Amphotericin B covalent dimers forming sterol-dependent ion-permeable membrane channels

Polyenemacrolides such as amphotericin B (AmB) were thought to assemble together and form an ion channel across plasma membranes. Their antimicrobial activity has been accounted for by this assemblage, whose stability and activity are dependent on sterol constituents of lipid bilayer membranes. The structure of this channel-like assemblage formed in biomembranes has been a target of extensive investigations for a long time. For the first step to this goal, we prepared several AmB dimers with various linkers and tested for their channel-forming activity. Among these, AmB dimers that bore an aminoalkyl-dicarboxylate tether covalently linked between amino groups of AmB showed potent hemolytic activity. Furthermore, K+ influx actions monitored by measuring the pH of the liposome lumen by 31P NMR revealed that the dimers formed the molecular assemblage similar to that of AmB in phospholipid membrane. Judging from changes in 31P NMR spectra, the dimers appeared to induce "all-or-none"-type ion flux across the liposome membrane in the presence of ergosterol, which suggested that the ion channel formed by ergosterol/dimer is similar to that of AmB. With these data in hand, we are now trying to elucidate the structure of the ion-channel complex by making the labeled conjugates of AmB for NMR measurements.     

Synthesis and Biophysical Studies on 35‐Deoxy Amphotericin B Methyl Ester

The use of molecular editing in the elucidation of the mechanism of action of amphotericin B is presented. A modular strategy for the synthesis of amphotericin B and its designed analogues is developed, which relies on an efficient gram‐scale synthesis of various subunits of amphotericin B. A novel method for the coupling of the mycosamine to the aglycone was identified. The implementation of the approach has enabled the preparation of 35‐deoxy amphotericin B methyl ester. Investigation of the antifungal activity and efflux‐inducing ability of this amphotericin B congener provided new clues to the role of the 35‐hydroxy group and is consistent with the involvement of double barrel ion channels in causing electrolyte efflux.     

LC-ESI-MS分析两性霉素B降解产物

两性霉素B(amphotericinB)是一种常用的抗真菌抗生素,属于多烯大环内酯类化合物,化学性质不稳定,在生产和储存过程中容易发生多种降解反应,产生无活性甚至有毒性的降解物,直接影响产品质量和临床用药的安全,因此,研究该抗生素降解物和降解途径,对防止产品降解、保证产品质量非常必要。已有不少有关两性霉素B各种剂型稳定性的研究报道,ThomaK等研究报道了多烯类抗生素光稳定性结果,然而有关两性霉素B在酸、碱、加热、氧化和光照等条件下降解途径研究未见报道。由于直接分离鉴定各降解产物比较困难,本实验采用LC-MS在线分析手段,直接分析检测降解产物。实验表明,通过检测各种加速实验样品的降解物,可以确立降解途径和降解物,本文对控制降解反应发生、提高产品质量以及稳定性研究具有重要意义。     

Amphotericin B covalent dimers with carbonyl-amino linkage: a new probe for investigating ion channel assemblies

Based on an amphotericin B (AmB) ion-channel model where the close proximity of neighboring molecules is effected by interaction between carboxyl and amino groups, we prepared covalent dimers of AmB connected between these functionalities. While directly connected and short-tethered derivatives (2 and 3) lacked the activities, dimer 4 with a longer linker revealed K⁺ ion flux activity, suggesting that some distance and/or flexibility between the carboxyl and amino groups in adjacent molecules is required for the formation of ion-permeable complex in biomembranes.     

Amphotericin B-phospholipid covalent conjugates: dependence of membrane-permeabilizing activity on acyl-chain length

The interaction between amphotericin B and phospholipid upon forming ion channels across a biomembrane was investigated using their covalent conjugates. The membrane permeabilizing activity was greatly affected by the chain length of the fatty acyl groups, suggesting that their interaction is involved in ion channel assemblages.     

Dimers of polyene antibiotic amphotericin B detected by means of fluorescence spectroscopy: molecular organization in solution and in lipid membranes

Fluorescence emission from amphotericin B dissolved in 2-propanol-water was recorded in the spectral region 500-650 nm. The fluorescence excitation spectrum corresponds to the absorption spectrum of the monomeric drug. The large energy shift between the excitation and emission bands indicates that emission takes place from an energy level different than that responsible for absorption. These levels were attributed to the 2(1)A(g) and 1(1)B(u) states, respectively. Excitation of the same sample with short wavelength radiation (below 350 nm) yields light emission between 400 and 550 nm. The fluorescence excitation spectrum corresponding to this emission band displays distinct maxima at 350, 334 and 318 nm. This band was analyzed in terms of the exciton splitting theory and assigned to amphotericin B in a dimeric form, in which chromophores are spaced by 4.9 A. The binding energy of the dimers, determined to be 4.9 kJ/mol, indicates that the structures are stabilized by van der Waals interactions. The same type of molecular structures was also detected in the lipid membranes formed with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Linear dichroism of amphotericin B embedded in lipid multibilayers indicates that molecules are distributed between two fractions: parallel (38%) and perpendicular (62%) with respect to the membrane. The biological importance of such membrane organization is discussed.     

Therapeutic effects of the as-synthesized polylactic acid/chitosan nanofibers decorated with amphotricin B for in vitro treatment of Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is one of the biggest concerns of the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its severe side effects, the emergence of resistance, and secondary bacterial infections; therefore, it was reported as an epidemic, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The main purpose of this study was to synthesize and characterize the polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan nanofibers decorated with amphotericin B as a new delivery system for the in vitro treatment of leishmaniasis wounds. The prepared nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and in vitro drug release test. The anti-leishmanial effect of nanofibers decorated with amphotericin B against Leishmania major promastigotes and its cytotoxicity to macrophages were determined by the flow cytometry test. The in vitro drug release assay indicated that 84% of the amphotericin B loaded in nanofibers was released after 400 min. The average concentration of the amphotericin B loaded in PLA/chitosan nanofibers and the conventional form of amphotericin B that prevented the growth of 50% of the promastigotes of L. major were 1.29 and 4.34 µg/mL, respectively.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of the nickel(II) complex with 2-diphenylphosphinobenzaldehyde 2-quinolinylhydrazone

2-Diphenylphosphinobenzaldehyde 2-quinolinylhydrazone (HL) and its nickel(II) complex [Ni(L)(CH₃COO)] were synthesized. The structure of the complex was determined by X-ray diffraction. The nickel ion in the molecule of the complex has a square PNN’O donor environment. Owing to C-H...O intermolecular hydrogen bonds, centrosymmetric dimers are formed in the crystal.     

Amphotericin biosynthesis in Streptomyces nodosus: deductions from analysis of polyketide synthase and late genes.

BACKGROUND: The polyene macrolide amphotericin B is produced by Streptomyces nodosus ATCC14899. Amphotericin B is a potent antifungal antibiotic and has activity against some viruses, protozoans and prions. Treatment of systemic fungal infections with amphotericin B is complicated by its low water-solubility and side effects which include severe nephrotoxicity. Analogues with improved properties could be generated by manipulating amphotericin biosynthetic genes in S. nodosus. RESULTS: A large polyketide synthase gene cluster was cloned from total cellular DNA of S. nodosus. Nucleotide sequence analysis of 113193 bp of this region revealed six large polyketide synthase genes as well as genes for two cytochrome P450 enzymes, two ABC transporter proteins, and genes involved in biosynthesis and attachment of mycosamine. Phage KC515-mediated gene disruption was used to show that this region is involved in amphotericin production. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of these genes and the development of a method for gene disruption and replacement in S. nodosus should allow production of novel amphotericins. A panel of analogues could lead to identification of derivatives with increased solubility, improved biological activity and reduced toxicity.     

New dimeric compounds of avenanthramide phytoalexin in oats

Avenanthramide B is an oat phytoalexin produced in response to pathogen attack and elicitation. We found the formation of new dimers (1-5) of avenanthramide B in elicited oat leaves. The dimers were synthesized by a reaction of peroxidase and avenanthramide B in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The structures of 1-5 were determined by spectroscopic analyses, chemical derivatization, and 15N labeling. Compound 1 was a dehydrodimer of avenanthramide B with a bisbutane lactam skeleton, while 2-4 were monohydrated dehydrodimers with butane lactam structures. Compound 5 was also a monohydrated dehydrodimer but with a tetrahydrofuran structure. All the compounds were classified into lignanamides that were formed by an 8'-8' coupling reaction between two avenanthramide B units.     

Guest binding and new self-assembly of bisporphyrins

In organic medium, bisprophyrins 1-6 connected by aromatic linkers self-assemble via subtle forces such as van der Waals, pi-pi stacking, and CH/pi to form supramolecular dimers. The structures of bisporphyrin dimer 1.1 were discussed using our chemical shift simulation, revealing that 1.1 mainly adopts the self-complementary structure A. ESI mass experiments of the bisporphyrins showed that 1-4 form only the dimers; however, trimers as well as the dimers of 5 and 6 were observed in the gas phase. Thus, the assemblies of bisporphyrin 5 and 6 should adopt structure B, which still has a binding site to which another bisporphyrin can fit to form oligomeric structures. The dimerization constant of bisporphyrin 1 is dependent on the solvent polarity: the values decrease in the order of toluene > chloroform > 20% methanol-chloroform. The thermodynamic studies of the dimerization processes revealed that desolvation as well as pi-pi stacking interactions play a key role in the formation of the self-complementary dimers. The binding studies of bisporphyrin 1 with a variety of electron deficient aromatic guests 9-17 were carried out in chloroform. Soret and Q-bands of 1 showed the characteristic changes with the addition of guests 9-13 and 15, and large upfield shifts of their protons were observed in their complexation studies with (1)H NMR spectroscopy. These results suggested that the electron deficient aromatic guests bound within the cleft of bisporphyrin 1 via charge transfer as well as pi-pi stacking interactions between the guests and the porphyrin rings. The dimerization constant of 1.1 is much smaller than the association constant of 1.9, suggesting that the dissociation of dimer 1.1 can be regulated by binding of 9 within the cleft. The addition of 9 into the solution of 1.1 resulted in the quick dissociation of the dimer and the formation of 1.9.     

Implications of Nitrogen Doping on Geometrical and Electronic Structure of the Fullerene Dimers

Because of its unsaturated bonds, C₆₀ is susceptible to polymerize into dimers. The implications of nitrogen doping on the geometrical and electronic structure of C₆₀ dimers have been ambiguous for years. A quarter‐century after the discovery of azafullerene dimer (C₅₉N)₂, we reported its single crystallographic structure in 2019. Herein, the unambiguous crystal structure information of (C₅₉N)₂ is elucidated specifically, revealing that the inter‐cage C—C single bond length of (C₅₉N)₂ is comparable with that of an ordinary C(sp³)‐C(sp³) single bond, and that the most stable conformer of (C₅₉N)₂ is gauche‐conformer with a dihedral angle of 66°. To amend the structural deviations, geometrical structure of (C₅₉N)₂ is optimized by a B3LYP‐D3BJ function, which is proved to be more consistent with its single crystal structure than those by the commonly used B3LYP function. Moreover, the calculation method is also suitable for other representative fullerene dimers, such as (C₆₀)₂ and its divalent anion. Additionally, the dissociation of (C₅₉N)₂ at 473 K under mass spectrometric conditions suggests the inter‐cage C—C bond is relatively weaker than an ordinary C—C single bond, which can be explained by the interaction energies of inter‐cages.     

Dimerization of 1-Isopropenylnaphthalene: Structural Study of the Dimer

1-Isopropenylnaphthalene has been dimerized by cationic initiation. The structure of the dimer does not depend on the initiator. The cyclization of the dimeric ion takes place on carbon 8 (peri). The structure has been established both by x-ray diffractometry and by NMR. The complete crystallographic structure has been determined. The dimers of various substituted isopropenylnaphthalenes have been obtained in the same way and have the same structure.     

The structure of dimers and the nature of azulene chromaticity

The structure of supramolecular azulene dimers responsible for the blue coloration of its crystals and solutions has been discussed on the basis of result of optical spectroscopy and literature data. It is established that two types of these dimers (I and II) absorb the light in the red region of the visible (VIS) spectrum and differ by the mutual orientation of the molecules. Dimers I have a VIS band with a vibronic structure; the azulene molecules in dimers I match their own seven-membered rings in type (stacking structure), and five-membered rings of the molecules are separated so that the molecular C _2v axes form an obtuse angle. The spectra of dimers II do not have a vibronic structure in the VIS band. The dipole moments of the molecules in these dimers are oriented antiparallel (five-membered rings are located over (or under) seven-membered rings, forming a structure with a center of inversion). It is concluded that due to their structure, dimers I should have a certain dipole moment, while dimers II have no dipole moment.     

Hydration of amphotericin B by the Monte Carlo method

The hydration of the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B, which forms channels in phospholipid membranes, was investigated by the Monte Carlo method. The energy and structural characteristics of the hydration of the molecule and its three main sections (polar, channel-forming, and polyene) were established. The important role of the aqueous phase in the orientational stabilization of the molecules of amphotericin B in the channel complex was demonstrated.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 104–107, January–February, 1988.     

Study of a supramolecular structure of continental type petroleum asphaltenes

Supramolecular, electronic, and chemical structures of petroleum asphaltene molecules are studied. The investigations are carried out by quantum chemistry and molecular mechanics methods. The quantum chemical calculation of the structure-chemical parameters of dimers and trimers of petroleum asphaltenes is made using DFT/B3LYP. The refined values of the ionization potential and electron affinity of petroleum asphaltene molecules, their dimers and trimers agree well with the electron spectroscopy data. The results of the study of geometric structures of petroleum asphaltene dimers and trimers confirm the non-planar structure of asphaltenes.     

Coexistence of water dimer and hexamer clusters in 3D metal-organic framework structures of Ce(III) and Pr(III) with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid

Ce(NO3)3.6H2O or Pr(NO3)3.6H2O and pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid form a linear coordination polymeric structure under hydrothermal conditions. Hexameric water clusters join these linear chains through bonding to the metal ions. Other coordinated water and the carboxylate oxygen form an intricate array of hydrogen bonding resulting in a 3D network where each metal ion shows 9-coordination with an approximate D3 symmetry. Dimeric water clusters are also located in the void spaces. In the structure containing Pr(III), the water dimers are hydrogen-bonded to the hexamers, whereas in the Ce(III) structure, the dimers and the hexamers are far apart.     

Relativistic atomic natural orbital type basis sets for the alkaline and alkaline-earth atoms applied to the ground-state potentials for the corresponding dimers

New basis sets of the atomic natural orbital (ANO) type have been developed for the atoms Li–Fr and Be–Ra. The ANOs have been obtained from the average density matrix of the ground states and the lowest excited states of the atom, the positive ion, and the dimer at its equilibirium geometry. Scalar realtivisitc effects are included through the use of a Douglas–Kroll Hamiltonian. Multiconfigurational wave functions have been used with dynamic correlation included using second-order perturbation theory (CASSCF/CASPT2). The basis sets are applied in calculations of the ground-state potentials for the dimers. Computed bond energies are accurate to within 0.05 eV for the alkaline dimers and 0.02 eV for the alkaline-earth dimers (except for Be₂).Acknowledgments.ensp;B.O.R. would like to express his gratitude to Prof. Jacopo Tomasi for all the inspiration that his scientific work has given him through the years and continues to do in particular through the work on solvent effects on molecular properties. This work has been supported by a grant from the Swedish Science Research Council, VR.Contribution to the Jacopo Tomasi Honorary Issue     

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of amphotericin B in plasma, blood, urine and tissues for pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies.

A sensitive and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed to assay ampherotericin B in plasma, blood, urine and various tissue samples. Amphotericin B was isolated from each sample matrix by solid-phase extraction (Bond-Elut). The eluate from Bond-Elut containing amphotericin B was injected onto a reversed-phase C18 column (Waters, mu Bondpak, 10 microns, 300 mm x 3.9 mm I.D.) with a mobile phase of 45% acetonitrile in 2.5 mM Na2EDTA at 1 ml/min. Detection of amphotericin B was by ultraviolet absorption at 382 nm. Blood and tissues were homogenized and extracted with methanol prior to Bond-Elut extraction. The extraction efficiencies of amphotericin B from plasma, blood and tissues were approximately 90, 70 and 75%, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay was less than or equal to 5 ng/ml for plasma, less than or equal to 25 ng/ml for blood, 2.5 ng/ml for urine and 50 ng/g for tissues. The linearity of the assay method was up to 2.5 micrograms/ml for plasma, 5 micrograms/ml for blood, 500 ng/ml for urine and 500 micrograms/g for tissues. The assay was reproducible with an intra-day coefficient of variation (C.V., n = 3) of less than 5% in general for plasma, blood and tissues. The inter-day C.V. of the assay was less than 5% for plasma (n = 5), less than 10% for blood (n = 4) and less than 5% for tissues (n = 3). The overall variability in the urine assay was generally less than 10%. This method has demonstrated significant improvement in the sensitivity and reproducibility in assaying amphotericin B in plasma and especially in blood, urine and tissues. We have employed this assay to compare the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution profiles of amphotericin B in rats and dogs following administration of Fungizone and ABCD (amphotericin B-cholesteryl sulfate colloidal dispersion), a lipid-based dosage form. In addition, the assay method for plasma and urine samples can also be applied to pharmacokinetics studies of amphotericin B in man.     

The role of acidic residues and of sodium ion adduction on the gas-phase H/D exchange of peptides and peptide dimers

Gas-phase H/D exchange is widely used for characterizing the structure of ions. However, many structural parameters that affect the rate of H/D exchange are poorly understood, which complicates the interpretation of experimental data. Here, the effects of sodium ion adduction on the rate of H/D exchange with D₂O for a series of peptides and peptide dimers with varying numbers of acidic residues are described. The maximum number of sodium ion adducts that can be accommodated by the peptides and peptide dimers in this study is N + 1, where N is the number of free carboxylic acid groups. The formation of methyl-esters at all carboxylic acid groups, or the replacement of all the acidic hydrogens with sodium ions, effectively shuts down H/D exchange with D₂O. In contrast, both the rate and the extent of H/D exchange with D₂O are increased for most of the peptides and peptide dimers by the adduction of an intermediate number of sodium ions. These results are consistent with the H/D exchange occurring via a salt-bridge mechanism and show that the presence of two carboxylic acid groups is much better than one. The results with peptide dimers also indicate that surface accessibility may not be a dominant factor in the extent of H/D exchange for these ions.