valinomycin and pyrazinoic-acid

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the transporter-mediated secretion systems for phenolsulfonphthalein in brush-border membranes. In human and rat renal brush-border membranes, a potential-sensitive transport system has been shown to be involved in the efflux of organic anions. The uptake of phenolsulfonphthalein into rat renal brush-border membrane vesicles was stimulated by an inside-positive membrane potential. This potential-sensitive uptake of phenolsulfonphthalein was inhibited by probenecid, pyrazinoate and urate. p-Aminohippurate had no effect on the potential-sensitive uptake of phenolsulfonphthalein. Moreover, urate competitively inhibited the uptake of phenolsulfonphthalein. On the other hand, the uptake of phenolsulfonphthalein was slightly increased in the presence of an outward Cl- gradient. These results suggest that phenolsulfonphthalein has high affinity for the potential-sensitive urate transport system but has low affinity for an anion exchanger.

Topics: Animals; Biological Transport; Carbonyl Cyanide p-Trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone; Cell Membrane; Chlorides; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ionophores; Kidney; Male; Mannitol; Membrane Potentials; Microvilli; Phenolsulfonphthalein; Potassium Chloride; Probenecid; Pyrazinamide; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Time Factors; Uric Acid; Valinomycin

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important front-line anti-tuberculosis drug that is active only at acid pH. However, acid pH causes significant difficulty for PZA susceptibility testing. A common problem in PZA testing is false resistance caused by large bacterial inocula. This study investigated the relationship of false resistance to numbers of bacilli, pH and other factors that potentially affect susceptibility to PZA. Large inocula (10(7-8) bacilli/ml) of M. tuberculosis H37Ra caused significant increase in medium pH from 5.5 towards neutrality, and thus produced false resistance results. The increase in medium pH was determined to be a function of live bacilli; heat-killed bacilli had little or no effect. Susceptibility to PZA and its active derivative pyrazinoic acid (POA) was comparable on 7H11 agar medium, but POA was less active than PZA in liquid medium containing bovine serum albumin (BSA), suggesting that susceptibility to PZA or POA was reduced in the presence of BSA, because of its neutralising effect on medium pH and significant POA binding. A 3-month-old H37Ra culture was shown to be more susceptible to PZA exposure than a 4-day log-phase culture, suggesting that PZA is more active for non-growing bacilli. Finally, reserpine, an inhibitor of POA efflux pump, increased susceptibility to PZA even near neutral pH 6.8, with an MIC of 400 mg/L compared with 1,000 mg/L without reserpine. These findings should have implications for understanding the mode of action of PZA and for PZA susceptibility testing.

Topics: Antitubercular Agents; Cell Survival; Colony Count, Microbial; Culture Media; Drug Interactions; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ionophores; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pyrazinamide; Reserpine; Serum Albumin, Bovine; Time Factors; Tuberculosis; Valinomycin

The effects of pyrazinoate and nicotinate on urate transport in microvillus membrane vesicles isolated from canine renal cortex were evaluated. An outwardly directed gradient of pyrazinoate stimulated uphill urate accumulation, suggesting urate-pyrazinoate exchange. An inside-alkaline pH gradient stimulated uphill pyrazinoate accumulation, which suggested pyrazinoate-OH- exchange. Pyrazinoate-OH- exchange and urate-OH- exchange were similarly sensitive to inhibitors, implying that both processes occur via the same transport system. In addition, an inward Na+ gradient stimulated uphill pyrazinoate accumulation, suggesting Na+-pyrazinoate cotransport. Inhibitor studies demonstrated that Na+-pyrazinoate cotransport takes place via the same pathway that mediates Na+-lactate cotransport in these membrane vesicles. Previously we found that urate does not share this Na+-dependent cotransport pathway. Nicotinate inhibited transport of pyrazinoate by the anion exchange pathway and the Na+ cotransport pathway, suggesting that it is a substrate for both transport systems. Finally, in the presence of an inward Na+ gradient, low doses of pyrazinoate or nicotinate stimulated urate uptake, and higher doses of pyrazinoate or nicotinate inhibited urate accumulation, thereby mimicking in vitro the paradoxical effects of drugs on renal urate excretion that have been observed in vivo. These findings indicate that the paradoxical effect of uricosuric drugs at low doses to cause urate retention may result at least in part from stimulation of urate reabsorption across the luminal membrane of the proximal tubular cell.

Topics: Animals; Biological Transport, Active; Dogs; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kidney Cortex; Lactates; Lactic Acid; Membranes; Microvilli; Models, Biological; Niacin; Nigericin; Pyrazinamide; Sodium; Uric Acid; Valinomycin