The metabolism and disposition of a potent inhibitor of hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease.

Compound A ((1aR,5S,8S,10R,22aR)-5-tert-butyl-N-{(1R,2S)-1-[(cyclopropylsulfonyl)carbamoyl]-2-ethenylcyclopropyl}-14-methoxy-3,6-dioxo-1,1a,3,4,5,6,9,10,18,19,20,21,22,22a-tetradecahydro-8H-7,10-methanocyclopropa[18,19][1,10,3,6]dioxadiazacyclononadecino[12,11-b]quinoline-8-carboxamide) is a prototype of a series of subnanomolar inhibitors of genotypes 1, 2, and 3 hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A proteases. HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors have demonstrated high antiviral effects in patients with chronic HCV infection and are likely to form a key component of future HCV therapy. Compound A showed excellent liver exposure in rats, which is essential for compounds intended to treat HCV. The compound was mainly eliminated intact in bile and showed greater than dose proportional systemic exposure in rats. Compound A demonstrated time- and temperature-dependent uptake into rat and human hepatocytes and proved to be a substrate for rat hepatic uptake transporter Oatp1b2 and for human hepatic uptake transporters OATP1B1 and OATP1B3. The liver selectivity observed for this compound is likely to be due to transporter-mediated hepatic uptake together with moderate passive permeability. Metabolism was mainly CYP3A-mediated and generated a reactive epoxide on the vinylcyclopropyl sulfonamide moiety that could be quenched by glutathione. Similar metabolic profiles of Compound A were obtained in liver microsomes of rats and humans. The oral bioavailability at 5 mg/kg was low due to extensive hepatic first-pass effect but clearly the intestinal absorption was enough to deliver a high amount of the compound to the liver. The metabolism and disposition properties of Compound A are particularly attractive to support its evaluation as a drug candidate for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Metabolism-related liabilities of a potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and relevance of the route of administration on its metabolic fate.

Compound A [1-methyl-N-{(1S)-1-[5-(2-naphthyl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-7-oxooctyl}piperidine-4-carboxamide is a potent class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that demonstrated good antiproliferative activity against human tumour cell lines of different origin. This compound showed high in vivo clearance in rats (160 ml min(-1) kg(-1)) due to metabolism. The main metabolite detected in urine after intravenous dosing was characterized as a dihydrohydroxy S-mercapturic acid conjugate. Following oral dosing, however, the mercapturic acid derivative was no longer the main metabolite but the major metabolites were mono- and di-glucuronide conjugates of oxidized species having a mass shift of +34 m/z with respect to the parent. Comparison of plasma concentration after intra-arterial infusion and intravenous infusion and incubation with microsomes from different tissues (liver, kidney, small intestine and lung) in the presence of beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) indicated that the compound was highly cleared by the lung. Oxidation of the naphthalene moiety was demonstrated to be the cause of the high in vivo clearance of compound A and the potential for bioactivation of this group was flagged.

Methoxy-ether and crown-ether derivatives of tetrahomodioxa- and octahomotetraoxacalix[4]arenes.

Three methoxy-ether and one methoxy-ether/crown-ether derivatives of p-tert-butyltetrahomodioxa- and p-R-octahomotetraoxacalix[4]arenes (R = methyl, tert-butyl, H) have been investigated. The first three compounds, 7,15,21,27-tetra-tert-butyl-29,30,31,32-tetramethoxy-3,11-dioxapentacyclo[23.3.1.1(5,9).1(13,17).1(19,23)]ditriaconta-1(29),5,7,9(30),13,15,-17(31),19,21,23(32),25,27-dodecaene, C(50)H(68)O(6), 33,34,35,36-tetramethoxy-7,15,23,31-tetramethyl-3,11,19,27-tetraoxapentacyclo[27.3.1.1(5,9).1(13,17).1(21,25)]hexatriaconta-1(33),5,7,9(34),13,15,17(35),21,23,25(36),29,31-dodecaene, C(40)H(48)O(8), and 7,23-di-tert-butyl-33,34,35,36-tetramethoxy-3,11,19,27-tetraoxapentacyclo[27.3.1.1(5,9).1(13,17).1(21,25)]hexatriaconta-1(33),5,7,9(34),13,15,17(35),- 21,23,25(36),29,31-dodecaene, C(44)H(56)O(8), in the partial-cone or 1,2-alternate conformations, present the common feature of methoxy-ether self-inclusion, while the fourth, 42,43-dimethoxy-7,15,23,31-tetramethyl-3,11,19,27,34,37,40-heptaoxahexacyclo[15.15.9.1(5,9).1(21,25).0(13,41).0(29,33)]tritetraconta-5(42),6,8,13(41),14,16,21(43),22,24,29(33),30,32-dodecaene, C(42)H(50)O(9), adopts the 1,3-alternate conformation owing to the presence of a 1,3-polyether chain.