ABSTRACT
The inhibition of emopamil binding protein (EBP), a sterol isomerase within the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, promotes oligodendrocyte formation, which has been proposed as a potential therapeutic approach for treating multiple sclerosis. Herein, we describe the discovery and optimization of brain-penetrant, orally bioavailable inhibitors of EBP. A structure-based drug design approach from literature compound 1 led to the discovery of a hydantoin-based scaffold, which provided balanced physicochemical properties and potency and an improved in vitro safety profile. The long half-lives of early hydantoin-based EBP inhibitors in rodents prompted an unconventional optimization strategy, focused on increasing metabolic turnover while maintaining potency and a brain-penetrant profile. The resulting EBP inhibitor 11 demonstrated strong in vivo target engagement in the brain, as illustrated by the accumulation of EBP substrate zymostenol after repeated dosing. Furthermore, compound 11 enhanced the formation of oligodendrocytes in human cortical organoids, providing additional support for our therapeutic hypothesis.
Subject(s)
Brain , Hydantoins , Humans , Oligodendroglia/metabolism , Drug Design , Hydantoins/metabolismABSTRACT
Early stage chemical development presents numerous challenges, and achieving a functional balance is a major hurdle, with many early compounds not meeting the clinical requirements for advancement benchmarks due to issues like poor oral bioavailability. There is a need to develop strategies for achieving the desired systemic concentration for these compounds. This will enable further evaluation of the biological response upon a compound-target interaction, providing deeper insight into the postulated biological pathways. Our study elucidates alternative drug delivery paradigms by comparing formulation strategies across oral (PO), intraperitoneal (IP), subcutaneous (SC), and intravenous (IV) routes. While each modality boasts its own set of merits and constraints, it is the drug's formulation that crucially influences its pharmacokinetic (PK) trajectory and the maintenance of its therapeutic levels. Our examination of model compounds G7883 and G6893 highlighted their distinct physio-chemical attributes. By harnessing varied formulation methods, we sought to fine-tune their PK profiles. PK studies showcased G7883's extended half-life using an SC oil formulation, resulting in a 4.5-fold and 2.5-fold enhancement compared with the IP and PO routes, respectively. In contrast, with G6893, we achieved a prolonged systemic coverage time above the desired target concentration through a different approach using an IV infusion pump. These outcomes underscore the need for tailored formulation strategies, which are dictated by the compound's innate properties, to reach the optimal in vivo systemic concentrations. Prioritizing formulation and delivery optimization early on is pivotal for effective systemic uptake, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of biological pathways and expediting the overall clinical drug development timeline.
ABSTRACT
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumour in adults. Available treatments have not markedly improved patient survival in the last twenty years. However, genomic investigations have showed that the PI3K pathway is frequently altered in this glioma, making it a potential therapeutic target.Paxalisib is a brain penetrant PI3K/mTOR inhibitor (mouse Kp,uu 0.31) specifically developed for the treatment of GBM. We characterised the preclinical pharmacokinetics and efficacy of paxalisib and predicted its pharmacokinetics and efficacious dose in humans.Plasma protein binding of paxalisib was low, with the fraction unbound ranging from 0.25 to 0.43 across species. The hepatic clearance of paxalisib was predicted to be low in mice, rats, dogs and humans, and high in monkeys, from hepatocytes incubations. The plasma clearance was low in mice, moderate in rats and high in dogs and monkeys. Oral bioavailability ranged from 6% in monkeys to 76% in rats.The parameters estimated from the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modelling of the efficacy in the subcutaneous U87 xenograft model combined with the human pharmacokinetics profile predicted by PBPK modelling suggested that a dose of 56 mg may be efficacious in humans. Paxalisib is currently tested in Phase III clinical trials.
Subject(s)
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Protein Kinase Inhibitors , Humans , Rats , Mice , Animals , Dogs , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics , Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors/metabolism , Brain/metabolism , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolismABSTRACT
Taselisib (also known as GDC-0032) is a potent and selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor that displays greater selectivity for mutant PI3Kα than wild-type PI3Kα To better understand the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties of taselisib, mass balance studies were conducted following single oral doses of [14C]taselisib in rats, dogs, and humans. Absolute bioavailability (ABA) of taselisib in humans was determined by oral administration of taselisib at the therapeutic dose followed by intravenous dosing of [14C]taselisib as a microtracer. The ABA in humans was 57.4%. Absorption of taselisib was rapid in rats and dogs and moderately slow in humans. The recovery of radioactivity in excreta was high (>96%) in the three species where feces was the major route of excretion. Taselisib was the major circulating component in the three species with no metabolite accounting for >10% of the total drug-derived material. The fraction absorbed of taselisib was 35.9% in rats and 71.4% in dogs. In rats, absorbed drug underwent moderate to extensive metabolism and biliary excretion of taselisib was minor. In dog, biliary excretion and metabolism were major clearance pathways. In humans, 84.2% of the dose was recovered as the parent drug in excreta indicating that metabolism played a minor role in the drug's clearance. Major metabolism pathways were oxidation and amide hydrolysis in the three species while methylation was another prominent metabolism pathway in dogs. The site of methylation was identified on the triazole moiety. In vitro experiments characterized that the N-methylation was dog-specific and likely mediated by a thiol methyltransferase. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study provides a comprehensive description of the absorption, distribution, and metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties of taselisib in preclinical species and humans. This study demonstrated the importance of oral bioavailability results for understanding taselisib's clearance pathways. The study also describes the identification and characterization of a unique dog-specific N-methylation metabolite of taselisib and the enzyme mediating N-methylation in vitro.
Subject(s)
Body Fluids , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Humans , Rats , Dogs , Animals , Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors , Feces , Administration, OralABSTRACT
The subcutaneous administration of therapeutic peptides would provide significant benefits to patients. However, subcutaneous injections are limited in dosing volume, potentially resulting in high peptide concentrations that can incur significant challenges with solubility limitations, high viscosity, and stability liabilities. Herein, we report on the discovery that low-shear resonant acoustic mixing can be used as a general method to prepare stable nanoparticles of a number of peptides of diverse molecular weights and structures in water without the need for extensive amounts of organic solvents or lipid excipients. This approach avoids the stability issues observed with typical high-shear, high-intensity milling methods. The resultant peptide nanosuspensions exhibit low viscosity even at high concentrations of >100 mg/mL while remaining chemically and physically stable. An example nanosuspension of cyclosporine nanoparticles was dosed in rats via a subcutaneous injection and exhibited sustained release behavior. This suggests that peptide nanosuspension formulations can be one approach to overcome the challenges with high-concentration peptide formulations.
ABSTRACT
Small molecule inhibitors that target the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway have received significant interest for the treatment of cancers. The class I isoform PI3Kα is most commonly associated with solid tumors via gene amplification or activating mutations. However, inhibitors demonstrating both PI3K isoform and mutant specificity have remained elusive. Herein, we describe the optimization and characterization of a series of benzoxazepin-oxazolidinone ATP-competitive inhibitors of PI3Kα which also induce the selective degradation of the mutant p110α protein, the catalytic subunit of PI3Kα. Structure-based design informed isoform-specific interactions within the binding site, leading to potent inhibitors with greater than 300-fold selectivity over the other Class I PI3K isoforms. Further optimization of pharmacokinetic properties led to excellent in vivo exposure and efficacy and the identification of clinical candidate GDC-0077 (inavolisib, 32), which is now under evaluation in a Phase III clinical trial as a treatment for patients with PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Humans , Female , Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/therapeutic use , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Cell Line, Tumor , MutationABSTRACT
The dramatic increase in the prevalence of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections and the simultaneous lack of new classes of antibiotics is projected to result in approximately 10 million deaths per year by 2050. We report on efforts to target the Gram-negative ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter MsbA, an essential inner membrane protein that transports lipopolysaccharide from the inner leaflet to the periplasmic face of the inner membrane. We demonstrate the improvement of a high throughput screening hit into compounds with on-target single digit micromolar (µM) minimum inhibitory concentrations against wild-type uropathogenic Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter cloacae. A 2.98 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of MsbA complexed with an inhibitor revealed a novel mechanism for inhibition of an ABC transporter. The identification of a fully encapsulated membrane binding site in Gram-negative bacteria led to unique physicochemical property requirements for wild-type activity.
Subject(s)
Escherichia coli , Lipopolysaccharides , ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Klebsiella pneumoniae/metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides/metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Structure-based design was utilized to optimize 6,6-diaryl substituted dihydropyrone and hydroxylactam to obtain inhibitors of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) with low nanomolar biochemical and single-digit micromolar cellular potencies. Surprisingly the replacement of a phenyl with a pyridyl moiety in the chemical structure revealed a new binding mode for the inhibitors with subtle conformational change of the LDHA active site. This led to the identification of a potent, cell-active hydroxylactam inhibitor exhibiting an in vivo pharmacokinetic profile suitable for mouse tumor xenograft study.
Subject(s)
Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/antagonists & inhibitors , Lactams/pharmacology , Animals , Cell Line , Dogs , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Humans , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Lactams/chemistry , Mice , Microsomes, Liver/chemistry , Microsomes, Liver/metabolism , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) is implicated as a negative regulator of T-cell receptor-induced T-cell activation. Studies using HPK1 kinase-dead knock-in animals have demonstrated the loss of HPK1 kinase activity resulted in an increase in T-cell function and tumor growth inhibition in glioma models. Herein, we describe the discovery of a series of small molecule inhibitors of HPK1. Using a structure-based drug design approach, the kinase selectivity of the molecules was significantly improved by inducing and stabilizing an unusual P-loop folded binding mode. The metabolic liabilities of the initial 7-azaindole high-throughput screening hit were mitigated by addressing a key metabolic soft spot along with physicochemical property-based optimization. The resulting spiro-azaindoline HPK1 inhibitors demonstrated improved in vitro ADME properties and the ability to induce cytokine production in primary human T-cells.
ABSTRACT
VPS34 is a class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase involved in endosomal trafficking and autophagosome formation. Inhibitors of VPS34 were believed to have value as anticancer agents, but genetic and pharmacological data suggest that sustained inhibition of VPS34 kinase activity may not be well tolerated. Here we disclose the identification of a novel series of dihydropyrazolopyrazinone compounds represented by compound 5 as potent, selective, and orally bioavailable VPS34 inhibitors through a structure-based design strategy. A water-interacting hydrogen bond acceptor within an appropriate distance to a hinge-binding element was found to afford significant VPS34 potency across chemical scaffolds. The selectivity of compound 5 over PIK family kinases arises from interactions between the hinge-binding element and the pseudo-gatekeeper residue Met682. As recent in vivo pharmacology data suggests that sustained inhibition of VPS34 kinase activity may not be tolerated, structure-activity relationships leading to VPS34 inhibition may be helpful for avoiding this target in other ATP-competitive kinase programs.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Class III Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Antineoplastic Agents/metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Autophagy , Endosomes , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism , PhosphorylationABSTRACT
The absorption, metabolism and excretion of pictilisib, a selective small molecule inhibitor of class 1 A phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), was characterized following a single oral administration of [14C]pictilisib in rats, dogs and humans at the target doses of 30 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg and 60 mg, respectively.Pictilisib was rapidly absorbed with Tmax less than 2 h across species. In systemic circulation, pictilisib represented the predominant total radioactivity greater than 86.6% in all species.Total pictilisib and related radioactivity was recovered from urine and faeces in rats, dogs, and human at 98%, 80% and 95%, respectively, with less than 2% excreted in urine and the rest excreted into faeces.In rat and dog, more than 40% of drug-related radioactivity was excreted into the bile suggesting biliary excretion was the major route of excretion. Unchanged pictilisib was a minor component in rat and dog bile. The major metabolite in bile was O-glucuronide of oxidation on indazole moiety (M20, 21% of the dose) in rats and an oxidative piperazinyl ring-opened metabolite M7 (10.8% of the dose) in dogs.Oxidative glutathione (GSH) conjugates (M18, M19) were novel metabolites detected in rat bile, suggesting the potential generation of reactive intermediates from pictilisib. The structure of M18 was further confirmed by NMR to be a N-hydroxylated and GSH conjugated metabolite on the moiety of the indazole ring.
Subject(s)
Indazoles , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Animals , Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases , Dogs , Feces , Humans , Phosphatidylinositols , Rats , SulfonamidesABSTRACT
Nav1.7 is an extensively investigated target for pain with a strong genetic link in humans, yet in spite of this effort, it remains challenging to identify efficacious, selective, and safe inhibitors. Here, we disclose the discovery and preclinical profile of GDC-0276 (1) and GDC-0310 (2), selective Nav1.7 inhibitors that have completed Phase 1 trials. Our initial search focused on close-in analogues to early compound 3. This resulted in the discovery of GDC-0276 (1), which possessed improved metabolic stability and an acceptable overall pharmacokinetics profile. To further derisk the predicted human pharmacokinetics and enable QD dosing, additional optimization of the scaffold was conducted, resulting in the discovery of a novel series of N-benzyl piperidine Nav1.7 inhibitors. Improvement of the metabolic stability by blocking the labile benzylic position led to the discovery of GDC-0310 (2), which possesses improved Nav selectivity and pharmacokinetic profile over 1.
Subject(s)
Azetidines/pharmacology , Benzamides/pharmacology , Drug Discovery , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/metabolism , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacology , Animals , Azetidines/chemistry , Azetidines/pharmacokinetics , Benzamides/chemistry , Benzamides/pharmacokinetics , Cells, Cultured , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Piperidines/chemistry , Piperidines/pharmacokinetics , Piperidines/pharmacology , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Sulfonamides/pharmacokinetics , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/chemistry , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacokineticsABSTRACT
The dysregulation of multiple signaling pathways, including those through endosomal Toll-like receptors (TLRs), Fc gamma receptors (FcγR), and antigen receptors in B cells (BCR), promote an autoinflammatory loop in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, we used selective small-molecule inhibitors to assess the regulatory roles of interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R)-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) and Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) in these pathways. The inhibition of IRAK4 repressed SLE immune complex- and TLR7-mediated activation of human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Correspondingly, the expression of interferon (IFN)-responsive genes (IRGs) in cells and in mice was positively regulated by the kinase activity of IRAK4. Both IRAK4 and BTK inhibition reduced the TLR7-mediated differentiation of human memory B cells into plasmablasts. TLR7-dependent inflammatory responses were differentially regulated by IRAK4 and BTK by cell type: In pDCs, IRAK4 positively regulated NF-κB and MAPK signaling, whereas in B cells, NF-κB and MAPK pathways were regulated by both BTK and IRAK4. In the pristane-induced lupus mouse model, inhibition of IRAK4 reduced the expression of IRGs during disease onset. Mice engineered to express kinase-deficient IRAK4 were protected from both chemical (pristane-induced) and genetic (NZB/W_F1 hybrid) models of lupus development. Our findings suggest that kinase inhibitors of IRAK4 might be a therapeutic in patients with SLE.
Subject(s)
Dendritic Cells/metabolism , Endosomes/metabolism , Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinases/metabolism , Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism , Plasma Cells/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Toll-Like Receptor 7/metabolism , Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase , Animals , Endosomes/genetics , Humans , Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinases/genetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics , Mice , Toll-Like Receptor 7/geneticsABSTRACT
Albumin has been suggested to enhance the hepatic uptake of organic anion-transporting polypeptide (Oatp) substrates in various in vitro as well as liver perfusion models. However, it is not known whether the interplay between albumin and Oatp substrates is an experimental artifact or if this interaction occurs in vivo. The objective of this work was to investigate the hepatic uptake of warfarin and pitavastatin, which are both extensively bound to albumin but only pitavastatin being an Oatp substrate. Experiments were conducted in Nagase analbuminemic rats (NAR) which exhibit reduced albumin levels compared with F344 (wild type, WT). The fraction unbound (f u) was 140- and 10-fold greater in NAR plasma for warfarin and pitavastatin, respectively, whereas no meaningful differences were observed with tissue binding. In vitro, pitavastatin uptake into hepatocytes reconstituted in WT plasma was 17- and 3-fold greater than when reconstituted in buffer or NAR plasma, respectively. In vivo, the free tissue-to-free plasma ratios (K p,u,u) from brain and liver in intact WT and NAR were not significantly different for warfarin. Contrarily, liver K p,u,u of pitavastatin was 6-fold higher in WT animals, which corresponded to a 2.3-fold reduction in free plasma and 2.6-fold increase in free liver exposure. These results suggest that the enhanced hepatic uptake by albumin is not necessarily an experimental artifact but is also a relevant phenomenon in vivo. This work raises the possibility that other plasma proteins may also effect the function of additional drug transporters, and that modulating plasma protein binding may exhibit meaningful clinical relevance in the disposition of drugs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The interplay between albumin and Oatp substrates has been reported in hepatocytes and in liver perfusion studies, but the in vivo relevance of this interaction has yet to be elucidated. Using NAR and its corresponding WT animal, this study demonstrates that albumin may indeed enhance the hepatic uptake of pitavastatin in intact animals. In vivo demonstration of this interplay not only provides further justification for continued investigation into this particular mechanism but also raises the possibility that other plasma proteins may affect additional drug transporters and that modulating plasma protein binding may exhibit meaningful clinical relevance in the disposition of drugs.
Subject(s)
Liver/metabolism , Quinolines/pharmacokinetics , Serum Albumin/physiology , Warfarin/pharmacokinetics , Acetylglucosaminidase/metabolism , Animals , Area Under Curve , Brain/metabolism , Male , Protein Binding , Rats , Rats, Inbred F344 , Serum Albumin/deficiencyABSTRACT
CDK4 and CDK6 are kinases with similar sequences that regulate cell cycle progression and are validated targets in the treatment of cancer. Glioblastoma is characterized by a high frequency of CDKN2A/CCND2/CDK4/CDK6 pathway dysregulation, making dual inhibition of CDK4 and CDK6 an attractive therapeutic approach for this disease. Abemaciclib, ribociclib, and palbociclib are approved CDK4/6 inhibitors for the treatment of HR+/HER2- breast cancer, but these drugs are not expected to show strong activity in brain tumors due to poor blood brain barrier penetration. Herein, we report the identification of a brain-penetrant CDK4/6 inhibitor derived from a literature molecule with low molecular weight and topological polar surface area (MWâ¯=â¯285 and TPSAâ¯=â¯66â¯Å2), but lacking the CDK2/1 selectivity profile due to the absence of a basic amine. Removal of a hydrogen bond donor via cyclization of the pyrazole allowed for the introduction of basic and semi-basic amines, while maintaining in many cases efflux ratios reasonable for a CNS program. Ultimately, a basic spiroazetidine (cpKaâ¯=â¯8.8) was identified that afforded acceptable selectivity over anti-target CDK1 while maintaining brain-penetration in vivo (mouse Kp,uuâ¯=â¯0.20-0.59). To probe the potency and selectivity, our lead compound was evaluated in a panel of glioblastoma cell lines. Potency comparable to abemaciclib was observed in Rb-wild type lines U87MG, DBTRG-05MG, A172, and T98G, while Rb-deficient cell lines SF539 and M059J exhibited a lack of sensitivity.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy , Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/antagonists & inhibitors , Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6/antagonists & inhibitors , Drug Design , Glioblastoma/drug therapy , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Brain Neoplasms/metabolism , Brain Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/metabolism , Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6/metabolism , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Glioblastoma/metabolism , Glioblastoma/pathology , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Molecular Structure , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/chemical synthesis , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/chemistry , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
Using structure- and ligand-based design principles, a novel series of piperidyl chromane arylsulfonamide Nav1.7 inhibitors was discovered. Early optimization focused on improvement of potency through refinement of the low energy ligand conformation and mitigation of high in vivo clearance. An in vitro hepatotoxicity hazard was identified and resolved through optimization of lipophilicity and lipophilic ligand efficiency to arrive at GNE-616 (24), a highly potent, metabolically stable, subtype selective inhibitor of Nav1.7. Compound 24 showed a robust PK/PD response in a Nav1.7-dependent mouse model, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to identify residues critical for the isoform selectivity profile of 24.
Subject(s)
NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/chemistry , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/chemistry , Analgesics/chemistry , Analgesics/metabolism , Analgesics/pharmacology , Analgesics/therapeutic use , Animals , Binding Sites , Cell Line , Cell Survival/drug effects , Chronic Pain/drug therapy , Chronic Pain/pathology , Dogs , Half-Life , Humans , Ligands , Male , Mice , Molecular Docking Simulation , Mutagenesis, Site-Directed , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/genetics , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/metabolism , Protein Isoforms/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Isoforms/metabolism , Rats , Structure-Activity Relationship , Sulfonamides/metabolism , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Sulfonamides/therapeutic use , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/metabolism , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacology , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/therapeutic useABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mass balance studies conducted using radiolabeled material (14C or 3H) definitively characterize the Absorption, Metabolism, and Excretion (AME) of a drug. A critical aspect of these studies is that the radiotracer maintains its proportion to total drug from its administration to its complete elimination from the body. In the study of GDC-0276 in beagle dogs, we observed that the 14C radiotracer proportion (specific activity) varied through the study. METHOD: High resolution-accurate mass spectrometric measurements of 12C and 14C isotopes of GDC- 0276 and its metabolites in plasma and excreta samples were used to determine the apparent specific activities, which were higher than the specific activity of the dosing formulation. Drug concentrations were adjusted to the observed specific activities to correct the readouts for GDC-0276 AME and PK. RESULTS: The enrichment of 14C, which resulted in higher specific activities, was consistent with faster and more extensive absorption of the radiotracer from the dosing formulation. This resulted in overestimating the dose absorbed, the extent of elimination in urine and bile, and the exposures to circulating metabolites. These biases were corrected by the specific activities determined for study samples by mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION: Assuming that the radiotracer was proportional to total drug throughout a radiolabeled study was not valid in a 14C study in beagle dogs. This presumably resulted from unequal absorption of the radiotracer and nonradiolabeled test articles from the oral dose due to inequivalent solid forms. We were able to provide a more accurate description of the AME of GDC-0276 in dogs by characterizing the differential absorption of the radiotracer.
Subject(s)
Azetidines/pharmacokinetics , Benzamides/pharmacokinetics , Carbon Radioisotopes , Intestinal Absorption , Tritium , Administration, Oral , Animals , Azetidines/administration & dosage , Benzamides/administration & dosage , Dogs , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Female , Male , Mass Spectrometry , Models, Animal , Radioactive Tracers , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
Herein, we report the discovery and optimization of a series of orally bioavailable acyl sulfonamide NaV1.7 inhibitors that are selective for NaV1.7 over NaV1.5 and highly efficacious in in vivo models of pain and hNaV1.7 target engagement. An analysis of the physicochemical properties of literature NaV1.7 inhibitors suggested that acyl sulfonamides with high fsp3 could overcome some of the pharmacokinetic (PK) and efficacy challenges seen with existing series. Parallel library syntheses lead to the identification of analogue 7, which exhibited moderate potency against NaV1.7 and an acceptable PK profile in rodents, but relatively poor stability in human liver microsomes. Further, design strategy then focused on the optimization of potency against hNaV1.7 and improvement of human metabolic stability, utilizing induced fit docking in our previously disclosed X-ray cocrystal of the NaV1.7 voltage sensing domain. These investigations culminated in the discovery of tool compound 33, one of the most potent and efficacious NaV1.7 inhibitors reported to date.
Subject(s)
Analgesics/chemistry , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/chemistry , Sulfonamides/chemistry , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/chemistry , Analgesics/metabolism , Analgesics/therapeutic use , Animals , Binding Sites , Drug Design , Half-Life , Humans , Male , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Microsomes, Liver/metabolism , Molecular Docking Simulation , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/metabolism , Pain/chemically induced , Pain/drug therapy , Pain/pathology , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Structure-Activity Relationship , Sulfonamides/metabolism , Sulfonamides/therapeutic use , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/metabolism , Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Selective block of NaV1.7 promises to produce non-narcotic analgesic activity without motor or cognitive impairment. Several NaV1.7-selective blockers have been reported, but efficacy in animal pain models required high multiples of the IC50 for channel block. Here, we report a target engagement assay using transgenic mice that has enabled the development of a second generation of selective Nav1.7 inhibitors that show robust analgesic activity in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models at low multiples of the IC50. Like earlier arylsulfonamides, these newer acylsulfonamides target a binding site on the surface of voltage sensor domain 4 to achieve high selectivity among sodium channel isoforms and steeply state-dependent block. The improved efficacy correlates with very slow dissociation from the target channel. Chronic dosing increases compound potency about 10-fold, possibly due to reversal of sensitization arising during chronic injury, and provides efficacy that persists long after the compound has cleared from plasma.
Subject(s)
Analgesics/therapeutic use , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/metabolism , Neuralgia/drug therapy , Sodium Channel Blockers/therapeutic use , Sulfonamides/therapeutic use , Analgesics/pharmacokinetics , Animals , Binding Sites , Cells, Cultured , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Inhibitory Concentration 50 , Mice , NAV1.7 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel/chemistry , Protein Binding , Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacokinetics , Sulfonamides/pharmacokineticsABSTRACT
The sodium channel NaV1.7 has emerged as a promising target for the treatment of pain based on strong genetic validation of its role in nociception. In recent years, a number of aryl and acyl sulfonamides have been reported as potent inhibitors of NaV1.7, with high selectivity over the cardiac isoform NaV1.5. Herein, we report on the discovery of a novel series of N-([1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- a]pyridin-3-yl)methanesulfonamides as selective NaV1.7 inhibitors. Starting with the crystal structure of an acyl sulfonamide, we rationalized that cyclization to form a fused heterocycle would improve physicochemical properties, in particular lipophilicity. Our design strategy focused on optimization of potency for block of NaV1.7 and human metabolic stability. Lead compounds 10, 13 (GNE-131), and 25 showed excellent potency, good in vitro metabolic stability, and low in vivo clearance in mouse, rat, and dog. Compound 13 also displayed excellent efficacy in a transgenic mouse model of induced pain.