The Intraocular Pressure Lowering Effect of a Dual Kinase Inhibitor (ITRI-E-(S)4046) in Ocular Hypertensive Animal Models.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a preclinical compound, ITRI-E-(S)4046, a dual synergistic inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase 4 (MYLK4) and Rho-related protein kinase (ROCK), for reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods: ITRI-E-(S)4046 is an amino-pyrazole derivative with physical and chemical properties suitable for ophthalmic formulation. In vitro kinase inhibition was evaluated using the Kinase-Glo Luminescent Kinase Assays. A comprehensive kinase selectivity analysis of ITRI-E-(S)4046 was performed using the KINOMEscan assay from DiscoverRx. The IOP reduction and tolerability of ITRI-E-(S)4046 were assessed in ocular normotensive rabbits, ocular normotensive non-human primates, and ocular hypertensive rabbits. In vivo studies were conducted to assess drug concentrations in ocular tissue. The adverse ocular effects of rabbit eyes were evaluated following the OECD405 guidelines. Results: ITRI-E-(S)4046 showed highly selective kinase inhibitory activity against ROCK1/2, MYLK4, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 19 (MAP3K19), with high specificity against protein kinase A, G, and C families. In ocular normotensive rabbits and non-human primates, the mean IOP reductions of 0.1% ITRI-E-(S)4046 eye drops were 29.8% and 28.5%, respectively. In hypertonic saline-induced and magnetic beads-induced ocular hypertensive rabbits, the mean IOP reductions of ITRI-E-(S)4046 0.1% eye drops were 46.9% and 22.0%, respectively. ITRI-E-(S)4046 was well tolerated with only temporary and minor signs of hyperemia. Conclusions: ITRI-E-(S)4046 is a novel type of highly specific ROCK1/2 and MYLK4 inhibitor that can reduce IOP in normotensive and hypertensive animal models. It has the potential to become an effective and well-tolerated treatment for glaucoma.

Simple fluorimetric liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of undecylenic acid and zinc undecylenate in pharmaceutical preparations.

A simple and selective liquid chromatographic method is described for the analysis of undecylenic acid (UA) and zinc undecylenate (ZnUA) in pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the derivatization of the analytes extracted from various samples with 2-(2-naphthoxy)ethyl 2-(piperidino)ethanesulfonate. The resulting derivative was analyzed by liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. The quantitation of the method is in the range of 3.0-50.0 microM UA with a detection limit of about 0.3 microM (S/N = 3 with 10 microl injection). We found that acetonitrile is a selective solvent for differentially dissolving UA from coexisted ZnUA in compound formulation. This results in the specific analysis of UA in the presence of ZnUA and simply analyzing the coexisted ZnUA by the value of total UA (UA+ZnUA) minus that of UA. Application of the method to the analysis of undecylenic acid and zinc undecylenate in ointment, powder and solution preparations proved feasible.

Simple and sensitive fluorimetric liquid chromatography method for the determination of valproic acid in plasma.

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method is described for the analysis of valproic acid in human plasma. The method is based on the derivatization of valproic acid extracted from acidified plasma with 2-(2-naphthoxy)ethyl 2-(piperidino)ethanesulfonate. The resulting derivative is highly responsive to a fluorimetric detector (excitation at 230 nm and emission at 350 nm), giving a low detection limit of 0.6 microM (S/N = 3, 10 microl injected). The relative standard deviations of the method for intra- and inter-day analyses (n = 5) are below 3.3 and 4.1%, respectively. Toluene was used for the extraction of valproic acid from plasma and the toluene extract obtained was subjected to subsequent derivatization without solvent replacement. The simple method was applied to the analysis of valproic acid in plasma of dosed patients using only small amount of sample (10-50 microl plasma).