The PDE4 Inhibitor Tanimilast Restrains the Tissue-Damaging Properties of Human Neutrophils.

Neutrophils, the most abundant subset of leukocytes in the blood, play a pivotal role in host response against invading pathogens. However, in respiratory diseases, excessive infiltration and activation of neutrophils can lead to tissue damage. Tanimilast-international non-proprietary name of CHF6001-is a novel inhaled phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor in advanced clinical development for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic inflammatory lung disease where neutrophilic inflammation plays a key pathological role. Human neutrophils from healthy donors were exposed to pro-inflammatory stimuli in the presence or absence of tanimilast and budesonide-a typical inhaled corticosteroid drug-to investigate the modulation of effector functions including adherence to endothelial cells, granule protein exocytosis, release of extracellular DNA traps, cytokine secretion, and cell survival. Tanimilast significantly decreased neutrophil-endothelium adhesion, degranulation, extracellular DNA traps casting, and cytokine secretion. In contrast, it promoted neutrophil survival by decreasing both spontaneous apoptosis and cell death in the presence of pro-survival factors. The present work suggests that tanimilast can alleviate the severe tissue damage caused by massive recruitment and activation of neutrophils in inflammatory diseases such as COPD.

Idasanutlin plus cytarabine in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia: results of the MIRROS trial.

The phase 3 MIRROS (MDM2 antagonist Idasanutlin in Relapsed or Refractory acute myeloid leukemia [AML] for Overall Survival) trial (NCT02545283) evaluated the efficacy and safety of the small-molecule MDM2 antagonist idasanutlin plus cytarabine in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML. Adults (n = 447) with R/R AML whose disease relapsed or was refractory after ≤2 prior induction regimens as initial treatment or following salvage chemotherapy regimen, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤2 were enrolled regardless of TP53 mutation status and randomly assigned 2:1 to idasanutlin 300 mg or placebo orally twice daily plus cytarabine 1 g/m2 IV on days 1 to 5 of 28-day cycles. At primary analysis (cutoff, November 2019), 436 patients were enrolled, including 355 in the TP53 wild-type intention-to-treat (TP53WT-ITT) population. The primary endpoint, overall survival in the TP53WT-ITT population, was not met (median, 8.3 vs 9.1 months with idasanutlin-cytarabine vs placebo-cytarabine; stratified hazard ratio [HR], 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81-1.45; P = .58). The complete remission (CR) rate, a key secondary endpoint, was 20.3% vs 17.1% (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% CI, 0.70-2.18). The overall response rate (ORR) was 38.8% vs 22.0% (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.36-3.72). Common any-grade adverse events (≥10% incidence in any arm) were diarrhea (87.0% vs 32.9%), febrile neutropenia (52.8% vs 49.3%), and nausea (52.5% vs 31.5%). In summary, despite improved ORR, adding idasanutlin to cytarabine did not improve overall survival or CR rates in patients with R/R AML.

VX765 alleviates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice by suppressing caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease involving intestinal tissue. IBD activates a series of cell death pathways. Pyroptosis is recently identified as a critical cell death pathway in IBD associated with the activation of caspase-1. VX765 is a caspase-1 inhibitor that can be converted to VRT-043198 in vivo. This study was designed to explore the therapeutic effect of VX765 on colitis using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. In this research, the caspase-1 inhibitor on inflammatory, pyroptosis, apoptosis, macrophage activation, and intestinal barrier were investigated. We found that administration of VX765 attenuated body weight loss, colonic shortening, and colonic pathological injury in mice. Our study also revealed a therapeutic effect of VX765 on colitis in a dose-dependent manner. VX765 inhibited pyroptosis by curbing the Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway and its downstream key inflammatory cytokines--IL-1ß and IL-18. These results indicated that VX765 might have a dose-dependent therapeutic effect on DSS-induced colitis in mice.

Targeting p53 for the treatment of cancer.

Dysfunction of the TP53 (p53) gene occurs in most if not all human malignancies. Two principal mechanisms are responsible for this dysfunction; mutation and downregulation of wild-type p53 mediated by MDM2/MDM4. Because of its almost universal inactivation in malignancy, p53 is a highly attractive target for the development of new anticancer drugs. Although multiple strategies have been investigated for targeting dysfunctional p53 for cancer treatment, only 2 of these have so far yielded compounds for testing in clinical trials. These strategies include the identification of compounds for reactivating the mutant form of p53 back to its wild-type form and compounds for inhibiting the interaction between wild-type p53 and MDM2/MDM4. Currently, multiple p53-MDM2/MDM4 antagonists are undergoing clinical trials, the most advanced being idasanutlin which is currently undergoing testing in a phase III clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Two mutant p53-reactivating compounds have progressed to clinical trials, i.e., APR-246 and COTI-2. Although promising data has emerged from the testing of both MDM2/MDM4 inhibitors and mutant p53 reactivating compounds in preclinical models, it is still unclear if these agents have clinical efficacy. However, should any of the compounds currently being evaluated in clinical trials be shown to have efficacy, it is likely to usher in a new era in cancer treatment, especially as p53 dysfunction is so prevalent in human cancers.

Blockade of the NLRP3/caspase-1 axis attenuates ketamine-induced hippocampus pyroptosis and cognitive impairment in neonatal rats.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have revealed that repeated or long-term exposure to ketamine causes neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction. Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that has been linked to various neurological diseases. However, the role of NLRP3/caspase-1 axis-related pyroptosis in ketamine-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive dysfunction remains uncertain. METHODS: To evaluate whether ketamine caused NLRP3/caspase1-dependent pyroptosis, flow cytometry analysis, western blotting, ELISA test, histopathological analysis, Morris water maze (MWM) test, cell viability assay, and lactate dehydrogenase release (LDH) assay were carried out on PC12 cells, HAPI cells, and 7-day-old rats. In addition, the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 or the caspase-1 inhibitor VX-765 was used to investigate the role of the NLRP3/caspase-1 axis in ketamine-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive dysfunction. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that ketamine exposure caused cell damage and increased the levels of pyroptosis in PC12 cells, HAPI cells, and the hippocampus of neonatal rats. After continuous exposure to ketamine, targeting NLRP3 and caspase-1 with MCC950 or VX765 improved pyroptosis, reduced neuropathological damages, and alleviated cognitive dysfunction. CONCLUSION: NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis-dependent pyroptosis is involved in ketamine-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction, and it provides a promising strategy to treat ketamine-related neurotoxicity.

Fluorine-18 Labeling of the MDM2 Inhibitor RG7388 for PET Imaging: Chemistry and Preliminary Evaluation.

RG7388 (Idasanutlin) is a potent inhibitor of oncoprotein murine double minute 2 (MDM2). Herein we investigated the feasibility of developing 18F-labeled RG7388 as a radiotracer for imaging MDM2 expression in tumors with positron emission tomography (PET). Two fluorinated analogues of RG7388, 6 and 7, were synthesized by attaching a fluoronicotinyl moiety to RG7388 via a polyethylene glycol (PEG3) or a propyl linker. The inhibitory potency (IC50) of 6 and 7 against MDM2 was determined by a fluorescence polarization (FP)-based assay. Next, compound 6 was labeled with 18F using a trimethylammonium triflate precursor to obtain [18F]FN-PEG3-RG7388 ([18F]6), and its properties were evaluated in MDM2 expressing wild-type p53 tumor cell lines (SJSA-1 and HepG2) in vitro and in tumor xenografts in vivo. The FP assays revealed an IC50 against MDM2 of 119 nM and 160 nM for 6 and 7, respectively. 18F-labeling of 6 was achieved in 50.3 ± 7.5% radiochemical yield. [18F]6 exhibited a high uptake (∼70% of input dose) and specificity in SJSA-1 and HepG2 cell lines. Saturation binding assays revealed a binding affinity (Kd) of 128 nM for [18F]6 on SJSA-1 cells. In mice, [18F]6 showed fast clearance from blood with a maximum tumor uptake of 3.80 ± 0.85% injected dose per gram (ID/g) in HepG2 xenografts at 30 min postinjection (p.i.) and 1.32 ± 0.32% ID/g in SJSA-1 xenografts at 1 h p.i. Specificity of [18F]6 uptake in tumors was demonstrated by pretreatment of mice with SJSA-xenografts with a blocking dose of RG7388 (35 mg/kg body weight, i.p.). In vivo stability studies in mice using HPLC showed ∼60% and ∼30% intact [18F]6 remaining in plasma at 30 min and 1 h p.i., respectively, with the remaining activity attributed to polar peaks. Our results suggest that RG7388 is a promising molecular scaffold for 18F-labeled probe development for MDM2. Additional labeling strategies and functionalizing locations on RG7388 are under development to improve binding affinity and in vivo stability of the 18F-labeled compound to make it more amenable for PET imaging of MDM2 in vivo.

Phase I study of daily and weekly regimens of the orally administered MDM2 antagonist idasanutlin in patients with advanced tumors.

Aim The oral MDM2 antagonist idasanutlin inhibits the p53-MDM2 interaction, enabling p53 activation, tumor growth inhibition, and increased survival in xenograft models. Methods We conducted a Phase I study of idasanutlin (microprecipitate bulk powder formulation) to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, food effect, and clinical activity in patients with advanced malignancies. Schedules investigated were once weekly for 3 weeks (QW × 3), once daily for 3 days (QD × 3), or QD × 5 every 28 days. We also analyzed p53 activation and the anti-proliferative effects of idasanutlin. Results The dose-escalation phase included 85 patients (QW × 3, n = 36; QD × 3, n = 15; QD × 5, n = 34). Daily MTD was 3200 mg (QW × 3), 1000 mg (QD × 3), and 500 mg (QD × 5). Most common adverse events were diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, decreased appetite, and thrombocytopenia. Dose-limiting toxicities were nausea/vomiting and myelosuppression; myelosuppression was more frequent with QD dosing and associated with pharmacokinetic exposure. Idasanutlin exposure was approximately dose proportional at low doses, but less than dose proportional at > 600 mg. Although inter-patient variability in exposure was high with all regimens, cumulative idasanutlin exposure over the whole 28-day cycle was greatest with a QD × 5 regimen. No major food effect on pharmacokinetic exposure occurred. MIC-1 levels were higher with QD dosing, increasing in an exposure-dependent manner. Best response was stable disease in 30.6% of patients, prolonged (> 600 days) in 2 patients with sarcoma. Conclusions Idasanutlin demonstrated dose- and schedule-dependent p53 activation with durable disease stabilization in some patients. Based on these findings, the QD × 5 schedule was selected for further development. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01462175 (ClinicalTrials.gov), October 31, 2011.

High-Throughput Screening Identifies Idasanutlin as a Resensitizing Drug for Venetoclax-Resistant Neuroblastoma Cells.

Neuroblastoma tumors frequently overexpress the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 2 (BCL-2). We previously showed that treating BCL-2-dependent neuroblastoma cells with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax results in apoptosis, but unfortunately partial therapy resistance is observed. The current study describes the identification of drugs capable of resensitizing venetoclax-resistant neuroblastoma cells to venetoclax. To examine these effects, venetoclax resistance was induced in BCL-2-dependent neuroblastoma cell lines KCNR and SJNB12 by continuous exposure to high venetoclax concentrations. Non-resistant and venetoclax-resistant neuroblastoma cell lines were exposed to a 209-compound library in the absence and presence of venetoclax to identify compounds that were more effective in the venetoclax-resistant cell lines under venetoclax pressure. Top hits were further validated in combination with venetoclax using BCL-2-dependent neuroblastoma model systems. Overall, high-throughput drug screening identified the MDM2 inhibitor idasanutlin as a promising resensitizing agent for venetoclax-resistant neuroblastoma cell lines. Idasanutlin treatment induced BAX-mediated apoptosis in venetoclax-resistant neuroblastoma cells in the presence of venetoclax, whereas it caused p21-mediated growth arrest in control cells. In vivo combination treatment showed tumor regression and superior efficacy over single-agent therapies in a BCL-2-dependent neuroblastoma cell line xenograft and a patient-derived xenograft. However, xenografts less dependent on BCL-2 were not sensitive to venetoclax-idasanutlin combination therapy. This study demonstrates that idasanutlin can overcome resistance to the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax in preclinical neuroblastoma model systems, which supports clinical development of a treatment strategy combining the two therapies.

Phlebotonics for venous insufficiency.

BACKGROUND: Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition in which veins are unable to transport blood unidirectionally towards the heart. CVI usually occurs in the lower limbs. It might result in considerable discomfort, with symptoms such as pain, itchiness and tiredness in the legs. Patients with CVI may also experience swelling and ulcers. Phlebotonics are a class of drugs often used to treat CVI. This is the second update of a review first published in 2005. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of phlebotonics administered orally or topically for treatment of signs and symptoms of lower extremity CVI. SEARCH METHODS: The Cochrane Vascular Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Vascular Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and Clinicaltrials.gov trials register up to 12 November 2019. We searched the reference lists of the articles retrieved by electronic searches for additional citations. We also contacted authors of unpublished studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of phlebotonics (rutosides, hidrosmine, diosmine, calcium dobesilate, chromocarbe, Centella asiatica, disodium flavodate, French maritime pine bark extract, grape seed extract and aminaftone) in patients with CVI at any stage of the disease. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of included RCTs. We estimated the effects of treatment by using risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs) and standardized mean differences (SMDs), according to the outcome assessed. We calculated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and percentage of heterogeneity (I2). Outcomes of interest were oedema, quality of life (QoL), assessment of CVI and adverse events. We used GRADE criteria to assess the certainty of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We identified three new studies for this update. In total, 69 RCTs of oral phlebotonics were included, but only 56 studies (7690 participants, mean age 50 years) provided quantifiable data for the efficacy analysis. These studies used different phlebotonics (28 on rutosides, 11 on hidrosmine and diosmine, 10 on calcium dobesilate, two on Centella asiatica, two on aminaftone, two on French maritime pine bark extract and one on grape seed extract). No studies evaluating topical phlebotonics, chromocarbe, naftazone or disodium flavodate fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that phlebotonics probably reduce oedema slightly in the lower legs, compared with placebo (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.78; 13 studies; 1245 participants); and probably reduce ankle circumference (MD -4.27 mm, 95% CI -5.61 to -2.93 mm; 15 studies; 2010 participants). Moderate-certainty evidence shows that phlebotonics probably make little or no difference in QoL compared with placebo (SMD -0.06, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.10; five studies; 1639 participants); and similarly, may have little or no effect on ulcer healing (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.13; six studies; 461 participants; low-certainty evidence). Thirty-seven studies reported on adverse events. Pooled data suggest that phlebotonics probably increase adverse events slightly, compared to placebo (RR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.27; 37 studies; 5789 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Gastrointestinal disorders were the most frequently reported adverse events. We downgraded our certainty in the evidence from 'high' to 'moderate' because of risk of bias concerns, and further to 'low' because of imprecision. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate-certainty evidence that phlebotonics probably reduce oedema slightly, compared to placebo; moderate-certainty evidence of little or no difference in QoL; and low-certainty evidence that these drugs do not influence ulcer healing. Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that phlebotonics are probably associated with a higher risk of adverse events than placebo. Studies included in this systematic review provided only short-term safety data; therefore, the medium- and long-term safety of phlebotonics could not be estimated. Findings for specific groups of phlebotonics are limited due to small study numbers and heterogeneous results. Additional high-quality RCTs focusing on clinically important outcomes are needed to improve the evidence base.

VX765 Attenuates Pyroptosis and HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB Pathways to Improve Functional Outcomes in TBI Mice.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to temporary or permanent damage to brain function caused by penetrating objects or blunt force trauma. TBI activates inflammasome-mediated pathways and other cell death pathways to remove inactive and damaged cells, however, they are also harmful to the central nervous system. The newly discovered cell death pattern termed pyroptosis has become an area of interest. It mainly relies on caspase-1-mediated pathways, leading to cell death. METHODS: Our research focus is VX765, a known caspase-1 inhibitor which may offer neuroprotection after the process of TBI. We established a controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model and then controlled the degree of pyroptosis in TBI with VX765. The effects of caspase-1 inhibition on inflammatory response, pyroptosis, blood-brain barrier (BBB), apoptosis, and microglia activation, in addition to neurological deficits, were investigated. RESULTS: We found that TBI led to NOD-like receptors (NLRs) as well as absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in the damaged cerebral cortex. VX765 curbed the expressions of indispensable inflammatory subunits (caspase-1 as well as key downstream proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin- (IL-) 1ß and IL-18). It also inhibited gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage and apoptosis-associated spot-like protein (ASC) oligomerization in the injured cortex. In addition to the above, VX765 also inhibited the inflammatory activity of the high-mobility cassette -1/Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B (HMGB1/TLR4/NF-kappa B) pathway. By inhibiting pyroptosis and inflammatory mediator expression, we demonstrated that VX765 can decrease blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage, apoptosis, and microglia polarization to exhibit its neuroprotective effects. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, VX765 can counteract neurological damage after TBI by reducing pyroptosis and HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway activities. VX765 may have a good therapeutic effect on TBI.

Effect of VX­765 on the transcriptome profile of mice spinal cords with acute injury.

Previous studies have shown that caspase-1 plays an important role in the acute inflammatory response of spinal cord injury (SCI). VX­765, a novel and irreversible caspase­1 inhibitor, has been reported to effectively intervene in inflammation. However, the effect of VX­765 on genome­wide transcription in acutely injured spinal cords remains unknown. Therefore, in the present study, RNA­sequencing (RNA­Seq) was used to analyze the effect of VX­765 on the local expression of gene transcription 8 h following injury. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) underwent enrichment analysis of functions and pathways by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses, respectively. Parallel analysis of western blot confirmed that VX­765 can effectively inhibit the expression and activation of caspase­1. RNA­Seq showed that VX­765 treatment resulted in 1,137 upregulated and 1,762 downregulated DEGs. These downregulated DEGs and their associated signaling pathways, such as focal adhesion, cytokine­cytokine receptor interaction, leukocyte transendothelial migration, extracellular matrix­receptor interaction, phosphatidylinositol 3­kinase­protein kinase B, Rap1 and hypoxia inducible factor­1 signaling pathway, are mainly associated with inflammatory response, local hypoxia, macrophage differentiation, adhesion migration and apoptosis of local cells. This suggests that the application of VX­765 in the acute phase can improve the local microenvironment of SCI by inhibiting caspase­1. However, whether VX­765 can be used as a therapeutic drug for SCI requires further exploration. The sequence data have been deposited into the Sequence Read Archive (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/PRJNA548970).

VX-765 enhances autophagy of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells against stroke-induced apoptosis and inflammatory responses via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the protective effect of VX-765 on human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) in stroke and its mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mouse models of ischemic stroke were established using the distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) method. The dMCAO mice were accordingly transplanted with HUMSCs, VX-765-treated HUMSCs, or VX-765 + MHY185-treated HUMSCs. The HUMSCs were inserted with green fluorescent protein (GFP) for measurement of transplantation efficiency which was determined by immunofluorescence assay. Oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) was applied to mimic ischemic environment in vitro experiments, and the HUMSCs herein were transfected with AMPK inhibitor Compound C or autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. MTT assay was used to test the toxicity of VX-765. TUNEL staining and ELISA were applied to measure the levels of apoptosis and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-10), respectively. The expressions of autophagy-associated proteins, AMPK, and mTOR were detected by Western blotting. TTC staining was applied to reveal the infarct lesions in the brain of dMCAO mice. RESULTS: The pro-inflammatory cytokines, TUNEL-positive cells, and p-mTOR were decreased while the anti-inflammatory cytokine, autophagy-related proteins, and p-AMPK were increased in HUMSCs treated with VX-765 under OGD condition. Different expression patterns were found with the above factors after transfection of 3-MA or Compound C. The pro-inflammatory cytokines, TUNEL-positive cells, and infarct sections were decreased while the anti-inflammatory cytokine and autophagy-related proteins were increased in dMCAO mice transplanted with VX-765-treated HUMSCs compared to those transplanted with HUMSCs only. The autophagy was inhibited while p-mTOR was up-regulated after transfection of MHY. CONCLUSION: VX-765 protects HUMSCs against stroke-induced apoptosis and inflammatory responses by activating autophagy via the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro.

Alvogyl and absorbable gelatin sponge as palatal wound dressings following epithelialized free gingival graft harvest: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: This randomized controlled trial compares for the first time effects of Alvogyl versus absorbable gelatin sponge as palatal wound dressings on postoperative pain, amount of analgesic consumption, post-surgical bleeding, and wound re-epithelization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following sample size calculation, 36 systemically healthy patients requiring palatal mucosal graft harvesting were randomized to receive Alvogyl (intervention group, 18 patients) or absorbable gelatin sponge (control group, 18 patients) palatal dressings. Patient-reported VAS pain scores over 2 weeks were defined as primary outcome. Post-surgical bleeding, number of analgesics consumed, and complete re-epithelialization of the palatal wound for up to 5 weeks were defined as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Although significantly higher VAS pain scores were reported in the control as compared with the intervention group up to 12 days post-surgically (from (median [range]) 8.5 [2-10] to 1 [0-2] and from 6 [0-10] to 0 [0-2] respectively), with higher analgesics consumption (from 2 [1-3] to 1 [0-3] and from 1 [0-3] to 0 [0-2] tablets respectively), a multivariate regression analysis considering age, gender, graft width/length, tissue thickness, analgesics intake, and dressing type demonstrated no statistically significant effect of any factor, including dressing type on VAS pain scores. At 4 weeks, 22.2% of patients in the intervention group versus 11.1% in the control group demonstrated complete re-epithelization of their palatal engraftment site, before complete re-epithelization in both groups at 5 weeks. No post-surgical bleeding was reported with both dressings. CONCLUSIONS: Within the study's limitations, results suggest Alvogyl as a practical palatal surgical dressing, comparable with absorbable gelatin sponge in cost, pain reduction, hemostasis, and re-epithelization properties. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03402321 CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Alvogyl could present a novel palatal wound dressing material, comparable with gelatin sponge.

MIRROS: a randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase III trial of cytarabine ± idasanutlin in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Patients with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) have a poor prognosis, with a high unmet medical need. Idasanutlin is a small-molecule inhibitor of MDM2, a negative regulator of tumor suppressor p53. By preventing the p53-MDM2 interaction, idasanutlin allows for p53 activation, particularly in patients with TP53 wild-type (WT) status. MIRROS (NCT02545283) is a randomized Phase III trial evaluating idasanutlin + cytarabine versus placebo + cytarabine in R/R AML. The primary end point is overall survival in the TP53-WT population. Secondary end points include complete remission rate (cycle 1), overall remission rate (cycle 1) and event-free survival in the TP53-WT population. MIRROS has an innovative design that integrates a stringent interim analysis for futility; continuation criteria were met in mid-2017 and accrual is ongoing. Trial registration number: NCT02545283.

VX-765 attenuates atherosclerosis in ApoE deficient mice by modulating VSMCs pyroptosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent clinical evidences show that patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease can benefit from a targeting IL-1ß treatment. Caspase-1 is an important factor for pyroptosis and is responsible for mature and release of interleukin (IL)-1ß. Here we investigated the effect of caspase-1 inhibitor VX-765 on atherosclerosis and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) pyroptosis. METHODS: Human carotid artery plaques and aortas from ApoE-/- mice which were gavaged with VX-765 or vehicle while fed with western diet were examined for plaque burden using Oil Red O staining and Immunohistochemistry staining. Dedifferentiated primary cultured mice VSMCs treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) were applied to examine cell pyroptosis. RESULTS: The distribution of a-SMA and active pyroptotic indicators had a lot of overlaps near the necrotic core, at the lesion surface and in the intra-plaque hemorrhage area in human or mice plaque. In vitro studies further demonstrated that OxLDL induced VSMCs pyroptosis through activating NLRP3 inflammasome. What's more, VX-765 significantly inhibited the progression of established atheroma and the development of atherosclerosis, without substantially influence lipoprotein level in plasma. VX-765 also significantly reduced VSMCs pyroptosis and IL-1ß processing induced by OxLDL. CONCLUSIONS: VX-765 inhibits VSMCs pyroptosis during atherogenesis and targeting caspase-1 activity may be a potential treatment strategy for atherosclerotic diseases.

Current treatment strategies for measurable residual disease in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve a morphologic complete remission still can have measurable residual disease (MRD) detected by multiparametric flow cytometry, molecular methods, or cytogenetics. Such patients with MRD have a high risk of disease recurrence over a short timeframe, but optimal treatment strategies are unknown. Outcomes with conventional treatment, including allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, are worse than those for patients without MRD. Herein, the authors review current strategies, including novel clinical trials, targeted toward patients with MRD.

Caspase-1 inhibition mediates neuroprotection in experimental stroke by polarizing M2 microglia/macrophage and suppressing NF-κB activation.

Stroke is a life-threatening neurological disease with limited therapeutic options. Inflammation is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke and contribute to the degree of brain injury. Vx-765 is a potent, selective, small-molecule caspase-1 inhibitor. Current studies have shown the anti-inflammatory properties of vx-765 in various disease; however, the impact of vx-765 on the ischemic stroke is still unclear. In the present study, we determine the neuroprotective effect of vx-765 in mice subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). We found that caspase-1 inhibition by administration of vx-765 ameliorated cerebral injury in mice after ischemic stroke by reducing infarct volume and ameliorating the neurological deficits. Mechanistically, we showed that the contribution of vx-765 to ischemic injuries may be associated with reducing microglial activation, and downregulating the production of associated pro inflammatory cytokines including IL-1ß, TNF-α, and iNOS, as well as upregulating anti-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-ß and YM-1. Additionally, vx-765 altered the phenotype of microglia via switching the microglia polarization toward M2 phenotype, as demonstrably related to inhibition of the NF-κB activation. Our findings indicate that vx-765 protects against MCAO injury and attenuated microglia mediated neuroinflammation primarily by shifting microglia polarization from M1 phenotype toward M2 phenotype. Vx-765 might be a potential therapeutic drug for ameliorating ischemic stroke.

Cell Cycle Arrest and Cytotoxic Effects of SAHA and RG7388 Mediated through p21WAF1/CIP1 and p27KIP1 in Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Alterations in gene expressions are often due to epigenetic modifications that can have a significant influence on cancer development, growth, and progression. Lately, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) such as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, or vorinostat, MK0683) have been emerging as a new class of drugs with promising therapeutic benefits in controlling cancer growth and metastasis. The small molecule RG7388 (idasanutlin, R05503781) is a newly developed inhibitor that is specific for an oncogene-derived protein called MDM2, which is also in clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancers. These two drugs have shown the ability to induce p21 expression through distinct mechanisms in MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, which are reported to have wild-type TP53. Our understanding of the molecular mechanism whereby SAHA and RG7388 can induce cell cycle arrest and trigger cell death is still evolving. In this study, we performed experiments to measure the cell cycle arrest effects of SAHA and RG7388 using MCF-7 and LNCaP cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis/necroptosis effects of the SAHA and RG7388 treatments were assessed using the Trypan Blue dye exclusion (TBDE) method, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, fluorescence assay with DEVD-amc substrate, and immunoblotting methods. RESULTS: The RG7388 treatment was able to induce cell death by elevating p21WAF1/CIP1 through inhibition of MDM2 in LNCaP, but not in MCF-7 cells, even though there was evidence of p53 elevation. Hence, we suspect that there is some level of uncoupling of p53-mediated transcriptional induction of p21WAF1/CIP1 in MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSION: Our results from MCF-7 and LNCaP cells confirmed that SAHA and RG7388 treatments were able to induce cell death via a combination of cell cycle arrest and cytotoxic mechanisms. We speculate that our findings could lead to the development of newer treatments for breast and prostate cancers with drug combinations including HDACi.

Design and development of novel p-aminobenzoic acid derivatives as potential cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Based on the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), some novel p-aminobenzoic acid derivatives as promising cholinesterase enzyme inhibitors were designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated to enhance learning and memory. The in vitro enzyme kinetic study of the synthesized compounds revealed the type of inhibition on the respective acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes. The in vivo studies of the synthesized compounds exhibited significant reversal of cognitive deficits in the animal models of amnesia as compared to standard drug donepezil. Further, the ex vivo studies in the specific brain regions like the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and prefrontal cortex regions also exhibited AChE inhibition comparable to standard donepezil. The in silico molecular docking and dynamics simulations studies of the most potent compound 22 revealed the consensual interactions at the active site pocket of the AChE.