Elucidation of fluorine's impact on pKa and in vitro Pgp-mediated efflux for a series of PDE9 inhibitors.

P-Glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated cellular efflux is recognized as a common challenge in CNS drug discovery. In this study, the influence of replacing a hydrogen atom with fluorine on the pKa and Pgp-mediated efflux is elucidated for a series of PDE9 inhibitors. The PDE9 inhibitors with and without fluorine were synthesized using a novel condensation-oxidation approach, providing access to several analogues, all from the same stereoenriched aldehyde building block. The incorporation of fluorine was found to influence two acid-base functionalities concomitantly, both of which were involved in Pgp-recognition. By methylating the acidic functionality, it was possible to isolate the effect responsible for lowering the Pgp-mediated efflux.

Buccal absorption of diazepam is improved when administered in bioadhesive tablets-An in vivo study in conscious Göttingen mini-pigs.

Buccal delivery may be clinically beneficial for compounds with a high gastrointestinal and hepatic first pass metabolism or in situations where a fast systemic absorption is desired. The delivery of a crystalline low soluble compounds, e.g. diazepam, may be limited due to the low volume of saliva available to facilitate solvation in order to drive the permeation of drug through the buccal mucosa. Therefore, the present study investigated the potential benefits of administering diazepam either as an amorphous or as a crystalline form in mucoadhesive tablets to conscious Göttingen mini-pigs. Presentation of the compound in the amorphous form lead to a very fast absorption, however, the obtained bioavailability was at the same level observed following buccal administration of a commercially immediate release tablet. Addition of chitosan, as a mucoadhesive excipient, resulted in a higher absolute bioavailability compared to tablets without chitosan. The absorption rate for the chitosan-based tablets was significant slower, probably due to the slower diffusion of the compound out of the tablet. In vitro release data was able to predict the variations in tmax, but otherwise no correlation could be found between in vitro and in vivo data.

Influence of polymer molecular weight on in vitro dissolution behavior and in vivo performance of celecoxib:PVP amorphous solid dispersions.

In this study, the influence of the molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the non-sink in vitro dissolution and in vivo performance of celecoxib (CCX):PVP amorphous solid dispersions were investigated. The dissolution rate of CCX from the amorphous solid dispersions increased with decreasing PVP molecular weight and crystallization inhibition was increased with increasing molecular weight of PVP, but reached a maximum for PVP K30. This suggested that the crystallization inhibition was not proportional with molecular weight of the polymer, but rather there was an optimal molecular weight where the crystallization inhibition was strongest. Consistent with the findings from the non-sink in vitro dissolution tests, the amorphous solid dispersions with the highest molecular weight PVPs (K30 and K60) resulted in significantly higher in vivo bioavailability (AUC0-24h) compared with pure amorphous and crystalline CCX. A linear relationship between the in vitro and in vivo parameter AUC0-24h indicated that the simple non-sink in vitro dissolution method used in this study could be used to predict the in vivo performance of amorphous solid dispersion with good precision, which enabled a ranking between the different formulations. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrated that the in vitro and in vivo performance of CCX:PVP amorphous solid dispersions were significantly controlled by the molecular weight of the polymer.

Effect of cyclodextrin concentration on the oral bioavailability of danazol and cinnarizine in rats.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are frequently used as an excipient to enhance the intestinal drug absorption of compounds with a low aqueous solubility. However, there exists an intricate interplay between opposing effects that determine the optimal dosing criterion. These opposing effects are the benefits of circumventing the dissolution time required to dissolve the non-absorbable drug particles in the intestine versus the disadvantage of decreasing the concentration of the drug available to permeate the intestinal membrane if excessive CD concentrations are used. This study investigated whether there is a potential risk of overdosing CDs in aqueous formulations resulting in suboptimal bioavailability. This was done by measuring the in vivo pharmacokinetics of danazol, which has a high affinity for hydroxypropyl-ßCD, and cinnarizine, which has a pH-dependent low to medium affinity. Pharmacokinetic studies of danazol in rats showed a significant longer Tmax and decreased Cmax resulting in decreased bioavailability when the CD concentration was increased. No significant difference was seen for any of the pharmacokinetic parameters for cinnarizine as a function of CD dose. The present study thus demonstrates that surplus CD concentrations can have a major effect on the pharmacokinetic profile of one compound and a minor effect on the pharmacokinetic profile of another. This suggests that there are some compounds where the CD excipient should be used with care and others where it can be used without major concerns.

Synthesis and SAR studies of analogues of 4-(3,3-dimethyl-butyrylamino)-3,5-difluoro-N-thiazol-2-yl-benzamide (Lu AA41063) as adenosine A2A receptor ligands with improved aqueous solubility.

An adenosine A2A receptor antagonist may be useful for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Synthesis and structure-activity studies starting from 4-(3,3-dimethylbutyrylamino)-3,5-difluoro-N-thiazol-2-yl-benzamide (Lu AA41063, 4) led to a novel series of human (h) A2A receptor antagonists with improved aqueous solubility. Compound 22 was identified as a key representative from the series, displaying submicromolar hA2A receptor affinity and excellent aqueous solubility. Compound 22 also displayed good in vitro pharmacokinetic properties and is considered a good starting point for further lead optimisation toward hA2A receptor antagonists with improved druggability properties.

Qualification of LSP1-2111 as a Brain Penetrant Group III Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Orthosteric Agonist.

LSP1-2111 is a group III metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist with preference toward the mGlu4 receptor subtype. This compound has been extensively used as a tool to explore the pharmacology of mGlu4 receptor activation in preclinical animal behavioral models. However, the blood-brain barrier penetration of this amino acid derivative has never been studied. We report studies on the central nervous system (CNS) disposition of LSP1-2111 using quantitative microdialysis in rat. Significant unbound concentrations of the drug relative to its in vitro binding affinity and functional potency were established in extracellular fluid (ECF). These findings support the use of LSP1-2111 to study the CNS pharmacology of mGlu4 receptor activation through orthosteric agonist mechanisms.

Conscious and anaesthetised Göttingen mini-pigs as an in-vivo model for buccal absorption - pH-dependent absorption of metoprolol from bioadhesive tablets.

The potential of buccal mucosa as a site for systemic absorption has attracted increased attention in recent years creating a need for new predictive in-vivo models. The aim of this study was to evaluate anaesthetised and conscious Göttingen mini-pigs as a model for buccal drug absorption by testing pH-dependent absorption of metoprolol from a solid dosage form. Buccal tablets buffered to pH 6.2 and pH 8.9, oral liquid and intravenous injection were tested in four conscious and anaesthetised Göttingen mini-pigs in a non-randomised cross-over study. Blood samples were collected and processed before analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. An ex-vivo flow retention model was applied to study release and retention of the bioadhesive buccal tablets. The Tmax obtained from the two buccal conscious groups (55 ± 5 and 35 ± 5 min) were significantly different to the buccal anaesthetised groups (120 ± 0 and 165 ± 15 min) for buccal tablet pH 6.2 and pH 8.9, respectively. Also, the absolute bioavailability from the anaesthetised buccal tablet pH 8.9 (20.7 ± 4.0%) had a significant increase compared to all other buccal tablet groups. In conclusion, this study showed a pH-dependent absolute bioavailability of metoprolol when administrated as bioadhesive buccal tablets to anaesthetised mini-pigs. The anaesthesia was found to delay the time to reach maximal plasma concentration of metoprolol as compared to the conscious pig model when administrated as buccal tablets.

In vitro, ex vivo and in vivo examination of buccal absorption of metoprolol with varying pH in TR146 cell culture, porcine buccal mucosa and Göttingen minipigs.

This work studied the buccal absorption of metoprolol in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo as a function of buffered pH at 7.4, 8.5, 9.0 and 9.5. Permeability studies showed a correlation (r(2)=0.92) between in vitro TR146 cell culture and ex vivo porcine buccal mucosa in a modified Ussing chamber. A higher apparent permeability was observed at higher pH values, i.e. the more compound that was unionised the higher the permeability. In vivo studies were conducted in anaesthetised Göttingen mini-pigs. A clear influence of pH on the absorption was seen and a significant higher absolute bioavailability was obtained after buccal dosing (58-107%) compared to oral (3%) administration, ranging 58-107% and 3%, respectively. Macroscopically, no local toxic effects were observed by visual inspection of mini-pig cheeks. A very clear level C in vitro in vivo correlation (r(2)=0.98) was obtained between the observed in vitro permeabilities and the bioavailability observed in vivo, suggesting that the two in vitro models have good predictive power for drug delivery, which could be a useful tool for future formulation developments intended for buccal delivery.

Using resin to generate a non-invasive intestinal bile-depleted rat model was unsuccessful.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a rat model, based upon co-administration of the anion-exchanging resin, cholestyramine, could replace surgery when evaluating the importance of bile on drug absorption. Two different formulations were used for the administration of halofantrine; polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) and PEG 400/polysorbate 80 (50:50, w/w%), as a positive and negative control on the dependency of bile. No significant effect of the resin was detected after evaluation of three different pre-dosing regimes, but in line with previous studies the formulation containing polysorbate 80 showed a significant increase in the absorption of halofantrine. This study therefore demonstrates that the pre-dosing of rats with Cholestyramine can not replace surgical bile duct cannulation if a formulation needs to be evaluated for its bile dependency.

Influence of bile on the absorption of halofantrine from lipid-based formulations.

The bioavailability of the poorly soluble model drug halofantrine, dosed in a soy bean oil solution or in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), at two levels of lipid, was assessed in rats. Three rat models were used: intact rats, sham-operated rats and bile duct cannulated rats. The study showed no difference in the pharmacokinetic parameters between intact and sham-operated rats. T(max) increased with lipid load for both oil solution and SNEDDS, whereas C(max) and the absolute bioavailability were significantly higher for the SNEDDS at both lipid dosing levels. Bile duct cannulation of the rats reduced the C(max) and the absolute bioavailability of halofantrine significantly, by a factor of 2, for all 4 treatments. These data clearly demonstrate that bile has an importance for the absorption of drugs from lipid-based formulations independent of the type.

Discovery of phosphoric acid mono-{2-[(E/Z)-4-(3,3-dimethyl-butyrylamino)-3,5-difluoro-benzoylimino]-thiazol-3-ylmethyl} ester (Lu AA47070): a phosphonooxymethylene prodrug of a potent and selective hA(2A) receptor antagonist.

The discovery and structure-activity relationship of a series of hA(2A) receptor antagonists is described. Compound 28 was selected from the series as a potent and selective compound and was shown to be efficacious in an in vivo model of Parkinson's disease. It had acceptable ADME properties; however, the low intrinsic solubility of this compound was limiting for its developability, because the oral bioavailability from dosing in suspension was significantly lower than the oral bioavailability from solution dosage. As a consequence, prodrugs of 28 were prepared with dramatically increased aqueous solubility. The prodrugs efficiently delivered 28 into systemic circulation, with no detectable levels of prodrug in plasma samples. From this investigation, we selected 32 (Lu AA47070), a phosphonooxymethylene prodrug of 28, as a drug candidate.