EFFECT OF TRIFLUOPERAZINE ON IN-VITRO ATP SYNTHESIS BY MYCOBACTERIUM-LEPRAE

The effect of trifluoperazine (TFP), a calmodulin antagonist, was inve stigated on in vitro ATP levels of human derived Mycobacterium leprae. M. leprae were obtained from biopsies from multi-bacillary forms of l eprosy and were incubated in a modified Dubos medium system which supp orts limited in vitro synthesis of M. leprae. This incubation was carr ied out in the absence and presence of different concentrations of tri fluoperazine. Samples for estimation of bacillary ATP levels were take n at day 0 and ar 14 days of incubation. TFP inhibited ATP levels in M . leprae and this inhibitory effect was marginal at 2.5 mu g ml(-1) (3 5% inhibition), highly significant at 5 mu g ml(-1) (87% inhibition) a nd almost total at 10 mu g ml(-1) (98.5% inhibition). This compound ap pears to have potential as an anti-leprotic drug and also as a broad s pectrum anti-mycobacterial agent in view of its anti-tubercular activi ty reported earlier. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbiological S ocieties. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.