ABSTRACT:The metabolism and disposition of calcimimetic agent cinacalcet HCl was examined after a single oral administration to mice, rats, monkeys, and human volunteers. In all species examined, cinacalcet was well absorbed, with greater than 74% oral bioavailability of cinacalcet-derived radioactivity in monkeys and humans. In rats, cinacalcet-derived radioactivity was widely distributed into most tissues, with no marked gender-related differences. In all animal models examined, radioactivity was excreted rapidly via both hepatobiliary and urinary routes. In humans, radioactivity was cleared primarily via the urinary route (80%), with 17% excreted in the feces. Cinacalcet was not detected in the urine in humans. The primary routes of metabolism of cinacalcet were N-dealkylation leading to carboxylic acid derivatives (excreted in urine as glycine conjugates) and oxidation of naphthalene ring to form dihydrodiols (excreted in urine and bile as glucuronide conjugates). The plasma radioactivity in both animals and humans was primarily composed of carboxylic acid metabolites and dihydrodiol glucuronides, with <1% circulating radioactivity accounting for the unchanged cinacalcet. Overall, the circulating and excreted metabolite profile of cinacalcet in humans was qualitatively similar to that observed in preclinical animal models.Calcimimetic agents act as positive allosteric modulators of the calcium receptor located on the surface of the parathyroid cells (Nemeth et al., 1998;Cohen and Silverberg, 2002). Cinacalcet HCl (AMG 073; hereinafter referred to as cinacalcet), a calcimimetic agent, acts on the calcium-sensing receptor of the parathyroid, the principal regulator of parathyroid hormone release, to increase its sensitivity to activation by extracellular calcium, thus decreasing parathyroid hormone. The clinical efficacy of cinacalcet has been demonstrated in several studies in subjects with secondary hyperparathyroidism (Drueke et al., 2001;Goodman et al., 2002;Quarles et al., 2003).Nonclinical biodisposition studies (ADME) of a new chemical entity play a critical role in its initial selection as well as in its subsequent clinical development. Biodisposition studies provide important information regarding the absorption of the drug from the site of administration, distribution of the drug-related material into the target tissues, metabolic pathways to which the drug is subject, and the eventual excretion of the drug-related material from the body (Campbell, 1994;Caldwell et al., 1995;Miwa, 1995). The information generated from these studies is helpful in understanding the outcomes of the safety studies (e.g., toxic and reactive metabolites, covalent binding to macromolecules, species-specific toxicity) and in some instances the outcomes of pharmacology studies (e.g., the presence of active metabolites, distribution into target organ) (Wiltshire et al., 1997;Bischoff et al., 1998;Mutlib et al., 2000). These studies are also immensely helpful in understanding the potential behavior of a drug candidate in humans...

The potential acute toxicity of a ribozyme (ANGIOZYME) targeting the flt-1 vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor mRNA was evaluated in cynomolgus monkeys following i.v. infusion or s.c. injection. ANGIOZYME was administered as a 4-hour i.v. infusion at doses of 10, 30, or 100 mg/kg or a s.c. bolus at 100 mg/kg. End points included blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG), clinical chemistry, hematology, complement factors, coagulation parameters, and ribozyme plasma concentrations. ANGIOZYME was well tolerated, with no drug-associated morbidity or mortality. There was no clear evidence of ANGIOZYME-related adverse effects in this study. Slight increases in spleen weight and lymphoid hyperplasia were observed in several animals. However, these changes were not dose dependent. Steady-state concentrations of ANGIOZYME were achieved during the 4-hour infusion of 10, 30, or 100 mg/kg. Dose-dependent elimination of ANGIOZYME was observed, with faster clearance at the two highest doses. ANGIOZYME was slowly absorbed after s.c. administration, resulting in steady-state concentrations for the 9-hour sampling period. Monkeys in this toxicology study received significant plasma ANGIOZYME exposure by both the s.c. and i.v. routes.

This study compared biological responses of normal human fibroblasts (NHF1) to three sources of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), emitting UVC wavelengths, UVB wavelengths, or a combination of UVA and UVB (solar simulator; emission spectrum, 94.3% UVA and 5.7% UVB). The endpoints measured were cytotoxicity, intra-S checkpoint activation, inhibition of DNA replication and mutagenicity. Results show that the magnitude of each response to the indicated radiation sources was best predicted by the density of DNA cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD). The density of 6-4 pyrimidine–pyrimidone photoproducts was highest in DNA from UVC-irradiated cells (14% of CPD) as compared to those exposed to UVB (11%) or UVA–UVB (7%). The solar simulator source, under the experimental conditions described here, did not induce the formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine in NHF1 above background levels. Taken together, these results suggest that CPD play a dominant role in DNA damage responses and highlight the importance of using endogenous biomarkers to compare and report biological effects induced by different sources of UVR.

Similarities in expression of ATF5 in rodent, dog and human tumours, and cross species efficacy of the CP-d/n ATF5 peptide support the development of this ATF5-targeting approach as a novel and translational therapy in dog gliomas.

The SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex regulates gene expression and alters chromatin structures in an ATP-dependent manner. Recent sequencing efforts have shown mutations in BRG1 (SMARCA4), one of two mutually exclusive ATPase subunits in the complex, in a significant number of human lung tumor cell lines and primary non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) clinical specimens. To determine how BRG1 loss fuels tumor progression in NSCLC, molecular profiling was performed after restoration of BRG1 expression or treatment with an HDAC inhibitor or a DNMT inhibitor in a BRG1-deficient NSCLC cells. Importantly, validation studies from multiple cell lines revealed that BRG1 re-expression led to substantial changes in the expression of CDH1, CDH3, EHF and RRAD that commonly undergo silencing by other epigenetic mechanisms during NSCLC development. Furthermore, treatment with DNMT inhibitors did not restore expression of these transcripts indicating that this common mechanism of gene silencing did not account for their loss of expression. Collectively, BRG1 loss is an important mechanism for the epigenetic silencing of target genes during NSCLC development.