Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K31/00—Medicinal preparations containing organic active ingredients
  • A61K31/70—Carbohydrates; Sugars; Derivatives thereof
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P1/00—Drugs for disorders of the alimentary tract or the digestive system
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P11/00—Drugs for disorders of the respiratory system
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P43/00—Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00

Definitions

• the present invention is in the field of cystic fibrosis.
• a therapeutic target and suitable compounds for treatment of cystic fibrosis are provided.
• Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that affects various parts of the body, particularly the lungs and digestive system. CF is the most common inherited disease in white people, affecting about 1 in every 2,500 children born. About one in five babies with CF are diagnosed at birth, when their gut becomes blocked by extra thick meconium. This condition may need surgery. Just over half of people with CF are diagnosed as babies because they are not growing or putting on weight as they should. This is because the pancreas is not producing sufficient lipolytic enzymes resulting in suboptimal assimilation of fat in food resulting in reduced caloric uptake and growth retardation. Untreated CF patients continue to have oily bowel movements, abdominal pain, and problems putting on weight. Constipation is also a frequent symptom. Occasionally the gut becomes completely blocked, resulting in extreme stomach pain.
• CF is also characterized by lung involvement.
• a healthy person there is a constant flow of mucus over the surfaces of the air passages in the lungs which removes debris and bacteria.
• the mucus is excessively sticky and provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth.
• Patients with CF are at risk of bacterial chest infections and pneumonia. If they are not treated early and properly, these are very difficult to cure. Symptoms include persistent coughing, excess production of sputum (saliva and mucus), wheezing, and shortness of breath with ordinary activities. Other problems associated with CF have been identified.
• CF CF is recessively inherited, the affected (CFTR) gene is located on chromosome number 7.
• the gene encodes the chloride channel CFTR.
• cystic fibrosis CF
• the most common mutation delF508 which results in reduced activity and cell surface expression of the CF gene protein the chloride channel CFTR.
• about 1 in 22 of the white population in the UK carry the delF508 CF mutation on one of the pair of number 7 chromosomes ("carriers").
• Additional therapy may include daily oral or inhaled antibiotics to counter lung infection, inhaled anti-asthma therapy, corticosteroid tablets, dietary vitamin supplements, especially A and D, inhalation of medication (pulmozyme) to make the sputum less sticky, medicines to relieve constipation or to improve the activity of the enzyme supplements, insulin for CF-related diabetes, medication for CF- associated liver disease, oxygen to help with breathing and help to overcome fertility problems.
• the CFTR protein is located in glycosphingolipid-rich lipid rafts in the apical membrane of epithelial cells.
• the activity of the chloride channel CFTR is influenced by its microenvironment which contains glycosphingo lipids and ceramide.
• selective local reduction of ceramide will have may a major beneficial stimulatory effect on activity of the chloride channel (delF508)- CFTR and thus constitute a therapeutic avenue for CF.
• the present inventors met this object by discovering an enzyme that is also located in apical membranes of epithelial cells: the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase.
• This enzyme catalyzes the conversion of glucosylceramide to ceramide and thus affects the composition of lipid rafts.
• the invention thus concerns a method for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, said method comprising the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitor of GBA2 to a subject in need thereof.
• the invention concerns the use of an inhibitor of GBA2 for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
• the non- lysosomal glucosylceramidase is an enzyme that efficiently can convert glucosylceramide to ceramide.
• the present inventors analysed various tissues and cell types for the presence of the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase.
• GAAl lysosomal glucocerebrosidase
• the present inventors revealed that the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase is particularly abundant in epithelial cells and located to their apical membranes.
• the enrichment of the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase in isolated apical membranes from epithelial cells is about 450-fold.
• the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase is thus located in a similar membrane fraction to the chloride channel CFTR.
• the molecular nature of the non-lysosomal gluycosylceramidase was identified after analysis of proteins in apical membrane fractions of cultured epithelial cells. Analysis was performed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and protein staining. A candidate 100 kDa protein was identified. The candidate protein was partially digested with trypsin and the amino acid sequence of a tryptic peptide was determined by MS/MS analysis. Comparison of the established amino acid sequence with protein data bases indicated that the GBA2 gene may encode the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase.
• GBA2 truly encodes the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase
• GB A2 cDNA was expressed in cells. Analysis of cell lysates revealed that the non- lysosomal glucosylceramidase activity was increased upon expression of GBA2 cDNA. Conversly, expression of GBA2 siRNA led to a reduction in non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase activity.
• the GB A2 gene product is predicted to be a 100 kDa protein that spans the membrane and its presumed catalytic site is on top of the membrane, see the figure.
• beta-glucosidase inhibitors are used for the treatment of CF.
• the inhibitor according to the present invention comprises an iminosugar moiety.
• An imino sugar moiety is defined as a structural mimic of a monosaccharide, wherein a nitrogen atom replaces the ring oxygen that is normally present in monosaccharides.
• the iminosugar comprises a 5- or 6-membered ring wherein at least one nitrogen atom is present. Preferably the remaining 4 or 5 ring atoms are carbon atoms.
• the inhibitor comprises a monosaccharide having a 6-membered ring wherein one nitrogen atom is present.
• the iminosugar moiety may have any monosaccharide configuration. Such configuration are known to the carbohydrate chemist. Also the iminosugar encompasses compounds that lack one or more OH groups, e.g. deoxy- or dideoxy- etcetra, from the usual monosaccharide.
• a group that allows insertion or in other words a group that is capable of insertion, in the membrane bilayer.
• a group can also be named a lipophilic group.
• such a group may be coupled to any atom of the monosaccharide ring, either directly or conveniently via the oxygen atom of a hydroxyl substituent on a monosaccharide ring atom.
• a group that is capable of insertion in the membrane bilayer is coupled to a, or the, nitrogen atom in the monosaccharide ring.
• the group coupled to the iminosugar is sufficiently hydrophobic, or in other words lipophilic, to positively interact with the bilayer lipid environment.
• a group is sufficiently hydrophobic, or lipophilic, if it comprises at least 6 carbon atoms. Preferably the group comprises less than 40 carbon atoms.
• an iminosugar is substituted with a group comprising 6-40 carbon atoms.
• Such a group can be considered to be an alkyl chain which may be linear or branched, may be interrupted with one or more heteroatoms such as O, S and N, and also the alkyl chain may contain one or more unsaturations, e.g. double or triple carbon-carbon bonds.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
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• Pharmacology & Pharmacy (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Bioinformatics & Cheminformatics (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Epoxy Compounds (AREA)
• Medicines That Contain Protein Lipid Enzymes And Other Medicines (AREA)
• Hydrogenated Pyridines (AREA)
• Medicinal Preparation (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-04-24 AT AT07747401T patent/ATE479696T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-04-24 JP JP2009507606A patent/JP2009538276A/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2007-04-24 US US12/298,506 patent/US8410081B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-04-24 AU AU2007241622A patent/AU2007241622A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-04-24 CA CA002650311A patent/CA2650311A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-04-24 CN CN2007800237886A patent/CN101479288B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-04-24 EP EP07747401A patent/EP2010551B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2007-04-24 DE DE602007008870T patent/DE602007008870D1/de active Active
  • 2007-04-24 WO PCT/NL2007/050177 patent/WO2007123403A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-04-24 BR BRPI0710883-4A patent/BRPI0710883A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation

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