Chronopharmacological study of KE-SI-TO in mice

[Development of new chronopharmacotherapies based on biological rhythm]

The mammalian circadian pacemaker resides in the paired suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Clock genes are the genes that control the circadian rhythms of physiology and behavior. The effectiveness and toxicity of many drugs vary depending on dosing time associated with 24-h rhythms of biochemical, physiological, and behavioral processes under the control of the circadian clock. However, many drugs are still administered without regard to the time of day. Identification of a rhythmic marker for selecting dosing time will lead to improved progress and diffusion of chronopharmacotherapy. The monitoring of rhythmic markers may be useful in choosing the most appropriate time of day for administration of drugs and may increase their therapeutic effects and/or reduce their side effects. On the other hand, several drugs can cause alterations in 24-h rhythms, leading to illness and altered homeostatic regulation. Here, we show the disruptive effect of interferon on the rhythm of locomotor activity, body temperature, and clock gene mRNA expression in the periphery and SCN. The alteration of the clock function, a new concept of adverse effects, can be overcome by devising a dosing schedule that minimizes adverse drug effects on clock function. Furthermore, to produce new rhythmicity by manipulating the conditions of living organs using rhythmic administration of altered feeding schedules or several drugs appears to lead to the new concept of chronopharmacotherapy. One approach to increasing the efficiency of pharmacotherapy is administering drugs at times during which they are best effective and/or tolerated.

Chronopharmacological study of KE-SI-TO components in mice

Influence of dosing time on pharmacological effects and toxicity of KE-SI-TO (KST) components, as well as the role of each component in the circadian rhythms of KST, was investigated in ICR male mice under an LD (12:12) cycle. The mice given Cinnamomi Cortex (258 mg/kg, i.p.) or Paeoniae Radix (258 mg/kg, i.p.) showed a significant circadian rhythm in the time spent on the hot plate with the shortest latency at 0900 and the longest one at 0100 (p<0.01, respectively). The mice given Cinnamomi Cortex or Glycyrrhizae Radix (129 mg/kg, i.p.) showed a significant circadian rhythm with the lowest rectal temperature (RT) at 1700 and the highest one at 0500 (p<0.01, respectively). Cinnamomi Cortex (850 mg/kg, i.p.)- or Glycyrrhizae Radix (2500 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced toxicity showed a significant circadian rhythm with the highest mortality at 1700 and the lowest one at 0500 (p<0.05, respectively). The rhythmic patterns of the drug-induced analgesia, hypothermia and toxicity resembled the overall rhythms occurring after KST (1000 or 6000 mg/kg, i.p.) injection. These results suggest that the circadian rhythms in actions of Cinnamomi Cortex, Paeoniae Radix and Glycyrrhizae Radix are mainly responsible for the rhythm in the effects and toxicity of KST.

Influence of dosing time on pharmacological action of G-CSF in mice

The role of the susceptibility of living organisms and the pharmacokinetics of G-CSF on the rhythm of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) activity was investigated. ICR male mice were housed in a standardized light-dark cycle (lights on at 0700, off at 1900) with food and water ad libitum. The leukocyte counts at 2 and 24 hr after G-CSF (250 microg/kg, i.v.) injection were significantly higher in mice injected with the drug at 0700 than at 1900 (p<0.01, respectively). The higher leukocyte-increasing effect corresponded to drug dosing at the time in which the granulocyte colony formation stimulated by G-CSF and DNA synthesis increased and the lower effect corresponded to drug dosing at the time in which they decreased. The rhythmicity corresponded to that in plasma G-CSF concentration. The present study suggests that the rhythm of G-CSF activity is caused by that of the sensitivity of bone marrow cells to the drug and the pharmacokinetics of the drug.

Circadian rhythm of fever induced by interferon-alpha in mice

The influence of dosing time on the fever induced by interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was investigated in ICR male mice under light-dark cycle. There was a significant circadian rhythm in rectal temperature, as an index of fever, at 1 hr after IFN-alpha (10 MIU/kg, i.v.) injection. The rhythmic pattern resembled overall the rhythm occurring in the nondrugged state. IFN-alpha increased rectal temperature during the light phase, but not during the dark phase. The fever induced by IFN-alpha was blocked by indomethacin (10 mg/kg, i.p.) pretreatment. There was no significant difference of plasma IFN-alpha concentrations at 0.167, 0.5 and 1 hr after IFN-alpha injection. Therefore the dosing time dependent difference of fever induced by IFN-alpha may be caused via that of PGE2 level elevated by IFN-alpha. The choice of the most appropriate time of day for drug administration may help to achieve rational chronotherapeutics of IFN-alpha.