Preclinical evaluation of the maximum tolerated dose and toxicokinetics of enteric-coated lantibiotic OG253 capsules.

Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) is the leading infectious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis in the United States. Both the incidence and severity of CDAD have been increased over the past two decades. We evaluated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and toxicokinetics of OG253, a novel lantibiotic in development for the treatment of CDAD. OG253 was orally administered to Wistar Han rats as enteric-coated capsules in a one-day dose escalation study, followed by a seven-day repeated dose toxicokinetics study. All three doses of OG253 (6.75, 27 and 108 mg/day) were generally well-tolerated with no treatment-related clinical signs, alterations in body weight or food consumption in both one-day acute tolerability and seven-days repeated dose tolerability and toxicokinetics study. OG253 capsule administration neither significantly alter the weight of organs nor affect the hematology, coagulation, clinical biochemistry parameters and urine pH compared to placebo capsule administered rats. LC-MS/MS analysis did not detect OG253 in the plasma, indicating that OG253 is not absorbed into the blood from the rat gastrointestinal tract. Glandular atrophy of the rectal mucosa was noticed in two out of six rats administered with a high dose of OG253. Surprisingly, we found that OG253 treatment significantly lowered both serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both sexes of rats. Overall, there was a 29.8 and 61.38% decrease in the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, respectively as compared to placebo-treated rats. The well-tolerated high dose of OG253 (425.7 mg/kg/day) is recommended as the MTD for safety and efficacy studies. Further preclinical study is needed to evaluate the safety profile of OG253 under longer exposure.

An evaluation of the cytochrome p450 inhibition potential of lisdexamfetamine in human liver microsomes.

The human cytochrome P450 (P450) system is implicated in many drug interactions. Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (NRP104), the proposed generic name for a new agent under investigation for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was recently analyzed for inhibitory drug-drug interactions with seven major P450 isoforms using pooled human liver microsomes. Probe substrates were used near the K(m) concentration values reported in the literature for CYP1A2 (phenacetin), CYP2A6 (coumarin), CYP2B6 (bupropion), CYP2C9 (tolbutamide), CYP2C19 ([S]-mephenytoin), CYP2D6 (dextromethorphan), and CYP3A4 (midazolam and testosterone), and lisdexamfetamine was evaluated at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 100 muM for its ability to inhibit the activity of these seven P450 isoforms. NADPH was added to one set of samples to initiate metabolic reactions, which were then terminated by adding organic solvent, vortexing the samples, and placing them on ice. The relevant substrates were then introduced to both sets of samples so that the percentage of remaining activity could be measured and compared. In addition, these samples were compared with other samples with the same concentrations of lisdexamfetamine but without preincubation. None of the seven P450 isoforms showed any concentration-dependent inhibition. Comparison of results from microsomes preincubated with and without NADPH showed no mechanism-based inhibition. Neither concentration-dependent nor mechanism-based inhibition caused by time-dependent inactivation of human P450 isoforms was shown for lisdexamfetamine during in vitro testing. The evidence suggests that lisdexamfetamine has a low potential for drug-drug interactions or initiation of drug-drug interactions.

Effect of rotator cuff exercise on humeral rotation torque in healthy individuals.

Conservative management of rotator cuff pathology often involves certain therapeutic exercises. Although a major goal of these exercises is to increase strength of the rotator cuff, little empirical evidence supports this assertion. In this study, 34 nonpathologic young adults were pretested using a LIDO Multijoint II isokinetic device for average and peak torque generated during internal and external rotation. Subjects were arbitrarily assigned to a right-arm- or left-arm-trained group, exercised for 4 weeks, and then posttested for changes in humeral rotation torque. Moderate but significant increases in torque (8-10%) as well as in total work done were observed in both groups, only in the trained arm. Subjects who trained the nondominant (left) arm experienced gains similar to those who trained the right arm. Gains were significant in the case of both internal and external rotation (also average as well as peak torque), with men and women experiencing the same relative increases. These data, in addition to supporting the use of selected exercises to increase humeral rotation torque in a healthy population, offer a potential model for the rehabilitation of patients with rotator cuff injury.