IIIM-290, a semisynthetic
derivative of natural product rohitukine,
is an orally bioavailable Cdk inhibitor, efficacious in the xenograft
models of colon, pancreatic, and leukemia cancer. Its low aqueous
solubility (∼8.6 μg/mL) could be one of the reasons for
achieving optimal in vivo efficacy relatively at a higher dose. Being
a nitrogenous compound, salt formation was envisaged as one of the
ideal approaches to enhance its solubility and dissolution profile.
Thus, herein, a solubility-guided miniaturized 96-well plate salt
screening protocol was devised for identification of the suitable
salt form of this preclinical candidate. The solubility-guided strategy
has resulted in the identification of hydrochloride as the most favorable
counterion, resulting in 45-fold improvement in aqueous solubility.
The HCl salt was then scaled up at a gram size and characterized using 1H and 13C NMR, scanning electron microscopy, powder
X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, and differential scanning
calorimetry studies. The HCl salt displayed enhancement in the in
vitro dissolution profile as well as improved plasma exposure in the
pharmacokinetic study. The oral administration of the IIIM-290·HCl
salt in BALB/c mice resulted in >1.5-fold improvement in areas
under
the curve, Cmax, and half-life. The prepared
salt also did not alter its cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-2 and Cdk-9
inhibition activity. This biopharmaceutically improved lead has a
potential to investigate further in preclinical studies. The solubility-guided
salt screening strategy implemented herein could be utilized for other
preclinical leads.