Induction of genes for metabolism and transport by trans-stilbene oxide in livers of Sprague-Dawley and Wistar-Kyoto rats

trans-Stilbene oxide (TSO) is a synthetic proestrogen that induces phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes in rat liver. The purpose of this study was to determine whether TSO also induces transporter expression in rat liver and whether gene induction in rat liver after TSO occurs in a constitutive androstane receptor (CAR)-dependent manner. Total RNA was isolated from male rat livers after treatment with TSO for up to 4 days (200 mg/kg, i.p., twice daily), and the mRNA levels for each gene were quantified. CYP2B1/2, CYP3A1, epoxide hydrolase, heme oxygenase-1, UGT1A6, UGT2B1, multiple drug resistance protein (Mdr) 1a and 1b, as well as multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp) 2, 3, and 4 mRNA were increased in livers after TSO treatment. To determine whether TSO activates gene expression in a CAR-dependent manner, male and female Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were treated with TSO for 3 days. TSO induced CYP2B1/2, UGT2B1, and Mdr1b in males more than in females, suggesting that TSO could increase their expression via CAR. Conversely, TSO induced CYP3A1, epoxide hydrolase, UGT1A6, and Mrp3 similarly in both genders, indicating that induction of these genes occurs independently of CAR. TSO treatment also increased the activity of a CAR binding element luciferase reporter construct in HepG2 cells transfected with rat CAR and in mouse liver. Additionally, TSO increased antioxidant response element/electrophile response element luciferase reporter construct activity in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, in WKY rat liver, TSO increases CYP2B1/2, UGT2B1, and Mdr1b mRNA expression in a gender-dependent manner and CYP3A1, epoxide hydrolase, UGT1A6, and Mrp3 in a gender-independent manner.

Characterization of the caspase inhibitor IDN-1965 in a model of apoptosis-associated liver injury

Previous studies have shown that caspase inhibitors are effective at protecting against anti-Fas antibody (alpha-Fas)-mediated liver injury/lethality. The purpose of these experiments was to characterize more fully the efficacy of a broad-spectrum, irreversible caspase inhibitor, IDN-1965 (N-[(1,3-dimethylindole-2-carbonyl)valinyl]-3-amino-4-oxo-5-fluoropentanoic acid), in this model and the role of caspase inhibition in long-term protection. The ED(50) for IDN-1965 by i.p. administration, based on alanine aminotransferase activities, was 0.14 mg/kg. The caspase inhibitor was also efficacious when administered intravenously and orally (ED(50) values of 0.04 and 1.2 mg/kg, respectively). Histologically, marked reduction in Fas-induced apoptosis with IDN-1965 (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was apparent at 6 h. Also, caspase 3-like activities were decreased in a dose-dependent manner, but the inhibition of caspase activity was transient. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that IDN-1965 greatly reduced the activation of caspase 3. In survival studies, a single i.p. treatment of 1 mg/kg IDN-1965 or continuous i.p. infusion via osmotic pumps completely blocked lethality measured up to 7 days after alpha-Fas administration. IDN-1965 was also effective in inhibiting liver injury when administered as long as 3 h after or 1 h before alpha-Fas administration. Lastly, Western blot analysis demonstrated that processing of caspases 3, 6, and 8, as well as Bid (a protein responsible for the release of mitochondrial cytochrome C and amplification of the apoptotic cascade) was inhibited by IDN-1965. In conclusion, the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor IDN-1965 is markedly effective at inhibiting Fas-mediated apoptosis by multiple routes of administration. The therapeutic potential of caspase inhibitors appears promising for the treatment of apoptosis-mediated liver injury based on potency and postinsult efficacy.

Evaluation of carborane-containing porphyrins as tumour targeting agents for boron neutron capture therapy

A number of carborane-containing porphyrins were administered to mice bearing subcutaneously transplanted mammary carcinomas. Administration was via serial intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections to assess their relative toxicities and tumour affinities. Three analogues of the natural porphyrin heme and four tetraphenylporphyrins (TPPs) were given at total doses of 78-245 micrograms g-1 body weight. The water-insoluble TPPs were less toxic to mice, and delivered greater amounts of boron to tumour than did the water-soluble TPPS and the heme analogues. One such compound, NiTCP-H, delivered more than 100 micrograms B g-1 to tumour tissue with a tumour:blood boron concentration ratio greater than 500:1 and a tumour: brain boron concentration ratio greater than 50:1, 4 days after the last of six i.p. injections given over 2 days. Another TPP analogue, NiTCP, delivered approximately 50 micrograms B g-1 to tumour with similar boron concentrations in normal tissues. Neither compound was toxic to mice at total doses of approximately 200 micrograms g-1 body weight. In contrast, the heme analogues were toxic and, with the exception of VCDP, delivered less boron to tumour than NiTCP and NiTCP-H. The two porphyrins with the greatest potential for application to boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), NiTCP and NiTCP-H, yielded higher tumour:blood and tumour:brain boron concentration ratios in mice than could be achieved with p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) and sodium mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate (BSH), the compounds which are currently being used in clinical trials of BNCT in the treatment of glioblastoma. The boron delivered by each of the porphyrins tested remained in tumour tissue longer than did boron delivered by either BPA or BSH. The copper and nickel chelates of these porphyrins behave identically in vivo. The former offer the potential for imaging by 67Cu-mediated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to aid BNCT treatment planning.

Response of the central nervous system to fractionated boron neutron capture irradiation: studies with borocaptate sodium

The response of the central nervous system (CNS) to fractionated doses of boron neutron capture (BNC) irradiation was assessed using a rat spinal cord model. The thermal neutron beam at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR) was used for the spinal cord irradiations, with borocaptate sodium (BSH) as the neutron capture agent. Irradiations were given as a single dose or as two or four equal fractions. The ED50 for radiation-induced myeloparesis, as indicated by limb paralysis within 7 months, after a single exposure to thermal neutrons in the presence of BSH (blood boron-10 content approximately 70 micrograms/g) was 27.2 +/- 0.9 Gy. This was expressed as the total physical dose to the blood. Dividing the radiation dose into two consecutive daily fractions or four fractions given over 1 week, resulted in ED50 = 32.0 +/- 1.4 and 31.5 +/- 0.4 Gy respectively. Although there was no significant dose sparing in moving from two to four fractions, there was a dose increment of approximately 17% as compared with single-dose irradiation. The variation in the relative biological effectiveness of the thermal neutron beam, with dose per fraction, was established using data from a previous study with single and fractionated doses of thermal neutrons in the absence of a neutron capture agent. This varied from 1.40 to 3.74 for thermal neutron dose per fraction in the range 13.6-1.5 Gy. Previously published CBE factors for both BSH and BPA have been recalculated in the present report to take into account the change in the RBE of the thermal neutron beam with dose. In all cases the recalculated CBE factors were lower than those obtained previously. Values for this parameter increased with fraction number. In the case of BSH, the CBE factor increased from 0.36 +/- 0.03 after a single-dose to 0.51 +/- 0.06 after four fractions.

Central nervous system tolerance to boron neutron capture therapy with p-boronophenylalanine

A rat spinal cord model was used to evaluate the effects of boron neutron capture irradiation on the central nervous system (CNS), using a range of doses of the boron delivery agent p-boronophenylalanine (BPA). Three doses of BPA 700, 1000 and 1600 mg kg(-1) were used to establish the biodistribution of boron-10 (10B) in blood, spinal cord and brain over a 3-h period after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration. At the lowest dose of BPA used, blood 10B levels remained relatively stable over the 3-h sampling period. With the two higher doses of BPA, blood 10B concentrations were greatest at 1 h after BPA administration, and thereafter exhibited a biphasic clearance profile. The largest decline in blood 10B levels occurred between 1 and 2 h after i.p. injection and was most pronounced (approximately 45%) in the highest BPA dose group. Considered overall, 10B concentrations were marginally lower in the spinal cord than in the brain. Levels of 10B in both of these organs showed a slow but progressive increase with time after administration of BPA. The 10B concentration ratio for blood relative to CNS tissue increased with BPA dosage and reached a peak value of approximately 10:1 in the highest BPA dose group, at 1 h after i.p. injection. However, at 3 h after injection the 10B concentration ratios had decreased to approximately 3:1 in all of the BPA dose groups. After irradiation with thermal neutrons in combination with BPA at blood 10B concentrations of approximately 42 and approximately 93 microg g(-1), myelopathy developed after latent intervals of 20.0 +/- 0.6 and 20.0 +/- 1.2 weeks respectively. ED50 values (+/- s.e.) for the incidence of myelopathy were calculated from probit-fitted curves, and were 17.5 +/- 0.7 and 25.0 +/- 0.6 Gy after irradiation with thermal neutrons at blood 10B levels of approximately 42 and approximately 93 microg g(-1) respectively. The compound biological effectiveness (CBE) factor values, estimated from these data, were 0.67 +/- 0.23 and 0.48 +/- 0.18 respectively. This compared with a previous estimate of 0.88 +/- 0.14 at a blood 10B concentration of approximately 19 microg g(-1). It was concluded that the value of the CBE factor was not influenced by the level of 10B in the blood, but by the blood:CNS 10B concentration ratio. In effect, the CBE factor decreases as the concentration ratio increases. Simulations using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) treatment planning software indicate a significant therapeutic advantage could be obtained in moving to higher BPA doses than those in current clinical use.

Synthesis of a nickel tetracarboranylphenylporphyrin for boron neutron-capture therapy: biodistribution and toxicity in tumor-bearing mice

Nickel-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaacetic acid-5,10,15,20-tetra-[3-carboranyl-methoxyphenyl]-porphyrin octamethylester (NiTCP) was given in a Cremophor EL, a polyethoxylated castor oil, and propylene glycol emulsion to BALB/c mice bearing transplanted s.c. KHJJ mammary carcinomas. A total dose of 244 microg NiTCP/gram body weight (gbw) (54 microg B/gbw) was given in 6 i.p. injections over a 32 hr period. Observations of behavior and changes in body weight and chemical and hematological blood tests indicated little or no toxicity from NiTCP over a period of 6-90 hr after injections. Boron concentrations near tumor margins were 160-180 microg B/g at 41-90 hr after the last injection. Tumor:normal brain boron concentration ratios reached approx. 10:1 and tumor:blood ratios reached approx. 250:1 after 4 days. There was no evidence of thrombocytopenia or other potentially important toxicities. Our findings place NiTCP among the leading candidates for pre-clinical experiments aimed toward improvement upon the compounds being tested for boron neutron-capture therapy of glioblastoma multiforme.

Comparative assessment of single-dose and fractionated boron neutron capture therapy

The effects of fractionating boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) were evaluated in the intracerebral rat 9L gliosarcoma and rat spinal cord models using the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR) thermal neutron beam. The amino acid analog p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) was administered prior to each exposure to the thermal neutron beam. The total physical absorbed dose to the tumor during BNCT using BPA was 91% high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Two tumor doses of 5.1 Gy spaced 48 h apart (n = 14) or three tumor doses of 5.2 Gy, each separated by 48 h (n = 10), produced 43 and 70% long-term (> 1 year) survivors, respectively [corrected]. The outcome of neither the two nor the three fractions of radiation was statistically different from that of the corresponding single-fraction group. In the rat spinal cord, the ED50 for radiation myelopathy (as indicated by limb paralysis within 7 months) after exposure to the thermal beam alone was 13.6 +/- 0.4 Gy. Dividing the beam-only irradiation into two or four consecutive daily fractions increased the ED50 to 14.7 +/- 0.2 Gy and 15.5 +/- 0.4 Gy, respectively. Thermal neutron irradiation in the presence of BPA resulted in an ED50 for myelopathy of 13.8 +/- 0.6 Gy after a single fraction and 14.9 +/- 0.9 Gy after two fractions. An increase in the number of fractions to four resulted in an ED50 of 14.3 +/- 0.6 Gy. The total physical absorbed dose to the blood in the vasculature of the spinal cord during BNCT using BPA was 80% high-LET radiation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neutron capture therapy of the 9L rat gliosarcoma using the p-boronophenylalanine-fructose complex

PURPOSE

Intraperitoneal (IP) injection of the solubilized fructose complex of L-p-boronophenylalanine (BPA-F) produced higher boron concentrations in a rat brain tumor model than was possible using intragastric (IG) administration of L-p-boronophenylalanine (BPA). The effectiveness of IP BPA-F was compared to IG BPA in boron neutron capture therapy irradiations of the 9L rat brain tumor model.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The time course of boron accumulation in tumor and normal tissues was determined in male F344 rats bearing either SC or intracerebral 9L gliosarcomas following a single IP injection of BPA-F. On day 14 after inoculation of intracranial tumors, rats were irradiated with single doses of either: 250 kVp X rays; the thermal neutron beam of the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor following IG administration of BPA; or thermal neutrons following IP injection of BPA-F. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to visualize the tumor scars and to assess damage to the normal brain in long-term survivors.

RESULTS

4 h after IP injection of 1200 mg/kg of BPA-F the boron concentrations in tumor, blood, and normal brain were 89.6 +/- 7.6, 27.7 +/- 2.8 and 17.5 +/- 1.5 micrograms 10B/g, respectively. Two IG doses of BPA (750 mg/kg each, 3 h apart) produced 39 +/- 5, 12 +/- 1 and 10 +/- 1 micrograms 10B/g in tumor, blood and brain, respectively at 5 h after the second dose. Three groups of rats were treated with thermal neutrons: one following IG BPA and two groups following IP BPA-F. The total physical absorbed doses to the tumor in the three BNCT groups were 15.5 Gy (IG BPA, n = 12), 17.0 Gy (IP BPA-F, n = 8), and 31.5 Gy (IP BPA-F, n = 8), respectively. The median survival of the untreated controls was 22 days. The median survival of the rats treated with 22.5 Gy of 250 kVp X rays (n = 23) was 35 days with 20% long-term survivors. Fifty percent of the rats in the IG BPA + thermal neutrons group survived over 1 year. All rats in both groups that received IP BPA-F + thermal neutrons have survived over 8 months. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brains of the long-term boron neutron capture therapy survivors showed a scar at the site of tumor implantation in all animals. In the IP BPA-F high-dose group one rat showed evidence of edema and one rat showed a fluid-filled cyst replacing the tumor.

CONCLUSION

The use of IP BPA-F has significantly improved long-term survival compared to IG BPA. The high percentage of long-term tumor control (100%, n = 16) in the intracerebral rat 9L gliosarcoma brain tumor model, together with little or no damage to the surrounding normal brain in the majority of surviving animals, demonstrate the substantial therapeutic gain produced by boron neutron capture therapy.