Microbiology Antiviral therapy Flashcards
Aciclovir:
Type of Drug
Nucleoside analogue of guanosine.
Aciclovir: MOA
Competitive inhibitor of Viral DNA polymerase, an obligate DNA chain terminator.
Aciclovir: Process
- Preferentially taken up by virally infected cells
- Monophosphorylated by virally encoded thymidine kinases
- 2nd and 3rd phosphate added by cellular kinases
- ACV-TP is the active moiety
- Competitive inhibitor of viral DNA polymerase
- Cellular DNA polymerases much les susceptible to inhibition
- Leads to viral DNA chain termination
Aciclovir: Safety
• Remarkedly safe antiviral
Aciclovir: Effective against
• HSV types 1 & 2, and VZV infections inhibitis CMV, and EBV but not clinically useful.
Aciclovir: Main indications are
- Severe primary labial and genital herpes
- Ophthalmic HSV and VZV
- Eczema herpeticum
- Herpes zoster
- Chickenpox – adults require more aggressive
- Herpes encephalitis
- Prevention and treatment of disseminated herpetic disease in the immunocomprimised patient
Aciclovir: Problems
• Limited oral bioavailability – 25% • Treatment needs to start within 24-72 hours • Intravenous • Topical therapy (creams) of limited value with exception of eye drops used in ophthalmic herpes ad ophthalmic zoster. • Toxicities → Headache, nausea →Renal → Neurological (encephalopathic)
Aciclovir: Oral dosage
• Requires to be given 5x daily for 5-7 days.
Aciclovir: Iv dosage
• Intravenous therapy substantially better at disease control in all compartments. Given 8 hourly
Aciclovir: Renal concern
• Safe. Dose reduction with renal dysfunction
Aciclovir Resistance
• Can be problematic in continuous use or in immunocomprimised
• Mediated by mutations in viral thymidine kinae and/or viral DNA polymerase genes
→TK-deficienct and TK altered virus can be produced
• Clinically significant infections can be caused by drug resistant HSV and VZV
Anti-herpes Prodrugs
• Better absorption – both drugs improve bioavailability by 55% and 77% respectively for oral abministration
Anti-herpes prodrugs example
- Valaciclovir
* Famciclovir
Anti-cytomegalovirus drugs
Ganciclovir
Foscarnet
Cidofovir
Ganciclovir
Activity against
CMV (10x better than acyclovir)
HSV/VZV (similar acyclovir)
HHV6
Ganciclovir dosing
I.v.
Cidofovir activity against
CMV HSV/VZV BKV Adenovirus Papillomavirus
Cidofovir dosing
Oral version in development
Ganciclovir and Foscarnet excretion
Renal Failure
Ganciclovir and Foscarnet Indications
CMV infection and disease in the immunocomprimised-haematology-oncology and HIV patient
CMV pneumonitis retinitis, colitis, hepatitis and encephalitis
Ganciclovir and Foscarnet used in the neonate with
Congenital infection to stop progression of hearing loss and other associated neurology
Ganciclovir MOA
- Competes with deoxyguanosine triphosphate similar to acyclovir
- Howevere in CMV, viral-encoded phosphotransferase converts to ganciclovir triphosphate
- Competitive inhibitor of DNA polymerase, unlike acyclovir, ganciclovir contains a 3’-hydroxyl group, allowing for DNA to continue – short chain terminator
Ganciclovir Adverse effects
- Reversible pancytopaenia (most common)
- Fever
- Rash
- Phlebitis
- Confusion
- Renal dysfunction
- Psychiatric disturbances
- Seizures
Valganciclovir spectrum
Similar ganciclovir
Valganciclovir adverse effects
Similar to ganciclovir
(Val) ganciclovir resistance
- Mutations in the viral protein kinase (UL97)
2. Mutations in the viral polymerase gene (UL54)
Viral protein kinase (UL97) responsible for and resistance
Responsible for monophosphorylation
Confers resistance to ganciclovier alone
Viral polymerase gene (UL54)
May show cross resistance to similar antivirals
Foscarnet activity against
CMV
HSV/ VZV
HHV6
Foscarnet dosing
I.V only
Foscarnet excretion
Renally
Foscarnet Indications
CMV infection and disease in the immunocomprimised-haematology-oncology and HIV patient
CMV pneumonitis retinitis, colitis, hepatitis and encephalitis
Foscarnet used in the neonate with
Congenital infection to stop progression of hearing loss and other associated neurology
Foscarnet MOA
• Inorganic pyrophosphate analogue – trisodium phosphonoformate hexahydrate
• Does not require thymidine kinase – works on HSV strains deficient of this enzyme
Selective inhibition at the pyrophosphate binding site on virus-specific DNA polymerase (100x cellular) – non-competitive inhibitor
Foscarnet resistance
• By alterations to viral DNA polymerase
→ Not caused by thymidine kinase alterations
→ Does not cause cross resistance to ganciclovir or cidofovir
Foscarnet adverse effects
- Renal dysfunction (common, can required dialysis)
* NV, anaemia, CNS disturbance, electrolyte abnormalities, seizures, arrhythmias, neutropenias
Cidofovir MOA
• Acyclic nucleoside phosphate derivative (nucleotide analogue)
• Phosphorylation not dependent on viral kinases (TK)
• Selective inhibition of CMV DNA pol
→ Active drug as cidofovir diphosphate
• Incorporation into viral DNA chain results in reduction of the rate of viral DNA synthesis
Cidofovir adverse effects
- Nephrotoxicity: nephrotoxicity (dose-limiting), neutropenia, metabolic acidosis
- Must be given with adequate hydration and PO probenecid (protects against
PO probenecid combination with cidofovir why
Protects against renal toxicity
Cidofovir resistance
- Due to point mutations in viral DNA polymerase
- Can confer resistance to ganciclovir in CMV
- Foscarnet activity not affected by cidofovir resistance
- Still active against UL97 mutations induced by ganciclovir
CMV Antivirals – Recent Developments:
Maribavir
Letermovir
Brincidofovir
Leflunomide
Maribavir
Direct UL97 kinase gene competitive inhibitor
Letermovir
DNA processing gener UL56 inhibitor