Abstract
The rise in drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major threat to human health and highlights the need for new therapeutic strategies. In this study, we have assessed whether high-affinity iron chelators of the pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) class can restrict the growth of clinically significant mycobacteria. Screening a library of PIH derivatives revealed that one compound, namely, 2-pyridylcarboxaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PCIH), exhibited nanomolar in vitro activity against Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin and virulent M. tuberculosis. Interestingly, PCIH is derived from the condensation of 2-pyridylcarboxaldehyde with the first-line antituberculosis drug isoniazid [i.e., isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH)]. PCIH displayed minimal host cell toxicity and was effective at inhibiting growth of M. tuberculosis within cultured macrophages and also in vivo in mice. Further, PCIH restricted mycobacterial growth at high bacterial loads in culture, a property not observed with INH, which shares the isonicotinoyl hydrazide moiety with PCIH. When tested against Mycobacterium avium, PCIH was more effective than INH at inhibiting bacterial growth in broth culture and in macrophages, and also reduced bacterial loads in vivo. Complexation of PCIH with iron decreased its effectiveness, suggesting that iron chelation may play some role in its antimycobacterial efficacy. However, this could not totally account for its potent efficacy, and structure-activity relationship studies suggest that PCIH acts as a lipophilic vehicle for the transport of its intact INH moiety into the mammalian cell and the mycobacterium. These results demonstrate that iron-chelating agents such as PCIH may be of benefit in the treatment and control of mycobacterial infection.
Footnotes
- Received October 20, 2013.
- Accepted November 15, 2013.
This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence on Tuberculosis Control [Grant APP1043225]. D.R.R. is supported by an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship and Project Grants. D.S.K. is supported by an NHMRC Project Grant [Grant APP1048972] and Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship.
This work was previously presented at the following Keystone Symposium: Ellis S (2012) The use of pyridoxal isoniotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) derivatives as a treatment against mycobacteria (abstract 123). Drug Resistance and Persistence in Tuberculosis; 2012 May 13–18; Kampala, Uganda.
- Copyright © 2013 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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