Quinolone antibacterial agents: relationship between structure and in vitro inhibition of the human cytochrome P450 isoform CYP1A2.

The inhibitory effect of 44 quinolone antibacterials and derivatives (common structure, 4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid) on cytochrome P450 isoform CYP1A2 activity was tested using human liver microsomes and caffeine 3-demethylation as a specific test system for this enzyme. By direct comparison of molecules differing structurally in only one position, the following structure-activity relationships were found. 3'-Oxo derivatives had a reduced or similar activity and M1 metabolites (cleavage of piperazinyl substituent) had a greater inhibitory activity, compared with the parent molecule. Alkylation of the 7-piperazinyl substituent resulted in a reduced inhibitory potency. Naphthyridines with an unsubstituted piperazinyl group at position 7 displayed a greater inhibitory potency than did corresponding quinoline derivatives. Derivatives with a fluorine substitution at position 8 had only a minor effect. Molecular modeling studies with inhibitors and caffeine showed that it is possible to explain the potency of the quinolones to inhibit CYP1A2 on a molecular level. The keto group, the carboxylate group, and the core nitrogen at position 1 are likely to be the most important groups for binding to the active site of CYP1A2, because the molecular electrostatic potential of all inhibitors is very similar to that of caffeine in these regions. The presence of a piperazinyl substituent, however, seems to be no prerequisite for inhibitory potency. Finally, an equation to estimate the potency to inhibit CYP1A2 was developed by quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis.