Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of GSK2336805, an inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A, in healthy subjects and subjects chronically infected with HCV genotype 1.

GSK2336805 is an orally bioavailable hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitor working through an NS5A-mediated mechanism. This first-time-in-human study was conducted to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and efficacy of GSK2336805 in healthy subjects and subjects infected with HCV genotype 1. We performed a three-part, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 46 healthy subjects and 23 HCV-infected subjects. After an overnight fast, healthy subjects received GSK2336805 as 10 mg, 30 mg, 30 mg plus food, and 60 mg in a single dose and 10 mg (7 days), 30 mg (7 days), and 75 mg (14 days) in a once-daily multiple dose. Subjects with HCV received GSK2336805 as a 1- to 120-mg single dose. In subjects with HCV, reductions in HCV RNA were observed within 4 h and a single dose of GSK2336805 of ≥10 mg resulted in a statistically significant ≥2-log reduction in HCV RNA compared with placebo at 24 h postdose. GSK2336805 was readily absorbed in all subjects, and the half-life (t1/2) was suitable for once-daily dosing. Administration of GSK2336805 with food had no effect on plasma GSK2336805 exposure; however, absorption was delayed, with a median tmax (time to maximum concentration of drug in serum) of 4.5 versus 2.0 h. Twenty subjects who received GSK2336805 experienced mild to moderate adverse events; none were serious. GSK2336805 was well tolerated and exhibited rapid, significant antiviral activity after a single dose in HCV-infected subjects. These results support the conduct of further studies evaluating GSK2336805 administered once daily for longer durations in combination with peginterferon, ribavirin, and other direct-acting antivirals. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01277692.).

Solution structure of a duplex DNA with an abasic site in a dA tract.

The presence of dA tracts in DNA can lead to stable curvature of the DNA, and this curvature can be important in gene regulation, DNA packaging, and other processes. Since damage to DNA may eliminate this stable curvature, the solution state structure of the duplex of d(CGCAAAAATGCG) paired with d(CGCATTDTTCCG), with D indicating an abasic site, has been determined. The undamaged DNA bends into the major groove both in solution and in the crystal state. The presence of the abasic site in the dA tract region induces changes in the DNA structure up to four base pairs away from the damaged site. The structure of the DNA is dependent on whether the abasic site is in the alpha or beta hemiacetal form. These consequences are quite different from the more localized effects that have been observed for "normal" DNAs containing abasic sites. Thus, there appears to be a strong sequence dependence of the structural effects of abasic sites just as there is for undamaged DNA. Furthermore, these results indicate that the presence of an abasic site can alter DNA bending and hence is likely to have significant long range effects on gene regulation and other properties that are dependent on the stable curvature of DNA.

Refined solution structure of a DNA heteroduplex containing an aldehydic abasic site.

The solution structure of the DNA duplex d(C1G2C3G4A5D6A7C8G9C10C11)-d (G22C21G20C19T18A17T16G15C14G13-G12), with D indicating a deoxyribose aldehyde abasic site and numbering from 5' to 3', has been determined by the combined use of NMR and restrained molecular dynamics. The 31P and 31P-1H correlation data indicate that the backbones of these duplex DNAs are regular. One- and two-dimensional 1H NMR data indicate that the duplexes are right-handed and B-form. Conformational changes due to the presence of the abasic site extends to the base pairs adjacent to the lesion site with the local conformation of the DNA being dependent on whether the abasic site is in the alpha or beta configuration. When the sugar of the abasic site is in the beta configuration the deoxyribose is within the helix, whereas when the sugar is in the alpha configuration the deoxyribose is out of the helix. The base of residue A17 in the position opposite the abasic site is predominantly stacked in the helix in both cases. A water molecule can apparently form a hydrogen bond bridge between the beta abasic site and A17.

Structure determination and analysis of local bending in an A-tract DNA duplex: comparison of results from crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulation on d(CGCAAAAATGCG).

We have presented a detailed analysis for structure determinations for the DNA duplex d(CGCAAAAATGCG) obtained from X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and molecular dynamics simulation. Each of the structures for the duplex deviates from the structure of the canonical form of B-DNA in a number of observable characteristics. Specifically, the three determinations all contain DNA axis deflections at the junctions of the A-tract with the flanking sequences. The analysis provided shows that the general characteristics of the structures obtained for d(CGCAAAAATGCG) from X-ray, NMR, and MD methods turn out to be quite similar. The extent to which this result can be generalized remains to be established by consideration of similar cross-comparisons on diverse oligonucleotide structures.

Characterization of the effects of a thymine glycol residue on the structure, dynamics, and stability of duplex DNA by NMR.

A duplex DNA containing a single thymine glycol (5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydrothymidine) has been studied by NMR and other methods. Oxidative stress, ionizing radiation, and other causes can induce the oxidation of thymine to thymine glycol. The presence of thymine glycol is known to have significant biological consequences, and there are repair enzymes for thymine glycol in a wide range of organisms. These studies have been carried out on the DNA duplex of d(C1G2C3A4G5Tg6C7A8G9C10C11) paired with d(G22C21G20T19C18A17G16T15C14G13G12), with Tg indicating thymine glycol. The presence of thymine glycol lowers the thermal stability of duplex DNA. The NMR results indicate that thymine glycol induces a large, localized structural change in duplex DNA with the thymine glycol base being extrahelical as well as the opposing base on the complementary strand. This structural information is consistent with the biological consequences of thymine glycol in DNA.

Effects of the presence of an aldehydic abasic site on the thermal stability and rates of helix opening and closing of duplex DNA.

The presence of an abasic site in duplex DNA lowers the thermodynamic stability, as monitored by the optical melting temperature, and decreases the rate of imino proton exchange with water, by about an order of magnitude, as monitored by direct measurement of both the exchange lifetimes and the imino proton T1S. The exchange lifetimes of the imino protons with water as a function of base catalyst concentration were analyzed to determine the origin of the effect of the abasic site on imino exchange lifetimes. Analysis of the results showed that the helix opening rate is not significantly changed by the presence of an abasic site. The differences in exchange lifetimes are attributed to a faster helix closing rate in the presence of an abasic site. The faster rate of helix closing may be an important contribution to the stability of abasic sites in duplex DNA to base-catalyzed elimination reaction. It is noted that duplex DNAs containing analogues of the aldehydic abasic site apparently do not exhibit these exchange lifetime effects.

Regio- and stereo-selective synthesis of carbohydrate isoxazolidines by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to 5,6-dideoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene- alpha-D-xylo-hex-5-enofuranose.

The synthesis of 2-phenyl-3-aryl and 2-phenyl-3-aroyl derivatives 5-(1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-xylo-tetrofuranos-4-yl)isoxazolidi ne (3) from nitrones and 5,6-dideoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-xylo-hex-5- enofuranose (1) is described. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions given mainly anti adducts 3 and 4 (greater than or equal to 95% pi-facial stereoselectivity). The cycloadducts 3 with H-3,5 cis are formed either exclusively or preponderate over the trans diastereoisomers 4.

[Use of nuclear magnetic resonance in the study of hemolytic anemia. Preliminary report]. / Vyuzitie nukleárnej magnetickej rezonancie pri stúdiu hemolytických anémií. Predbezné zdelenie.

Nuclear magnetic resonance is a method which contributes nowadays to further investigations of the phosphate metabolism in red blood cells. By means of 31P nuclear magnetic resonance it is possible to record in intact red cells signals of phosphate compounds as well as changes in their concentrations. In the submitted work the authors followed up the important phosphate compounds in red cells--adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate and inorganic phosphate. They assessed and evaluated by statistical methods spectra of 10 healthy blood donors of different age and sex. The same procedure was used in 6 patients with hereditary spherocytosis, in 6 patients with G-6-PD deficiency and in 4 patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency. The most important changes were recorded in the latter pathological entity, the results being consistent with those obtained by other methods.

[31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the stomach wall following proximal selective vagotomy]. / 31P Kernspinspektroskopie der Magenwand nach proximaler selektiver Vagotomie.

The phosphate metabolism of the gastric wall after proximal selective vagotomy (PSV) was investigated by means of 31P-NMR spectroscopy. The destruction of metabolism has been found just after PSV resulting in a significant decrease of adenosine diphosphates and adenosine triphosphates. 4 and 7 days after PSV the progress of metabolism regeneration was detected, nevertheless with the retardation of high energy phosphates ischemic degradation. The results indicate not only a hydrochloric acid activity reduction but diminution of gastric mucosa protective factors, too. In experimental gastric ulcers no energy phosphates have been found suggesting a mucosa cells necrobiosis.