Blood-brain barrier pharmacoproteomics-based reconstruction of the in vivo brain distribution of P-glycoprotein substrates in cynomolgus monkeys.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether in vivo drug distribution in brain in monkeys can be reconstructed by integrating four factors: protein expression levels of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/multidrug resistance protein 1 at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), in vitro transport activity per P-gp molecule, and unbound drug fractions in plasma and brain. For five P-gp substrates (indinavir, quinidine, loperamide, paclitaxel, and verapamil) and one nonsubstrate (diazepam), in vitro P-gp transport activities were determined by measuring transcellular transport across monolayers of cynomolgus monkey P-gp-transfected LLC-PK1 and parental cells. In vivo P-gp functions at the BBB were reconstructed from in vitro P-gp transport activities and P-gp expression levels in transfected cells and cynomolgus brain microvessels. Brain-to-plasma concentration ratios (Kp,brain) were reconstructed by integrating the reconstructed in vivo P-gp functions with drug unbound fractions in plasma and brain. For all compounds, the reconstructed Kp,brain values were within a 3-fold range of observed values, as determined by constant intravenous infusion in adult cynomolgus monkeys. Among four factors, plasma unbound fraction was the most sensitive factor to species differences in Kp,brain between monkeys and mice. Unbound brain-to-plasma concentration ratios (Kp,uu,brain) were reconstructed as the reciprocal of the reconstructed in vivo P-gp functions, and the reconstructed Kp,uu,brain values were within a 3-fold range of in vivo values, which were estimated from observed Kp,brain and unbound fractions. This study experimentally demonstrates that brain distributions of P-gp substrates and nonsubstrate can be reconstructed on the basis of pharmacoproteomic concept in monkeys, which serve as a robust model of drug distribution in human brain.

TAS0612, a Novel RSK, AKT, and S6K Inhibitor, Exhibits Antitumor Effects in Preclinical Tumor Models.

The MAPK and PI3K pathways are involved in cancer growth and survival; however, the clinical efficacy of single inhibitors of each pathway is limited or transient owing to resistance mechanisms, such as feedback signaling and/or reexpression of receptor-type tyrosine kinases (RTK). This study identified a potent and novel kinase inhibitor, TAS0612, and characterized its properties. We found that TAS0612 is a potent, orally available compound that can inhibit p90RSK (RSK), AKT, and p70S6K (S6K) as a single agent and showed a strong correlation with the growth inhibition of cancer cells with PTEN loss or mutations, regardless of the presence of KRAS and BRAF mutations. Additional RSK inhibitory activity may differentiate the sensitivity profile of TAS0612 from that of signaling inhibitors that target only the PI3K pathway. Moreover, TAS0612 demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against tumor models wherein inhibition of MAPK or PI3K pathways was insufficient to exert antitumor effects. TAS0612 exhibited a stronger growth-inhibitory activity against the cancer cell lines and tumor models with dysregulated signaling with the genetic abnormalities described above than treatment with inhibitors against AKT, PI3K, MEK, BRAF, and EGFR/HER2. In addition, TAS0612 demonstrated the persistence of blockade of downstream growth and antiapoptotic signals, despite activation of upstream effectors in the signaling pathway and FoxO-dependent reexpression of HER3. In conclusion, TAS0612 with RSK/AKT/S6K inhibitory activity may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with cancer to improve clinical responses and overcome resistance mechanisms.

Vepafestinib is a pharmacologically advanced RET-selective inhibitor with high CNS penetration and inhibitory activity against RET solvent front mutations.

RET receptor tyrosine kinase is activated in various cancers (lung, thyroid, colon and pancreatic, among others) through oncogenic fusions or gain-of-function single-nucleotide variants. Small-molecule RET kinase inhibitors became standard-of-care therapy for advanced malignancies driven by RET. The therapeutic benefit of RET inhibitors is limited, however, by acquired mutations in the drug target as well as brain metastasis, presumably due to inadequate brain penetration. Here, we perform preclinical characterization of vepafestinib (TAS0953/HM06), a next-generation RET inhibitor with a unique binding mode. We demonstrate that vepafestinib has best-in-class selectivity against RET, while exerting activity against commonly reported on-target resistance mutations (variants in RETL730, RETV804 and RETG810), and shows superior pharmacokinetic properties in the brain when compared to currently approved RET drugs. We further show that these properties translate into improved tumor control in an intracranial model of RET-driven cancer. Our results underscore the clinical potential of vepafestinib in treating RET-driven cancers.

Localization of norepinephrine and serotonin transporter in mouse brain capillary endothelial cells.

Monoamines function as a vasoactive modulator in the central nervous system (CNS) and are believed to regulate blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Although monoamine transport is an essential process for regulating the extracellular monoamine concentration, the transport systems for monoamines at the BBB are poorly understood. mRNA expression of norepinephrine transporter (NET) and serotonin transporter (SERT) has been detected in a conditionally immortalized mouse brain capillary endothelial cell line (TM-BBB4) used as an in vitro model of the BBB, whereas no dopamine transporter (DAT) was detected. Western blot analysis showed the expression of NET and SERT protein in the membrane fraction of mouse brain capillaries and TM-BBB4 cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that NET and SERT are localized at the brain capillaries in the mouse cerebral cortex, and suggests that NET is localized at the abluminal side of brain capillary endothelial cells, and SERT is localized at the luminal and abluminal sides. NET and SERT expressed at the BBB may be involved in the inactivation of monoamines released from neurons around the BBB.