ABSTRACT:Thirty-one structurally diverse marketed central nervous system (CNS)-active drugs, one active metabolite, and seven non-CNSactive compounds were tested in three P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in vitro assays: transwell assays using MDCK, human MDR1-MDCK, and mouse Mdr1a-MDCK cells, ATPase, and calcein AM inhibition. Additionally, the permeability for these compounds was measured in two in vitro models: parallel artificial membrane permeation assay and apical-to-basolateral apparent permeability in MDCK. The exposure of the same set of compounds in brain and plasma was measured in P-gp knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice after subcutaneous administration. One drug and its metabolite, risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone, of the 32 CNS compounds, and 6 of the 7 non-CNS drugs were determined to have positive efflux using ratio of ratios in MDR1-MDCK versus MDCK transwell assays. Data from transwell studies correlated well with the brainto-plasma area under the curve ratios between P-gp KO and WT mice for the 32 CNS compounds. In addition, 3300 Pfizer compounds were tested in MDR1-MDCK and Mdr1a-MDCK transwell assays, with a good correlation (R 2 ‫؍‬ 0.92) between the efflux ratios in human MDR1-MDCK and mouse Mdr1a-MDCK cells. Permeability data showed that the majority of the 32 CNS compounds have moderate to high passive permeability. This work has demonstrated that in vitro transporter assays help in understanding the role of P-gp-mediated efflux activity in determining the disposition of CNS drugs in vivo, and the transwell assay is a valuable in vitro assay to evaluate human P-gp interaction with compounds for assessing brain penetration of new chemical entities to treat CNS disorders.Human P-glycoprotein (P-gp, MDR1) is known to be a determinant of drug absorption, distribution, and excretion of a number of clinically important drugs (Ambudkar et al., 1999;Fromm, 2000). P-gp is widely expressed in major organs, and, more specifically, P-gp is highly expressed in the capillaries of the blood brain barrier (BBB) and poses a barrier to brain penetration of its substrates (Schinkel, 1999). Given that P-gp efflux liability can be a major hurdle for CNS therapeutic drugs to cross the BBB and reach the target, the interactions of CNS compounds with P-gp may lead to the lack of CNS activity as a result of the decreased brain penetration. Thus, the prediction and understanding of the relevance of P-gp-mediated efflux transport have become important activities in the discovery and development of CNS drugs. In attempts to predict the effects of P-gp in vivo, a variety of in vitro P-gp assays have been developed to classify compounds as P-gp substrates. For instance, transwell-based assays using polarized cell lines such as the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line. The MDCK cell line can be stably transfected with human MDR1 or mouse Mdr1a (MDR1-MDCK or Mdr1a-MDCK, respectively). Comparison of the efflux ratios between MDR1-MDCK and MDCK transwell assays can provide a measure of the specific human P-gp-mediated e...

As part of our effort to increase survival of drug candidates and to move our medicinal chemistry design to higher probability space for success in the Neuroscience therapeutic area, we embarked on a detailed study of the property space for a collection of central nervous system (CNS) molecules. We carried out a thorough analysis of properties for 119 marketed CNS drugs and a set of 108 Pfizer CNS candidates. In particular, we focused on understanding the relationships between physicochemical properties, in vitro ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) attributes, primary pharmacology binding efficiencies, and in vitro safety data for these two sets of compounds. This scholarship provides guidance for the design of CNS molecules in a property space with increased probability of success and may lead to the identification of druglike candidates with favorable safety profiles that can successfully test hypotheses in the clinic.

ABSTRACT:Thirty-two structurally diverse drugs used for the treatment of various conditions of the central nervous system (CNS), along with two active metabolites, and eight non-CNS drugs were measured in brain, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid in the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) knockout mouse model after subcutaneous administration, and the data were compared with corresponding data obtained in wild-type mice. Total brain-to-plasma (B/P) ratios for the CNS agents ranged from 0.060 to 24. Of the 34 CNS-active agents, only 7 demonstrated B/P area under the plasma concentration curve ratios between P-gp knockout and wild-type mice that did not differ significantly from unity. Most of the remaining drugs demonstrated 1.1-to 2.6-fold greater B/P ratios in P-gp knockout mice versus wild-type mice. Three, risperidone, its active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone, and metoclopramide, showed marked differences in B/P ratios between knockout and wild-type mice (6.6-to 17-fold). Differences in B/P ratios and cerebrospinal fluid/ plasma ratios between wild-type and knockout animals were correlated. Through the use of this model, it appears that most CNSactive agents demonstrate at least some P-gp-mediated transport that can affect brain concentrations. However, the impact for the majority of agents is probably minor. The example of risperidone illustrates that even good P-gp substrates can still be clinically useful CNS-active agents. However, for such agents, unbound plasma concentrations may need to be greater than values projected using receptor affinity data to achieve adequate receptor occupancy for effect.Active transport mechanisms as determinants of drug absorption, distribution, and clearance have been the focus of considerable research effort over the past decade. Of the numerous transporter proteins recently investigated, the one for which the greatest amount of knowledge exists is P-glycoprotein (MDR1). Originally described as a transporter involved in imparting drug resistance to tumor cells, P-glycoprotein has been demonstrated to be important in reducing absorption of drugs from the intestinal lumen, in active secretion of drugs into urine and bile, and in extrusion of drugs from vital organs such as the brain and reproductive tissues (Troutman et al., 2002). As such, P-glycoprotein-mediated transport has become an important issue in the discovery and development of new drugs. For example, new compounds that are promising with regard to target receptor/ enzyme activity can be severely hampered in their ability to elicit pharmacological effects in vivo should they be good substrates for P-glycoprotein, especially if the route of administration is intended to be oral or the target tissues is one rich in P-glycoprotein activity. Furthermore, the potential for drug-drug interactions arises in the event that the P-glycoprotein substrate is coadministered with another agent that can inhibit P-glycoprotein.Several models have been developed to assess drugs as P-glycoprotein substrates. In vitro models have included the Caco...

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Oral bioavailability (F) is a product of fraction absorbed (Fa), fraction escaping gut-wall elimination (Fg), and fraction escaping hepatic elimination (Fh). In this study, using a database comprised of Fa, Fg, Fh, and F values for 309 drugs in humans, an analysis of the interrelation of physicochemical properties and the individual parameters was carried out in order to define the physicochemical space for optimum human oral bioavailability. Trend analysis clearly indicated molecular weight (MW), ionization state, lipophilicity, polar descriptors, and free rotatable bonds (RB) influence bioavailability. These trends were due to a combination of effects of the properties on Fa and first-pass elimination (Fg and Fh). Higher MW significantly impacted Fa, while Fg and Fh decreased with increasing lipophilicity. Parabolic trends were observed for bioavailability with polar descriptors. Interestingly, RB has a negative effect on all three parameters, leading to its pronounced effect on bioavailability. In conclusion, physicochemical properties influence bioavailability with typically opposing effects on Fa and first-pass elimination. This analysis may provide a rational judgment on the physicochemical space to optimize oral bioavailability.