No abstract

Further definition of the metalloporphyrin mechanism of action, side-by-side comparison with "failed" antioxidants, and intense effort to optimize therapeutic dosing strategies are required to inform and encourage clinical trial design.

Drug-induced gingival overgrowth, the chronic side effect of calcium antagonists, is frequently seen due to the increase in patients with hypertension, although the etiology of the disease is largely unknown. I-cell disease, which accompanies gingival overgrowth, is characterized by a deficiency in UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine and is classified as one of the lysosomal storage diseases. Here, we hypothesized that a common mechanism may underlie the etiology of gingival overgrowth seen in patients treated with calcium antagonist and in patients with I-cell disease. A calcium antagonist, nifedipine, specifically suppressed cathepsin-L activity and mRNA expression, but not that of cathepsin-B in cultured gingival fibroblasts. The activity of cathepsin-L was suppressed up to 50% at 24 hours after treatment of the cells with the reagent. The selective suppression of cathepsin-L activity appeared not to be dependent on Ca(2+), since treatment of the cells with thapsigargin suppressed both cathepsin-B and -L activity. Mice deficient in the cathepsin-L gene manifested enlarged gingivae. Histological observation of the gingivae demonstrated typical features of acanthosis, a phenotype very similar to that of experimentally induced gingival overgrowth. Since cathepsin-L deficiency was reported to be associated with thickening of the skin, impaired cathepsin-L activity may play a key role in the establishment of skin and gingival abnormalities seen in I-cell disease. In addition, reduced cathepsin-L activity may play an important role in inducing drug-induced gingival overgrowth.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), efficacious in preclinical models of acute central nervous system injury, is burdened by administration of full-length proteins. A multiinstitutional consortium investigated the efficacy of BB3, a small molecule with HGF-like activity that crosses the blood-brain barrier in rodent focal ischemic stroke using Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) and Good Laboratory Practice guidelines. In rats, BB3, begun 6 hours after temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) reperfusion, or permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) onset, and continued for 14 days consistently improved long-term neurologic function independent of sex, age, or laboratory. BB3 had little effect on cerebral infarct size and no effect on blood pressure. BB3 increased HGF receptor c-Met phosphorylation and synaptophysin expression in penumbral tissue consistent with a neurorestorative mechanism from HGF-like activity. In mouse tMCAO, BB3 starting 10 minutes after reperfusion and continued for 14 days improved neurologic function that persisted for 8 weeks in some, but not all measures. Study in animals with comorbidities and those exposed to common stroke drugs are the next steps to complete preclinical assessment. These data, generated in independent, masked, and rigorously controlled settings, are the first to suggest that the HGF pathway can potentially be harnessed by BB3 for neurologic benefit after ischemic stroke.