Food Effect and Pharmacokinetic Bridging of Avacopan in Caucasian and Japanese Healthy Participants.

Avacopan 30 mg twice daily (BID) is approved for the treatment of severe active antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis (granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis). Food effect on avacopan pharmacokinetics (PKs) and PK bridging in Japanese participants were examined through 2 phase 1 studies involving healthy adult participants. In Study 1, an open-label, crossover trial, participants received oral administration of a single 30-mg dose of avacopan under fasted and fed conditions. Study 2 was a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Caucasian and Japanese participants: Part A investigated single doses of 10 and 30 mg of avacopan under fasted and fed conditions and Part B investigated 30 and 50 mg BID avacopan. The PKs of single-dose administrations of 10 and 30 mg in Japanese participants was compared with that in Caucasian participants under fasted conditions. Food substantially increased plasma avacopan area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to time infinity (AUC0-inf) by 1.72-fold, supporting the recommendation of taking avacopan with food. Maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) remained relatively unchanged. The median time to reach Cmax (tmax) was delayed by 3 hours. No significant food effect was observed on the active metabolite CCX168-M1 (M1) AUC. Avacopan and M1 exposures were <1.5-fold higher in Japanese participants than in Caucasian participants following multiple-dose administration of avacopan.

Pharmacokinetic optimitzation of CCG-203971: Novel inhibitors of the Rho/MRTF/SRF transcriptional pathway as potential antifibrotic therapeutics for systemic scleroderma.

We recently reported the development of a novel inhibitor of Rho-mediated gene transcription (1, CCG-203971) that is efficacious in multiple animal models of acute fibrosis, including scleroderma, when given intraperitoneally. The modest in vivo potency and poor pharmacokinetics (PK) of this lead, however, make it unsuitable for long term efficacy studies. We therefore undertook a systematic medicinal chemistry effort to improve both the metabolic stability and the solubility of 1, resulting in the identification of two analogs achieving over 10-fold increases in plasma exposures in mice. We subsequently showed that one of these analogs (8f, CCG-232601) could inhibit the development of bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis in mice when administered orally at 50mg/kg, an effect that was comparable to what we had observed earlier with 1 at a 4-fold higher IP dose.

Characterization of Pharmacologic and Pharmacokinetic Properties of CCX168, a Potent and Selective Orally Administered Complement 5a Receptor Inhibitor, Based on Preclinical Evaluation and Randomized Phase 1 Clinical Study.

The complement 5a receptor has been an attractive therapeutic target for many autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, development of a selective and potent C5aR antagonist has been challenging. Here we describe the characterization of CCX168 (avacopan), an orally administered selective and potent C5aR inhibitor. CCX168 blocked the C5a binding, C5a-mediated migration, calcium mobilization, and CD11b upregulation in U937 cells as well as in freshly isolated human neutrophils. CCX168 retains high potency when present in human blood. A transgenic human C5aR knock-in mouse model allowed comparison of the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of the molecule. CCX168 effectively blocked migration in in vitro and ex vivo chemotaxis assays, and it blocked the C5a-mediated neutrophil vascular endothelial margination. CCX168 was effective in migration and neutrophil margination assays in cynomolgus monkeys. This thorough in vitro and preclinical characterization enabled progression of CCX168 into the clinic and testing of its safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 48 healthy volunteers. CCX168 was shown to be well tolerated across a broad dose range (1 to 100 mg) and it showed dose-dependent pharmacokinetics. An oral dose of 30 mg CCX168 given twice daily blocked the C5a-induced upregulation of CD11b in circulating neutrophils by 94% or greater throughout the entire day, demonstrating essentially complete target coverage. This dose regimen is being tested in clinical trials in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Trial Registration ISRCTN registry with trial ID ISRCTN13564773.

Identification of an allosteric small-molecule inhibitor selective for the inducible form of heat shock protein 70.

Inducible Hsp70 (Hsp70i) is overexpressed in a wide spectrum of human tumors, and its expression correlates with metastasis, poor outcomes, and resistance to chemotherapy in patients. Identification of small-molecule inhibitors selective for Hsp70i could provide new therapeutic tools for cancer treatment. In this work, we used fluorescence-linked enzyme chemoproteomic strategy (FLECS) to identify HS-72, an allosteric inhibitor selective for Hsp70i. HS-72 displays the hallmarks of Hsp70 inhibition in cells, promoting substrate protein degradation and growth inhibition. Importantly, HS-72 is selective for Hsp70i over the closely related constitutively active Hsc70. Studies with purified protein show HS-72 acts as an allosteric inhibitor, reducing ATP affinity. In vivo HS-72 is well-tolerated, showing bioavailability and efficacy, inhibiting tumor growth and promoting survival in a HER2+ model of breast cancer. The HS-72 scaffold is amenable to resynthesis and iteration, suggesting an ideal starting point for a new generation of anticancer therapeutics targeting Hsp70i.

[Therapeutic drug monitoring of tiagabine]. / Suivi thérapeutique pharmacologique de la tiagabine.

Tiagabine, a second-generation anticonvulsant drug, is marketed in France since 1997. It is also prescribed outside marketing authorization in the treatment of anxiety. They are few studies allowing arguing a relation exposure efficiency or toxicity, but intra and inter individual important variations in serum concentrations are described. Hepatic insufficiency requires a dose adaptation. In patients treated with therapeutic dose, serum levels are between 20 and 100 microg/L (50-250 nmol/L). For this molecule, the level of proof of the interest of TDM was estimated in: remaining to estimate.

Effect of caffeine on the anticonvulsant effects of oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine and tiagabine in a mouse model of generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Caffeine has been reported to be proconvulsant and to reduce the anticonvulsant efficacy of a variety of antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, valproate and topiramate) in animal models of epilepsy and to increase seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy. Using the mouse maximal electroshock model, the present study was undertaken so as to ascertain whether caffeine affects the anticonvulsant efficacy of the new antiepileptic drugs lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine and tiagabine. The results indicate that neither acute nor chronic caffeine administration (up to 46.2 mg/kg) affected the ED(50) values of oxcarbazepine or lamotrigine against maximal electroshock. Similarly, caffeine did not modify the tiagabine electroconvulsive threshold. Furthermore, caffeine had no effect on oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine and tiagabine associated adverse effects such as impairment of motor coordination (measured by the chimney test) or long-term memory (measured by the passive avoidance task). Concurrent plasma concentration measurements revealed no significant effect on lamotrigine and oxcarbazepine concentrations. For tiagabine, however, chronic caffeine (4 mg/kg) administration was associated with an increase in tiagabine concentrations. In conclusion, caffeine did not impair the anticonvulsant effects of lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, or tiagabine as assessed by electroconvulsions in mice. Also, caffeine was without effect upon the adverse potential of the studied antiepileptic drugs. Thus caffeine may not necessarily adversely affect the efficacy of all antiepileptic drugs and this is an important observation.

Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interaction profiles of levetiracetam in combination with gabapentin, tiagabine and vigabatrin in the mouse pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure model: an isobolographic analysis.

To characterize the interactions between levetiracetam and the antiepileptic drugs gabapentin, tiagabine, and vigabatrin in suppressing pentylenetetrazole-induced clonic seizures in mice, type II isobolographic analysis was used. Clonic seizures were evoked in Albino Swiss mice by subcutaneous injection of pentylenetetrazole at its CD(97)(98 mg/kg). Adverse-effect profiles with respect to motor performance, long-term memory and skeletal muscular strength were measured along with total brain antiepileptic drug concentrations. The combination of gabapentin with levetiracetam at the fixed-ratios of 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 were supra-additive (synergistic) in terms of seizure suppression whilst the combination at the fixed-ratio of 4:1 was additive. Tiagabine with levetiracetam and vigabatrin with levetiracetam at the fixed-ratios of 1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, and 1:400 and at 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, and 16:1 were additive, respectively. No acute adverse effects were observed. Measurement of total brain antiepileptic drug concentrations revealed that levetiracetam in combination with gabapentin at the fixed-ratio of 1:4 significantly elevated (21%) total brain gabapentin concentrations. In contrast, levetiracetam was without affect on tiagabine or vigabatrin concentrations and co-administration with gabapentin, tiagabine or vigabatrin had no effect on levetiracetam brain concentrations, indicating the pharmacodynamic nature of interaction between these antiepileptic drugs in the mouse pentylenetetrazole model. The combination of gabapentin with levetiracetam at the fixed-ratios of 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 appears to be particularly favorable combination exerting supra-additive interaction in suppressing pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures, although there is a pharmacokinetic contribution to the interaction between levetiracetam and gabapentin at the fixed-ratio of 1:4. Levetiracetam in combination with tiagabine and vigabatrin appear to be neutral combinations producing only additivity in the mouse pentylenetetrazole model.

Retention rates of new antiepileptic drugs in localization-related epilepsy: a single-center study.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated long-term retention rates of newer antiepileptic drugs (AED) in adults with localization-related epilepsy retrospectively. METHODS: We estimated retention rates by Kaplan-Meier method in all 222 patients (age > or = 16) with localization-related epilepsy exposed to new AED at the Tampere University Hospital. RESULTS: There were 141 patients exposed to lamotrigine, 78 to levetiracetam, 97 to topiramate, 68 to gabapentin, and 69 to tiagabine. Three-year retention rate for lamotrigine was 73.5%, levetiracetam 65.4%, topiramate 64.2%, gabapentin 41.7%, and tiagabine 38.2%. The most common cause for withdrawal of these AED was lack of efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that there are clinically significant differences among gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, tiagabine, and topiramate as treatment for focal epilepsy in everyday practice. Gabapentin and tiagabine seem to be less useful than the other three AED. Furthermore, our study supports the value of retention rate studies in assessing outcome of the drugs in clinical practice.

Interactions of tiagabine with ethosuximide in the mouse pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure model: an isobolographic analysis for non-parallel dose-response relationship curves.

The aim of this study was to characterize the interaction between tiagabine (TGB) and ethosuximide (ETS), two antiepileptic drugs, in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced clonic seizures in mice using isobolographic analysis. The nature of the interaction between the drugs administered in combination was ascertained by estimating plasma and brain concentrations of ETS and TGB using fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results indicated that both drugs produced clear anticonvulsant effects against PTZ-induced clonic seizures in mice, but that their dose-response relationship curves (DRRCs) were not parallel, consequently necessitating the isobolographic analysis for non-parallel DRRCs. The isobolographic analysis revealed that the combination of TGB with ETS at the fixed-ratio of 1:1 exerted an additive interaction against PTZ-induced clonic seizures in mice. FPIA documented that TGB significantly elevated brain ETS concentrations (by 64%), while having no effect on plasma ETS concentrations in experimental animals. In contrast, ETS had no significant impact on plasma and brain concentrations of TGB in mice, as measured by HPLC. It can be concluded that the additive interaction between TGB and ETS at the fixed-ratio of 1:1 in the PTZ test was complicated by a significant pharmacokinetic increase in total brain ETS concentrations. At present, there are no recommendations to use this drug combination in epileptic patients.

Interactions between tiagabine and conventional antiepileptic drugs in the rat model of complex partial seizures.

This study evaluated the interactions between tiagabine (TGB) and three conventional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs): valproate (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), and phenobarbital (PB) in amygdala-kindled rats, a reliable model of complex partial seizures in humans. Isobolographic analysis of interactions revealed that TGB interacted additively with all tested conventional AEDs for the fixed-ratio combinations of 1:3, 1:1, and 3:1. Evaluation of pharmacokinetic interactions between AEDs revealed that the observed additivity was pharmacodynamic in nature. TGB did not affect the plasma and brain concentrations of VPA, CBZ and PB. Similarly, none of the studied conventional AEDs changed the plasma or brain levels of TGB. Also, TGB, VPA, CBZ, and PB administered alone (at their median effective doses) and in combinations at the fixed-ratio of 1:1 did not impair motor performance evaluated in the chimney test. In conclusion, additivity between TGB and conventional AEDs in amygdala-kindled rats and lack of bidirectional pharmacokinetic interactions suggest that TGB appears to be a valuable drug for an add-on therapy of refractory complex partial seizures in humans.

Pharmacokinetic variability of newer antiepileptic drugs: when is monitoring needed?

A new generation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has reached the market in recent years with ten new compounds: felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, pregabalin, tiagabine, topiramate, vigabatrin and zonisamide. The newer AEDs in general have more predictable pharmacokinetics than older AEDs such as phenytoin, carbamazepine and valproic acid (valproate sodium), which have a pronounced inter-individual variability in their pharmacokinetics and a narrow therapeutic range. For these older drugs it has been common practice to adjust the dosage to achieve a serum drug concentration within a predefined 'therapeutic range', representing an interval where most patients are expected to show an optimal response. However, such ranges must be interpreted with caution, since many patients are optimally treated when they have serum concentrations below or above the suggested range. It is often said that there is less need for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) with the newer AEDs, although this is partially based on the lack of documented correlation between serum concentration and drug effects. Nevertheless, TDM may be useful despite the shortcomings of existing therapeutic ranges, by utilisation of the concept of 'individual reference concentrations' based on intra-individual comparisons of drug serum concentrations. With this concept, TDM may be indicated regardless of the existence or lack of a well-defined therapeutic range. The ten newer AEDs all have different pharmacological properties, and therefore, the usefulness of TDM for these drugs has to be assessed individually. For vigabatrin, a clear relationship between drug concentration and clinical effect cannot be expected because of its unique mode of action. Therefore, TDM of vigabatrin is mainly to check compliance. The mode of action of the other new AEDs would not preclude the applicability of TDM. For the prodrug oxcarbazepine, TDM is also useful, since the active metabolite licarbazepine is measured. For drugs that are eliminated renally completely unchanged (gabapentin, pregabalin and vigabatrin) or mainly unchanged (levetiracetam and topiramate), the pharmacokinetic variability is less pronounced and more predictable. However, the dose-dependent absorption of gabapentin increases its pharmacokinetic variability. Drug interactions can affect topiramate concentrations markedly, and individual factors such as age, pregnancy and renal function will contribute to the pharmacokinetic variability of all renally eliminated AEDs. For those of the newer AEDs that are metabolised (felbamate, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, tiagabine and zonisamide), pharmacokinetic variability is just as relevant as for many of the older AEDs. Therefore, TDM is likely to be useful in many clinical settings for the newer AEDs. The purpose of the present review is to discuss individually the potential value of TDM of these newer AEDs, with emphasis on pharmacokinetic variability.

Tiagabine in anxiety disorders.

GABA has been implicated in both the aetiology and treatment of anxiety. Tiagabine is currently the only selective GABA reuptake inhibitor available in US markets; it exerts its action via GAT-1 transporter blockade presynaptically, facilitating GABA neurotransmission. Preclinical studies and current human studies suggest tiagabine possesses anxiolytic properties. The anxiolytic properties of tiagabine have also been suggested in a number of case series, open-label studies and placebo-controlled studies in patients with different anxiety disorders. Throughout these studies, tiagabine has been reasonably tolerated; the most commonly reported adverse events include dizziness, headache and nausea. Tiagabine may be a useful addition to currently available drugs for anxiety; however, the data from small open-label investigations remain to be confirmed in larger controlled studies.

Seizures in a pediatric patient with a tiagabine overdose.

INTRODUCTION: Tiagabine (TGB) is a novel antiepileptic that decreases GABA uptake. The literature contains one report of an adult with epilepsy who ingested up to 1 gram of TGB and developed status epilepticus. We reported on a pediatric patient who ingested significantly less TGB but still developed tonic-clonic seizures. CASE REPORT: A previously healthy, 13 kg, two-year-old girl developed generalized tonic-clonic seizure activity at home approximately 1 hour after ingesting 90 mg of her grandmother's TGB (forty five 2 mg tablets). At the hospital she had two 5 minute seizures at 1.5 and 3.5 hours post ingestion. Her serum TGB levels were 530 and 130 ng/ml approximately 5 and 11 hours post-ingestion (5-70 ng/ml trough levels with most probable range for seizure control). She was discharged 27 hours post ingestion, and she was in good condition. CONCLUSION: An overdose of TGB, a novel anti-epileptic, can cause convulsive seizures.

Nipecotic acid: systemic availability and brain delivery after nasal administration of nipecotic acid and n-butyl nipecotate to rats.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to characterize nipecotic acid pharmacokinetics in blood and brain after intravenous (i.v.) and nasal administration of nipecotic acid and its n-butyl ester. METHODS: Nipecotic acid and its n-butyl ester were administered to rats i.v. and intranasally (n = 5 rats/drug per route), and nipecotic acid pharmacokinetics in blood were characterized. Nipecotic acid concentration-time profiles were determined in blood by noncompartmental and compartmental methods. Nipecotic acid was also dosed i.v. and its n-butyl ester was dosed by nasal and i.v. routes, and brain levels of nipecotic acid over the subsequent 4 h (n = 5 rats/time point per route) were assessed. RESULTS: The absolute systemic availability of nipecotic acid after nasal dosing was 14%. After i.v. and nasal dosing of the n-butyl ester, nipecotic acid systemic availability was 97% and 92%, respectively. Both i.v. and nasal administration of the n-butyl ester resulted in a significantly longer terminal half-life and larger mean resident time and volume of distribution for nipecotic acid than was observed after an i.v. nipecotic acid dose. Total brain exposure to nipecotic acid was not significantly different after nasal and i.v. dosing of the n-butyl ester. However, the brain/blood nipecotic acid ratio declined significantly with time after i.v. and nasal dosing of the ester prodrug. Nipecotic acid was not detectable in brain after i.v. dosing of nipecotic acid. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an ester formulation was crucial to delivering nipecotic acid to the brain. Preliminary evidence strongly suggests ester hydrolysis is rate limiting to nipecotic acid brain delivery. Once nipeoctic acid was formed, it displayed tissue trapping in brain. Parenteral dosing of nipecotic acid esters is unnecessary for systemic or brain delivery of nipecotic acid and possibly other CNS active zwitterion esters.

The pharmacokinetic inter-relationship of tiagabine in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and brain extracellular fluid (frontal cortex and hippocampus).

PURPOSE: Tiagabine is a unique antiepileptic drug with a novel mechanism of action. Whilst some limited data are available as to the peripheral blood pharmacokinetics of tiagabine, data regarding the kinetics of tiagabine in the central brain compartment are very limited. We therefore sought to investigate serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and frontal cortex and hippocampal extracellular fluid (ECF) kinetic inter-relationship of tiagabine in a freely moving rat model. METHODS: Adult male rats were implanted with either a jugular vein catheter and a cisterna magna catheter for blood and CSF sampling, respectively, or a blood catheter and a microdialysis probe in the hippocampus and frontal cortex (for ECF sampling). Tiagabine was administered intraperitoneal (i.p.) at 20 or 40 mg/kg and blood, CSF and ECF were collected at timed intervals for the measurement of tiagabine concentrations by high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Tiagabine concentrations in blood and CSF rose linearly and dose-dependently and time to maximum concentration (Tmax) was 15 and 29 min, respectively. Mean CSF/serum tiagabine concentration ratios (range, 0.008-0.01) were much smaller than the mean free/total tiagabine concentration ratios in serum (0.045 +/- 0.003). Entry of tiagabine into brain ECF (frontal cortex and hippocampus) was rapid with Tmax values of 31-46 min. Distribution of tiagabine in brain was not brain region specific with values in the frontal cortex and hippocampus being indistinguishable. Whilst elimination from CSF was comparable to that of serum, half-life (t(1/2)) values in ECF were three times longer. CONCLUSIONS: Tiagabine is associated with linear kinetic characteristics and with rapid brain penetration. However, CSF concentrations are not reflective of free non-protein-bound concentrations in serum. The observation that tiagabine elimination from the brain is threefold slower than that seen in blood, may explain as to the relatively long duration of action of tiagabine.

Pharmacodynamic analysis of the anticonvulsant effects of tiagabine and lamotrigine in combination in the rat.

PURPOSE: The pharmacodynamic interaction between the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) tiagabine (TGB) and lamotrigine (LTG) was characterized on basis of the anticonvulsant effect in the cortical stimulation model in the rat. METHODS: The study was conducted according to a partial crossover design, in which both drugs were infused intravenously to achieve linear increases in the plasma concentration in the absence and presence of a steady-state concentration of the second drug. The anticonvulsant effect was quantified by counts of four specific ictal signs (eye closure, forelimb clonus, forelimb extension, and head jerk). A potential pharmacokinetic interaction was accounted for by determination of total plasma concentrations of both drugs. RESULTS: When given separately, both TGB and LTG suppressed all ictal signs in a concentration-dependent manner, with the exception of eye closure, which was not suppressed by LTG. The interaction between both drugs was estimated by response surface analysis by using the difference between the observed effect and the additive effect to identify synergistic drug concentrations. This analysis showed that the pharmacodynamic interaction between TGB and LTG is synergistic for the ictal signs of eye closure and head jerk. In contrast, the interaction was additive for the ictal signs of forelimb clonus and forelimb tonus. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the usefulness of ictal-component analysis for studying the pharmacodynamic interaction between AEDs. Quantification of both the nature and the magnitude of the interaction between TGB and LTG led to the identification of two ictal signs that were synergistically suppressed. This approach offers a theoretical basis to identify and optimize drug combinations that are useful to treat refractory epilepsy.

Interaction between anticonvulsants and human placental carnitine transporter.

PURPOSE: To examine the inhibitory effect of anticonvulsants (AEDs) on carnitine transport by the human placental carnitine transporter. METHODS: Uptake of radiolabeled carnitine by human placental brush-border membrane vesicles was measured in the absence and presence of tiagabine (TGB), vigabatrin (VGB), gabapentin (GBP), lamotrigine (LTG), topiramate (TPM), valproic acid (VPA), and phenytoin (PHT). The mechanism of the inhibitory action of TGB was determined. RESULTS: Most of the AEDs inhibited placental carnitine transport. Kinetic analyses showed that TGB had the greatest inhibitory effect [50% inhibitory concentration (IC50, 190 microM)], and the order of inhibitory potency was TGB > PHT > GBP > VPA > VGB, TPM > LTG. Further studies showed that TGB competitively inhibited carnitine uptake by the human placental carnitine transporter, suggesting that it may be a substrate for this carrier. CONCLUSIONS: Although the involvement of carnitine deficiency in fetal anticonvulsant syndrome requires further evaluation, potential interference with placental carnitine transport by several AEDs was demonstrated. Despite the higher inhibitory potency of TGB, given the therapeutic unbound concentrations, the results for VPA and PHT are probably more clinically significant.

Transporter-mediated effects of diclofenamic acid and its ascorbyl pro-drug in the in vivo neurotropic activity of ascorbyl nipecotic acid conjugate.

Continuing our studies on SVCT2 ascorbic acid (AA) transporter-mediated drug delivery of neurotropic agents, we have now investigated the in vitro intracellular uptake of Diclofenac (Diclo) and its conjugate (AA-Diclo), both characterized by high affinity for the SVCT2 transporter. We have also investigated the in vivo uptake mechanism of AA-conjugate of Nipecotic acid (AA-Nipec) and the implication of the transporter-mediated effects of Diclo and AA-Diclo. Diclo resulted as a noncompetitive inhibitor of AA transport, but also showed a sodium-dependent and ascorbate-independent uptake, thus implying the possible involvement of specific transporters in the delivery to the brain of Diclo. This result opens a perspective in the discovery of new strategies in the targeting of this drug to the brain. Inhibitory effects of Diclo and AA-Diclo on the SVCT2 transporter were used to study anticonvulsant effects of AA-Nipec, confirming our hypothesis of an SVCT2-mediated transport in its neurotropic activity. AA-Diclo stability has been also investigated: it is hydrolyzed following a first-order kinetics in buffer, plasma (t(1/2) at about 10 h) and whole blood (t(1/2) at about 3 h), suggesting AA-Diclo as a potential candidate to enhance the short half-life of Diclo in vivo.

Changes in rectal temperature and ECoG spectral power of sensorimotor cortex elicited in conscious rabbits by i.c.v. injection of GABA, GABA(A) and GABA(B) agonists and antagonists.

1. In order to ascertain whether both GABA(A) and GABA(B), or only GABA(B) receptors, directly modulate thermoregulation in conscious rabbits, GABA(A)/GABA(B) agonist and antagonist agents were injected intracerebroventricularly in conscious rabbits while monitoring changes in rectal temperature (RT), gross motor behaviour (GMB) and electrocorticogram (ECoG) power spectra (ps) from sensorimotor cortices. 2. GABA (48 micromol), nipecotic acid (50 nmol), THIP (60 nmol), muscimol (18 nmol) and baclofen (8 nmol) induced hypothermia (-deltaRTmax values of 1.70+/-0.1, 1.4+/-0.2, 1.0+/-0.4, 1.1+/-0.2 and 1.6+/-0.3 degrees C, respectively), accompanied by inhibition of GMB and ECoG synchronization. THIP increased ps at delta frequency band (1.1-3.3 Hz), while GABA, nipecotic acid, muscimol and baclofen did the same at both delta and (4.6-6.5 Hz) frequency bands. ECoG ps changes were concomitant or even preceded hypothermia. 3. Bicuculline (1.8 nmol) induced hyperthermia (deltaRTmax 1.2+/-0.5 degrees C) and slight excitation of GMB, while CGP35348 (1.2 micromol) did not affect RT nor GMB. Both compounds did not affect ECoG ps. 4. Bicuculline potentiated muscimol-induced hypothermia, inhibition of GMB and synchronization of ECoG, while CGP35348 fully antagonized these effects. 5. In conclusion, the present results, while confirming the prevailing role of GABA(B), also outline a direct involvement of GABA(A) receptors in the central mechanisms of thermoregulation. Ascending inhibition towards discrete cortical areas controlling muscular activity and thermogenesis may result from GABA receptor activation in neurones proximal to the ventricles, thus contributing to hypothermia, although hypothermia-induced reduction of neuronal activity of these cortical areas cannot be ruled out.

Design, synthesis and anticonvulsive activities of potential prodrugs linked by two-carbon chain.

For the development of new anticonvulsive agents, GABAmimetics such as nipecotic acid, isonipecotic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), gamma-vinyl GABA (vigabatrin) and valproic acid were covalently coupled through an ester bond by a two-carbon linker chain as potential pro-drugs and evaluated for their anticonvulsive activities.