Physical chemical characterization of drug substances

A new polymorph of Cd3B2O6: synthesis, crystal structure and phase transformation

A new high-temperature phase of Cd₃B₂O₆ (β-Cd₃B₂O₆) has been discovered and the phase transformation process between α- and β-Cd₃B₂O₆ was investigated.

A novel p38 alpha MAPK inhibitor suppresses brain proinflammatory cytokine up-regulation and attenuates synaptic dysfunction and behavioral deficits in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model

Background

An accumulating body of evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that excessive or prolonged increases in proinflammatory cytokine production by activated glia is a contributor to the progression of pathophysiology that is causally linked to synaptic dysfunction and hippocampal behavior deficits in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). This raises the opportunity for the development of new classes of potentially disease-modifying therapeutics. A logical candidate CNS target is p38α MAPK, a well-established drug discovery molecular target for altering proinflammatory cytokine cascades in peripheral tissue disorders. Activated p38 MAPK is seen in human AD brain tissue and in AD-relevant animal models, and cell culture studies strongly implicate p38 MAPK in the increased production of proinflammatory cytokines by glia activated with human amyloid-beta (Aβ) and other disease-relevant stressors. However, the vast majority of small molecule drugs do not have sufficient penetrance of the blood-brain barrier to allow their use as in vivo research tools or as therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that brain p38α MAPK is a potential in vivo target for orally bioavailable, small molecules capable of suppressing excessive cytokine production by activated glia back towards homeostasis, allowing an improvement in neurologic outcomes.

Methods

A novel synthetic small molecule based on a molecular scaffold used previously was designed, synthesized, and subjected to analyses to demonstrate its potential in vivo bioavailability, metabolic stability, safety and brain uptake. Testing for in vivo efficacy used an AD-relevant mouse model.

Results

A novel, CNS-penetrant, non-toxic, orally bioavailable, small molecule inhibitor of p38α MAPK (MW01-2-069A-SRM) was developed. Oral administration of the compound at a low dose (2.5 mg/kg) resulted in attenuation of excessive proinflammatory cytokine production in the hippocampus back towards normal in the animal model. Animals with attenuated cytokine production had reductions in synaptic dysfunction and hippocampus-dependent behavioral deficits.

Conclusion

The p38α MAPK pathway is quantitatively important in the Aβ-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines in hippocampus, and brain p38α MAPK is a viable molecular target for future development of potential disease-modifying therapeutics in AD and related neurodegenerative disorders.

Pharmaceutical evaluation of early development candidates “the 100 mg-approach”

Early development candidates are often selected for pre-clinical and clinical development based primarily on pharmacological and toxicological data. In order to choose the best compounds from a biopharmaceutical point of view, physicochemical parameters such as solubility, dissolution rate, hygroscopicity, lipophilicity, pKa, stability, polymorphism and particle characteristics need to be evaluated as early as possible and above all with the highest accuracy. However, the low amounts of drug substance available in early development often compromise data quality, and therefore, hamper an early pharmaceutical assessment. This article summarises the Aventis approach on early pharmaceutical compound profiling with the aim of providing a high quality assessment requiring not more than 100 mg of drug substance. In particular, the evaluation criteria, process and miniaturised analytical technology that can be applied for this purpose are discussed.

Synthesis of aza polycyclic compounds derived from pyrrolidine, indolizidine, and indole via intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloadditions of neutral 2-azadienes

A method for the preparation of novel oxaza and diaza polycyclic 9-oxa-4-azaphenanthrene, 5H-pyrido[2,3-a]pyrrolizine, 5H,6H-pyrido[3,2-g]indolizine, and 5H,6H-indeno[2,1-a]indole is described, based on tandem reactions: aza-Wittig reaction of N-vinylic phosphazenes with functionalized aldehydes and an intramolecular aza-Diels-Alder reaction.

Quinone methide phosphodiester alkylations under aqueous conditions

A detailed analysis of the alkylation of phosphodiesters with a p-quinone methide under aqueous conditions has been accomplished. The relative rates of phosphodiester alkylation and hydrolysis have been examined by (1)H NMR analysis of the reaction of 2,6-dimethyl-p-quinone methide in a buffered diethyl phosphate/acetonitrile solution (1:9 v/v, pH 4.0). The rate of hydrolysis of the quinone methide was confirmed by UV analysis in 28.5% solutions of aqueous inorganic phosphate in acetonitrile at pH 4.0 and 7.0. Similarly, the rate of phosphodiester alkylations by the quinone methide was also confirmed by UV analysis in 28.5% solutions of aqueous dibenzyl, dibutyl, or diethyl phosphate in acetonitrile at pH 4.0 and 7.0. These kinetic studies further establish that the phosphodiester alkylation reactions are acid-catalyzed, second-order processes. The rate constant for phosphodiester alkylation was found to range from approximately 370-3700 times the rate constant of quinone methide hydrolysis with diethyl and dibenzyl phosphate, respectively (pH 4.0, 28.5% aqueous acetonitrile).

Recognizing molecules with drug-like properties

A variety of successful approaches to the problem of recognizing 'drug-like' molecules have been employed. These range from simple counting schemes such as the Lipinski 'rule of five' to the analysis of the multidimensional 'chemistry space' occupied by drugs, to neural network learning systems. With this variety of tools, it now appears possible to design libraries that are enriched in compounds which have desirable or 'drug-like' properties. Verifying the robustness of these methods, and extending them, will form the basis of research in this field during the next few years.