The selective M-CSF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ki20227 suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), can be induced by the immunization of mice with myelin antigens in the form of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is required for the development of individual mononuclear phagocyte populations and is involved in the immune response. We previously reported that Ki20227 (N-{4-[(6,7-dimethoxy-4-quinolyl)oxy]-2-methoxyphenyl}-N'-[1-(1,3-thiazole-2-yl)ethyl]urea) is a highly selective M-CSF receptor (c-fms) tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In our current study, we investigated whether Ki20227 has suppressive effects upon EAE and indeed found that this drug significantly reduced the severity of this disease both preventively and therapeutically. Notably also, Ki20227 treatments inhibited the turn-over/expansion of myeloid cells provoked by the immunization and subsequent MOG-specific T cell responses in our EAE animal model. These findings suggest that M-CSF plays a pivotal role in the development of EAE and that Ki20227 and its derivatives may be candidate drugs for the treatment of human MS.

The orally-active and selective c-Fms tyrosine kinase inhibitor Ki20227 inhibits disease progression in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model.

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is important in the development of macrophages and osteoclasts. Previous studies have also shown that CD11b(+) myeloblasts and osteoclasts play key roles during inflammation and bone destruction in arthritic lesions. In this study, we investigated whether N-{4-[(6,7-dimethoxy-4-quinolyl)oxy]-2-methoxyphenyl}-N'-[1-(1,3-thiazole-2-yl)ethyl] urea (Ki20227), an inhibitor of the M-CSF receptor (c-Fms), suppressed disease progression in a type II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model. We found that Ki20227 inhibited M-CSF-dependent reactions, such as lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha production, which were enhanced by M-CSF in vitro. Oral administration of Ki20227 in vivo prevented inflammatory cell infiltration and bone destruction, and consequently suppressed disease progression. In addition, the number of CD11b(+), Gr-1(+), and Ly-6G(+) cells in the spleen decreased in the Ki20227-treated mice, and the CII-induced cytokine production in splenocytes isolated from the Ki20227-treated arthritic mice was also reduced. These observations indicate that Ki20227 might exert its therapeutic effects in the CIA mouse model by suppressing the M-CSF-dependent accumulation of both inflammatory and osteoclast cells, as well as by inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production. Hence, inhibitors of the c-Fms tyrosine kinase might act as anti-inflammatory or anti-osteolytic agents against arthritis.