Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of [14C]-tozadenant (SYN-115), a novel A2a receptor antagonist ligand, in healthy volunteers.

1. This phase-I study (NCT02240290) was designed to investigate the human absorption, disposition and mass balance of 14C-tozadenant, a novel A2a receptor antagonist in clinical development for Parkinson s disease. 2. Six healthy male subjects received a single oral dose of tozadenant (240 mg containing 81.47 KBq of [14C]-tozadenant). Blood, urine and feces were collected over 14 days. Radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting or accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Tozadenant and metabolites were characterized using HPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-AMS with fraction collection. 3. At 4 h, the Cmax of tozadenant was 1.74 µg/mL and AUC(0-t) 35.0 h µg/mL, t1/2 15 h, Vz/F 1.82 L/kg and CL/F 1.40 mL/min/kg. For total [14C] radioactivity, the Cmax was 2.29 µg eq/mL at 5 h post-dose and AUC(0-t) 43.9 h µg eq/mL. Unchanged tozadenant amounted to 93% of the radiocarbon AUC(0-48h). At 312 h post-dose, cumulative urinary and fecal excretion of radiocarbon reached 30.5% and 55.1% of the dose, respectively. Unchanged tozadenant reached 11% in urine and 12% of the dose in feces. Tozadenant was excreted as metabolites, including di-and mono-hydroxylated metabolites, N/O dealkylated metabolites, hydrated metabolites. 4. The only identified species circulating in plasma was unchanged tozadenant. Tozadenant was primarily excreted in urine and feces in the form of metabolites.

Cross-Species Differences in the Preclinical Pharmacokinetics of CT7758, an α4ß1/α4ß7 Integrin Antagonist.

CT7758, a carboxylate containing α4ß1/α4/ß7 integrin antagonist, was characterized for its pharmacokinetic profile in various in vitro and in vivo assays in support of clinical development. The oral bioavailability of CT7758 was 4% in mice, 2% in rats, 7-55% in dogs, and 0.2% in cynomolgus monkeys. The low bioavailability in rodents and monkey results from low intestinal absorption as evidenced by a low fraction absorbed in the rat portal vein model (3%), low-to-medium permeability in Caco-2 cells (≤1.3 × 10(-6) cm/s) with evidences of polarized efflux, and high polar surface area (104 Å). In rodents and cynomolgus monkeys, the total plasma clearance was moderate to high (≥50% hepatic blood flow QH) and associated with a short elimination half-life (≤1 hour). This contrast with the dog data which showed a much lower clearance (6% QH) and a longer t1/2 (2.4 hours). The volume of distribution (Vz) also varied significantly across species with value of 5.5, 2.8, 0.24, and 0.93 l/kg in mouse, rat, dog, and cynomolgus monkey, respectively. In vitro assays demonstrated that active hepatic uptake accounted for most of the in vivo clearance and was the source of the large species variability. In vitro uptake assays predicted a total plasma clearance in humans in the low range (33% QH), a finding subsequently confirmed in the clinic. Assays in OAPT1B1-transfected cells demonstrated active uptake transport through this transporter. The prospect of limited absorption in human prompted the synthesis an ethyl ester prodrug, CDP323, which demonstrated higher in vitro permeability, increased oral bioavailability, as well as efficient in vivo release of its active moiety CT7758.

N-alkylprotoporphyrin formation and hepatic porphyria in dogs after administration of a new antiepileptic drug candidate: mechanism and species specificity.

A new antiepileptic synaptic vesicle 2a (SV2a) ligand drug candidate was tested in 4-week oral toxicity studies in rat and dog. Brown pigment inclusions were found in the liver of high-dose dogs. The morphology of the deposits and the accompanying liver changes (increased plasma liver enzymes, increased total hepatic porphyrin level, decreased liver ferrochelatase activity, combined induction, and inactivation of cytochrome P-450 CYP2B11) suggested disruption of the heme biosynthetic cascade. None of these changes was seen in rat although this species was exposed to higher parent drug levels. Toxicokinetic analysis and in vitro metabolism assays in hepatocytes showed that dog is more prone to oxidize the drug candidate than rat. Mass spectrometry analysis of liver samples from treated dogs revealed an N-alkylprotoporphyrin adduct. The elucidation of its chemical structure suggested that the drug transforms into a reactive metabolite which is structurally related to a known reference porphyrogenic agent allylisopropylacetamide. That particular metabolite, primarily produced in dog but neither in rat nor in human, has the potential to alkylate the prosthetic heme of CYP. Overall, the data suggested that the drug candidate should not be porphyrogenic in human. This case study further exemplifies the species variability in the susceptibility to drug-induced porphyria.