The new antitumor agent anthrafuran has demonstrated a consistent effect in murine tumor models when administered parenterally due to the simultaneous inhibition of multiple cellular targets such as topoisomerases I/II and protein kinases. In this study, we assessed the anticancer efficiency and acute toxicity of anthrafuran administered orally. The action of anthrafuran was studied on transplanted tumor models which included P388 leukemia, Ca755 mammary adenocarcinoma, LLC lung carcinoma, and T47D human breast cancer xenografts on Balb/c nude mice. A significant antitumor efficacy of oral anthrafuran was revealed for all tested tumor models as follows: T/C_max = 219% for P388, TGI_max = 91% for Ca755, TGI_max = 84% with CR_max = 54% for LLC, and T/C = 38% for T47D. The optimal treatment schedule of orally administered anthrafuran was 70–100 mg/kg given daily for five days. The LD₅₀ value of orally administered anthrafuran (306.7 mg/kg) in mice was six times higher than that for i.p. administration (52.5 mg/kg). The rates of antitumor efficacy and acute toxicity indicate the high potential for further research on anthrafuran as a new original oral anticancer multitarget agent with an expected satisfactory tolerability and bioavailability.

The antimicrobial activity and toxicity of three novel synthetic antibacterial agents containing tris(1H-indol-3-yl)methylium fragment were studied in vitro and in vivo. All compounds in vitro revealed high activity (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) 0.13–1.0 µg/mL) against bacteria that were either sensitive or resistant to antibiotics, including multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. The derivatives combining high antimicrobial activity with relatively low cytotoxicity against human donor fibroblasts HPF-hTERT were subjected to further testing on mice. In vivo they revealed fairly good tolerance and relatively low toxicity. Acute toxicity was evaluated, and the main indicators of toxicity, including LD₅₀ and LD₁₀, were determined. A study of compounds in vivo showed their efficiency in the model of staphylococcal sepsis in mice. The efficiency of compounds may be due to the ability of indolylmethylium salts to form pores in the cytoplasmic membrane of microbial cells and thereby facilitate the penetration of molecules into the pathogen.

Introduction. Topoisomerases influence on DNA topology and are capable of running down their super spiraling molecules by importation of one- or two-chained ruptures with the subsequent restitution and also the negative super rounds or catenae’s. Topoisomerases are known to be targets for antineoplastic therapy. Inhibitors of these enzymes of various nature and chemical structure are widely used for the suppression of tumor Topoisomerase I and/or II activity with the blocking cells in the phase G2 and a delay of their introduction in mitosis. Such difficult curable tumors as colorectal cancer, carcinoma of the stomach, non-small cell lung cancer and so forth are the most sensitive to these drugs. The search of perspective antineoplastic inhibitors is implemented generally in ranks of the non-camptothecin agents among which heterocyclic condensed nitrogenous compounds, in particular, anthrafurandiones show the most significant results. The review of thematic literature from 2011 to 2018 is devoted to the description of properties of topoisomerase as targets and their inhibitors from perspective classes. Objectives: 1. The analysis of signal characteristics of topoisomerases as targets for anticancer non-camptothecin inhibitors. 2. Identification of structure-activity relationship in the ranks of potential inhibitors of topoisomerases. 3. The choice of the most perspective non-camptothecin topoisomerase inhibitors among heterocyclic condensed nitrogenous compounds on the basis of the comparative analysis of structure and properties. Material and methods. Materials of 79 scientific articles published in the leading biological, biochemical and chemical journals of the different countries within the 8 last years are subjected to the analysis. The structure of the review meets the purpose and tasks of the scientific analysis. Results. The analysis of the thematic literature showed topoisomerases to be relevant targets for antineoplastic therapy of severe oncological pathology. In this regard, intensive search of various pharmaceuticals among topoisomerase inhibitors is performed in recent years. Researchers modify the known basic structures as well as synthesize new compounds. The discovery of a top-directional effect of the known medicines expands the data on their mechanism of the action. To identify the topoisomerase inhibitory activity of the drug the methods with the use of plasmid DNA is applied. The cytotoxic activity, apoptosis induction, including the caspases activation, modification of mitochondrial potential, influence on p53 and others are examined in parallel studies. The research directed on the identification of new effective non-camptothecin oral topoisomerase inhibitors among the anthracyclines derivatives are of undoubted relevance. Such agents, in contrast to Doxorubicin (anthracycline antibiotic widely used for tumor therapy), have moderate toxicity and allow to control the growth of solid tumors and leukemia in mono-therapy mode. Conclusion. In terms of searching of original antineoplastic agents, a class of heterocyclic condensed nitrogenous compounds, first of all, the anthraquinones showing properties of topoisomerase inhibitors is one of the most promising. The results of chemical and biological research of the compounds of this series were laid in a basis of the design of medicinal substances and their drug formulations. Prognostically significant data obtained in preclinical testing allow us to hope that obtained antitumor agents will be highly effective on a clinical stage of trials.

Relevance. Indications for rifabutin use are constantly expanding. It is used in the treatment of extremely complex nosological forms of infectious diseases. However, side effects of the medication, such as gastrointestinal toxicity and myelosuppression, in many cases do not allow the completion of treatment and weaken the patient-s adherence to therapy. This determines the need to find means to reduce the toxic properties of rifabutin.Objective. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of correction of gastrointestinal and hematological toxicity of rifabutin with ascorbigen.Material and Methods. The study was performed in male Wistar rats. The drugs were administered per os at therapeutic doses (50 mg/kg daily for 15 days). Ascorbigen was administered 30 minutes before rifabutin. Body weight dynamics, hematological parameters, blood biochemical parameters, electrocardiography, and urinalysis were performed for all animals during the study. Five animals in each group were euthanized on the 1st and 30th days after the end of the treatment course. The internal organs were subjected to histological evaluation.Results. It has been shown that combined treatment with rifabutin and ascorbigen leads to a weakening of the damaging effect of the antibiotic on the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and accelerates the processes of restoration of its structure. Clinically, this is expressed in the normalization of body weight gain of animals. The combined use of rifabutin with ascorbigen reduces the depth of cytopenia. The number of leukocytes in the peripheral blood of the rats was restored faster. There were no signs of atrophy of spleen-s lymphoid tissue. The administration of ascorbigen before rifabutin has a protective effect on the tissues of the kidneys and testes.Conclusion. Oral administration of ascorbigen 30 minutes before rifabutin significantly reduces the gastrointestinal toxicity and hematotoxicity of rifabutin and prevents the development of spermatogenesis disorders. This allows us to recommend it for combined use in order to improve tolerance to anti-TB treatment.

Glycopeptide antibiotics are still in demand in clinical practice for treating infections caused by resistant gram-positive pathogens; however, their use is limited due to severe adverse reactions. Their predominant types of side effects are immunoglobulin E-mediated or nonmediated hypersensitivity reactions. Therefore, the development of new glycopeptide antibiotics with improved toxicity profiles remains an important objective in advancing modern antimicrobial agents. We investigated a new eremomycin aminoalkylamide flavancin, its anaphylactogenic properties, influence on histamine levels in blood plasma, pseudoallergic inflammatory reaction on concanavalin A and the change in the amount of flavancin in the blood plasma after administration. It has been shown that flavancin does not demonstrate anaphylactogenic properties. The injection of flavancin resulted in a level of histamine in the blood three times lower than that caused by vancomycin. The therapeutic dose of vancomycin led to a statistically significant increase in the concanavalin A response index compared to flavancin (54% versus 3.7%). Thus, flavancin does not cause a pseudo-allergic reaction. The rapid decrease in flavancin concentration in the blood and the low levels of histamine in the plasma lead us to assume that any pseudoallergic reactions resulting from flavancin application, if they do occur in clinical practice, will be significantly less compared to the use of vancomycin.

Glycopeptide antibiotics have side effects that limit their clinical use. In view of this, the development of glycopeptides with improved chemotherapeutic properties remains the main direction in the search for new antibacterial drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxicological characteristics of new semi-synthetic glycopeptide flavancin. Acute and chronic toxicity of antibiotic was evaluated in Wistar rats. The medium lethal dose (LD₅₀) and the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) were calculated by the method of Litchfield and Wilcoxon. In the chronic toxicity study, the treatment regimen consisted of 15 daily intraperitoneal injections using two dosage levels: 6 and 10 mg/kg/day. Total doses were equivalent to MTD or LD₅₀ of flavancin, respectively. The study included assessment of the body weight, hematological parameters, blood biochemical parameters, urinalysis, and pathomorphological evaluation of the internal organs. The results of the study demonstrated that no clinical-laboratory signs of toxicity were found after 15 daily injections of flavancin at a total dose close to the MTD or LD₅₀. The pathomorphological study did not reveal any lesions on the organ structure of animals after low-dose administration of flavancin. Thus, flavancin favorably differs in terms of toxicological properties from the glycopeptides currently used in the clinic.