Local treatment of cancellous bone grafts with BMP-7 and zoledronate increases both the bone formation rate and bone density: A bone chamber study in rats

Background and purpose The remodeling of morselized bone grafts in revision surgery can be enhanced by an anabolic substance such as a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP). On the other hand, BMPs boost catabolism and might cause a premature resorption, both of the graft and of the new-formed bone. Bisphosphonates inactivate osteoclasts and can be used to control the resorption. We studied a combination of both drugs as a local admix to a cancellous allograft. Methods Cancellous bone allografts were harvested and freeze-dried. Either saline, BMP-7, the bisphosphonate zoledronate, or a combination of BMP-7 and zoledronate were added in solution. The grafts were placed in bone conduction chambers and implanted in the proximal tibia of 34 rats. The grafts were harvested after 6 weeks and evaluated by histomorphometry. Results Bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) was 50% in the grafts treated with the combination of BMP-7 and zoledronate and 16% in the saline controls (p < 0.001). In the zoledronate group BV/TV was 56%, and in the BMP group it was 14%. The ingrowth distance of new bone into the graft was 3.5 mm for the combination of BMP-7 and zoledronate and 2.6 mm in the saline control (p = 0.002). The net amount of retained remodeled bone was more than 4 times higher when BMP-7 and zoledronate were combined than in the controls. Interpretation An anabolic drug like BMP-7 can be combined with an anti-catabolic bisphosphonate as local bone graft adjunct, and the combination increases the amount of remaining bone after remodeling is complete

Imitation of β-lactam binding enables broad-spectrum metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors

Carbapenems are vital antibiotics, but their efficacy is increasingly compromised by metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). Here we report the discovery and optimization of potent broad-spectrum MBL inhibitors. A high-throughput screen for NDM-1 inhibitors identified indole-2-carboxylates (InCs) as potential β-lactamase stable β-lactam mimics. Subsequent structure–activity relationship studies revealed InCs as a new class of potent MBL inhibitor, active against all MBL classes of major clinical relevance. Crystallographic studies revealed a binding mode of the InCs to MBLs that, in some regards, mimics that predicted for intact carbapenems, including with respect to maintenance of the Zn(II)-bound hydroxyl, and in other regards mimics binding observed in MBL–carbapenem product complexes. InCs restore carbapenem activity against multiple drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and have a low frequency of resistance. InCs also have a good in vivo safety profile, and when combined with meropenem show a strong in vivo efficacy in peritonitis and thigh mouse infection models