Effect of propylene glycol on the skin penetration of drugs.

Propylene glycol (PG) has been used in formulations as a co-solvent and/or to enhance drug permeation through the skin from topical preparations. Two skin in vitro permeation approaches are used to determine the effect of PG on drug penetration. The in vitro Skin-PAMPA was performed using 24 actives applied in aqueous buffer or PG. PG modulates permeability by increasing or diminishing it in the compounds with poor or high permeability, respectively. Percutaneous absorption using pigskin on Franz diffusion cells was performed on seven actives and their commercial formulations. The commercial formulations evaluated tend to have a lower permeability than their corresponding PG solutions but maintain the compound distribution in the different strata: stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis. The results indicate the enhancer properties of PG for all compounds, especially for the hydrophilic ones. Additionally, the Synchrotron-Based Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy technique is applied to study the penetration of PG and the molecular changes that the vehicle may promote in the different skin layers. Results showed an increase of the areas under the curve indicating the higher amount of lipids in the deeper layers and altering the lipidic order of the bilayer structure to a more disordered lipid structure.

Prediction of the skin permeability of topical drugs using in silico and in vitro models.

The main challenge of topically applied drugs is to overcome the skin barrier to reach the site of action at the concentration needed for efficacy. In the research of new topical drugs, design of molecules with optimized properties for skin penetration is a key factor and assays for its characterization are needed. A group of 20 representative topical molecules of clinical use were studied in two in silico models (Potts & Guy and Barratt), and an in vitro assay with artificial membrane (Skin-PAMPA). A subset of 9 drugs were also evaluated in the Franz cells assay, formulated in a solvent and in a marketed formulation. Each assay allowed us to grade compounds according to their permeability value. Globally good alignments were found for the studied compounds when comparing models, although discrepancies for some compounds such as tazarotene, tacrolimus, ketoconazole and metronidazole were observed. Overall, the studied in silico and the in vitro models are useful tools to support selection and characterization of research compounds in terms of skin permeability.

Discovery of a Novel Inhaled PI3Kδ Inhibitor for the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases.

Oral PI3Kδ inhibitors such as Idelalisib and Duvelisib have shown efficacy as anticancer agents and Idelalisib has been approved for the treatment of three B-cell cancers. However, Idelalisib has a black box warning on its product label regarding the risks of fatal and serious toxicities including hepatic toxicity, severe diarrhea, colitis, pneumonitis, infections, and intestinal perforation. Some of these side effects are mechanism-related and could hinder the development of Idelalisib for less severe conditions. For respiratory diseases, compounds administered by inhalation are delivered directly to the site of action and may improve the therapeutic index of a drug, minimizing undesired side effects. This work describes the discovery and optimization of inhaled PI3Kδ inhibitors intended for the treatment of severe asthma and COPD. Once the potency was in the desired range, efforts were focused on identifying the particular physicochemical properties that could translate into better lung retention. This medicinal chemistry exercise led to the identification of LAS195319 as a candidate for clinical development.

Abediterol (LAS100977), an inhaled long-acting ß2-adrenoceptor agonist, has a fast association rate and long residence time at receptor.

This study describes the association rate and residence time of abediterol, a novel long-acting ß2-adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) in Phase II development for treatment of asthma and COPD, in comparison with indacaterol, olodaterol, vilanterol and salmeterol, for both human ß1- and ß2-adrenoceptors. Abediterol association and dissociation rates were monitored directly by using its tritiated form. Moreover, association was determined indirectly using experimental Ki and koff obtained from assays performed with unlabelled compound. Dissociation was also studied indirectly by measuring the association rate of 3H-CGP12177 to beta adrenoceptors previously occupied by unlabelled compounds. Abediterol shows a fast association for the ß2-adrenoceptor (kon 1.4 × 107 ± 1.8 × 106M-1min-1) while its dissociation rate is between 30 and 64 times slower than that of the reference LABA compounds tested, with a residence time of 91.3 ± 13.3min (measured directly) and 185.5 ± 7.5min (measured indirectly). Abediterol shows kinetic selectivity for the ß2- over the ß1-adrenoceptor, with a dissociation rate from the ß1-adrenoceptor similar to the other LABA compounds tested. In conclusion, abediterol is a potent LABA with a fast association rate and a long residence time at ß2-adrenoceptors. These data are in agreement with the onset and duration of action of abediterol shown in humans.

PAR2-SMAD3 in microvascular endothelial cells is indispensable for vascular stability via tissue factor signaling.

Tissue factor (TF) signaling regulates gene expression and protein synthesis leading to the modulation of cell function. Recently, we have demonstrated in microvascular endothelial cells (mECs) that TF signaling induces activation of ETS1 transcription factor. Because combinatorial control is a characteristic property of ETS family members, involving the interaction between ETS1 and other transcription factors, here we investigate whether additional transcription factors are involved in TF-induced angiogenesis. We show by in vitro and in vivo experiments that in addition to ETS1, SMAD3 contributes to tube-like stabilization induced by TF in mECs. Whereas the ability of TF-overexpressing cells to induce gene expression through ETS1 is dependent on AKT signaling, SMAD3 induces ETS1 by an alternative AKT-independent pathway. Moreover, while TF-AKT-ETS1 pathway to induce CCL2 is PAR2-independent, PAR2 is required for TF-SMAD3-induced CCL2 expression. PAR2-dependent activation of SMAD3 is mediated by PKC phosphorylation. In addition, disruption of SMAD3 expression in mECs reduces ERK1/2 phosphorylation and decreases target gene promoter activity. In conclusion, in mECs TF-induced angiogenesis seems to be the result of two signaling pathways: TF-induced microvessel formation is regulated through ß1 integrin-AKT-ETS1; and TF-induced microvessel stabilization is regulated via PAR2-SMAD3 that is indispensable for the maintenance of vascular integrity.

Setup and validation of shake-flask procedures for the determination of partition coefficients (logD) from low drug amounts.

Several procedures based on the shake-flask method and designed to require a minimum amount of drug for octanol-water partition coefficient determination have been established and developed. The procedures have been validated by a 28 substance set with a lipophilicity range from -2.0 to 4.5 (logD7.4). The experimental partition is carried out using aqueous phases buffered with phosphate (pH 7.4) and n-octanol saturated with buffered water and the analysis is performed by liquid chromatography. In order to have accurate results, four procedures and eight different ratios between phase volumes are proposed. Each procedure has been designed and optimized (for partition ratios) for a specific range of drug lipophilicity (low, regular and high lipophilicity) and solubility (high and low aqueous solubility). The procedures have been developed to minimize the measurement in the octanolic phase. Experimental logD7.4 values obtained from different procedures and partition ratios show a standard deviation lower than 0.3 and there is a nice agreement when these values are compared with the reference literature ones.

Discovery of novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinyl amides as potent and long acting muscarinic antagonists.

Novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinyl amides have been identified as potent M3 muscarinic antagonists with a long duration of action in an in vivo model of bronchoconstriction. The synthesis, structure-activity relationships and biological evaluation of this series of compounds are reported.

Monocyte-secreted Wnt5a interacts with FZD5 in microvascular endothelial cells and induces angiogenesis through tissue factor signaling.

Angiogenesis during reactive and pathologic processes is characteristically associated with inflammation. Inflammatory cells participate in angiogenesis by secreting different molecules that affect endothelial cell functions. We had previously shown that induced tissue factor (TF) expression in activated microvascular endothelial cells (mEC) is able to induce angiogenesis via autocrine regulation. However, the signals that induce TF expression in mEC are not fully known. Here, we demonstrate that monocyte paracrine cross-talk with mECs triggers mEC-TF expression. We have identified that monocyte-secreted Wnt5a induces TF expression in mEC and functionally induces cell monolayer repair and angiotube formation in vitro as well as microvessel formation in vivo. Monocyte-secreted Wnt5a activates FZD5 in mECs, which signals to induce the release of intracellular Ca(2+) and increase NFκB transcription activity and TF gene expression. In sum, Wnt5a secreted by monocytes signals through the noncanonical Wnt-FZD5 pathway in mECs to induce TF expression that induces angiogenesis by autocrine regulation.

Ets-1 transcription is required in tissue factor driven microvessel formation and stabilization.

Tissue factor (TF) has well-recognized roles as initiator of blood coagulation as well as an intracellular signaling receptor. TF signaling regulates gene transcription and protein translation. Recently, we have shown that TF-induced mature neovessel formation is ultimately driven by CCL2 expression. However, the signaling process induced by TF to promote microvessel formation remains to be determined. This study was designed with the objective to investigate the mechanisms involved in TF-induced neovessel formation. Here, we have identified that Ets-1 expression is a downstream effector of TF signaling. TF-siRNA induced a highly significant reduction in Ets-1 expression levels and in Ets-1/DNA binding while inducing abrogation of microvessel formation. Activation of Ets-1 rescued the effect of TF inhibition and restored microvessel formation confirming the critical role of Ets-1 in TF-induced angiogenesis. VE-cadherin expression, a key regulator of endothelial intercellular junctions, and an Ets-1 target molecule was dependent of TF-inhibition. We show that TF signals through ERK1/2 to activate Ets-1 and induce CCL2 gene expression by binding to its promoter region. We conclude that endothelial cell TF signals through ERK1/2 and Ets-1 to trigger microvessel formation.

Discovery of novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinyl carbamates as potent and long acting muscarinic antagonists.

Novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of N,N-disubstituted (3R)-quinuclidinyl carbamates have been identified as potent M(3) muscarinic antagonists with long duration of action in an in vivo model of bronchoconstriction. These compounds have also presented a high level of metabolic transformation (human liver microsomes). The synthesis, structure-activity relationships and biological evaluation of these compounds are reported.

Discovery of novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinol esters as potent and long-acting muscarinic antagonists with potential for minimal systemic exposure after inhaled administration: identification of (3R)-3-{[hydroxy(di-2-thienyl)acetyl]oxy}-1-(3-phenoxypropyl)-1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane bromide (aclidinium bromide).

The objective of this work was to discover a novel, long-acting muscarinic M(3) antagonist for the inhaled treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with a potentially improved risk-benefit profile compared with current antimuscarinic agents. A series of novel quaternary ammonium derivatives of (3R)-quinuclidinol esters were synthesized and evaluated. On the basis of its overall profile, (3R)-3-{[hydroxy(di-2-thienyl)acetyl]oxy}-1-(3-phenoxypropyl)-1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane bromide (aclidinium bromide) emerged as a candidate for once-daily maintenance treatment of COPD. This compound is a potent muscarinic antagonist, with long duration of action in vivo, and was found to have a rapid hydrolysis in human plasma, minimizing the potential to induce class-related systemic side effects. Aclidinium bromide is currently in phase III development for maintenance treatment of patients with COPD.

Retention of ionizable compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography. 14. Acid-base pK values in acetonitrile-water mobile phases.

Linear relationships between sspKa values in acetonitrile-water mixtures and wwpKa values in pure water have been established for five families of compounds: aliphatic carboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, phenols, amines, and pyridines. The parameters (slope and intercept) of the linear correlations have been related with acetonitrile-water composition. The proposed equations allow accurate estimation of the pKa values of any member of the studied families at any acetonitrile-water composition up to 60% of acetonitrile in volume (100% for pyridines). Conversely, the same equations can be used to estimate aqueous pKa values from chromatographic pKa values obtained from any acetonitrile-water mobile phase between the composition range studied. Estimation of pKa values have been tested with chromatographic literature data.

Retention of ionizable compounds on HPLC. 12. The properties of liquid chromatography buffers in acetonitrile-water mobile phases that influence HPLC retention.

The addition of acetonitrile to aqueous buffers to prepare RP HPLC mobile phases changes the buffer properties (pH and buffer capacity). This variation is studied for ace tate, phosphate, phthalate, citrate, and ammonia buffers in acetonitrile-water mixtures up to 60% in acetonitrile (v/v). Equations are proposed to relate pH and buffer capacity change of these buffers to the initial aqueous pH value and to the volume fraction of acetonitrile added. It is demonstrated that the pH change of the buffer depends not only on the initial aqueous pH of the buffer and on the percentage of acetonitrile added but also on the particular buffer used. The proposed equations allow an accurate prediction of this ionization for the studied buffers. Since the retention of acid/base compounds shows a strong dependence of their degree of ionization, the equations are used to predict the change in this ionization with addition of acetonitrile when the RP HPLC mobile phase is prepared. This prediction allows estimation of the retention of an acid/base compound in a particular acetonitrile-water buffered mobile phase.

Change of mobile phase pH during gradient reversed-phase chromatography with 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol-water as mobile phase and its effect on the chromatographic hydrophobicity index determination.

We have shown previously that using a trifluoroethanol containing mobile phase provides a unique chromatographic selectivity. This is essential to derive molecular descriptors by HPLC which requires retention data from several systems. It also requires that the ionisation is suppressed so that retention times reflect the properties of the neutral molecules. Therefore the pH change of the mobile phase during gradient elution and its effect on the solute ionisation have been studied. During gradient elution of mixtures of ammonium acetate and butylammonium formate with trifluoroethanol as an organic modifier it was found that the pH was almost constant when the gradient started with a low pH. However, when the starting mobile phase pH was above 8 the pH dropped very quickly as the trifluoroethanol concentration increased in the mobile phase. The CHI descriptor (a retention index derived directly from gradient retention times) of several basic compounds as a function of starting mobile phase pH has been measured using trifluoroethanol gradient. The effect of the trifluoroethanol on the pKa change of the compounds has been investigated. The experimental data fit closely to a previously derived equation that describes gradient retention times as a function of mobile phase pH and analyte ionisation constant (pKa). This equation makes it possible to predict the CHI descriptor for ionisable compounds at various pH values. We have used butylamine for high pH mobile phase preparation as is more basic than ammonia and for many basic drugs the retention of the neutral form could be obtained directly (without extrapolation).

Retention of ionizable compounds in high-performance liquid chromatography. IX. Modelling retention in reversed-phase liquid chromatography as a function of pH and solvent composition with acetonitrile-water mobile phases.

The influence of pH and solvent composition of acetonitrile-water mobile phases on the retention of acids and bases on a polymeric stationary phase is studied. Very good relationships between retention and mobile phase pH are obtained if the pH is measured in the proper pH scale. The fit of retention to pH for a particular solvent composition provides the pKa values of the equilibria between the different acid-base species and the retention parameters of these species at this solvent composition. Several models are tested that relate these parameters to solvent composition and properties in order to propose a general model to predict retention for any mobile phase pH and composition.

Retention of ionizable compounds on high-performance liquid chromatography XI. Global linear solvation energy relationships for neutral and ionizable compounds.

A global linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) that simultaneously models retention in reversed-phase liquid chromatography as a function of solute LSER descriptors and mobile phase pH and composition has been derived from both the local LSER model and the linear solvent strength theory. At most only 13 mobile phase parameters and seven solute parameters are required to establish the global LSER model for neutral and ionizable solutes. This model implies only one mobile phase and two solute parameters more than the model previously set for neutral solutes. The additional mobile phase and solute parameters account for the ionization of the solute. The model has been successfully tested for 30 solutes of different type (acids, bases and non ionizable compounds) at 10 different pH values in three different acetonitrile-water mobile phases.