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Natamycin is a polyene macrolide antibiotic widely used in the food industry as a feed additive to prevent mold contamination of foods. There are many contradictory results on the genotoxic effects of macrolides which could suggest a potential risk for humans. In the present study, the effects of natamycin on the activities of some drug metabolizing enzymes in rat liver microsomes were determined in vivo. Rats were treated orally with natamycin at doses of 0.3, 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day for 6 days. Determinations of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activities were carried out in hepatic microsomes isolated from rats treated. The activities of CYP2E1, CYP1A1/2 CYP2B1/2 and CYP4A1/2 enzymes significantly decreased after treatment with 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg bw/day, in a dose-dependent manner as compared to control. This effect was not observed after natamycin treatment at dose of 0.3 mg/kg bw/day. Our results suggest that natamycin may not potentiate the toxicity of many xenobiotics via metabolic activation and/or accumulation of reactive metabolites but also might affect the clearance of other xenobiotics detoxified by the studied CYP enzymes., Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC). España, Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

We attempted to identify cellular mechanisms as an approach to screen chemicals for the potential to cause developmental neurotoxicity. We examine, in SH-SY5Y cells, whether apoptosis and oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, caspase 3/7 activation, gene expression (Bax, Bcl-2, Casp-3, BNIP3, p53 and Nrf2) alterations and necrosis by release of cytosolic adenylate kinase (AK), underlie direct effects of the pyrethroids cyfluthrin and alpha-cypermethrin. We also determined transcriptional alterations of genes (TUBB3, NEFL, NEFH, GAP43, CAMK2A, CAMK2B, WNT3A, WNT5A, WNT7A, SYN1 and PIK3C3) linked to neuronal development and maturation. Our results indicate that cyfluthrin and alpha-cypermethrin have the ability to elicit concentration-dependent increases in AK release, cellular ROS production, caspase 3/7 activity and gene expression of apoptosis and oxidative stress mediators. Both pyrethroids caused changes in mRNA expression of key target genes linked to neuronal development. These changes might reflect in a subsequent neuronal dysfunction. Our study shows that SH-SY5Y cell line is a valuable in vitro model for predicting development neurotoxicity. Our research provides evidence that cyfluthrin and alpha-cypermethrin have the potential to act as developmental neurotoxic compounds. Additional information is needed to improve the utility of this in vitro model and/or better understand its predictive capability., Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Chloramine-T is an antimicrobial agent recognized for its disinfectant properties widely used in food industry. As an N-chloro-compound, chloramine-T contains electrophilic chlorine and in water it hydrolyses to hypochlorite. Chlorine as hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite is a very reactive chemical which can function as both an oxidant and halogenating agent. Because chloramine-T could be involved in the metabolic activation of drugs, in the present study the effects of chloramine-T on the activities of some drug metabolizing enzymes in rat liver microsomes and peroxisome proliferation were determined in vivo. Rats were treated orally with chloramine-T at doses of 1.25, 2.50, 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day for 6 days. The activities of CYP2E1, CYP1A1/2 CYP2B1/2, CYP3A4 and CYP4A1/2 enzymes significantly increased after treatment with 2.50, 5 and 10 mg/kg bw/day, in a dose-dependent manner as compared to control. This effect was not observed after chloramine-T treatment at dose of 1.25 mg/kg bw/day. Our results suggest that chloramine-T may potentiate the toxicity of many xenobiotics via metabolic activation and/or accumulation of reactive metabolites, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Chickens were used to investigate plasma disposition of chlortetracycline after single IV (15 mg/kg) and multiple oral administration (60 mg/kg, 5 days) and residue depletion of chlortetracycline after multiple oral doses (60 mg/kg, 5 days). Plasma and tissue samples were analyzed by HPLC. Mean elimination half-lives in plasma were 7.96 and 13.15 h after IV and multiple oral administration. Maximum plasma concentration was 4.33 lg/ml and the interval from oral administration until maximal concentration was 1.79 h. Oral bioavailability was 17.76%. After multiple oral dose, mean kidney, liver and muscle tissue concentrations of chlortetracycline + 4-epi-chlortetracycline of 835.3, 192.7, and 126.3 ug/kg, respectively, were measured 1 day after administration of the final dose of chlortetracycline. Chlortetracycline residues were detected in kidney and liver (205.4 and 81.7 ug/kg, respectively), but not in muscle, 3 days after the end of chlortetracycline treatment. The mean chlortetracycline + 4-epi-chlortetracycline concentrations were below LOQ at 3 and 5 days after cessation of medication in muscle and liver, respectively. A withdrawal time of 3 days was necessary to ensure that the chlortetracycline residues were less than the maximal residue limits (MRLs) established by the European Union (100, 300, and 600 ug/kg in muscle, liver, and kidney, respectively)., Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Chickens were used to investigate kinetic properties including metabolism of flumequine after single IV and oral dose, and to study tissue depletion of flumequine after multiple oral doses. Plasma and tissue (muscle, kidney, liver and skin plus fat) concentrations of flumequine and its metabolite 7-hydroxyflumequine were determined using a HPLC method. After IV and oral administration (single-dose of 12 mg flumequine/kg bw), plasma concentration-time curves were best described by a two-compartment open model. Elimination half-life and mean residence time of flumequine in plasma were 6.91 and 5.90 h, respectively, after IV administration and 10.32 and 8.95 h after oral administration. Maximum plasma concentration was 3.62 microg/ml and interval from oral administration until maximum concentration was 1.43 h. Oral bioavailability was found to be 57%. Flumequine was converted to 7-hydroxyflumequine. After oral administration (24 mg/kg bw every 24 h for 5 days), renal and hepatic concentrations of flumequine (18-25 microg/kg) persisted for 4 days; however, at that time, flumequine residues were not detected in skin plus fat and muscle tissues. Flumequine administered at a dosage of 24 mg/kg bw every 24h for 5 days, with a withdrawal time of 2d ays, resulted in flumequine concentrations in target tissues that were less than the European Union maximal residue limits., Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología, Programa Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Farmacéutico, Comunidad de Madrid, Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub