Further Insights into the Oxidative Pathway of Thiocarbonyl-Type Antitubercular Prodrugs: Ethionamide, Thioacetazone, and Isoxyl

Chem Res Toxicol. 2021 Aug 16;34(8):1879-1889. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00164. Epub 2021 Jul 28.

Abstract

A chemical activation study of the thiocarbonyl-type antitubercular prodrugs, ethionamide (ETH), thioacetazone (TAZ), and isoxyl (ISO), was performed. Biomimetic oxidation of ethionamide using H2O2 (1 equiv) led to ETH-SO as the only stable S-oxide compound, which was found to occur in solution in the preferential form of a sulfine (ETH═S═O vs the sulfenic acid tautomer ETH-S-OH), as previously observed in the crystal state. It was also demonstrated that ETH-SO is capable of reacting with amines, as the putative sulfinic derivative (ETH-SO2H) was supposed to do. Unlike ETH, oxidation of TAZ did not allow observation of the mono-oxygenated species (TAZ-SO), leading directly to the more stable sulfinic acid derivative (TAZ-SO2H), which can then lose a SOxH group after further oxidation or when placed in a basic medium. It was also noticed that the unstable TAZ-SO intermediate can lead to the carbodiimide derivative as another electrophilic species. It is suggested that TAZ-SOH, TAZ-SO2H, and the carbodiimide compound can also react with NH2-containing nucleophilic species, and therefore be involved in toxic effects. Finally, ISO showed a very complex reactivity, here assigned to the coexistence of two mono-oxygenated structures, the sulfine and sulfenic acid tautomers. The mono- and dioxygenated derivatives of ISO are also highly unstable, leading to a panel of multiple metabolites, which are still reactive and likely contribute to the toxicity of this prodrug.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antitubercular Agents / chemistry
  • Antitubercular Agents / metabolism*
  • Ethionamide / chemistry
  • Ethionamide / metabolism*
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Phenylthiourea / analogs & derivatives*
  • Phenylthiourea / chemistry
  • Phenylthiourea / metabolism
  • Prodrugs / chemistry
  • Prodrugs / metabolism*
  • Thioacetazone / chemistry
  • Thioacetazone / metabolism*

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Prodrugs
  • thiocarlide
  • Phenylthiourea
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Thioacetazone
  • Ethionamide