Of the thousands of novel compounds that a drug discovery project team invents and that bind to the therapeutic target, typically only a fraction of these have sufficient ADME/Tox properties to become a drug product. Understanding ADME/Tox is critical for all drug researchers, owing to its increasing importance in advancing high quality candidates to clinical studies and the processes of drug discovery. If the properties are weak, the candidate will have a high risk of failure or be less desirable as a drug product. This book is a tool and resource for scientists engaged in, or preparing for, the selection and optimization process. The authors describe how properties affect in vivo pharmacological activity and impact in vitro assays. Individual drug-like properties are discussed from a practical point of view, such as solubility, permeability and metabolic stability, with regard to fundamental understanding, applications of property data in drug discovery and examples of structural modifications that have achieved improved property performance. The authors also review various methods for the screening (high throughput), diagnosis (medium throughput) and in-depth (low throughput) analysis of drug properties. * Serves as an essential working handbook aimed at scientists and students in medicinal chemistry * Provides practical, step-by-step guidance on property fundamentals, effects, structure-property relationships, and structure modification strategies * Discusses improvements in pharmacokinetics from a practical chemist's standpoint

Drug-Like Properties: Concepts, Structure Design and Methods from ADME to Toxicity Optimization

For about half a century, the binding of drugs to plasma albumin, the “silent receptor,” has been recognized as one of the major determinants of drug action, distribution, and disposition. In the last decade, the binding of drugs, especially but not exclusively basic entities, to another plasma protein, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), has increasingly become important in this regard. The present review points out that hundreds of drugs with diverse structures bind to this glycoprotein. Although plasma concentration of AAG is much lower than that of albumin, AAG can become the major drug binding macromolecule in plasma with significant clinical implications. Also, briefly reviewed are the physiological, pathological, and genetic factors that influence binding, the role of AAG in drug-drug interactions, especially the displacement of drugs and endogenous substances from AAG binding sites, and pharmacokinetic and clinical consequences of such interactions. It can be predicted that in the fulture, rapid auto...

Human alpha-1-glycoprotein and its interactions with drugs

Drug-protein binding studies new trends in analytical and experimental methodology

Effects of renal failure on drug transport and metabolism

The interactions between polyphenols, especially flavonoids and plasma proteins, have attracted great interest among researchers. Few papers, however, have focused on the structure-affinity relationship of polyphenols on their affinities for plasma proteins. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the research reports on the characterization, influence on the bioactivity, and the structure-affinity relationship for studying the affinities between polyphenols and plasma proteins. The molecular properties that influence the affinities of polyphenols for plasma proteins are the following: 1) One or more hydroxyl groups in the B-ring (e.g., 3',4' dihydroxylated B ring catechol group) of flavonoids enhanced the binding affinities to proteins. However, the hydroxyl group in the C-ring will weaken the binding interaction. 2) The presence of an unsaturated 2,3-bond in conjugation with a 4-carbonyl group, characteristic of flavonols structure, has been associated with stronger binding affinity with plasma proteins; 3) The glycosylation of flavonoids decreases the affinities for plasma proteins by 1-3 orders of magnitude depending on the conjugation site and the class of sugar moiety; 4) The methylation of hydroxyl groups in flavonoids slightly enhanced the affinities for plasma proteins by 2-16 times; 5) The galloylated catechins have higher binding affinities for plasma proteins than do non-galloylated catechins and the pyrogallol-type catechins have higher affinities than do the catechol-type catechins. The affinity of the catechin with 2,3-trans structure was lower than those of the catechin with 2,3-cis structure; 6) The gallotannins with more gallol groups presented a much higher percentage of binding to plasma proteins. α-D-Gallotannin showed a greater affinity for plasma proteins than does the natural stereoisomer, β-D-gallotannin; 7) The binding degree of chlorogenic acid with only one caffeoyl group was lower than the binding degrees of caffeoyl quinic acids with more caffeoyl groups. The methylation of phenolic acid decreased the affinity for BSA.

A review of dietary polyphenol-plasma protein interactions: characterization, influence on the bioactivity, and structure-affinity relationship.

Equilibrium dialysis, ultrafiltration, and ultracentrifugation were compared to determine their reliability and applicability in the study of binding of an anticonvulsant drug, valproic acid, by plasma proteins. We studied drug binding with pooled serum and with solutions of human serum albumin at physiological concentrations. We compared binding characteristics such as number of binding sites, affinity constants, and percent of binding as measured by each method in the therapeutic range for valproic acid. Results by ultracentrifugation differed from those by equilibrium dialysis and ultrafiltration, which agreed reasonably well with each other.

Equilibrium dialysis, ultrafiltration, and ultracentrifugation compared for determining the plasma-protein-binding characteristics of valproic acid.

The pharmacokinetic parameters and relative availability of niflumic acid in two different pharmaceutical preparations were studied in 12 subjects after a single oral administration. Total plasma clearance averaged 45 ml/min, and the half-life of elimination approximately 2 h, giving a distribution volume of 0.12 l/kg on the average. The values of these pharmacokinetic parameters were in agreement with the general characteristics of this type of substance, a weak acid strongly bound to plasma proteins. Comparison of the systemic availability of the two oral forms showed no difference; they were probably close to 100%.

The pharmacokinetics and availability of niflumic acid in humans.

We describe a "high-performance" liquid-chromatographic assay for simultaneously determining propisomide and its mono-N-dealkylated metabolite in plasma and urine. After extraction with dichloromethane at alkaline pH, the unchanged drug, its metabolite, and the internal standard are separated by liquid chromatography on a reversed-phase column and the absorbance of the eluate is measured at 254 nm. Selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility are excellent. Results are similar to those by gas chromatography for propisomide but, in addition, the metabolite can be simultaneously measured in the same clinical sample. We also report results by this method for blood and plasma samples from a volunteer receiving a single 200-mg dose of propisomide.

Liquid-chromatographic determination of propisomide and its mono-N-dealkylated metabolite in plasma and urine.

The pharmacokinetics of butofilolol, a new beta-blocking drug used in the treatment of hypertension, were investigated in 9 patients with varying degrees of renal impairment (creatinine clearance ranging from 65 ml/min to 6.6 ml/min). The drug was administered as a single oral 100-mg dose. Plasma and urine concentrations of the parent drug were measured. The pharmacokinetic parameters of butofilolol calculated from examination of patients with renal failure were compared to those obtained from healthy subjects. Renal failure was found to be associated with a marked increase of the areas under the plasma concentration-time curves of the parent drug whereas its elimination rate constant tended to increase, especially in severe renal failure. A highly significant relationship between the amounts of unchanged drug excreted in urine and the creatinine clearance was observed (r = 0.90, p less than 0.001). The higher plasma levels of the parent drug observed in renal failure might be due to a decrease in the first-pass hepatic extraction of the drug. But these changes in plasma clearance were probably counteracted by modification of the volume of distribution, so that the net result of these alterations was a slight increase in the elimination half-life.

Butofilolol pharmacokinetics in chronic renal insufficiency.

The binding of 14C-bornaprolol to human serum proteins and to blood cells and platelets was studied by equilibrium dialysis and centrifugation. Bornaprolol binding to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (n = 1.89, K = 433,900 M-1) was found to be a saturable phenomenon. By contrast, a non-saturable binding was observed with serum albumin (nK = 6.4 X 10(3) M-1), HDL (nK = 205 X 10(3) M-1), LDL (nK = 1,530 X 10(3) M-1), VLDL (nK = 2,342 X 10(3) M-1) and gamma globulins (nK = 25 X 10(3) M-1). The binding to blood cells was negligible. All the binding parameters were used to simulate the distribution of bornaprolol between serum proteins and blood cells over the range of therapeutic concentrations and showed that serum albumin, red blood cells and alpha 1 acid glycoprotein were the major binding components.

G Houin

Papers

Equilibrium dialysis, ultrafiltration, and ultracentrifugation compared for determining the plasma-protein-binding characteristics of valproic acid.

The pharmacokinetics and availability of niflumic acid in humans.

Liquid-chromatographic determination of propisomide and its mono-N-dealkylated metabolite in plasma and urine.

Butofilolol pharmacokinetics in chronic renal insufficiency.

Binding of bornaprolol to human serum proteins and blood cells