Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Inhibition studies of a coral secretory isoform by sulfonamides Original Research Article

The inhibition of a newly cloned coral carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) has been investigated with a series of sulfonamides, including some clinically used derivatives (acetazolamide, methazolamide, ethoxzolamide, dichlorophenamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, benzolamide, and sulpiride, or indisulam, a compound in clinical development as antitumor drug), as well as the sulfamate antiepileptic topiramate. Some simple amino-/hydrazine-/hydroxy-substituted aromatic/heterocyclic sulfonamides have also been included in the study. All types of activity have been detected, with low potency inhibitors (KIs in the range of 163–770 nM), or with medium potency inhibitors (KIs in the range of 75.1–105 nM), whereas ethoxzolamide, several clinically used sulfonamides and heterocyclic compounds showed stronger potency, with KIs in the range of 16–48.2 nM. These inhibitors may be useful to better understand the physiological role of the Stylophora pistillata CA (STPCA) in corals and its involvement in biomineralisation in this era of global warming.