Bioavailability enhancement of a COX-2 inhibitor, BMS-347070, from a nanocrystalline dispersion prepared by spray-drying.

Spray drying drug with excipients is usually associated with the preparation of microcrystalline or amorphous drug in order to improve bioavailability. It was found that BMS-347070, when spray-dried with Pluronic F127 from acetone or methylene chloride, was dispersed as nanosized crystalline drug within the water-soluble Pluronic matrix. The reduction in drug particle/crystallite size, coupled with wetting by the Pluronic, resulted in a fast-onset formulation with bioavailability comparable to that of a solubilized and a NanoCrystal formulation. For this system, it is theorized that the polyethylene oxide segments of Pluronic crystallize and that the polypropylene oxide segments remain amorphous, providing a size-restricted domain in which the COX-2 drug crystallizes. This results in improved bioavailability while limiting the potential risk of conversion of an amorphous drug to its crystalline state.

70Z/3 Cbl induces PLC gamma 1 activation in T lymphocytes via an alternate Lat- and Slp-76-independent signaling mechanism.

The oncoprotein 70Z/3 Cbl signals in an autonomous fashion or through blockade of endogenous c-Cbl, a negative regulator of signaling. The mechanism of 70Z/3 Cbl-induced signaling was investigated by comparing the molecular requirements for 70Z/3 Cbl- and TCR-induced phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLC gamma 1) activation. 70Z/3 Cbl-induced PLC gamma 1 tyrosine phosphorylation required, in addition to the PLC gamma 1 N-terminal SH2 domain, the C-terminal SH2 and SH3 domains that were dispensable for TCR-induced phosphorylation. Deletion of the leucine zipper of 70Z/3 Cbl did not eliminate 70Z/3 Cbl-induced PLC gamma 1 phosphorylation, suggesting that blockage of c-Cbl via dimerization with 70Z/3 Cbl cannot fully explain 70Z/3 Cbl activating characteristics. The complete elimination of PLC gamma 1 phosphorylation required deleting the SH3 domain-binding region of 70Z/3 Cbl, consistent with 70Z/3 Cbl binding the PLC gamma 1 SH3 domain. 70Z/3 Cbl-induced PLC gamma 1 phosphorylation required Zap-70, as for the TCR, and the tyrosine kinase binding domain of 70Z/3 Cbl, which binds Zap-70, but did not require PLC gamma 1 binding to Lat, a crucial interaction in TCR-induced PLC gamma 1 phosphorylation. Furthermore, 70Z/3 Cbl-induced activation of NFAT, a PLC gamma 1/Ca(2+)-dependent transcriptional event, required Zap-70, but was independent of Slp-76, an adapter required for TCR-induced NFAT activation. These results suggest that 70Z/3 Cbl and PLC gamma 1 form a TCR-, Lat- and Slp-76-independent complex that leads to PLC gamma 1 phosphorylation and activation.