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ABSTRACT:Here we report the phase I metabolism of the rationally designed Janus kinase-3 (JAK) inhibitor 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-amino-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (WHI-P131; JANEX-1). JANEX-1 was metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in a regioselective fashion to form the biologically inactive 7-O-demethylation product 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-amino-6-methoxy-7-hydroxyquinazoline (JANEX-1-M). Our molecular modeling studies indicated that the CYP1A family enzymes bind and demethylate JANEX-1 at the C-7 position of the quinazoline ring since the alternative binding conformation with demethylation at the C-6 position would result in a severe steric clash with the binding site residues. The metabolism of JANEX-1 to JANEX-1-M in pooled human liver microsomes followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Acute allergic reactions, also known as immediate (type I) hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis with a potentially fatal outcome, are triggered by three major classes of proinflammatory mediators, namely preformed granule-associated bioactive amines (e.g., histamine, serotonin) and acid hydrolases (e.g., -hexosaminidase), newly synthesized arachidonic acid metabolites (e.g., leukotriene C 4 , prostaglandin D 2 , and platelet activating factor), and a number of proinflammatory vasoactive cytokines [e.g., tumor necrosis factor (TNF 1 )-␣ and interleukin-6] (Galli, 1993). These proinflammatory mediators are released from sensitized mast cells upon activation through the antigen-mediated cross-linking of their high-affinity cell surface IgE receptors/Fc epsilon (⑀) RI (Galli, 1993;Malaviya et al., 1993). IgE receptor/Fc⑀RI is a multimeric receptor with ␣-, -, and homodimeric ␥-chains. Both -and ␥-subunits of the IgE receptor/ Fc⑀RI contain immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs, which allow interaction with protein tyrosine kinases (PTK) and PTK substrates via their SH2 domains (Scharenberg et al., 1995). The engagement of IgE receptors by antigen triggers a cascade of biochemical signal transduction events, including activation of multiple PTK (Scharenberg et al., 1995). The activation of PTK and subsequent tyrosine phosphorylation of their downstream substrates have been implicated in the pathophysiology of type I hypersensitivity reactions (Scharenberg et al., 1995). The elucidation of the PTKdependent signal transduction events that lead to Fc⑀RI-mediated mast cell degranulation and mediator release may provide the basis for the rational design of potent mast cell inhibitors for prevention and treatment of allergic reactions.In a recent study, we found that the IgE/antigen induced degranulation and mediator release are substantially reduced with Jak3 Ϫ/Ϫ mast cells from JAK3-null mice that were generated by targeted disruption of the Jak3 gene in embryonic stem cells , indicating that JAK3 plays a pivotal role in IgE receptor/Fc⑀RI-mediated mast cell responses both in vitro and in vivo. We subsequently reported that treatment...