Recent Patents on Anti-Infective Drug Discovery - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2016

Background: The American trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, is a parasitic infection typically spread by triatomine vectors affecting millions of people all over Latin America. Existing chemotherapy is centered on the nitroaromatic compounds benznidazole and nifurtimox that provide unsatisfactory results and substantial side effects. So, the finding and exploration of novel ways to challenge this neglected disease is a main priority. Methods: The biologic and biochemical progress in the scientific knowledge of Trypanosoma cruzi in the period comprising last 15-years has increased the identification of multiple targets for Chagas´ disease chemotherapy. In the middle of the best encouraging targets for trypanocidal drugs, ergosterol biosynthesis pathway and cruzipain, a key cysteine protease (CP) of T. cruzi, have been pointed out. Unfortunately, recent clinical trials investigating the administration of pozoconazole and ravuconazole to chronic indeterminate Chagas disease patients revealed their inferiority compared to the standard drug Benznidazole. Results: In view of the information gained in the preceding years, a reasonable approach for the fast development of novel anti-T. cruzi chemotherapy would be focused on K777, the cysteine proteinase inhibitor (CPI) near to enter to clinical trials, and founded on the clinical evaluation of combination of known drugs with existing trypanocidal agents to obtain more efficiency and less secondary effects. Top series of xanthine have been recently identified as clinical candidate for Chagas disease. In addition, trypanothione biosynthesis, thiol-dependant redox and polyamine metabolism, the glycolytic, glyconeogenic, pentose phosphate, lipidic and polyisoprenoid biosynthetic pathways, and the enzymes from biosynthetic glycoconjugates pathways have been studied. Several specific enzymes from these particular biosynthetic pathways such as hypoxanthine-guaninephosphoribosyl- transferase and farnesyl-pyrophosphate synthase, among others, have also been broadly studied in T. cruzi. Novel synthesized anti-T. cruzi compounds with or without specific single or multi-target assigned are also described in detail. Conclusion: In summary, loans on anti-Chagas disease agents focused to specific parasite targets as their metabolic pathways or specific enzymes will be summarized. Targets will also be specifically discussed. Patent literature collected and published from 2000 to 2015, alleging inhibitors for specific T. cruzi targets or trypanocidal activity was achieved over the search database from Delphion Research intellectual property network including international patents and the European patent office, Espacenet.

Background: According to the World Health Organization, as of 2014 9% of the world’s adult population is affected by diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes is a pro-inflammatory process that increases generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Methods: The production of ROS leads to a chronic increase in oxidative stress which results in an increased susceptibility to infections. Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are highly susceptible to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection. Previous research has demonstrated that glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in the control of M. tb infection. Recent studies have demonstrated that phagocytosis of M.tb is diminished in patients with T2DM. Phagocytosis in macrophages is thought to be mediated in part by complement protein 3b (C3b)-complement protein receptor 3b (C3R) interactions. Since C3b production is not diminished in patients with T2DM we propose that C3R production is reduced and is the cause for impaired macrophage phagocytosis as well as IL-12 and IFN-γsignaling. Conclusion: This study utilizes a quantitative PCR (qPCR), demonstrating decreased transcription of C3R mRNA in patients with T2DM as compared to non-diabetics.

Introduction: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing bacteria are among the highly antimicrobial resistant gram negative bacteria and infections due to them are an increasingly major health problem worldwide. Methods: In this study we have detected the blaKPC and blaGES carbapenemase genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from hospitalized patients in Kashan, Iran. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 181 K. pneumoniae isolates were recovered from clinical specimens during November 2013 to October 2014. Result: Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined using disk diffusion method according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) and CLSI guidelines. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates were identified. PCR method and sequencing were used for detection of blaKPC and blaGES carbapenemase genes. Of the 181 K. pneumoniae isolates, 35 (19.3%) were found to be resistant to imipenem and 150 (82.9%) were identified as MDR strains. Among carbapenems, the most resistant rate 39 (21.5%) was seen against ertapenem using disk diffusion method. Of K. pneumoniae isolates 21 (11.6%) and 42 (23.2%) carried blaKPC and blaGES genes, respectively and 19(10.5%) carried both genes simultaneously. Conclusion: The data of current study revealed that the frequency of resistance to carbapenems and production of carbapenemase enzymes especially GES type was high among clinical isolates of K pneumoniae in Kashan, Iran.

Introduction: Antiseptics and disinfectants have been used widely in hospitals and other health care settings to control the growth of microorganisms. However, some disinfectant resistant strains were reported. The objectives of our study were to evaluate correlation between the efflux pump genes, drugs and disinfectant resistant among clinical isolates of E.coli. Methods: A total of 102 of E. coli strains were isolated from urine sample of hospitalized patients. The antibiotic susceptibility was carried out by disc diffusion method. Didecyl di-methyl ammonium chloride (DDDMAC) was used as Quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) disinfectant which was used in Heart Center Hospital. PCR reaction was carried out for detection of qacE and qacΔE efflux pump genes. Result: Almost all the strains had higher resistance to ampicillin, ciproflaxacin, cotrimaxazole and cephalothin. Totally 49% (n: 50) of strains were produced ESBL. Almost all the strains have MIC value between 0.00195 to 0.0078 mg/l for DDDMAC. Correlation between presence of qacE and qacΔE genes and antibiotic resistance was perceived. Presence of qacE and qacΔE genes among strains that have high disinfectant MIC value were 96.9% and 93.7% respectively. In addition, 98% of ESBL producing strains harbored qacE gene and 94% of ESBL producing strains harbored qacΔE gene. Conclusion: Our study indicated that there was a strong correlation between presence of qacE and qacΔE genes with resistance to some antibiotics and growth in media which contain high concentration of disinfectant. In conclusion, other mechanisms also play important role in resistant to antimicrobial agents but the role of efflux pumps in resistant to antimicrobial agents should not be neglected.