Reconstituted Human Organ Models as a Translational Tool for Human Organ Response: Definition, Expectations, Cases, and Strategies for Implementation in Drug Discovery and Development.

Recent progress in the fields of tissue engineering, micro-electro mechanical systems, and materials science have greatly improved cell culture systems, which were traditionally performed in a static two-dimensional manner. This progress has led to a number of new cell culture concepts represented by organ-on-a-chip, three dimensional (3D)-tissues, and microphysiological systems, among others. In this review, these culture models are categorized as reconstituted human organ models, which recapitulate human organ-like structure, function, and responses with physiological relevance. In addition, we also describe the expectations of reconstituted organ models from the viewpoint of a pharmaceutical company based on recent concerns expressed in drug discovery and development. These models can be used to assess the pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of new molecular entities (NMEs) prior to clinical trials. They can also be used to conduct mechanistic investigations of events that arise due to administration of NMEs in humans. In addition, monitoring biomarkers of organ function in these models will aid in the translation of their changes in humans. As the majority of reconstituted human organ models show improved functional characteristics and long-term maintenance in culture, they are valuable for modeling human events. An example is described using the three-dimensional bioprinted human liver tissue model in this article. Implementation of reconstituted human organ models in drug discovery and development can be accelerated by encouraging collaboration between developers and users. Such efforts will provide significant benefits for delivering new and improved medicines to patients.

Synthesis and in vivo evaluation of novel quinoline derivatives as phosphodiesterase 10A inhibitors.

A novel class of phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors with improved metabolic stability in mouse liver microsomes were designed and synthesized starting from 2-({4-[1-methyl-4-(pyridin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]phenoxy}methyl)quinoline (MP-10). Replacement of the phenoxymethyl part of MP-10 with an oxymethyl phenyl unit led to the identification of 2-[4-({[1-methyl-4-(pyridin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]oxy}methyl)phenyl]quinoline (14), which showed moderate PDE10A inhibitory activity with improved metabolic stability in mouse and human liver microsomes over MP-10. Compound 14 showed high concentrations in plasma and brain after intraperitoneal administration and dose-dependently attenuated the hyperlocomotion induced by phencyclidine in mice, and oral administration of 14 (0.1, 0.3 mg/kg) also improved visual-recognition memory impairment in mice.

Involvement of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha in the different expression level between CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in the human liver.

CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 are clinically important drug-metabolizing enzymes. The expression level of CYP2C9 is much higher than that of CYP2C19, although the factor(s) responsible for the difference between the expression levels of these genes is still unclear. It has been reported that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) plays an important role in regulation of the expression of liver-enriched genes, including P450 genes. Thus, we hypothesized that HNF4alpha contributes to the difference between the expression levels of these genes. Two direct repeat 1 (DR1) elements were located in both the CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 promoters. The upstream and downstream elements in these promoters had the same sequences, and HNF4alpha could bind to both elements in vitro. The transactivation levels of constructs containing two DR1 elements of the CYP2C9 promoter were increased by HNF4alpha, whereas those of the CYP2C19 promoter were not increased. The introduction of mutations into either the upstream or downstream element in the CYP2C9 gene abolished the responsiveness to HNF4alpha. We also examined whether HNF4alpha could bind to the promoter regions of the CYP2C9 and the CYP2C19 genes in vivo. The results of chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that HNF4alpha could bind to the promoter region of the CYP2C9 gene but not to that of the CYP2C19 promoter in the human liver. Taken together, our results suggest that HNF4alpha is a factor responsible for the difference between the expression levels of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in the human liver.