1. The biologic activity of androgens is mediated through the formation of a non-covalent androgen receptor (AR)-steroid complex. Casodex and other antiandrogens inhibit formation of this complex and thus negate the role of endogenous steroids in androgen-dependent growth of prostate. 2. Casodex is currently available as a racemic mixture. The goal of this investigation was to determine the in vitro AR binding affinities of the individual isomers of Casodex. 3. The (R) or (S) isomers of Casodex were synthesized according to the general synthetic scheme proposed by Tucker et al. for (S)-Casodex, using (R) or (S)-proline as the chiral matrix respectively. 4. ARs were isolated from rat ventral prostate tissue by homogenization and differential centrifugation, and used as the receptor source. 5. AR binding studies were conducted by incubation of the cytosol with 1 nM 3H-mibolerone (a synthetic androgen) and increasing concentrations of each isomer (10(-12) - 10(-5) M). Bound radioligand was quantitated by liquid scintillation counting. 6. Ki for (R)-Casodex (11.0 +/- 1.5 nM) was about 30 times lower than that of (S)-Casodex (364 +/- 10 nM). Ki for the racemate was 20.2 +/- 2.0 nM. 7. This study demonstrated that (R)-Casodex has a higher binding affinity than its stereoisomer and suggests that the antiandrogenic activity of racemic Casodex is almost completely due to the (R)-isomer.

The olfactory tubercle (OT), an important component of the ventral striatum and limbic system, is involved in multi-sensory integration of reward-related information in the brain. However, its functional roles are often overshadowed by the neighboring nucleus accumbens. Increasing evidence has highlighted that dense dopamine (DA) innervation of the OT from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is implicated in encoding reward, natural reinforcers, and motivated behaviors. Recent studies have further suggested that OT subregions may have distinct roles in these processes due to their heterogeneous DA transmission. Currently, very little is known about regulation (release and clearance) of extracellular DA across OT subregions due to its limited anatomical accessibility and proximity to other DA-rich brain regions, making it difficult to isolate VTA-DA signaling in the OT with conventional methods. Herein, we characterized heterogeneous VTA-DA regulation in the medial (m) and lateral (l) OT in "wild-type," urethane-anesthetized rats by integrating in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry with cell-type specific optogenetics to stimulate VTA-DA neurons.Channelrhodopsin-2 was selectively expressed in the VTA-DA neurons of wild-type rats and optical stimulating parameters were optimized to determine VTA-DA transmission across the OT. Our anatomical, neurochemical, and pharmacological results show that VTA-DA regulation in the mOT is less dependent on DA transporters and has greater DA transmission than the lOT. These findings establish the OT as a unique, compartmentalized structure and will aid in future behavioral characterization of the roles of VTA-DA signaling in the OT subregions in reward, drug addiction, and encoding behavioral outputs necessary for survival.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) continues to demand improved chemotherapeutic solutions. In order to discover novel chemotherapeutic agents for GBM, we identified novel tetrahydroisoquinoline (THI) analogs as antiglioma agents. The present study reports the design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation of new THI derivatives in four established human glioma cell lines (T98, U87, LN18 and A172). Our structure activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed that the important modification of the carbon linker between the biphenyl and THI ring yielded EDL-360 (12) as a potent antiglioma agent (LN18; IC50: 5.42 ± 0.06 μM) and is considered to be our new lead drug candidate for further preclinical studies.

The diagnosis of lung cancer in pregnancy is rare. Most cases are quite advanced and have dismal outcomes despite treatment. We present the case of a 26-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Stage IIIA (T3N2M0) squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung with lymphoepithelioma-like features at the 18th week of pregnancy. A chest CT revealed a large right hilar mass with obliteration of the right main bronchus and resulting collapse of the right lung with mediastinal shift to the right. A transbronchial biopsy of the mass and a subcarinal lymph node confirmed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with lymphoepithelioma-like features. Brain MRI, PET, and CT scans were negative for distant metastasis. The patient received four cycles of neoadjuvant cisplatin and docetaxel with a complete radiographic response. She delivered a healthy baby girl at 35 weeks gestation. Post-partum, she received radiation to the right hilum and mediastinum as consolidation. The patient continues to remain free of disease more than 16 months after initial diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of lung cancer in pregnancy where there is a complete response to chemotherapy. The histology is also distinct from other reported cases. In addition, this case exemplifies the relative safety and efficacy of chemotherapy during the later stages of pregnancy. As long as a patient is beyond the first trimester of pregnancy, platinum-based doublet chemotherapy may be considered as a feasible treatment option.

Introduction: Methylliberine and theacrine are methylurates found in the leaves of various Coffea species and Camellia assamica var. kucha, respectively. We previously demonstrated that the methylxanthine caffeine increased theacrine’s oral bioavailability in humans. Methods:  Consequently, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacokinetic study in humans administered methylliberine, theacrine, and caffeine to determine methylliberine’s pharmacokinetic interaction potential with either caffeine or theacrine. Subjects received an oral dose of either methylliberine, caffeine, methylliberine plus caffeine, or methylliberine plus theacrine using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. Blood samples were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS.    Results: Methylliberine exhibited linear pharmacokinetics that were unaffected by co-administration of either caffeine or theacrine. However, methylliberine co-administration resulted in decreased oral clearance (41.9 ± 19.5 vs. 17.1 ± 7.80 L/hr) and increased half-life (7.2 ± 5.6 versus 15 ± 5.8 hrs) of caffeine. Methylliberine had no impact on caffeine’s maximum concentration (440 ± 140 vs. 458 ± 93.5 ng/mL) or oral volume of distribution (351 ± 148 vs. 316 ± 76.4 L). Conclusions: We previously demonstrated theacrine bioavailability was enhanced by caffeine, however, caffeine pharmacokinetics were unaffected by theacrine. Herein, we found that methylliberine altered caffeine pharmacokinetics without a reciprocal interaction, which suggests caffeine may interact uniquely with different methylurates.