ABSTRACT:Induction of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) is determined typically by employing primary culture of human hepatocytes and measuring CYP3A4 mRNA, protein and microsomal activity. Recently a pregnane X receptor (PXR) reporter gene assay was established to screen CYP3A4 inducers. To evaluate results from the PXR reporter gene assay with those from the aforementioned conventional assays, 14 drugs were evaluated for their ability to induce CYP3A4 and activate PXR. Sandwiched primary cultures of human hepatocytes from six donors were used and CYP3A4 activity was assessed by measuring microsomal testosterone 6␤-hydroxylase activity. Hepatic CYP3A4 mRNA and protein levels were also analyzed using branched DNA technology/Northern blotting and Western blotting, respectively. In general, PXR activation correlated with the induction potential observed in human hepatocyte cultures. Clotrimazole, phenobarbital, rifampin, and sulfinpyrazone highly activated PXR and increased CYP3A4 activity; carbamazepine, dexamethasone, dexamethasone-t-butylacetate, phenytoin, sulfadimidine, and taxol weakly activated PXR and induced CYP3A4 activity, and methotrexate and probenecid showed no marked activation in either system. Ritonavir and troleandomycin showed marked PXR activation but no increase (in the case of troleandomycin) or a significant decrease (in the case of ritonavir) in microsomal CYP3A4 activity. It is concluded that the PXR reporter gene assay is a reliable and complementary method to assess the CYP3A4 induction potential of drugs and other xenobiotics.

Non-surgical periodontal treatment can effectively improve periodontal and circulating inflammatory status. Despite a lack of strong evidence, trends in some results support improved glycemic control after periodontal treatment in patients with diabetes.

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Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), an enzyme that is highly expressed in the human liver and small intestine, plays a major role in the metabolism of a large variety of xenobiotics, including an estimated 50% of therapeutic drugs, as well as many endogenous compounds. The expression of CYP3A4 can be induced by xenobiotics. Such induction leads to accelerated metabolism of the xenobiotics themselves (autoinduction) or of concomitantly administered CYP3A4 substrates/drugs, thereby significantly altering their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles. During the past decade, much progress has been made in our understanding of the biological mechanisms responsible for regulation of CYP3A4 expression. It is now known that many xenobiotics induce CYP3A4 expression via the pregnane X receptor (PXR) pathway, while others are thought to act through the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR). As a result, most pharmaceutical companies have recognized that it is important to evaluate CYP3A4 induction potential preclinically and are using primary cultures of human hepatocytes and/or PXR reporter gene assays. In general, the results from these two assay methods correlate well. The reporter gene assays in particular can be used to rapidly screen hundreds of drug candidates, whereas methods using primary human hepatocyte cultures may more accurately assess the potential for CYP3A4 induction in vivo. Although it is important to consider CYP3A4 induction in the early stages of the drug development process, it should be recognized that the assessment of induction potential preclinically is a difficult and imprecise endeavor and can be complicated by many factors.

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N-RAP is a recently discovered muscle-specific protein that is concentrated at the myotendon junctions in skeletal muscle and at the intercalated disks in cardiac muscle. The C-terminal half of N-RAP contains a region with sequence homology to nebulin, while a LIM domain is found at its N-terminus. N-RAP is hypothesized to perform an anchoring function, linking the terminal actin filaments of myofibrils to protein complexes located beneath the sarcolemma. We used a solid-phase assay to screen myofibrillar and junctional proteins for binding to several recombinant fragments of N-RAP, including the nebulin-like super repeat region (N-RAP-SR), the N-terminal half including the LIM domain (N-RAP-NH), and the region of N-RAP between the super repeat region and the LIM domain (N-RAP-IB). Actin is the only myofibrillar protein tested that exhibits specific binding to N-RAP, with high-affinity binding to N-RAP super repeats, and 10-fold weaker binding to N-RAP-IB. In contrast, myosin, isolated myosin heads, tropomyosin, and troponin exhibited no specific interaction with N-RAP domains. A recombinant fragment corresponding to the C-terminal one-fourth of vinculin also binds specifically to N-RAP super repeats, while no specific N-RAP binding activity was observed for other regions of the vinculin molecule. Finally, talin binds with high affinity to the LIM domain of N-RAP. These results support our hypothesis that N-RAP is part of a complex of proteins that anchors the terminal actin filaments of the myofibril to the membrane, and functions in transmitting tension from the myofibrils to the extracellular matrix.

ABSTRACT:RRx-001 has shown promise as a novel cancer therapeutic agent. The disposition of RRx-001 was evaluated in vitro and after intravenous administration to rats. At both 24 and 168 h after a single intravenous administration of 14 C-RRx-001 (10 mg/kg), the majority of radiolabel was in the blood.