Evaluation of drug-drug interaction between the novel cPLA2 inhibitor AK106-001616 and methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

1. Drug interaction potential between AK106-001616, a novel cytosolic phospholipase A2 inhibitor, and methotrexate (MTX) in rheumatoid arthritis patients was investigated. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00902369. 2. In the clinical study, the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the geometric mean ratio (GMR) of AUC0-t of MTX administered after AK106-001616 200 mg compared to the MTX without AK106-001616 were within 80-125%. However, administration of AK106-001616 at doses of 400 and 600 mg exceeded the 125% threshold. As small but statistically significant increases in AUC0-t were observed, we investigated the mechanism for this drug-drug interaction between MTX and AK106-001616. 3. In vitro, AK106-001616 inhibited OAT1 (IC50 = 18.4 µM, Ki = 33.6 µM) in a non-competitive manner and OAT3 (IC50 = 1.80 µM, Ki = 1.49 µM) in a competitive manner. Both transporters are involved in MTX transport in renal proximal tubules. 4. AK106-001616 has a weak drug interaction with MTX. In vitro studies provide a mechanistic understanding of the in vivo inhibition of transporters by AK106-001616.

Contribution of cytochrome P450 and UDT-glucuronosyltransferase to the metabolism of drugs containing carboxylic acid groups: risk assessment of acylglucuronides using human hepatocytes.

1. In order to evaluate the inhibition activity of 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT) and (-)-borneol (borneol) against cytochrome P450 (CYP) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), the substrates of these metabolic enzymes were incubated with ABT and borneol in human hepatocytes. We found that 3 mM ABT and 300 µM borneol were the most suitable experimental levels to specifically inhibit CYP and UGT. 2. Montelukast, mefenamic acid, flufenamic acid, diclofenac, tienilic acid, gemfibrozil, ibufenac and repaglinide were markedly metabolized in human hepatocytes, and the metabolism of gemfibrozil, mefenamic acid and flufenamic acid was inhibited by borneol. With regard to repaglinide, montelukast, diclofenac and tienilic acid, metabolism was inhibited by ABT. Ibufenac was partly inhibited by both inhibitors. Zomepirac, tolmetin, ibuprofen, indomethacin and levofloxacin were moderately metabolized by human hepatocytes, and the metabolism of zomepirac, ibuprofen and indomethacin was equally inhibited by both ABT and borneol. The metabolism of tolmetin was strongly inhibited by ABT, and was also inhibited weakly by borneol. Residual drugs, telmisartan, valsartan, furosemide, naproxen and probenecid were scarcely metabolized. 3. Although we attempted to predict the toxicological risks of drugs containing carboxylic groups from the combination chemical stability and CLint via UGT, the results indicated that this combination was not sufficient and that clinical daily dose is important.

Effect of dosing frequency of teriparatide (PTH 1-34) on bone formation in rats: comparison of bone metabolism marker levels.

Teriparatide, a drug used in the treatment of osteoporosis, was administered to rats subcutaneously for the duration of 3 months, at a frequency of either once weekly or once daily to demonstrate the varying levels of anabolic action the drug can have on bone depending on the dosing frequency. The levels of biomarkers in the blood were compared and found to vary in osteocalcin (OC), a biomarker of bone formation, and cross-linked N-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTx), a biomarker of bone resorption, according to the dosing frequency. In the once-weekly regimen, teriparatide did not affect NTx levels at any of the doses studied, while OC levels increased with dose, peaking at 72 hr, then returning to normal before the next injection (after 1 week). Bone mineral density (BMD) levels increased moderately with no difference between doses. This was thought to result from the steady state achieved following increases in bone formation and bone absorption. In the once-daily dosing regimen, meanwhile, NTx levels increased with dose, and OC levels were markedly higher when compared to those with the once-weekly dosing. BMD levels were higher than those with the once-weekly dosing, but with no difference between doses. This was considered a result of unlimited, excessive increases in bone formation due to daily administration of the drug. These results suggest that teriparatide promotes normal bone metabolism ("stationary mini-modeling") when administered once weekly, and has an anabolic action with high metabolic turnover ("high-turnover remodeling") when administered once daily.

A rapid mitochondrial toxicity assay utilizing rapidly changing cell energy metabolism.

Drug-induced liver injury is a major cause of safety-related drug-marketing withdrawals. Several drugs have been reported to disrupt mitochondrial function, resulting in hepatotoxicity. The development of a simple and effective in vitro assay to identify the potential for mitochondrial toxicity is thus desired to minimize the risk of causing hepatotoxicity and subsequent drug withdrawal. An in vitro test method called the "glucose-galactose" assay is often used in drug development but requires prior-culture of cells over several passages for mitochondrial adaptation, thereby restricting use of the assay. Here, we report a rapid version of this method with the same predictability as the original method. We found that replacing the glucose in the medium with galactose resulted in HepG2 cells immediately shifting their energy metabolism from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation due to drastic energy starvation; in addition, the intracellular concentration of ATP was reduced by mitotoxicants when glucose in the medium was replaced with galactose. Using our proposed rapid method, mitochondrial dysfunction in HepG2 cells can be evaluated by drug exposure for one hour without a pre-culture step. This rapid assay for mitochondrial toxicity may be more suitable for high-throughput screening than the original method at an early stage of drug development.

Population Pharmacokinetic and Exposure-Response Analysis of Weekly Teriparatide in Osteoporosis Patients.

Teriparatide is a potent therapeutic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis. One of the aims of this analysis was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model to understand the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the once-weekly formulation of teriparatide. Another aim was to develop an exposure-response model to describe the relationship between change in bone mineral density (BMD) and teriparatide exposure after weekly subcutaneous administration. The PPK analysis showed that apparent total body clearance was significantly influenced by estimated creatinine clearance and the presence of osteoporosis. A data set consisting of lumbar spine BMD values for 513 osteoporosis patients whose area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of teriparatide acetate was estimated by the developed PPK model was then compiled. Exposure-response analysis showed that the percentage change from baseline of BMD was well described by a function of the AUC of teriparatide acetate, time, and coadministration of alfacalcidol and a calcium preparation. The analysis indicated that AUC is an important parameter for predicting BMD response to once-weekly teriparatide in osteoporosis patients.

Repeated-dose liver micronucleus assay: an investigation with 2-nitropropane, a hepatocarcinogen.

The utility of the repeated-dose liver micronucleus (RDLMN) assay in the detection of a genotoxic hepatocarcinogen was evaluated. In this paper, a rat hepatocarcinogen, 2-nitropropane (2-NP), was administered orally to young adult rats for 14 and 28 days without a partial hepatectomy or a mitogen, and the micronucleus induction in liver was examined using a simple method to isolate hepatocytes. In addition, a bone marrow micronucleus assay was conducted concomitantly. The frequency of micronucleated hepatocytes induced by 2-NP increased significantly in both the 14- and 28-day repeated-dose studies, while the bone marrow micronucleus assays were negative in each study. These results indicate that the RDLMN assay is useful for detecting a genotoxic hepatocarcinogen that is negative in bone marrow micronucleus assays and is a suitable in vivo genotoxicity test method for integration into a repeated-dose general toxicity study.