Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.5.1.3 (dihydrofolate reductase)
5,819 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Trimetrexate, a lipid-soluble antifolate, has considerably greater activity in inhibiting the dihydrofolate reductase of Toxoplasma gondii than do the conventional antifolates pyrimethamine and trimethoprim. In an investigation of the effect of trimetrexate on T. gondii, in vitro and in vivo studies were undertaken with peritoneal macrophage cultures and acutely infected mice. Against T. gondii cultured in mouse peritoneal macrophages, 10(-7) M trimetrexate inhibited replication of the organism compared with 10(-6) M pyrimethamine and 10(-4) M trimethoprim. In acutely infected mice, trimetrexate alone prolonged survival and, when combined with sulfadiazine, allowed 93%-100% of mice to survive. These studies suggest that trimetrexate alone or combined with a sulfonamide may provide a safe and effective alternative to pyrimethamine plus sulfonamide for the treatment of T. gondii diseases.
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PMID:Potent effect of trimetrexate, a lipid-soluble antifolate, on Toxoplasma gondii. 295 46

Trimetrexate is a lipid soluble dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor which, unlike methotrexate, does not depend upon the membrane folate transport system for cell entry. We investigated the possibility that trimetrexate (but not methotrexate) might permeate intermitotic lymphocytes and, following stimulation, impair only the responding cells, rather than all dividing cells, as is the case with methotrexate. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal individuals were incubated for 1 hr in three moderate to high concentrations (1, 10 and 100 microM) of methotrexate or trimetrexate, washed, and incubated with phytohemagglutinin. Intracellular folate activity, as assessed by the deoxyuridine suppression test, was abnormal at all three concentrations of trimetrexate but only at the highest concentration of methotrexate. Similarly, incorporation of [3H]deoxyuridine was depressed profoundly in trimetrexate-treated cells (2% of control) but unaffected by methotrexate. Analysis of cell cycle distribution by flow cytometry confirmed G0 + G1 arrest in trimetrexate but not methotrexate-treated cells. Neither drug altered morphologic transformation, Tac antigen expression, or incorporation of [3H]thymidine by the "salvage" pathway. Therefore, brief exposure to methotrexate has little effect on intermitotic lymphocytes, whereas trimetrexate very specifically inhibits the conversion of deoxyuridine to thymidine in these cells and leads to the arrest of DNA synthesis in the G0 + G1 phase. This metabolic abnormality markedly reduces in vitro antibody synthesis: a 1-hr treatment of lymphocytes with 10 or 100 microM trimetrexate prior to incubation with pokeweed mitogen on four occasions completely inhibited both IgG and IgM secretion. Similar treatment with methotrexate had no effect until the highest concentration (100 microM) was used. We conclude that brief exposure of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to the nonclassical dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, trimetrexate, results in inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis and impairment of antibody production. This drug effect may permit more incisive modulation of immune responses.
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PMID:Inhibition of lymphocyte nucleic acid metabolism and antibody production by trimetrexate. 295 54

Trimetrexate, a new nonclassical antifolate, was evaluated in a phase I trial in children with refractory cancer including nine with acute leukemia and 21 with solid tumors. The drug was administered as an i.v. bolus injection weekly for three doses, and courses were repeated every 28 days. The dose ranged from 35 to 145 mg/m2. Thirty patients who received a total of 33 courses were evaluable for toxicity, including 19 who were evaluable for hematological toxicity. The maximally tolerated dose for patients with a solid tumor and leukemia was 110 mg/m2. The dose-limiting toxicities were myelosuppression, mucositis and a pruritic, diffuse maculopapular rash. Other side effects observed included transient, mild elevations of serum transaminases, mild nausea and vomiting, and a local phlebitis at the site of injection at higher dose levels. A single patient with delayed drug clearance had evidence of renal toxicity with a transient increase in serum creatinine. The pharmacokinetics of trimetrexate were studied in 25 patients over the entire dose range. There was considerable interpatient variability in total drug clearance (range 9.2 to 215 ml/min/m2) and half-life (2.1 to 20 h). There was a suggestion of a correlation between plasma concentration at 24 h and the development of hematological toxicity at the highest dose level. Trimetrexate was cleared primarily by biotransformation with renal clearance accounting for only 10% of total clearance. Two metabolites of trimetrexate which inhibit the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase were identified in the urine. One of these appears to be a glucuronide conjugate.
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PMID:Pediatric phase I trial and pharmacokinetic study of trimetrexate. 295 48

The growth inhibitory effects of combinations of antifolates on hepatoma cells in culture have been examined. In these studies methotrexate or the lipophilic inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase were used with the thymidylate synthase inhibitor N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate (PDDF). Under certain conditions partial growth inhibition by methotrexate and trimetrexate is reduced by noninhibitory to slightly inhibitory concentrations (less than 1 microM) of PDDF. At somewhat higher concentrations (1.6-4 microM) of PDDF, synergy is observed with methotrexate, trimetrexate, or metoprine. Trimetrexate exerted greater synergistic effects than methotrexate. A noninhibitory concentration of trimetrexate (2 nM) in combination with a partially inhibitory concentration of PDDF reduced growth by 93%. Metoprine was capable of replacing trimetrexate and exhibits slightly greater inhibitory activity in combination than trimetrexate. Both metoprine and trimetrexate in combination with PDDF caused synergistic inhibition of the de novo synthesis of thymidylate in intact cells as measured by tritium release from [5-3H]deoxyuridine. Clonal assays were used to demonstrate synergy between trimetrexate or metoprine and PDDF, attesting to the cytotoxic properties of this combination. Thymidine alone can protect against both the synergistic combination of trimetrexate or metoprine and PDDF and PDDF alone, but has only a weak protective effect on toxic concentrations of trimetrexate and metoprine. These observations suggest that growth inhibition is mediated by the activity of N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate on thymidylate synthase. These results are discussed with regard to the mechanism of inhibition of thymidylate synthase by the 5,8-dideazafolates and the possibility of enhancing the inhibitory activity of this class of compounds by using them with inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase.
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PMID:Synergistic growth inhibition of rat hepatoma cells exposed in vitro to N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate with methotrexate or the lipophilic antifolates trimetrexate or metoprine. 295 30

The crystal structures of trimetrexate (TMQ) (2,4-diamino-5-methyl-6-[(3,4,5-trimethoxyanilino)methyl]quinazoli ne) and 4-[N-[(2,4-diamino-6-pteridinyl)methyl]amino]benzoic acid (PMAB) were determined to examine their conformational features with respect to the enzyme-bound form of methotrexate (MTX). TMQ and MTX are antineoplastic drugs that act by inhibiting the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. The molecular conformation of TMQ is extended with the trimethoxyanilino ring twisted 89 degrees from the quinazoline plane, and the molecular conformation of PMAB is completely planar. The geometry of the 2,4-diaminopteridine and 2,4-diaminoquinazoline rings are sensitive to protonation, and both TMQ and PMAB have geometries characteristic to a free base. TMQ crystallizes as a dimethyl sulfoxide hydrate. The quinazoline ring forms an antiparallel stacking arrangement in the lattice and forms a network of N...O hydrogen bonds with the solvent molecules. In PMAB there are both pteridine-benzoic acid (N...O) hydrogen bonds and pteridine-pteridine (N...N) hydrogen bonds. Although the molecular conformation of TMQ and PMAB differ from enzyme-bound MTX, rotational energy barriers calculated using CAMSEQ indicate that they can adopt a similar conformation to that seen for MTX complexed with dihydrofolate reductase. These energy calculations show that PMAB is quite flexible and further suggest that the 5-methyl in TMQ reduces its conformational flexibility in a different manner than the N(10)-methyl in MTX. These structural data also show that full geometry optimization and proper parameterization of electronic effects at N(10) are required to accurately represent antifolate conformational preferences for enzyme binding.
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PMID:Conformational analysis of antineoplastic antifolates: the crystal structure of trimetrexate and the aminopterine derivative 4-[N-[(2,4-diamino-6-pteridinyl)methyl]amino]benzoic acid. 295 29

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that trimetrexate is a potent inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase from Pneumocystis carinii. On the basis of this evidence, this lipid-soluble antifolate was used as an antipneumocystis agent in 49 patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pneumocystis pneumonia. Simultaneous treatment with the reduced folate leucovorin was used as a specific antidote to protect host tissues from the toxic effects of the antifolate without affecting the antipneumocystis action of trimetrexate. Patients were assigned to three groups and treated for 21 days: in Group I, trimetrexate with leucovorin was used as salvage therapy in patients in whom standard treatments (both pentamidine isethionate and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) could not be tolerated or had failed (16 patients); in Group II, trimetrexate with leucovorin was used as initial therapy in patients with a history of sulfonamide inefficacy or intolerance (16 patients); and in Group III, trimetrexate with leucovorin plus sulfadiazine was used as initial therapy (17 patients). The response and survival rates were, respectively, 69 percent and 69 percent in Group I; 63 percent and 88 percent in Group II; and 71 percent and 77 percent in Group III. Trimetrexate therapy had minimal toxicity; transient neutropenia or thrombocytopenia occurred in 12 patients and mild elevation of serum aminotransferases in 4. We conclude that the combination of trimetrexate and leucovorin is safe and effective for the initial treatment of pneumocystis pneumonia in patients with AIDS and for the treatment of patients with intolerance or lack of response to standard therapies.
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PMID:Trimetrexate for the treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. 295 10

Trimetrexate is a 2,4-diaminoquinazoline inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) which is cytotoxic in vitro and in vivo to several tumors resistant to methotrexate. It is more lipophilic than the parent antifolate, and is not transported by the reduced folate carrier. These features promise activity greater than that of methotrexate in the clinic; its inability to undergo polyglutamylation may also enhance the therapeutic index. In preclinical models, the activity of trimetrexate was highly schedule dependent, being superior on repeated dose schedules. Phase I studies have demonstrated that myelosuppression is the major toxic effect of trimetrexate on all schedules tested in man. Phase II studies will evaluate a 5-day schedule initially; trials in multiple tumor types and examination of the role of schedule are already under way.
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PMID:Trimetrexate: clinical development of a nonclassical antifolate. 296 28

Trimetrexate (TMQ; NSC 352122) is a potent inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase with good activity against murine i.p.-implanted B16 melanoma and colon 26 tumors. Preclinical antineoplastic activity, demonstrated schedule dependency, and data suggesting effectiveness against methotrexate-resistant cells prompted a Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of trimetrexate using an i.v. daily x5 schedule. Forty-three good performance status patients were treated with 12 dose levels using daily doses varying from 0.5 to 15 mg/m2/d. Plasma and urine samples were obtained for pharmacokinetic analysis using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method. Myelosuppression was dose limiting and 15 mg/m2/d x5 was the maximum tolerated dose. White blood cell (WBC) and platelet toxicity were noted at doses of 1.6 mg/m2 and above. Median WBC and platelet nadirs occurred on approximately Days 11-12 with recovery by Days 15-18. Nonhematological toxicity included mucositis, nausea and vomiting, stomatitis, diarrhea, and rash. Evidence for antitumor activity was seen in seven patients. Trimetrexate elimination from plasma could be represented as either a bi- or triexponential process. Terminal elimination half-lives were in the range of 5-14 h in patients represented by a triexponential model. Approximately 10-20% of the dose administered was excreted in urine over a 24-h period. The recommended starting dose for patients in Phase II trials using the d x5 i.v. schedule is 8.0 mg/m2/d repeated every 21 days. Dose escalations may be possible depending on the extent of prior therapy and individual tolerance of the drug.
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PMID:Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of trimetrexate using a daily x5 schedule. 297 Feb 94

The purpose of this study was to characterize the transport properties of trimetrexate in WI-L2 human lymphoblastoid cells and determine the mode of resistance that had developed in a subline, WI-L2/TMQ, that was grown in increasing concentrations of trimetrexate. WI-L2/TMQ cells were 62-fold resistant to trimetrexate and 68- and 96-fold cross-resistant to the other lipophilic antifolates metoprine and piritrexim (BW 301U). No cross-resistance was observed with vincristine or doxorubicin, and sensitivity was not increased with 5 micrograms/ml of verapamil, indicating that it was not a typical multidrug resistance phenotype. WI-L2/TMQ exhibited a 2-fold increase in dihydrofolate reductase; however, this did not contribute significantly to the observed resistance, since these cells retained full sensitivity to methotrexate. Nor were there any kinetic alterations in dihydrofolate reductase toward trimetrexate or differences in the levels of thymidylate synthase. The major difference between the sensitive and resistant cell line was a 50% decrease in the influx rate of WI-L2/TMQ cells which produced a corresponding decrease in cellular trimetrexate at the steady state. No difference in efflux rates was detected nor were there any differences in intracellular water or metabolism of trimetrexate. Additional characterization of trimetrexate transport in WI-L2 showed that influx was nonsaturable up to 5 mM extracellular trimetrexate, relatively insensitive to sodium azide, and exhibited a Q10 of 2.7. Influx was, however, inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by concentrations of p-chloromercuribenzylsulfonate above 10 microM. Efflux studies revealed a large nonexchangeable fraction of trimetrexate that was well above the dihydrofolate reductase binding capacity and varied depending on the initial level of cell-associated drug. The intracellular exchangeable trimetrexate concentration at the steady state was always several-fold higher than the extracellular concentration. Retention of trimetrexate appeared to be coupled to some component of energy metabolism, since the presence of sodium azide stimulated this process by 2- to 3-fold. The data suggest that trimetrexate enters cells by passive diffusion but then is distributed and concentrated within the cell through more complex mechanisms which may involve energy coupling, compartmentation, or binding to macromolecules or organelles, although some type of carrier-mediated process cannot be ruled out.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Characterization of trimetrexate transport in human lymphoblastoid cells and development of impaired influx as a mechanism of resistance to lipophilic antifolates. 297 70

Trimetrexate is a lipid-soluble antifolate that has been shown in vitro to be a much more potent inhibitor of Pneumocystis carinii dihydrofolate reductase than the conventionally used inhibitor trimethoprim. To evaluate the in vivo efficacy of trimetrexate, steroid-treated rats which spontaneously develop P. carinii pneumonia were used. Rats treated with trimetrexate (25 mg/kg/d) plus sulfamethoxazole (250 mg/kg/d) orally responded at least as well as rats treated with trimethoprim (50 mg/kg/d) plus sulfamethoxazole. Trimetrexate alone administered orally was ineffective in treating P. carinii infection, but subcutaneous (sc) trimetrexate (7 mg/kg/d) significantly decreased the intensity of infection compared to controls. Trimetrexate is a potent antifolate that may provide an effective alternative to pentamidine and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for treatment of P. carinii pneumonia in humans.
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PMID:Efficacy of trimetrexate, a potent lipid-soluble antifolate, in the treatment of rodent Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. 297 55


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