scholarly journals Itraconazole Preexposure Attenuates the Efficacy of Subsequent Amphotericin B Therapy in a Murine Model of Acute Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 3208-3214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell E. Lewis ◽  
Randall A. Prince ◽  
Jingduan Chi ◽  
Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis

ABSTRACT Antagonism has been described in vitro and in vivo for azole-polyene combinations against Aspergillus species. Using an established murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, we evaluated the efficacy of several amphotericin B (AMB) dosages given alone or following preexposure to itraconazole (ITC). Mice were immunosuppressed with cortisone acetate and cyclophosphamide. During immunosuppression, animals were administered either ITC solution (50 mg/kg of body weight) or saline by oral gavage twice daily for 3 days prior to infection. Infection was induced by intranasally inoculating mice with a standardized conidial suspension (1 × 108 CFU/ml) of Aspergillus fumigatus strain AF 293. AMB was then administered by daily intraperitoneal injections (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg) starting 24 h after inoculation and continuing for a total of 72 h. Drug pharmacokinetics of AMB and ITC in plasma were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Four different endpoints were used to examine the efficacy of antifungal therapy: (i) viable counts from harvested lung tissue (in CFU per milliliter), (ii) the whole-lung chitin assay, (iii) mortality at 96 h, and (iv) histopathology of representative lung sections. At AMB doses of >0.5 mg/kg/day, fewer ITC-preexposed mice versus non-ITC-preexposed mice were alive at 96 h (0 to 20 versus 60%, respectively). At all time points, the fungal lung burden was consistently and significantly higher in animals preexposed to ITC, as measured by the CFU counts (P = 0.001) and the chitin assay (P = 0.03). Higher doses of AMB did not overcome this antagonism. ITC preexposure was associated with poorer mycological efficacy and survival in mice treated subsequently with AMB for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1857-1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidmantas Petraitis ◽  
Ruta Petraitiene ◽  
Andreas H. Groll ◽  
Kristin Roussillon ◽  
Melissa Hemmings ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Micafungin (FK463) is an echinocandin that demonstrates potent in vitro antifungal activities against Candida and Aspergillus species. However, little is known about its comparative antifungal activities in persistently neutropenic hosts. We therefore investigated the plasma micafungin pharmacokinetics and antifungal activities of micafungin against experimental disseminated candidiasis and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in persistently neutropenic rabbits. The groups with disseminated candidiasis studied consisted of untreated controls (UCs); rabbits treated with desoxycholate amphotericin B (DAMB) at 1 mg/kg of body weight/day; or rabbits treated with micafungin at 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/day intravenously. Compared with the UCs, rabbits treated with micafungin or DAMB showed significant dosage-dependent clearance of Candida albicans from the liver, spleen, kidney, brain, eye, lung, and vena cava. These in vivo findings correlated with the results of in vitro time-kill assays that demonstrated that micafungin has concentration-dependent fungicidal activity. The groups with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis studied consisted of UCs; rabbits treated with DAMB; rabbits treated with liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB) at 5 mg/kg/day; and rabbits treated with micafungin at 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/day. In comparison to the significant micafungin dosage-dependent reduction of the residual burden (in log CFU per gram) of C. albicans in tissue, micafungin-treated rabbits with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis had no reduction in the concentration of Aspergillus fumigatus in tissue. DAMB and LAMB significantly reduced the burdens of C. albicans and A. fumigatus in tissues (P < 0.01). Persistent galactomannan antigenemia in micafungin-treated rabbits correlated with the presence of an elevated burden of A. fumigatus in pulmonary tissue. By comparison, DAMB- and LAMB-treated animals had significantly reduced circulating galactomannan antigen levels. Despite a lack of clearance of A. fumigatus from the lungs, there was a significant improvement in the rate of survival (P < 0.001) and a reduction in the level of pulmonary infarction (P < 0.05) in micafungin-treated rabbits. In summary, micafungin demonstrated concentration-dependent and dosage-dependent clearance of C. albicans from persistently neutropenic rabbits with disseminated candidiasis but not of A. fumigatus from persistently neutropenic rabbits with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.


1999 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takakazu Otsubo ◽  
Shigefumi Maesaki ◽  
Mohammad Ashraf Hossain ◽  
Yoshihiro Yamamoto ◽  
Kazunori Tomono ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We evaluated the in vitro and in vivo potencies of a new lipid nanosphere that incorporates amphotericin B (AmB), NS-718, againstAspergillus fumigatus. The in vitro activity of NS-718 (the MIC at which 90% of strains are inhibited [MIC90], 0.25 μg/ml) against 18 isolates of A. fumigatus was similar to that of deoxycholate AmB (D-AmB; Fungizone; MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml), but NS-718 was more potent than liposomal AmB (L-AmB; AmBisome; MIC90, 1.0 μg/ml). The in vivo efficacy of NS-718 in a rat model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was compared with those of D-AmB and L-AmB. A low dose (1 mg/kg of body weight) of L-AmB was ineffective (survival rate, 0%), although equivalent doses of D-AmB and NS-718 were more effective (survival rate, 17%). However, a higher dose of NS-718 (3 mg/kg) was more effective (survival rate, 100%) than equivalent doses of D-AmB and L-AmB (survival rate, 0%). To explain these differences, pharmacokinetic studies showed higher concentrations of AmB in the plasma of rats treated with NS-718 than in the plasma of those treated with D-AmB. Our results suggest that NS-718, a new preparation of AmB, is a promising antifungal agent with activity against pulmonary aspergillosis.


Author(s):  
KOMESMUNEEBORIRAK PHOJANA ◽  
WERAWATGANONE PORNPEN ◽  
MUANGSIRI WALAISIRI

Objective: At present, the nail preparation to cure onychomycosis, caused by non-dermatophyte molds, is not commercially available in Thailand. The physical and chemical stability of amphotericin B (AmB) extemporaneous preparations in the presence of 30% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and their in vitro nail permeation was evaluated. Methods: AmB extemporaneous preparations in the presence of 30% DMSO were prepared from a commercial sterile injection product, and cream or hydrophilic ointment. Physical stability was tested at 30°C for 2 months, or using 6 heating-cooling cycles. The chemical stability and in vitro nail permeation of AmB content were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro nail permeation was performed by applying 3.5 mg/mm2 of the tested formulation on nail clippings for 5 consecutive days. Results: The AmB cream and ointment extemporaneous preparations containing 30% DMSO, a permeation enhancer, were homogeneous and pale yellow to yellow cream or ointment. The AmB ointment was stable for up to 60 days. The ointment preparation allows in vitro penetration through nails up to 14.17 μg/cm2. The ointment preparation allows significantly better penetration through than the cream preparation due to the presence of DMSO, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and water in the ointment preparation. Conclusion: The AmB extemporaneous ointment was successfully compounded from a commercial sterile injection product with a beyond-use date of 60 days. The ointment preparation is currently under further investigation for in vivo efficacy.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 3028-3030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Gavaldà ◽  
María-Teresa Martín ◽  
Pedro López ◽  
Xavier Gomis ◽  
José-Luís Ramírez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The efficacy of therapeutic aerosolized amphotericin B (AMB) was studied in a steroid-immunosuppressed murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Nebulized liposomal AMB can be a valid approach to the treatment of this infection, with subjects showing significantly improved survival relative to that of subjects given intravenous deoxycholate AMB, as well as lower lung weights and pulmonary glucosamine levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Page ◽  
Andrew J. Ullmann ◽  
Fabian Schadt ◽  
Sebastian Wurster ◽  
Samuel Samnick

ABSTRACT Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis are life-threatening complications in immunocompromised patients. A rapid diagnosis followed by early antifungal treatment is essential for patient survival. Given the limited spectrum of biomarkers for invasive mold infections, recent studies have proposed the use of radiolabeled siderophores or antibodies as molecular probes to increase the specificity of radiological findings by nuclear imaging modalities. While holding enormous diagnostic potential, most of the currently available molecular probes are tailored to the detection of Aspergillus species, and their cost-intensive and sophisticated implementation restricts their accessibility at less specialized centers. In order to develop cost-efficient and broadly applicable tracers for pulmonary mold infections, this study established streamlined and high-yielding protocols to radiolabel amphotericin B (AMB) with the gamma emitter technetium-99m (99mTc-AMB) and the positron emitter gallium-68 (68Ga-AMB). The radiochemical purity of the resulting tracers consistently exceeded 99%, and both probes displayed excellent stability in human serum (>98% after 60 to 240 min at 37°C). The uptake kinetics by representative mold pathogens were assessed in an in vitro Transwell assay using infected endothelial cell layers. Both tracers accumulated intensively and specifically in Transwell inserts infected with Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus arrhizus, and other clinically relevant mold pathogens compared with their accumulation in uninfected inserts and inserts infected with bacterial controls. Inoculum-dependent enrichment was confirmed by gamma counting and autoradiographic imaging. Taken together, this pilot in vitro study proposes 99mTc-AMB and 68Ga-AMB to be facile, stable, and specific probes, meriting further preclinical in vivo evaluation of radiolabeled amphotericin B for molecular imaging in invasive mycoses.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 1240-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justina Y. Ju ◽  
Cynthia Polhamus ◽  
Kieren A. Marr ◽  
Steven M. Holland ◽  
John E. Bennett

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata is the second leading cause of adult candidemia, resulting in high mortality. Amphotericin B is considered the treatment of choice, while the efficacy of fluconazole is controversial and caspofungin efficacy is unknown. To ascertain drug efficacy in vivo, the utility of a murine model of C. glabrata infection was investigated. C. glabrata was found to cause progressive, lethal infection when injected intravenously into C57BL/6 mice with reduced oxidative microbicidal capacity due to knockout of the p47phox gene. Spleen and kidney organ CFU counts were determined in groups of mice 2 days after the mice completed 6 days of daily intraperitoneal drug treatment, which began on the day of infection. Daily injections of fluconazole at 80 mg/kg did not reduce spleen or kidney CFU counts after infection with C. glabrata strains having in vitro fluconazole MICs of 2, 32, or 256 μg/ml compared to saline-treated controls. However, this fluconazole regimen reduced spleen CFU counts in mice infected with Candida albicans, an infection that is known to be responsive to fluconazole. Caspofungin at 5 mg/kg and amphotericin B at 5 mg/kg were both effective in reducing fungal burden in spleens and kidneys of C. glabrata-infected mice. Ten mice treated for 6 days with caspofungin at 1 mg/kg survived for 15 days, though all 10 saline-injected mice died or were so ill that they had to be sacrificed by 96 h postinfection. This murine model provided evidence of the efficacy of amphotericin B and caspofungin but not of fluconazole against C. glabrata infection.


2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 3432-3441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi M. Lestner ◽  
Susan J. Howard ◽  
Joanne Goodwin ◽  
Lea Gregson ◽  
Jayesh Majithiya ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic (PK-PD) properties of amphotericin B (AmB) formulations against invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) are not well understood. We used an in vitro model of IPA to further elucidate the PK-PD of amphotericin B deoxycholate (DAmB), liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) and amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC). The pharmacokinetics of these formulations for endovascular fluid, endothelial cells, and alveolar cells were estimated. Pharmacodynamic relationships were defined by measuring concentrations of galactomannan in endovascular and alveolar compartments. Confocal microscopy was used to visualize fungal biomass. A mathematical model was used to calculate the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in each compartment and estimate the extent of drug penetration. The interaction of LAmB with host cells and hyphae was visualized using sulforhodamine B-labeled liposomes. The MICs for the pure compound and the three formulations were comparable (0.125 to 0.25 mg/liter). For all formulations, concentrations of AmB progressively declined in the endovascular fluid as the drug distributed into the cellular bilayer. Depending on the formulation, the AUCs for AmB were 10 to 300 times higher within the cells than within endovascular fluid. The concentrations producing a 50% maximal effect (EC50) in the endovascular compartment were 0.12, 1.03, and 4.41 mg/liter for DAmB, LAmB, and ABLC, respectively, whereas, the EC50 in the alveolar compartment were 0.17, 7.76, and 39.34 mg/liter, respectively. Confocal microscopy suggested that liposomes interacted directly with hyphae and host cells. The PK-PD relationships of the three most widely used formulations of AmB differ markedly within an in vitro lung model of IPA.


2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 2382-2391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidmantas Petraitis ◽  
Ruta Petraitiene ◽  
William W. Hope ◽  
Joseph Meletiadis ◽  
Diana Mickiene ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We studied the antifungal activity of anidulafungin (AFG) in combination with voriconazole (VRC) against experimental invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in persistently neutropenic rabbits and further explored the in vitro and in vivo correlations by using Bliss independence drug interaction analysis. Treatment groups consisted of those receiving AFG at 5 (AFG5 group) and 10 (AFG10 group) mg/kg of body weight/day, VRC at 10 mg/kg every 8 h (VRC group), AFG5 plus VRC (AFG5+VRC group), and AFG10 plus VRC (AFG10+VRC group) and untreated controls. Survival throughout the study was 60% for the AFG5+VRC group, 50% for the VRC group, 27% for the AFG10+VRC group, 22% for the AFG5 group, 18% for the AFG10 group, and 0% for control rabbits (P < 0.001). There was a significant reduction of organism-mediated pulmonary injury, measured by infarct scores, lung weights, residual fungal burdens, and galactomannan indexes, in AFG5+VRC-treated rabbits versus those treated with AFG5 and VRC alone (P < 0.05). In comparison, AFG10+VRC significantly lowered only infarct scores and lung weights in comparison to those of AFG10-treated animals (P < 0.05). AFG10+VRC showed no significant difference in other outcome variables. Significant Bliss synergy was found in vivo between AFG5 and VRC, with observed effects being 24 to 30% higher than expected levels if the drugs were acting independently. These synergistic interactions were also found between AFG and VRC in vitro. However, for AFG10+VRC, only independence and antagonism were observed among the outcome variables. We concluded that the combination of AFG with VRC in treatment of experimental IPA in persistently neutropenic rabbits was independent to synergistic at a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day but independent to antagonistic at 10 mg/kg/day, as assessed by Bliss independence analysis, suggesting that higher dosages of an echinocandin may be deleterious to the combination.


Author(s):  
Elena Campione ◽  
Roberta Gaziano ◽  
Elena Doldo ◽  
Daniele Marino ◽  
Mattia Falconi ◽  
...  

AIM: Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common opportunistic fungal pathogen and causes invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), with high mortality among immunosuppressed patients. Fungistatic activity of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been recently described in vitro. We evaluated the efficacy of ATRA in vivo and its potential synergistic interaction with other antifungal drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rat model of IPA and in vitro experiments were performed to assess the efficacy of ATRA against Aspergillus in association with classical antifungal drugs and in silico studies used to clarify its mechanism of action. RESULTS: ATRA (0.5 and 1 mM) displayed a strong fungistatic activity in Aspergillus cultures, while at lower concentrations, synergistically potentiated fungistatic efficacy of sub-inhibitory concentration of Amphotericin B (AmB) and Posaconazole (POS). ATRA also enhanced macrophagic phagocytosis of conidia. In a rat model of IPA, ATRA reduced mortality similarly to Posaconazole. CONCLUSION: Fungistatic efficacy of ATRA alone and synergistically with other antifungal drugs was documented in vitro, likely by inhibiting fungal Hsp90 expression and Hsp90-related genes. ATRA reduced mortality in a model of IPA in vivo. Those findings suggest ATRA as suitable fungistatic agent, also to reduce dosage and adverse reaction of classical antifungal drugs, and new therapeutic strategies against IPA and systemic fungal infections.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidmantas Petraitis ◽  
Ruta Petraitiene ◽  
Aspasia Katragkou ◽  
Bo Bo Win Maung ◽  
Ethan Naing ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) is a semisynthetic triterpenoid and potent (1→3)-β-d-glucan synthase inhibitor. We investigated the in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo efficacy of ibrexafungerp (SCY) alone and in combination with antimold triazole isavuconazole (ISA) against invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). The combination of ibrexafungerp and isavuconazole in in vitro studies resulted in additive and synergistic interactions against Aspergillus spp. Plasma concentration-time curves of ibrexafungerp were compatible with linear dose proportional profile. In vivo efficacy was studied in a well-established persistently neutropenic New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit model of experimental IPA. Treatment groups included untreated control (UC) rabbits and rabbits receiving ibrexafungerp at 2.5 (SCY2.5) and 7.5 (SCY7.5) mg/kg of body weight/day, isavuconazole at 40 (ISA40) mg/kg/day, or combinations of SCY2.5+ISA40 and SCY7.5+ISA40. The combination of SCY+ISA produced an in vitro synergistic interaction. There were significant in vivo reductions of residual fungal burden, lung weights, and pulmonary infarct scores in SCY2.5+ISA40, SCY7.5+ISA40, and ISA40 treatment groups versus those of the SCY2.5-treated, SCY7.5-treated, and UC (P < 0.01) groups. Rabbits treated with SCY2.5+ISA40 and SCY7.5+ISA40 had prolonged survival in comparison to that of the SCY2.5-, SCY7.5-, ISA40-treated, or UC (P < 0.05) groups. Serum galactomannan index (GMI) and (1→3)-β-d-glucan levels significantly declined in animals treated with the combination of SCY7.5+ISA40 in comparison to those of animals treated with SCY7.5 or ISA40 (P < 0.05). Ibrexafungerp and isavuconazole combination demonstrated prolonged survival, decreased pulmonary injury, reduced residual fungal burden, and lower GMI and (1→3)-β-d-glucan levels in comparison to those of single therapy for treatment of IPA. These findings provide an experimental foundation for clinical evaluation of the combination of ibrexafungerp and an antimold triazole for treatment of IPA.


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