Pharmacological properties of ASP7657, a novel, potent, and selective prostaglandin EP4 receptor antagonist

Abstract

We determined the pharmacologic profile of ASP7657, trans-4-[({[1-(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-indol-7 yl] carbonyl} amino) methyl] cyclohexanecarboxylic acid methanesulfonate (1:1), a newly synthesized selective E-type prostaglandin (EP)4 receptor antagonist using several in vitro and in vivo experiments. ASP7657 exhibited high affinity for rat and human EP4 receptors, with K_i values of 6.02 nM and 2.21 nM, respectively. In addition, ASP7657 potently inhibited the PGE₂-induced cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) increase in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing rat EP4 receptors and human lymphoblastoid T (Jurkat) cells, with IC₅₀ values of 0.86 nM and 0.29 nM, respectively. In contrast, ASP7657 did not inhibit the PGE₂-induced intracellular calcium increase in HEK293 cells expressing rat EP1 and EP3 receptors, or cAMP increase in CHO cells expressing rat EP2 receptors. ASP7657 showed good pharmacokinetic properties following oral dosing and dose-dependently antagonized the prostaglandin (PG)E₂-mediated inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α release from rat whole blood culture. In addition, 4 weeks repeated oral administration of ASP7657 dose-dependently attenuated albuminuria in type 2 diabetic mice; these effects were significant at doses of 0.01 mg/kg or higher. These results demonstrate that ASP7657 is a potent and selective EP4 receptor antagonist that may be useful in future studies to help clarify the physiological and pathophysiological roles of PG.

Keywords: EP4 receptor antagonist; Nephropathy; Prostaglandin; Type 2 diabetes.