High-performance liquid chromatographic assay detects pentamidine metabolism by Fisher rat liver microsomes

The effect of inducing agents on the metabolism of trypanocidal diamidines by isolated rat hepatocytes

This study has investigated the effect of phenobarbitone (PB), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), and deltamethrin (DM) on the metabolism of two trypanocidal diamidines; pentamidine isethionate and diminazene aceturate in freshly isolated Sprague-Dawley rat hepatocytes. There were significant increases in the total cytochrome p450 content of hepatocytes obtained from rats pre-treated with PB and 3-MC, whereas pre-treatment with DM did not produce any significant induction of cytochrome p450. However, pre-treatment of rats with each of the three agents led to inhibition of pentamidine metabolism following a 3h incubation of pentamidine (100 microM) with freshly isolated rat hepatocytes (5 x 10(6) cells ml(-1)). Pre-treatment with 3-MC caused the highest inhibitory effect on pentamidine metabolism (8-fold inhibition), compared with PB (4.8-fold) and DM (2.2-fold). Six previously reported phase I metabolites of pentamidine were identified in cells from all the pre-treated animals as well as controls. When compared to the control group, there were significant differences between the profiles of the three major metabolites of pentamidine, 1,5-di(4'-amidinophenoxy)-2-pentanol, 1,5-di(4'-amidinophenoxy)-3-pentanol and 5-(4'-amidinophenoxy) pentanoic acid, in hepatocytes from the DM and 3-MC pre-treated rats, whereas no significant differences were observed in the cells from the PB pre-treated group. In contrast, diminazene was not metabolised with the same experimental conditions. Differences in the metabolic profiles of pentamidine and its metabolites as a result of concomitant exposure to environmental xenobiotics could have important toxicological and pharmacological implications for patients that receive the drug.

Immunoassays for pentamidine and related compounds: development of a facile inhibitory ELISA suitable for clinical use

Aromatic dicationic drugs have a broad spectrum of activity against protozoal and fungal pathogens including Pneumocystis carinii, Leishmania mexicana amazonensis, Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptococcus neoformans. Pentamidine serves as the exemplar for an extensive collection of newly synthesized related compounds, which have reduced toxicity and a wider range of target organisms. Assays of pentamidine and related compounds have depended on HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-TMS) for the quantitation and identification of drug and metabolites. Immunoassays for pentamidine would have many advantages over the HPLC methods including relative simplicity of assay format and required equipment, convenience in sample preparation and reduction in time and cost of assays. In this report we describe a simple ELISA based immunoassay for pentamidine and pentamidine-like drugs with requisite sensitivity and specificity for use as a clinical assay (EC50 value of about 50 nanomolar). Immunogen was synthesized by coupling the hapten aminopentamidine to ovalbumin (chemically modified to provide an optimal number of -SH groups) using sulfo-MBS. Maleic-anhydride activated ELISA plates were covalently sensitized using the aminopentamidine hapten and used in an inhibitory ELISA assay format whereby the ability of analyte to suppress antibody binding to sensitized plate was measured. The assay detects primarily the phenolic amidine of pentamidine when in a para position and hence can also detect structurally related derivatives of pentamidine of potential interest as new therapeutic agents.