Long-enduring primary hepatocyte-based co-cultures improve prediction of hepatotoxicity.

The failure of drug candidates during clinical trials and post-marketing withdrawal due to Drug Induced Liver Injury (DILI), results in significant late-stage attrition in the pharmaceutical industry. Animal studies have proven insufficient to definitively predict DILI in the clinic, therefore a variety of in vitro models are being tested in an effort to improve prediction of human hepatotoxicity. The model system described here consists of cryopreserved primary rat, dog or human hepatocytes co-cultured together with a fibroblast cell line, which aids in the hepatocytes' maintenance of more in vivo-like characteristics compared to traditional hepatic mono-cultures, including long term viability and retention of activity of cytochrome P450 isozymes. Cell viability was assessed by measurement of ATP following treatment with 29 compounds having known hepatotoxic liabilities. Hµrelrat™, Hµreldog™, and Hµrelhuman™ hepatic co-cultures were treated for 24h, or under repeat-dosing for 7 or 13days, and compared to rat and human hepatic mono-cultures following single-dose exposure for 24h. The results allowed for a comparison of cytotoxicity, species-specific responses and the effect of repeat compound exposure on the prediction of hepatotoxic potential in each model. Results show that the co-culture model had greater sensitivity compared to that of the hepatic mono-cultures. In addition, "time-based ratios" were determined by dividing the compounds' 24-hour TC50/Cmax values by TC50/Cmax values measured after dosing for either 7 or 13days. The results suggest that this approach may serve as a useful adjunct to traditional measurements of hepatotoxicity, improving the predictive value of early screening studies.

Benign elevations in serum aminotransferases and biomarkers of hepatotoxicity in healthy volunteers treated with cholestyramine.

BACKGROUND: There are currently no serum biomarkers capable of distinguishing elevations in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) that portend serious liver injury potential from benign elevations such as those occurring during cholestyramine treatment. The aim of the research was to test the hypothesis that newly proposed biomarkers of hepatotoxicity would not significantly rise in serum during elevations in serum ALT associated with cholestyramine treatment, which has never been associated with clinically relevant liver injury. METHODS: In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, cholestyramine (8g) was administered for 11 days to healthy adult volunteers. Serum from subjects with elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) exceeding three-fold the upper limit of normal (ULN) were utilized for biomarker quantification. RESULTS: In 11 of 67 subjects, cholestyramine treatment resulted in ALT elevation by >3x ULN (mean 6.9 fold; range 3-28 fold). In these 11 subjects, there was a 22.4-fold mean increase in serum levels of miR-122 relative to baseline, supporting a liver origin of the serum ALT. Significant elevations were noted in mean levels of necrosis biomarkers sorbitol dehydrogenase (8.1 fold), cytokeratin 18 (2.1 fold) and HMGB1 (1.7 fold). Caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18, a biomarker of apoptosis was also significantly elevated (1.7 fold). A rise in glutamate dehydrogenase (7.3 fold) may support mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: All toxicity biomarkers measured in this study were elevated along with ALT, confirming the liver origin and reflecting both hepatocyte necrosis and apoptosis. Since cholestyramine treatment has no clinical liver safety concerns, we conclude that interpretation of the biomarkers studied may not be straightforward in the context of assessing liver safety of new drugs.

The hepatic transcriptome as a window on whole-body physiology and pathophysiology.

Transcriptomics can be a valuable aid to pathologists. The information derived from microarray studies may soon include the entire transcriptomes of most cell types, tissues and organs for the major species used for toxicology and human disease risk assessment. Gene expression changes observed in such studies relate to every aspect of normal physiology and pathophysiology. When interpreting such data, one is forced to look "far from the lamp post:' and in so doing, face one's ignorance of many areas of biology. The central role of the liver in toxicology, as well as in many aspects of whole-body physiology, makes the hepatic transcriptome an excellent place to start your studies. This article provides data that reveals the effects of fasting and circadian rhythm on the rat hepatic transcriptome, both of which need to be kept in mind when interpreting large-scale gene expression in the liver. Once you become comfortable with evaluating mRNA expression profiles and learn to correlate these data with your clinical and morphological observations, you may wonder why you did not start your studies of transcriptomics sooner. Additional study data can be viewed at the journal website at (www.toxpath.org). Two data files are provided in Excel format, which contain the control animal data from each of the studies referred to in the text,including normalized signal intensity data for each animal (n=5) in the 6-hour, 24-hour, and 5-day time points. These files are briefly described in the associated 'Readme' file, and the complete list of GenBank numbers and Affymetrix IDs are provided in a separate txt file. These files are available at http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.comlopenurl.asp?genre=journal&issn=0192-6233. Click on the issue link for 33(1), then select this article. A download option appears at the bottom of this abstract. In order to access the full article online, you must either have an individual subscription or a member subscription accessed through (www.toxpath.org).

Complementary roles for toxicologic pathology and mathematics in toxicogenomics, with special reference to data interpretation and oscillatory dynamics.

Toxicogenomics is an emerging multidisciplinary science that will profoundly impact the practice of toxicology. New generations of biologists, using evolving toxicogenomics tools, will generate massive data sets in need of interpretation. Mathematical tools are necessary to cluster and otherwise find meaningful structure in such data. The linking of this structure to gene functions and disease processes, and finally the generation of useful data interpretation remains a significant challenge. The training and background of pathologists make them ideally suited to contribute to the field of toxicogenomics, from experimental design to data interpretation. Toxicologic pathology, a discipline based on pattern recognition, requires familiarity with the dynamics of disease processes and interactions between organs, tissues, and cell populations. Optimal involvement of toxicologic pathologists in toxicogenomics requires that they communicate effectively with the many other scientists critical for the effective application of this complex discipline to societal problems. As noted by Petricoin III et al (Nature Genetics 32, 474-479, 2002), cooperation among regulators, sponsors and experts will be essential for realizing the potential of microarrays for public health. Following a brief introduction to the role of mathematics in toxicogenomics, "data interpretation" from the perspective of a pathologist is briefly discussed. Based on oscillatory behavior in the liver, the importance of an understanding of mathematics is addressed, and an approach to learning mathematics "later in life" is provided. An understanding of pathology by mathematicians involved in toxicogenomics is equally critical, as both mathematics and pathology are essential for transforming toxicogenomics data sets into useful knowledge.

Promotion of colon tumors in C57BL/6J-APC(min)/+ mice by thiazolidinedione PPARgamma agonists and a structurally unrelated PPARgamma agonist.

Thiazolidinedione PPARgamma agonists (troglitazone and rosiglitazone) were previously shown to promote colon tumor formation in C57BL/6J-APC(min)/+ mice, a model for human familial adenomatous polyposis. This study was conducted to determine if another thiazolidinedione PPARgamma agonist, pioglitazone, and a PPARgamma agonist structurally unrelated to the thiazolidinedione family, NID525, (a tetrazole-substituted phenoxymethylquinolone), would also promote colon tumors in this mouse model. Mice were treated in-feed with the thiazolidinediones troglitazone (150 mg/kg/day), rosiglitazone (20 mg/kg/day), or pioglitazone (150 mg/kg/day), or with NID525 (150 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. An increased incidence in colon tumors compared to controls was observed for all of the thiazolidinedione-treated groups as well as the NID525-treated group. These results indicate that the tumor-promoting effect of PPARgamma agonists in the colon of C57BL/6J-APC(min)/+ mice is likely related to the pharmacological activity of this group of drugs and not the thiazolidinedione structure.

Potent quinoxaline-based inhibitors of PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Part 2: the synthesis and biological activities of RPR127963 an orally bioavailable inhibitor.

RPR127963 demonstrates an excellent pharmacokinetic profile in several species and was found to be efficacious in the prevention of restenosis in a Yucatan mini-pig model upon oral administration of 1-5 mg/kg. The in vitro selectivity profile and SAR of the highly optimized PDGF-R tyrosine kinase inhibitor are highlighted.