Drug metabolism and disposition : the biological fate of chemicals
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Drug Metab. Dispos. · Aug 2011
A single dose mass balance study of the Hedgehog pathway inhibitor vismodegib (GDC-0449) in humans using accelerator mass spectrometry.
Vismodegib (GDC-0449), a small-molecule Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, was well tolerated in patients with solid tumors and showed promising efficacy in advanced basal cell carcinoma in a Phase I trial. The purpose of the study presented here was to determine routes of elimination and the extent of vismodegib metabolism, including assessment and identification of metabolites in plasma, urine, and feces. Six healthy female subjects of nonchildbearing potential were enrolled; each received a single 30-ml oral suspension containing 150 mg of vismodegib with 6.5 μg of [(14)C]vismodegib to yield a radioactivity dose of approximately 37 kBq (1000 nCi). ⋯ Vismodegib was predominant in plasma, with concentrations representing >98% of the total circulating drug-related components. Metabolic pathways of vismodegib in humans included oxidation, glucuronidation, and uncommon pyridine ring cleavage. We conclude that vismodegib and any associated metabolic products are mainly eliminated through feces after oral administration in healthy volunteers.
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Drug Metab. Dispos. · Aug 2011
Prolonged toxic effects after cocaine challenge in butyrylcholinesterase/plasma carboxylesterase double knockout mice: a model for butyrylcholinesterase-deficient humans.
Death and toxicity after cocaine use do not correlate with cocaine blood levels. One explanation for this observation is that cocaine abusers may posses one or more of the 58 possible known mutations in the butyrylcholinesterase gene (BCHE). Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) serves as the primary cocaine hydrolase producing a nontoxic product ecgonine methyl ester. ⋯ Carboxylesterase/BChE double knockout mice demonstrated toxic signs significantly longer than did wild-type and carboxylesterase knockout mice. The carboxylesterase/BChE-deficient mice took approximately 2.5 times as long to recover from cocaine toxicities, including the following: hypothermia, hyperactivity, stereotypical behavior, ocular effects, and dorsiflexion of the tail. The carboxylesterase/BChE double knockout mouse model demonstrates the importance of endogenous BChE for protection against cocaine toxicity and provides an in vivo system for studying drug sensitivity of humans who carry a BChE mutation.