Project description:Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is approved in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. DMF is also a component in a defined-mixture product with three salts of monoethyl fumarate (MEF) that is approved in Germany for the treatment of psoriasis. Characterizing common or distinct pharmacodynamic properties of DMF and MEF would provide insights into the mechanisms of action of delayed-release DMF versus fixed combination products containing DMF and MEF salts. In this study we evaluated the pharmacodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of DMF and MEF in central nervous system and peripheral tissues of naïve mice following a single dose or 10 daily doses of DMF, MEF, or a combination of the two. DMF and MEF exhibited similar pharmacokinetic profiles, but differences were noted in biodistribution: monomethyl fumarate (MMF, the primary metabolite of DMF) exhibited a higher degree of brain penetration, whereas MEF was preferentially partitioned into kidney. Both common and distinct pharmacodynamic responses were observed in all assessed tissues for DMF and MEF alone or in combination. These findings indicate that all fumaric acid esters cannot be considered equivalent, and combinations of compounds may exert effects not observed when agents are used individually.
Project description:Delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is approved in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. DMF is also a component in a defined-mixture product with three salts of monoethyl fumarate (MEF) that is approved in Germany for the treatment of psoriasis. Characterizing common or distinct pharmacodynamic properties of DMF and MEF would provide insights into the mechanisms of action of delayed-release DMF versus fixed combination products containing DMF and MEF salts. In this study we evaluated the pharmacodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of DMF and MEF in central nervous system and peripheral tissues of naïve mice following a single dose or 10 daily doses of DMF, MEF, or a combination of the two. DMF and MEF exhibited similar pharmacokinetic profiles, but differences were noted in biodistribution: monomethyl fumarate (MMF, the primary metabolite of DMF) exhibited a higher degree of brain penetration, whereas MEF was preferentially partitioned into kidney. Both common and distinct pharmacodynamic responses were observed in all assessed tissues for DMF and MEF alone or in combination. These findings indicate that all fumaric acid esters cannot be considered equivalent, and combinations of compounds may exert effects not observed when agents are used individually.
Project description:Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), characterized by chronic tissue inflammation and fibrosis involving multiple organs, remains a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. We previously reported that DMF effectively inhibits acute GVHD (aGVHD) while preserving the graft-versus-leukemia effect. However, the role of DMF in cGVHD progression remains unknown. Here, we found that DMF administration significantly suppresses follicular helper T cell (Tfh) differentiation, germinal center formation and alleviates disease severity in different murine cGVHD models. Mechanistically, DMF treatment downregulates IL-21 transcription by activation of Nrf2, thus orchestrating Tfh-related gene program both in mice and humans. The inhibitory role of DMF on Tfh cell differentiation was diminished in Nrf2 deficient T cells. Importantly, the therapeutic potential of DMF in clinical cGVHD has been validated in human data whereby DMF effectively reduces IL-21 production and Tfh cell generation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from active cGVHD patients and further attenuates xenograft GVHD. Collectively, our findings reveal that DMF potently inhibits cGVHD development by repressing Tfh cell differentiation via Nrf2, paving way for the treatment of cGVHD in the clinic.
Project description:The goal of this project was to determine gene expression changes in the liver at different times post treatment with the common freshwater cyanobacterial toxin, cylindrospermopsin (CYN). The liver is generally considered to be the primary target of this toxin and all the data has been derived from livers of exposed animals as well as concurrent controls. Preliminary gene expression effects have been reported (Chernoff et al., 2010) and the current data extend the time course from 1 hour post exposure to 1-day post cessation of a 5-day period dosing period. Gene expression changes were determined in the livers of pregnant mice exposed to toxic levels of the cyanobacterial toxin, cylindrospermopsin. Animals were exposed to a dose of CYN that elicited significant hepatic toxicity. This multi-day study used tissue obtained 1-day, 2-days, 4-days, and 5-days after the initiation of a 5 consecutive day dosing regimen. Toxicity data including gross observations, necropsy findings and clinical chemistry endpoints indicative of hepatic, renal and homeostasis functions were collected at the same time liver tissues for gene expression analysis were obtained. Gene expression changes were analyzed on the GeneChip® Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array.
Project description:We report label-free and targeted quantification of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) and transporters in 39 human liver microsomal samples. More than 2800 proteins were identified and quantified. These data can be used in physiologically based pharmacokinetic models for dosage regimen design and precision dosing.
Project description:A quantitative phosphoproteomic study was performed on mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) knocked-out of IRE1 protein and re rexpressin it culturen in 25mM glucose media. The chosen experimental strategy was to perform phosphopeptide enrichment associated with multiplex protein identification and quantification by LC-MSMS on a high-resolution mass spectrometer using tandem mass tag (TMT9; Thermo Fisher Scientific) technology and High- Select Fe-NTA Phosphopeptide Enrichment Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific).
Project description:Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an immunomodulatory drug approved for the therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS). The identification of response biomarkers to DMF is a necessity in the clinical practice. With this aim, we studied the transcriptomic changes produced by DMF in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and its association with clinical response. DMF induced a mild transcriptional effect, with only 328 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after 12 months of treatment. The overall effect was a downregulation of pro-inflammatory genes, chemokines, and activators of the NF-kB pathway. At baseline, no DEGs were found between responders and non-responders. During DMF treatment a differential transcriptomic response was observed, with responders presenting a higher number of DEGs (902 genes) compared to non-responders (189 genes). Responder patients to DMF exhibit a distinguishable transcriptomic response compared to non-responders that should be further studied for the validation of biomarkers of treatment response to DMF.
Project description:Multi-agent chemotherapy still represents the first-line standard-of-care treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of lymphoma in adults. However, the clinicopathological and molecular heterogeneity of DLBCLs poses a major challenge in their successful therapy. At least two major subtypes, i.e. germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and the aggressive activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, which differ both in their gene expression profile and in their mutation patterns, have been identified. Here we demonstrate a broad inhibitory effect of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on the outgrowth of both DLBCL subtypes, even though the molecular basis for its efficacy differs between GCB and ABC DLBCL. Due to high expression of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase in concert with low glutathione and glutathione peroxidase 4 levels, DMF induced lipid peroxidation and thus ferroptotic cell death in GCB DLBCL. In contrast, in ABC DLBCL inhibition of NF-κB and STAT3 activity essentially contributed to DMF-dependent cytotoxicity. Interestingly, the BCL-2 specific BH3 mimetic ABT-199 or an inhibitor of the ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 synergized with DMF treatment in inducing cell death in DLBCL cell lines. Collectively, our findings identify the established and approved drug DMF as a promising novel therapeutic option in the treatment of both GCB and ABC DLBCL.