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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2005, p. 3239-3250, Vol. 49, No. 8
0066-4804/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AAC.49.8.3239-3250.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Biological Research Laboratories, Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan,1 Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan,2 Toho University School of Medicine, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan3
Received 1 February 2005/ Returned for modification 28 March 2005/ Accepted 15 May 2005
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In the process of research for new carbapenem compounds with a broad spectrum, potent activity against MRSA as well as P. aeruginosa, and a longer half-life, we synthesized a novel 1ß-methyl carbapenem, CS-023 (RO4908463, formerly R-115685), (-)-(4R,5S,6S)-3-[[(3S,5S)-5-[(S)-3-(2-guanidinoacetylamino)pyrrolidin-1-ylcarbonyl]-1-methylpyrrolidin-3-yl]thio]-6-[(R)-1-hydroxyethyl]-4-methyl-7-oxo-azabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid (Fig. 1).
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FIG. 1. Chemical structure of CS-023 (RO4908463).
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(This work was presented in part at the 40th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Toronto, Canada, September 2000 [F-1230, F-1231, F-1232].)
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Bacterial strains. The bacterial strains used in the susceptibility tests were isolated from clinical specimens in Japanese hospitals between 1996 and 2000 and were stored frozen at 80°C in our laboratory. Escherichia coli JM109 and its transformants harboring various extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) plasmids (22) were also used for susceptibility tests. The other strains used in this study were isolated from clinical specimens obtained between 1982 and 1996 and stored at 80°C in 10% skim milk until use.
Susceptibility tests. MICs were determined with a standard microdilution broth method (14, 15). Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB) (Becton, Dickinson and Company) containing 25 mg of Ca2+ and 12.5 mg of Mg2+ per liter (cation-adjusted MHB) was used as a medium for all species of aerobes, except for cation-adjusted MHB supplemented with 5% lysed horse blood (Nippon Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc., Tokyo, Japan) for streptococci and Moraxella catarrhalis and cation-adjusted MHB supplemented with hemin (15 µg/ml; Sigma-Aldrich Japan K.K.), ß-NAD (15 µg/ml; Sigma-Aldrich Japan K.K.), and yeast extract (5 mg/ml; Sigma-Aldrich Japan K.K.) for Haemophilus influenzae. The inoculum size of aerobes was 4 x 105 CFU/ml. The inoculated plates were incubated at 35°C for 20 to 24 h for Streptococcus pneumoniae and H. influenzae and for 16 to 20 h for other aerobic species. The MICs of oxacillin and benzylpenicillin were also determined to provide phenotypes for staphylococci and S. pneumoniae, respectively. Anaerobe Broth MIC (Becton, Dickinson and Company) was used for Propionibacterium acnes and Bacteroides fragilis. Anaerobe Broth MIC supplemented with 2% lysed horse blood was used for peptostreptococci. The inoculum size of anaerobes was approximately 1 x 106 CFU/ml. The inoculated plates were incubated at 35°C anaerobically for 48 h. The MIC was defined as the lowest concentration of compound that completely inhibited the viable growth of the organism in the microdilution wells.
Stability against ß-lactamases. ß-Lactamase from Enterobacter cloacae (class C) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Japan K.K., and ß-lactamase solution from Proteus vulgaris (class A) was from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Osaka, Japan). The stability of antibiotics against ß-lactamases was determined by the spectrophotometric assay described by Waley (25). Change in absorbance was monitored after addition of a test enzyme in a reaction mixture. The wavelengths (nm) used were as follows: CS-023, 300; imipenem, 300; meropenem, 300; ceftriaxone, 254; and cephalothin, 262. The relative velocity of hydrolysis was determined from 100 µM of the substrate concentration of each compound. The velocity is expressed as a relative value, assuming that of cephalothin to be 100.
Animals. Male ddY (Japan SLC, Inc., Shizuoka, Japan) specific-pathogen-free mice were used in this study. All animal experiments were carried out according to the guidelines provided by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Sankyo Co., Ltd.
Murine systemic infection model. Six strains of gram-positive pathogens, including MRSA and penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP), and seven strains of gram-negative pathogens were used in this study. Mice weighing 22 to 28 g were infected intraperitoneally with 0.2 ml of bacterial suspension. The bacterial suspensions, except for those of E. coli, Serratia marcescens, and P. aeruginosa, were mixed with hog stomach gastric mucin to a final concentration of 5% and used for inoculation. The challenge doses shown in Table 4 caused 100% mortality between the third and fifth days after infection. They ranged between 3 and 71 times the 50% lethal doses for all pathogens except for S. pneumoniae (140 to 200 50% lethal dose). CS-023, imipenem/cilastatin, meropenem, ceftriaxone, and ceftazidime, which was used only for gram-negative pathogens, were each administered subcutaneously as a 0.1-ml solution immediately and 4 h after infection. Four to seven doses utilizing serial twofold dilutions from 0.025 to 100 mg/kg of body weight were employed for each 50% effective dose (ED50) determination. Seven mice were used for each dose. After the inoculation, mortality of mice was recorded daily for 7 days. Values of ED50s and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by the probit method (1) from the survival rates on the seventh day after infection.
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TABLE 4. Protective effect of CS-023 on systemic infections in mice
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Experimental pneumonia was induced by each strain in mice weighing 25 to 32 g. Mice were anesthetized lightly by intravenous injection of ketamine hydrochloride (Sankyo, Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), at 12.5 mg/kg, and 75 µl of bacterial suspension (approximately 106 CFU) was inoculated through the nares into the lungs. CS-023, imipenem/cilastatin meropenem, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, and vancomycin were each administered subcutaneously as 0.1-ml solutions 18, 26, 42, and 50 h after infection at doses of 0.4, 2, and 10 mg/kg. Seven mice were used for each dose. The therapeutic efficacy was defined as the reduction in viable cell numbers in the lungs of infected mice. Mice were sacrificed by CO2 asphyxiation, and lungs were removed 66 h after infection. The lungs were homogenized in 5 ml of saline, and the homogenates were diluted 10-fold serially with saline. One hundred microliters of the diluent was spread onto 5% defibrinated horse blood plates and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. The viable cell numbers were determined by counting the colonies on the plates. The viable cell numbers were converted into common logarithms, and the mean values and standard errors of each group were calculated. The detection limit for lungs infected with each strain was 1.7 in log10 CFU per set of lungs.
Pharmacokinetic studies. Pharmacokinetic study was performed using uninfected mice of the same strain as that used for the in vivo model. Mice (n = 3) were exsanguinated, and blood samples were collected by cardiopuncture with a heparinized syringe at 0.13, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2 h after subcutaneous administration of antibiotics at 20 mg/kg. After centrifugation of the heparinized blood samples, the plasma was immediately separated and diluted with an equal volume of 500 mM 3-morpholinopropanesulfonic acid buffer (pH 7.0). Antibiotic concentrations in plasma were determined by the paper disk diffusion method, using Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 as the bioassay indicator (10). Standard curves were constructed with mouse plasma. For CS-023, assay validation indicated linearity (r2 value of 0.9959) in the range of 0.625 to 40 µg/ml, intra-assay bias ranged from 0.6 to 17.1%, and the coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 3.7 to 8.6%, indicating acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of quantitation was 0.625 µg/ml with a bias of 17.1% and a CV of 5.4%. For imipenem, assay validation indicated linearity (r2 value of 0.9990) in the range of 0.313 to 40 µg/ml, intra-assay bias ranged from 1.4 to 13.5%, and the CV ranged from 4.1 to 9.0%, indicating acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of quantitation was 0.313 µg/ml with a bias of 8.5% and a CV of 4.8%. For meropenem, assay validation indicated linearity (r2 value of 0.9993) in the range of 0.313 to 40 µg/ml, intra-assay bias ranged from 1.8 to 8.3%, and the CV ranged from 2.3 to 11.1%, indicating acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of quantitation was 0.313 µg/ml with a bias of 1.9% and a CV of 9.2%. For ceftriaxone, assay validation indicated linearity (r2 value of 0.9974) in the range of 0.625 to 40 µg/ml, intra-assay bias ranged from 0.3 to 14.8%, and the CV ranged from 6.8 to 14.4%, indicating acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of quantitation was 0.625 µg/ml with a bias of 7.1% and a CV of 6.9%. For ceftazidime, assay validation indicated linearity (r2 value of 0.9925) in the range of 1.25 to 40 µg/ml, intra-assay bias ranged from 2.5 to 17.0%, and the CV ranged from 3.8 to 11.7%, indicating acceptable accuracy and precision. The limit of quantitation was 1.25 µg/ml with a bias of 17.0% and a CV of 11.7%. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the concentration in plasma were calculated by one-compartment analysis with the WinNonlin program (Scientific Consulting, Inc.).
Statistical analysis. The statistical significance of the difference between the numbers of viable organisms recovered from the lungs of each treated group and those for the untreated control group was evaluated by a nonparametric Williams' test. A difference between the treated group and the untreated control group was considered to be statistically significant if the P value was <0.05.
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TABLE 1. Activities of CS-023 against Japanese clinical isolates
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0.12 µg/ml. Imipenem showed the most potent activity among the reference compounds. Against MRSA, CS-023 was more active than the reference compounds, as indicated by a MIC90 fourfold or more lower than those of the reference compounds (MIC90 for MRSA, 8 µg/ml). Against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, the MIC90s of CS-023, imipenem, and meropenem were 4, 8, and 8 µg/ml, respectively.
CS-023 showed high activity against most streptococci, including PRSP (MIC90s,
0.03 to 0.25 µg/ml) except for Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mitis. Its activity was comparable to or superior to those of the reference compounds. Although CS-023 exhibited potent activity against Enterococcus faecalis (MIC90, 8 µg/ml), it was less active than imipenem. All carbapenems were highly active against peptostreptococci.
CS-023 showed high activity against M. catarrhalis and ampicillin-susceptible H. influenzae, and the activity was comparable to that of meropenem. Against ß-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae, CS-023 was as active as meropenem (MIC90, 0.25 µg/ml) and 16-fold more active than imipenem.
CS-023 showed consistently potent activity against the strains of the family Enterobacteriaceae, such as E. coli, Klebsiella spp., and Proteus spp., whose activities ranged from
0.03 to 1 µg/ml. The activity of CS-023 against the family Enterobacteriaceae except for Providencia rettgeri (MIC90, 4 µg/ml) was comparable to that of meropenem and stronger than that of imipenem. The activity of CS-023 was stronger than those of cephems against all members of the family Enterobacteriaceae tested, particularly against pathogens that commonly produce ß-lactamases (e.g., Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter spp., S. marcescens, and Morganella morganii).
CS-023 showed the most potent activity against P. aeruginosa (MIC90, 4 µg/ml), being fourfold more active than imipenem, meropenem, and levofloxacin. The MIC90s of CS-023, imipenem, and meropenem against Burkholderia cepacia were 32, 16, and 4 µg/ml, respectively. None of the carbapenems was highly potent against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, although levofloxacin showed moderate activity. All carbapenems were highly active against B. fragilis.
Stability against ß-lactamases. Table 2 shows the stability of CS-023, imipenem, meropenem, and ceftriaxone against hydrolysis by ß-lactamases from E. cloacae and P. vulgaris. CS-023, imipenem, and meropenem were quite stable against hydrolysis by both ß-lactamases. Ceftriaxone was hydrolyzed by ß-lactamase from P. vulgaris.
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TABLE 2. Stability of CS-023 to hydrolysis by ß-lactamases
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TABLE 3. MICs of CS-023 and comparators against E. coli JM109 and its transformants having a plasmid encoding a ß-lactamase gene
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Efficacy against a murine pneumonia model induced by PRSP. Fig. 2 shows the therapeutic efficacy of CS-023 and reference compounds with a pneumonia model induced by two PRSP strains. CS-023 exhibited dose-dependent efficacy against both infections at doses of 0.4, 2, and 10 mg/kg. CS-023 showed efficacy comparable with those of imipenem/cilastatin and vancomycin and stronger efficacy than those of the other compounds evaluated against a pneumonia model induced by PRSP 9601 (Fig. 2A). It showed significant reductions in viable cell counts in the lungs at doses of 0.4, 2, and 10 mg/kg. CS-023 showed efficacy comparable to those of imipenem/cilastatin and vancomycin and stronger efficacy than those of the other compounds evaluated against a pneumonia model induced by PRSP 10691 (Fig. 2B). It showed significant reductions in viable cell counts in the lungs at doses of 2 and 10 mg/kg.
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FIG. 2. Therapeutic efficacies of CS-023 and reference compounds against a pneumonia model induced by PRSP 9601 (A) and 10931 (B). Each column and bar represents the mean ± standard error, respectively (n = 7). The indicated doses of each compound were administered subcutaneously twice daily for 2 days beginning 18 h after infection, and the numbers of viable cells in the lungs of mice were determined 66 h after infection. The asterisks indicate a significant difference compared with the results for the control group (*, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001). The dotted line indicates the detection limit. The numbers in parentheses indicate the numbers of culture-negative mice per group whose viable cell counts were below the detection limit.
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TABLE 5. Pharmacokinetics of CS-023 in mouse plasmaa
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The MICs of parenteral cephems and penicillins tested against TEM- and SHV-type ESBL producers were increased more than 32 times over those against the host strain. The antibacterial activities of CS-023 and other carbapenems were virtually unchanged against the ESBL producers tested. This property is one of the advantages of CS-023 as well as other carbapenems over cephems and penicillins.
The therapeutic efficacy of CS-023 was comparable to that of imipenem/cilastatin in a systemic infection model induced by MRSA, PRSP, and P. aeruginosa. CS-023 also showed efficacy comparable to those of imipenem/cilastatin and vancomycin in a pneumonia model induced by two serotypes of PRSP. Plasma concentrations were different among the compounds tested. Since meropenem is unstable against mouse renal dehydropeptidase I (4, 24), the difference could be due to faster elimination than the other compounds evaluated. Ceftriaxone maintained a relatively high concentration and showed a long half-life, this result being consistent with that of a previous report (12). In the present study, the pharmacokinetics of each compound in uninfected mice was determined. The relationship between pharmacokinetic data and therapeutic efficacy was not evaluated, since the underlying infection may have a dramatic effect on systemic pharmacokinetics as well as distribution properties at the infected site depending on the compounds. However, therapeutic efficacy of CS-023 is considered to reflect the in vitro potent antibacterial activity of CS-023. One of the reasons for this would be the low level of protein binding of CS-023 in serum. The protein binding values of CS-023 were 17.6% and 9.5% in mouse and human sera, respectively (T. Shibayama et al., unpublished data). The protein binding values found for CS-023, imipenem (2%) (8), meropenem (33.8%) (21), and ceftazidime (17.9%) (16) have a similar tendency in mice, since protein binding values of less than 70% for ß-lactams would have minimal impact on penetration (26). On the contrary, the protein binding of ceftriaxone in mice has been reported to be >80% (12). It is suggested that the effectiveness of CS-023 in mouse models results from its low level of protein binding.
Human plasma pharmacokinetics of CS-023 predicted a longer half-life than that of imipenem/cilastatin by the Detrick plot method (2), which is based on the allometric relationship between body weight and pharmacokinetic parameters, although mouse plasma pharmacokinetics of CS-023 was comparable to that of imipenem/cilastatin (20). This prediction was confirmed by demonstrating that CS-023 (1.5 to 2.1 h) showed a much longer half-life than imipenem/cilastatin (1.0 h) (13) and meropenem (0.9 h) (19) in a study with healthy male volunteers (18). These results suggest that CS-023 could show more-potent efficacy in clinical practice than it showed with the mouse model.
In conclusion, the new parenteral administered carbapenem CS-023 is considered to be an extremely promising compound for further evaluation. Its antibacterial activity would cover not only P. aeruginosa but also MRSA encountered in the treatment of nosocomial infections. Clinical studies on CS-023 are in progress globally in Japan, Europe, and the United States.
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