ABSTRACT:FTY720 (2-amino-2[2-(-4-octylphenyl)ethyl]propane-1,3-diol hydrochloride) is a new sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist being developed for multiple sclerosis and prevention of solid organ transplant rejection. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model was developed to predict the concentration of FTY720 in various organs of the body. Single oral and intravenous doses of FTY720 were administered to male Wistar rats, with blood and tissue sampling over 360 h analyzed by liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry. A well stirred model (perfusion ratelimited) described FTY720 kinetics in heart, lungs, spleen, muscle, kidneys, bone, and liver, with a permeability rate-limited model being required for brain, thymus, and lymph nodes. Tissue-toblood partition coefficients (R T ) ranged from 4.69 (muscle) to 41.4 (lungs). In lymph nodes and spleen, major sites for FTY720-induced changes in sequestration of lymphocytes, R T values were 22.9 and 34.7, respectively. Permeability-surface area products for brain, thymus, and lymph nodes were 39.3, 122, and 176 ml/min. Intrinsic hepatic clearance was 23,145 l/h/kg for the free drug in blood (f ub 0.000333); systemic clearance was 0.748 l/h/kg and terminal halflife was 23.4 h. The fraction orally absorbed was 71%. The model characterized well FTY720 disposition for this extensive dosing and tissue collection study in the rat. On scaling the model to dogs and humans, good agreement was found between the actual and predicted blood concentration-time profiles. More importantly, brain concentrations in dogs were well predicted from those of the rat. In absolute terms, the predictions were slightly lower than observed values, just under a 1.5-fold deviation, but the model accurately predicted the terminal elimination of FTY720 from the brain.
FTY720 (2-amino-2[2-(-4-octylphenyl)ethyl]propane-1,3-diol hydrochloride) is a new sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist that is being developed for prevention of solid organ transplant rejection (Napoli, 2000). FTY720 exerts its immunomodulatory actions by affecting lymphocyte production (Yagi et al., 2000), trafficking Brinkmann et al., 2000Brinkmann et al., , 2001, infiltration (Yanagawa et al., 2000), and apoptosis (Enosawa et al., 1996;Bohler et al., 2000;Nagahara et al., 2000). The maximum effects of FTY720 on these immune responses are achieved at doses smaller than those producing effects against graft rejection .Regulation of gene expression may also account for pharmacological and toxicological effects of FTY720: for instance, a 26-week pharmacology study in rats using gene chips showed that, at doses of 0.3 and 1.5 mg/kg/day, genes of B and T lymphocyte markers in blood (CD79 and CD3) were down-regulated (Novartis Pharma AG, internal communication).The elimination of FTY720 from the body occurs mainly via metabolism. Two primary pathways metabolize FTY720: 1) phosphorylation at one of its two hydroxy groups (yielding FTY720-P) and 2) hydroxylation at the terminal methyl group (M12) (Novartis Pharma AG, inter...