Amoxicillin Inactivation by Thiol-Catalyzed Cyclization Reduces Protein Haptenation and Antibacterial Potency

Serum and cellular proteins are targets for the formation of adducts with the β-lactam antibiotic amoxicillin. This process could be important for the development of adverse, and in particular, allergic reactions to this antibiotic. In studies exploring protein haptenation by amoxicillin, we observe...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Pajares, María A., Zimmerman, Tahl, Sánchez-Gómez, Francisco J., Ariza, Adriana, Torres, María J., Blanca, Miguel, Cañada, F. Javier, Montañez, María I., Pérez-Sala, Dolores
Format: article
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Repository:Repisalud
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/18010
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/18010
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Amoxicillin
B-lactam antibiotics
Inactivation mechanism
Redox regulation
Protein adducts
Thiol groups
Thiol-containing molecules
Bacterial growth
Amoxicilina
Beta-lactamas
Crecimiento bacteriano
Acetylcysteine
Dithiothreitol
Cefaclor
beta-Lactams
Reducing Agents
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Diketopiperazines
Hypersensitivity
Glutathione
Oxidation-Reduction
Description
Summary:Serum and cellular proteins are targets for the formation of adducts with the β-lactam antibiotic amoxicillin. This process could be important for the development of adverse, and in particular, allergic reactions to this antibiotic. In studies exploring protein haptenation by amoxicillin, we observed that reducing agents influenced the extent of amoxicillin-protein adducts formation. Consequently, we show that several thiol-containing compounds, including dithiothreitol, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and glutathione, perform a nucleophilic attack on the amoxicillin molecule that is followed by an internal rearrangement leading to amoxicillin diketopiperazine, a known amoxicillin metabolite with residual activity. Increased diketopiperazine conversion is also observed with human serum albumin but not with L-cysteine, which mainly forms the amoxicilloyl amide. The effect of thiols is catalytic and can render complete amoxicillin conversion. Interestingly, this process is dependent on the presence of an amino group in the antibiotic lateral chain, as in amoxicillin and ampicillin. Furthermore, it does not occur for other β-lactam antibiotics, including cefaclor or benzylpenicillin. Biological consequences of thiol-mediated amoxicillin transformation are exemplified by a reduced bacteriostatic action and a lower capacity of thiol-treated amoxicillin to form protein adducts. Finally, modulation of the intracellular redox status through inhibition of glutathione synthesis influenced the extent of amoxicillin adduct formation with cellular proteins. These results open novel perspectives for the understanding of amoxicillin metabolism and actions, including the formation of adducts involved in allergic reactions.