Biotransformation of Isoniazid by Cytochromes P450: Analyzing the Molecular Mechanism using Density Functional Theory

Hydrazide group (-C(O)-NH-NH₂) is considered as a structural alert in the drug discovery process because the biotransformation chemistry of this group leads to the generation of toxic radical intermediates. The most important antitubercular drug isoniazid (INH) carries the hydrazide group. The toxicity of INH has been attributed to the protein adduct formation involving isonicotinoyl radical. However, the structures of reactive metabolites (RMs) and metabolite intermediate complexes (MICs), as well as the reaction mechanism for the formation and fate of RMs/MICs, have not been established. This report provides a detailed account of the biotransformation of INH by cytochromes using quantum chemical (QC) methods. Two cycles of cytochrome catalysis are involved in the formation of the most important RM, isonicotinoyl radical. The first cycle requires ∼11 kcal/mol barrier on the oxidation pathway involving the formation of the RM isonicotinoyldiazene. The second cycle involves a barrier of ∼7 kcal/mol for the activation of the diazene intermediate leading to isonicotinic acid via three reaction steps: (i) N-H bond activation, (ii) loss of N₂ molecule, and (iii) rebound of isonicotinoyl radical. The RMs on the pathway (diazene, isonicotinoyl radical, N-hydroxy diazene) can react with the porphyrin ring/the amino acids of the cytochrome leading to many MICs (at least nine varieties), which can cause mechanism based inhibition and drug-drug interactions. This QC, molecular docking, and QM/MM study explored all the above reaction pathways and established the 3D structures of the RMs and MICs.