the presence of nonactivated macrophages. These results indicate that compound 3b might have a specific antiparasitic activity rather than causing activation of NO production by macrophages. In addition, efficacy against extracellular promastigotes supports the hypothesis of a specific antiparasitic activity for compound 3b. Ultrastructural studies of promastigotes treated with compound 3b (10 µg ml1) suggested damage to Leishmania mitochondria, showing an enlargement of the matrix and a reduction in the number of cristae clearly observed after 1 h of incubation. Furthermore, an increase in the numbers of electron-dense granules and vacuoles within the parasite cytoplasm was observed, suggesting a time-dependent damage to intracellular organelles. The naphthoquinones have previously been shown to alter the mitochondrial membrane potential in Leishmania spp. (17), causing extensive and irreversible damage, which dramatically affected parasite survival.
In conclusion, compound 3b had the most potent antileishmanial activity and was not toxic to mammalian cells at concentrations required to kill parasites. Experimental in vivo studies are under investigation in our laboratory, using both free drug and drug entrapped in phosphatidylserine-rich liposomes. Liposomes have been described as an effective drug-targeting tool in leishmaniasis (26). Further investigations of antiparasitics using quinolines as the lead structure for the design and synthesis of novel pharmacological compounds represent an important and cost-effective strategy for addressing neglected diseases as leishmaniasis.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This work was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP 99/08491-4), LIM-49 HCFMUSP and CNPq.
| FOOTNOTES |
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