Apparent absolute oral bioavailability in excess of 100% for a vitronectin receptor antagonist (SB-265123) in rat. I. Investigation of potential experimental and mechanistic explanations.

1. SB-265123 is a novel alphavbeta3 (the vitronectin receptor) antagonist. Previous rat studies with it revealed an apparent absolute oral bioavailability (Fapp) of greater than 100%. The present studies were conducted to investigate the potential causes for this observation. 2. Of 49 SB-265123 analogues evaluated in rat using an identical experimental design, Fapp > 100% was observed for 22 of them, suggesting that the observed Fapp >100% with SB-265123 was not anomalous. All 22 compounds had clearances < 15 ml min(-1) kg(-1). However, Fapp>100% were not recorded for all low-clearance analogues. 3. Using SB-265123 as a model to investigate potential artefacts, it was demonstrated that using a chiral assay did not decrease Fapp. Additionally, qualitative sample analysis demonstrated that no metabolites were present in the plasma that could interfere with the liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection assay. The high Fapp was also dose-order-, delivery system- and vehicle-independent, and was not affected by the feeding status of the animals. Furthermore, a linearity experiment and an absorption study indicated that oral administration of SB-265123 does not result in hepatic portal vein concentrations that exceed the pharmacokinetic linearity of SB-265123. 4. These observations suggest that the observed Fapp > 100% for SB-265123 is not due to an experimental artefact or an obvious pharmacokinetic non-linearity. The mechanism(s) for this phenomenon is explored further in the second part of the present paper.

Apparent absolute oral bioavailability in excess of 100% for a vitronectin receptor antagonist (SB-265123) in rat. II. Studies implicating transporter-mediated intestinal secretion.

1. Transporters have been increasingly identified as a factor in limiting the oral bioavailability of certain drugs. Previously, the present authors investigated a compound (SB-265123) with an apparent absolute oral bioavailability (Fapp) consistently > 100%, and excluded likely artefactual causes for this observation, as well as standard considerations of non-stationary or non-linear pharmacokinetics. The data led the authors to believe that SB-265123 might be a transporter substrate in the rat, and it was hypothesized that transporter interactions might be responsible for the observed Fapp > 100%. 2. In the present study, a model was proposed incorporating rapid and complete absorption and elimination by a saturable intestinal secretory pathway. Intestinal secretion was demonstrated for SB-265123 using a rat single-pass intestinal perfusion technique. In addition, in a study employing both independent and simultaneous intravenous and oral administration of SB-265123, exposure to SB-265123 was greater than additive on joint intravenous and oral administration, lending further support to the hypothesis of a saturable transporter. Furthermore, in a study with co-administration of GF120918A, a transporter inhibitor, the observed Fapp for SB-265123 was only 84 +/- 17%, providing additional evidence for transporter involvement in the >100% Fapp phenomenon. 3. Experience with SB-265123 illustrates a counterintuitive impact of transporters on oral bioavailability and highlights the importance of considering transporter interactions in the systemic disposition of xenobiotics, even those not demonstrating low oral bioavailability.

SB-242235, a selective inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. I: preclinical pharmacokinetics.

1. SB-242235 (1-(4-piperidinyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-(2-methoxy-4-pyrimidinyl) imidazole) is a potent and selective p38 MAP kinase inhibitor that may be an effective therapy for cytokine-mediated diseases such as autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. The present studies were conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of SB-242235 in several preclinical species, including rat, dog and monkey. 2. SB-242235 demonstrates generally favourable pharmacokinetic properties in all species examined. Systemic plasma clearance was high in rat, but in the non-rodent species SB-242235 demonstrated low to moderate clearance with plasma half-lives > 4h. Oral bioavailability in each preclinical species was high. In rat and monkey, SB-242235 demonstrated non-linear elimination kinetics that manifested as a decrease in clearance with increasing dose and apparent oral bioavailability > 100% at high oral doses. Furthermore, SB-242235 displayed concentration-dependent plasma protein binding over a concentration range of 1000-10,000 ng ml(-1). 3. In conclusion, SB-242235 demonstrates high oral bioavailability across the major preclinical species, and may thus be a useful tool compound for investigation of the role of p38 inhibition in various disease states. However, the observations of non-linear protein binding and disposition also suggest the need for caution in the design of and data interpretation from such studies.

SB-239063, a potent and selective inhibitor of p38 map kinase: preclinical pharmacokinetics and species-specific reversible isomerization.

PURPOSE: A series of studies was conducted to evaluate the preclinical pharmacokinetics of SB-239063 (trans-1-(4-hydroxycyclohexyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-[(2-methoxy)pyrimidin-4-yl] imidazole), a potent and selective p38 MAP kinase inhibitor. METHODS: SB-239063 was administered both i.v. and p.o. in the rat, dog, cynomolgus monkey, and rhesus monkey, with standard pharmacokinetic parameters generated from the concentration vs. time data. RESULTS: Initial rat studies suggested possible nonlinear disposition, however, assay refinement revealed an in vivo trans-cis isomerization of SB-239063 to a metabolite with nearly identical chromatographic and mass spectral properties. SB-239063 exhibited low to moderate clearance and good bioavailability in the rat and dog, but poor bioavailability in the cynomolgus monkey. Substantial in vivo trans-cis isomerization occurred in the rat and cynomolgus monkey, but occurred to a far lesser extent in the dog. The isomerization reaction was reversible, with a recycled fraction of 0.20 and 0.0003 in the rat and cynomolgus monkey, respectively. In the rhesus monkey, bioavailability was also poor. but no in vivo isomerization was observed. Conclusions. These studies demonstrate the necessity of exercising vigilance in conducting high-throughput analytical method development, and the importance of using a variety of preclinical species when evaluating the disposition of new drug candidates.

Preclinical pharmacokinetics and interspecies scaling of a novel vitronectin receptor antagonist.

Allometric scaling may be used in drug development to predict the pharmacokinetics of xenobiotics in humans from animal data. Although allometry may be successful for compounds that are excreted unchanged or that are oxidatively metabolized (with corrections for metabolic capacity), it has been more challenging for compounds excreted primarily as conjugates in bile. (S)-10, 11-Dihydro-3-[3-(pyridin-2-ylamino)-1-propyloxy]-5H-dibenzo[ a, d]cycloheptene-10-acetic acid (SB-265123) is a novel alphavbeta3 ("vitronectin receptor") antagonist. In this study, the in vivo pharmacokinetics and in vitro plasma protein binding of SB-265123 were examined in four species: mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys. In monkeys and dogs, SB-265123 exhibited moderate clearance, whereas low clearance (<20% hepatic blood flow) was observed in the rat, and high clearance (>70% hepatic blood flow) was seen in the mouse. The concentration-time profiles indicated the possibility of enterohepatic recirculation; subsequent studies in bile duct-cannulated rats demonstrated extensive biliary excretion of an acyl-glucuronide of SB-265123. In allometric scaling to predict the disposition of SB-265123 in humans, various standard correction factors were applied, including protein binding, maximum lifespan potential, and brain weight; each failed to produce adequate interspecies scaling of clearance (r(2) < 0.72). Consequently, a novel correction factor incorporating bile flow and microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity in each species was applied, demonstrating substantial improvement in the correlation of the allometric plot (r(2) = 0.96). This study demonstrates a novel allometric correction that may be applicable to compounds that undergo conjugation and biliary excretion.

Orally bioavailable nonpeptide vitronectin receptor antagonists with efficacy in an osteoporosis model.

A new series of potent nonpeptide vitronectin receptor antagonists, based on a novel carbocyclic Gly-Asp mimetic, has been discovered. A representative of this series, SB 265123 (4), has 100% oral bioavailability in rats, and is orally active in vivo in the ovariectomized rat model of osteoporosis.