In the present study, we examined the roles of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and nitric oxide (NO) in the activation of satellite cells in passively stretched rat skeletal muscle. A hindlimb suspension model was developed in which the vastus, adductor, and gracilis muscles were subjected to stretch for 1 h. Satellite cells were activated by stretch determined on the basis of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation in vivo. Extracts from stretched muscles stimulated BrdU incorporation in freshly isolated control rat satellite cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Extracts from stretched muscles contained the active form of HGF, and the satellite cell-activating activity could be neutralized by incubation with anti-HGF antibody. The involvement of NO was investigated by administering nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or the inactive enantiomer N(G)-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester HCl (D-NAME) before stretch treatment. In vivo activation of satellite cells in stretched muscle was not inhibited by D-NAME but was inhibited by L-NAME. The activity of stretched muscle extract was abolished by L-NAME treatment but could be restored by the addition of HGF, indicating that the extract was not inhibitory. Finally, NO synthase activity in stretched and unstretched muscles was assayed in muscle extracts immediately after 2-h stretch treatment and was found to be elevated in stretched muscle but not in stretched muscle from L-NAME-treated rats. The results of these experiments demonstrate that stretching muscle liberates HGF in a NO-dependent manner, which can activate satellite cells.

The present study compared the selectivity of two homologous transport proteins, multidrug and toxin extruders 1 and 2-K (MATE1 and MATE2-K), and developed three-dimensional pharmacophores for inhibitory ligand interaction with human MATE1 (hMATE1). The human orthologs of MATE1 and MATE2-K were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and transport function was determined by measuring uptake of the prototypic organic cation (OC) substrate 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP). Both MATEs had similar apparent affinities for MPP, with K tapp values of 4.4 and 3.7 M for MATE1 and MATE2-K, respectively. Selectivity was assessed for both transporters from IC 50 values for 59 structurally diverse compounds. Whereas the two transporters discriminated markedly between a few of the test compounds, the IC 50 values for MATE1 and MATE2-K were within a factor of 3 for most of them. For hMATE1 there was little or no correlation between IC 50 values and the individual molecular descriptors LogP, total polar surface area, or pK a . The IC 50 values were used to generate a common-features pharmacophore, quantitative pharmacophores for hMATE1, and a Bayesian model suggesting molecular features favoring and not favoring the interaction of ligands with hMATE1. The models identified hydrophobic regions, hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor sites, and an ionizable (cationic) feature as key determinants for ligand binding to MATE1. In summary, using a combined in vitro and computational approach, MATE1 and MATE2-K were found to have markedly overlapping selectivities for a broad range of cationic compounds, including representatives from seven novel drug classes of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs.

Organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) mediates the initial step in renal secretion of organic cations: uptake from the blood, across the basolateral membrane, and into the renal proximal tubule cells. Because of its potential as a target for unwanted drug-drug interactions (DDIs), considerable attention has been directed toward understanding the basis of OCT2 selectivity. These studies typically assess selectivity based on ligand inhibition profiles for OCT2-mediated transport of a probe substrate. However, little attention has been given to the potential influence of the substrate on the profile of ligand inhibition. Here we compared the IC 50 values obtained for a set of structurally distinct inhibitors against OCT2-mediated transport of three structurally distinct substrates: 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP); metformin; and a novel fluorescent substrate, N,N,Ntrimethyl-2-[methyl (7-nitrobenzo[c][l,2,5]oxadiazol-4-yl)amino] ethanaminium iodide (NBD-MTMA). The median IC 50 value for inhibition of MPP transport was 9-fold higher than that for inhibition of metformin transport. Similarly, the median IC 50 value for inhibition of MPP transport was 5-fold higher than that for NBD-MTMA transport. However, this was not a systematic difference in inhibitory efficacy; the ratio of IC 50 values, MPP versus NBD-MTMA, ranged from 88-fold (ipratropium) to 0.3-fold (metformin). These data show that 1) the choice of OCT2 substrate significantly influences both quantitative and qualitative inhibitory interactions with cationic drugs; and 2) ligand interactions with OCT2 are not restricted to competition for a common ligand binding site, consistent with a binding surface characterized by multiple, possibly overlapping interaction sites. Development of predictive models of DDIs with OCT2 must take into account the substrate dependence of ligand interaction with this protein.

Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) transport nucleosides across the blood-testis barrier (BTB). ENTs are of interest to study the disposition of nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in the human male genital tract because of their similarity in structure to nucleosides. HeLa S3 cells express ENT1 and ENT2 and were used to compare relative interactions of these transporters with selected NRTIs. Inhibition of [ 3 H] uridine uptake by NBMPR was biphasic, with IC 50 values of 11.3 nM for ENT1 and 9.6 mM for ENT2. Uptake measured with 100 nM NBMPR represented ENT2-mediated transport; subtracting that from total uptake represented ENT1-mediated transport. The kinetics of ENT1-and ENT2-mediated [ 3 H]uridine uptake revealed no difference in J max (16.53 and 30.40 pmol cm 22 min 21 ) and an eightfold difference in K t (13.6 and 108.9 mM). The resulting fivefold difference in intrinsic clearance (J max /K t ) for ENT1-and ENT2 transport accounted for observed inhibition of [ 3 H]uridine uptake by 100 nM NBMPR. Millimolar concentrations of the NRTIs emtricitabine, didanosine, lamivudine, stavudine, tenofovir disoproxil, and zalcitabine had no effect on ENT transport activity, whereas abacavir, entecavir, and zidovudine inhibited both transporters with IC 50 values of ∼200 mM, 2.5 mM, and 2 mM, respectively. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and [ 3 H] compounds, the data suggest that entecavir is an ENT substrate, abacavir is an ENT inhibitor, and zidovudine uptake is carrier-mediated, although not an ENT substrate. These data show that HeLa S3 cells can be used to explore complex transporter selectivity and are an adequate model for studying ENTs present at the BTB. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThis study characterizes an in vitro model using S-[(4-nitrophenyl) methyl]-6-thioinosine to differentiate between equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT) 1-and ENT2-mediated uridine transport in HeLa cells. This provides a method to assess the influence of nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors on natively expressed transporter function. Determining substrate selectivity of the ENTs in HeLa cells can be effectively translated into the activity of these transporters in Sertoli cells that comprise the blood-testis barrier, thereby assisting targeted drug development of compounds capable of circumventing the blood-testis barrier.

Introduction While adherence to medication in smoking cessation clinical trials is strongly associated with clinical outcome, very few studies have evaluated the validity of pill count as a measure of adherence relative to a biological assay, and evaluated a broad range of correlates of adherence. Methods In a smoking cessation clinical trial of varenicline, we compared pill counts collected over 4 different time periods to varenicline salivary levels taken after 2 weeks of treatment, as well as evaluated predictors of adherence to varenicline. Results Using a binary measure of adherence based on salivary varenicline levels, adherence was higher among older, white, and more educated participants. Relative to 3, 7, and 14-day pill count, 12-week pill count was the only significant measure able to discriminate adherence as defined by salivary varenicline levels (assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve; AUC = .59, p =.004). Seventy-two percent of participants who indicated adherence on 12-week pill count were classified as adherent based on varenicline saliva levels (sensitivity=.80; specificity=.40). There was modest variability in the relationship between 12-week pill count and varenicline levels across race and rate of nicotine metabolism. Lastly, General Estimating Equation models demonstrated that longitudinal changes in withdrawal, craving, negative and positive affect, and side effect count and severity were not related to adherence based on salivary varenicline levels. Conclusions These results indicate that 12-week pill count was the best, albeit a relatively weak, measure of varenicline adherence; additional factors associated with treatment adherence need to be identified.