Antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Processes of cellular division are attractive targets for new drug development. FtsZ, an integral protein involved in cell cytokinesis, is a representative example. In the present study, the pharmacodynamic (PD) activity of an FtsZ inhibitor, TXA-709, and its active metabolite, TXA-707, was evaluated in the neutropenic murine thigh infection model against 5 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, including both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant isolates. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of the TXA-707 active metabolite were examined after oral administration of the TXA-709 prodrug at 10, 40, and 160 mg/kg of body weight. The half-life ranged from 3.2 to 4.4 h, and the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum concentration of drug in serum (C max ) were relatively linear over the doses studied.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus (MRSA) infections are a major public health threat (1). In the United States, S. aureus is the most common cause of nosocomial infection and leads to more than 80 thousand illnesses and 11 thousand deaths yearly (2). Ambulatory visits for cases of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) continue to increase in number and amounted to more than 14 million in a 2005 survey (3). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections account for a disproportionate rise in the incidence of those cases and in the need for hospitalization and unfortunately have limited therapeutic options (3-6). Novel antimicrobial agents that target cellular functions distinctly different from those targeted by current therapies and that show activity against drug-resistant isolates are urgently needed (7-10). Bacterial cell division represents an attractive area for antibiotic research to meet these needs.FtsZ is a major functional protein involved in cell division through formation of a Z-ring polymeric structure of FtsZ subunits (11-13). Disruption of this process leads to inhibition of cell division and eventual cell death (14). In addition to its novel mechanism of action, FtsZ is an attractive drug target because it is highly conserved in bacteria but absent in eukaryotic cells.We describe a pharmacodynamic (PK) evaluation of a methoxybenzamide FtsZ inhibitor, TXA-709, and its active metabolite, TXA-707, in a murine neutropenic thigh infection model against S. aureus. The impact of dose and dosing regimen on the in vivo efficacy of this drug was assessed. Specifically, the studies included were designed to (i) determine the pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index (peak serum level divided by the MIC [C max /MIC], area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h in the steady state divided by the MIC [AUC/MIC ratio], or duration of time serum levels exceed the MIC [time above MIC]) associated with optimal drug efficacy and (ii) identify the magnitude of the PK/PD index value required for efficacy among multiple S. aureus isolates, including those with beta-lactam resistance.
MATERIALS AND METHODSOrganisms, media, and anti...