title: Designer aminoglycosides prevent cochlear hair cell loss and hearing loss.
abstract: Bacterial infections represent a rapidly growing challenge to human health. Aminoglycosides are widely used broad-spectrum antibiotics, but they inflict permanent hearing loss in up to ~50% of patients by causing selective sensory hair cell loss. Here, we hypothesized that reducing aminoglycoside entry into hair cells via mechanotransducer channels would reduce ototoxicity, and therefore we synthesized 9 aminoglycosides with modifications based on biophysical properties of the hair cell mechanotransducer channel and interactions between aminoglycosides and the bacterial ribosome. Compared with the parent aminoglycoside sisomicin, all 9 derivatives displayed no or reduced ototoxicity, with the lead compound N1MS 17 times less ototoxic and with reduced penetration of hair cell mechanotransducer channels in rat cochlear cultures. Both N1MS and sisomicin suppressed growth of E. coli and K. pneumoniae, with N1MS exhibiting superior activity against extended spectrum β lactamase producers, despite diminished activity against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Moreover, systemic sisomicin treatment of mice resulted in 75% to 85% hair cell loss and profound hearing loss, whereas N1MS treatment preserved both hair cells and hearing. Finally, in mice with E. coli-infected bladders, systemic N1MS treatment eliminated bacteria from urinary tract tissues and serially collected urine samples, without compromising auditory and kidney functions. Together, our findings establish N1MS as a nonototoxic aminoglycoside and support targeted modification as a promising approach to generating nonototoxic antibiotics.
authors.forename: Markus E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Huth
authors.forename: Kyu-Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Kayvon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sotoudeh
authors.forename: Yi-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Effertz
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greenhouse
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000617:Aminoglycosides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents