Identification of a Hydroxypyrimidinone Compound (21) as a Potent APJ Receptor Agonist for the Potential Treatment of Heart Failure.

This paper describes our continued efforts in the area of small-molecule apelin receptor agonists. Recently disclosed compound 2 showed an acceptable metabolic stability but demonstrated monodemethylation of the dimethoxyphenyl group to generate atropisomer metabolites in vitro. In this article, we extended the structure-activity relationship at the C2 position that led to the identification of potent pyrazole analogues with excellent metabolic stability. Due to the increased polarity at C2, the permeability for these compounds decreased. Further adjustment of the polarity by replacing the N1 2,6-dimethoxyphenyl group with a 2,6-diethylphenyl group and reoptimization for the potency of the C5 pyrroloamides resulted in potent compounds with improved permeability. Compound 21 displayed excellent pharmacokinetic profiles in rat, monkey, and dog models and robust pharmacodynamic efficacy in the rodent heart failure model. Compound 21 also showed an acceptable safety profile in preclinical toxicology studies and was selected as a backup development candidate for the program.

Identification of 6-hydroxy-5-phenyl sulfonylpyrimidin-4(1H)-one APJ receptor agonists.

Heart failure (HF) treatment remains a critical unmet medical need. Studies in normal healthy volunteers and HF patients have shown that [Pyr1]apelin-13, the endogenous ligand for the APJ receptor, improves cardiac function. However, the short half-life of [Pyr1]apelin-13 and the need for intravenous administration have limited the therapeutic potential for chronic use. We sought to identify potent, small-molecule APJ agonists with improved pharmaceutical properties to enable oral dosing in clinical studies. In this manuscript, we describe the identification of a series of pyrimidinone sulfones as a structurally differentiated series to the clinical lead (compound 1). Optimization of the sulfone series for potency, metabolic stability and oral bioavailability led to the identification of compound 22, which showed comparable APJ potency to [Pyr1]apelin-13 and exhibited an acceptable pharmacokinetic profile to advance to the acute hemodynamic rat model.

Discovery of a Hydroxypyridinone APJ Receptor Agonist as a Clinical Candidate.

Apelin-13 is an endogenous peptidic agonist of the apelin receptor (APJ) receptor with the potential for improving cardiac function in heart failure patients. However, the low plasma stability of apelin-13 necessitates continuous intravenous infusion for therapeutic use. There are several approaches to increase the stability of apelin-13 including attachment of pharmacokinetic enhancing groups, stabilized peptides, and Fc-fusion approaches. We sought a small-molecule APJ receptor agonist approach to target a compound with a pharmacokinetic profile amenable for chronic oral administration. This manuscript describes sequential optimization of the pyrimidinone series, leading to pyridinone 14, with in vitro potency equivalent to the endogenous ligand apelin-13 and with an excellent oral bioavailability and PK profile in multiple preclinical species. Compound 14 exhibited robust pharmacodynamic effects similar to apelin-13 in an acute rat pressure-volume loop model and was advanced as a clinical candidate.

Application of ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis to the evaluation of the metabolite profiling in bile of dogs and cynomolgus monkeys.

In this study, we describe a novel approach for collecting bile from dogs and cynomolgus monkeys for metabolite profiling, ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis (UCC). Sampling bile by UCC twice within 24 hours was well tolerated by dogs and monkeys. In studies with atorvastatin (ATV) the metabolite profiles were similar in bile obtained through UCC and from bile duct-cannulated (BDC) dogs. Similar results were observed in UCC and BDC monkeys as well. In both monkey and dog, the primary metabolic pathway observed for ATV was oxidative metabolism. The 2-hydroxy- and 4-hydroxyatorvastatin metabolites were the major oxidation products, which is consistent with previously published metabolite profiles. S-cysteine and glucuronide conjugates were also observed. UCC offers a viable alternative to bile duct cannulation for collection of bile for metabolite profiling of compounds that undergo biliary excretion, given the similar metabolite profiles in bile obtained via each method. Use of UCC for metabolite profiling may reduce the need for studies using BDC animals, a resource-intensive model.

Rosuvastatin Liver Partitioning in Cynomolgus Monkeys: Measurement In Vivo and Prediction Using In Vitro Monkey Hepatocyte Uptake.

Unbound plasma concentrations may not reflect those in target tissues, and there is a need for methods to predict tissue partitioning. Here, we investigate the unbound liver partitioning (Kpu,u) of rosuvastatin, a substrate of hepatic organic anion transporting peptides, in cynomolgus monkeys and compare it with that determined using hepatocytes in vitro. Rosuvastatin (3 mg/kg) was administered orally to monkeys and plasma and liver (by ultrasound-guided biopsy) collected over time. Uptake into monkey hepatocytes was evaluated up to steady state. Binding in monkey plasma, liver, and hepatocytes was determined using equilibrium dialysis. Mean in vivo Kpu,u was 118 after correcting total liver partitioning by plasma and liver binding. In vitro uptake data were analyzed by compartmental modeling to determine active uptake clearance, passive diffusion, the intracellular unbound fraction, and Kpu,u. In vitro Kpu,u underpredicted that in vivo, resulting in the need for an empirical in vitro to in vivo scaling factor of 10. Adjusting model parameters using hypothetical scaling factors for transporter expression and surface area or assuming no effect of protein binding on active transport increased partitioning values by 1.1-, 6-, and 9-fold, respectively. In conclusion, in vivo rosuvastatin unbound liver partitioning in monkeys was underpredicted using hepatocytes in vitro. Modeling approaches that allow integrating corrections from passive diffusion or protein binding on active uptake could improve the estimation of in vivo intracellular partitioning of this organic anion transporting peptide substrate. A similar assessment of other active hepatic transport mechanisms could confirm and determine the extent to which limited accumulation in isolated hepatocytes needs to be considered in drug development.

Quantitative estimation of circulating metabolites without synthetic standards by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/high resolution accurate mass spectrometry in combination with UV correction.

An early assessment of metabolite exposure in preclinical species can provide quantitative estimation on possible active or toxic metabolites. Frequently, synthetic metabolite standards are not available at the preclinical stage, precluding the quantitation of metabolites by means of calibration curves and quality control (QC) samples. We present here an approach to determine the extent of circulating metabolites using 'metabolite standards' generated by in vitro incubations in combination with the correction for mass spectrometry response based on UV response. The study was done by coupling ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) to LTQ-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the quantitation was based on full scan high-resolution accurate mass analysis in combination with retention time. First, we investigated the separation capacity of a 10.5 min UHPLC method and the quantitative capability of an LTQ-Orbitrap for full scan accurate mass quantitation by spiking chemical standards of buspirone and its six metabolites in blank plasma. Then we demonstrated the use of a UV correction approach to quantitatively estimate buspirone and its metabolites in plasma samples from a rat pharmacokinetics study. We compared the concentration versus time profiles of buspirone and its six metabolites in rat plasma samples obtained using three different approaches, including using UV correction, using individual standard curves for each metabolite prepared from the synthetic standard, and using a calibration curve of the parent compound buspirone. We demonstrated the estimated metabolite exposure of buspirone using this UV correction approach resulted in rank ordering of metabolite exposure within three-fold of the value obtained with metabolite standards, in contrast to eight-fold without UV correction. The approach presented in this paper provides a practical solution to an unmet bioanalytical need for quantitative information on metabolites without standards in preclinical in vivo studies.