The clinical pharmacokinetics and in vitro inhibition of digoxin were examined to predict the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) component of drug-drug interactions. Coadministered drugs (co-meds) in clinical trials (N = 123) resulted in a small, 0.1 is predictive of clinical digoxin interactions (AUC and C(max)).

1. UK-343,664 is a potent and specific PDE5 inhibitor. Following single oral doses to human volunteers, it exhibited non-proportional pharmacokinetics over the dose range 30-800 mg. Over this 27-fold dose range, Cmax and AUCt increased 247- and 287-fold respectively. The half-life (4-6 h) was similar at all doses. No systemic exposure was quantifiable at doses <10 mg. 2. UK-343,664 is a lipophilic molecule (log D7.4 = 3.1) and as such is expected to be cleared mainly by metabolism. Based on studies with expressed human P450 enzymes it was concluded that the metabolism of UK-343,664 was predominantly mediated by CYP3A4. With a moderate Km = 76 microM for this enzyme, saturation of first-pass metabolism alone was considered unlikely to account for the non-proportional pharmacokinetics. 3. UK-343,664 showed high affinity for P-glycoprotein in vitro, with a Km = 7.3 microM. In transport studies in LLC-PK1 cell monolayers transfected with P-glycoprotein, UK343,664 showed marked polarized transport which was concentration dependent. 4. The high affinity of UK-343,664 for P-glycoprotein is considered to be the primary source of the non-proportional pharmacokinetic profile observed in man.

Noncollagenous matrix proteins (NCPs) of dental hard tissues (dentin, cementum) are involved, both temporally and spatially, in the mineralization of their collagen matrices. Two of the NCPs thought to initiate mineral nucleation and control crystal growth in dentin, are dentin phosphoproteins (DPP) and dentin sialoprotein (DSP). Control of crystal growth would depend on the binding capacity of these two molecules, which may be related to the charge domains on the crystals and/or the phosphorylation of the protein. Phosphophoryn (a highly phosphorylated DPP) and DSP were isolated, purified, and characterized from the immature root apicies of human teeth. Dephosphorylation of phosphophoryn was carried out using bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase. Enamel crystals were prepared from the maturation stage of developing rat incisor enamel. Protein-coated crystals were prepared for viewing in an atomic force microscope fluid cell using tapping mode. Desorption of the proteins was achieved using a phosphate buffer and surface roughness measurements were obtained from all specimens. Time-lapsed images of the crystals showed "nanospheres" of protein distributed along the crystals but only the phosphophoryn-coated crystals showed a distinctive banding pattern, which was still visible after the phosphate desorption experiments. The surface roughness measurements were statistically greater (P <0.01) when compared to the control for only the phosphophoryn-coated specimens. It is hypothesized that the phosphophoryn binding may be associated with charge arrays on the crystal surface and its phosphorylation. Also, based on its affinity for the crystalsurfaces, phosphophoryn seems the most likely candidate for controlling dentin crystal growth and morphology.

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Adverse drug reactions are a major clinical problem. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity constitutes a large percentage of these reactions. A thorough understanding of the genetic events, specifically, the early "decision-making" processes underlying biological changes caused by drugs and metabolites, is required. To assist in the understanding of these events, we have employed the model hepatotoxin, paracetamol (APAP), and GeneChip technology to investigate global genetic events seen after nontoxic and toxic doses in the mouse. Mice were dosed [vehicle, nontoxic APAP (1 mmol/kg), and toxic APAP (3.5 mmol/kg)], and individual hepatic RNA samples were hybridized to separate chips to determine interanimal variation. Statistical analysis detected 175 CD-1 mouse genes that were significantly regulated (P < 4.1 x 10(-6)), and nonsignificant genes were discarded. For clarity, the significantly regulated genes were then binned into categories according to their major function-antioxidant, glutathione, metabolism, transcription, immune, and apoptosis. There was no hepatic stress observed after dosing 1 mmol/kg APAP, when measured by serum alanine aminotransferase levels. Hepatic toxicity was observed at both 4 and 24 h after a 3.5 mmol/kg dose of APAP. Time course expression profiles for selected genes have been created. These results demonstrate that most active gene expression occurs around 4 h after a toxic dose of APAP. Down-regulation of these genes is observed over 24 h, coinciding with the development of overt toxicity. These data provide a deeper understanding of the in vivo time course of physiological responses of the liver to chemical stress and provide a logical step forward for the investigation of new chemical entities demonstrated positive in chemically reactive metabolite screens. The complete data set can be viewed at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress/. The accession number is E-MEXP-82.