WO2011006087A1 - Inhibition de l'expression des ppar gamma dans les cellules préadipocytaires au moyen d'oxystérols - Google Patents

Inhibition de l'expression des ppar gamma dans les cellules préadipocytaires au moyen d'oxystérols Download PDF

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WO2011006087A1
WO2011006087A1 PCT/US2010/041560 US2010041560W WO2011006087A1 WO 2011006087 A1 WO2011006087 A1 WO 2011006087A1 US 2010041560 W US2010041560 W US 2010041560W WO 2011006087 A1 WO2011006087 A1 WO 2011006087A1
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expression
oxysterol
ppar
cell
hydroxycholesterol
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PCT/US2010/041560
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Farhad Parhami
Woo-Kyun Kim
Michael E. Jung
Khanhlinh Nguyen
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The Regents Of The University Of California
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    • 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
    • A61K31/21—Esters, e.g. nitroglycerine, selenocyanates
    • A61K31/215—Esters, e.g. nitroglycerine, selenocyanates of carboxylic acids
    • A61K31/216—Esters, e.g. nitroglycerine, selenocyanates of carboxylic acids of acids having aromatic rings, e.g. benactizyne, clofibrate

Definitions

  • Oxysterols form a large family of oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol that are present in the circulation, and in human and animal tissues. Oxysterols that have been identified in human plasma to date include 7 ⁇ -hydroxycholesterol, 24S- hydroxycholesterol, and 4 ⁇ - and 4 ⁇ -hydroxycholesterol, which are present at concentrations ranging from 5-500 ng/ml. These oxysterols have a variety of half-lives in circulation ranging from 0.5-60 hours, and their levels can be altered by aging, drug interventions, and disease processes. Oxysterols may be formed either by autooxidation, as a secondary byproduct of lipid peroxidation, or by the action of specific monooxygenases, most of which are members of the cytochrome P450 family of enzymes.
  • oxysterols may be derived from the diet. Cytochrome P450 enzymes are also involved in the further oxidation of oxysterols and their metabolism into active or inactive metabolites that leads to their eventual removal from the system. Certain oxysterols have potent effects on cholesterol metabolism. In addition, the presence of oxysterols in atherosclerotic lesions has prompted studies of their potential role in the pathogenesis of this disorder. A role for specific oxysterols has been implicated in various physiologic processes including cellular differentiation, inflammation, apoptosis, and steroid production.
  • oxysterols induce the differentiation of suitable progenitor cells to human keratinocytes in vitro, while the differentiation of suitable progenitors to monocytes can be induced by the oxysterol 7-ketocholesterol.
  • Previous reports by the present inventors have shown that specific oxysterols induce the differentiation of multipotent mesenchymal cells into osteoblastic cells, while inhibiting their differentiation into adipocytes. Differentiation of keratinocytes by oxysterols is mediated by the nuclear hormone receptor, liver X receptor ⁇ (LXR ⁇ ).
  • LXR ⁇ and LXR ⁇ act as receptors for oxysterols.
  • many of the effects of oxysterols are mediated by LXR-independent mechanisms. These include their effects on mesenchymal cells, since activation of LXR by specific LXR ligands inhibited, rather than stimulated, the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal cells.
  • marrow stromal cells derived from LXR null mice were able to respond to osteogenic oxysterols as well as their wild type counterparts. Additional oxysterol binding proteins have been reported that can regulate the activity of signaling molecules such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).
  • MAPK mitogen-activated protein kinase
  • Hedgehog molecules have been shown to play key roles in a variety of processes including tissue patterning, mitogenesis, morphogenesis, cellular differentiation and embryonic developments.
  • hedgehog signaling plays a crucial role in postnatal development and maintenance of tissue/organ integrity and function.
  • Studies using genetically engineered mice have demonstrated that hedgehog signaling is important during skeletogenesis as well as in the development of osteoblasts in vitro and in vivo.
  • hedgehog signaling In addition to playing a pro-osteogenic role, hedgehog signaling also inhibits adipogenesis when applied to multipotent mesenchymal cells, C3H- 1OT 1/2.
  • Hedgehog signaling involves a very complex network of signaling molecules that includes plasma membrane proteins, kinases, phosphatases, and factors that facilitate the shuffling and distribution of hedgehog molecules.
  • Hedgehog molecules are produced from a subset of producing/signaling cells that are involved in its synthesis, autoprocessing and lipid modification.
  • Lipid modification of hedgehog which appears to be essential for its functionality, involves the addition of a cholesterol molecule to the C-terminal domain of the auto-cleaved hedgehog molecule and palmitoylation at its N-terminal domain. Additional accessory factors help shuttle hedgehog molecules to the plasma membrane of the signaling cells, release them into the extracellular environment, and transport them to the responding cells.
  • Figure IA presents images of M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure IB presents a bar graph illustrating the number of adipocytes after various treatments.
  • Figure 2 presents bar graphs illustrating PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 2A after 24 hours.
  • Figure 2B after 48 hours.
  • Figure 2C after 96 hours.
  • Figure 3 presents bar graphs illustrating C/EBP ⁇ mRNA expression by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 3A after 24 hours.
  • Figure 3B after 48 hours.
  • Figure 3C after 96 hours.
  • Figure 4 presents bar graphs illustrating aP2 mRNA expression by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 4A after 24 hours.
  • Figure 4B after 48 hours.
  • Figure 4C after 96 hours.
  • Figure 5 presents bar graphs illustrating reporter activity by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 5A M2 cells transfected with PPRE-TK-LUC or pTK-LUC and pTK- Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • Figure 5B M2 cells transfected with PPRE-TK-LUC or pTK-LUC and CMX PPAR ⁇ expression plasmid and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • Figure 5C M2 cells transfected with PPRE-TK-LUC or pTK-LUC and CMX PPAR ⁇ expression plasmid and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • Figures 6A and 6B present bar graphs illustrating number of adipocytes generated from M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figures 6C and 6D present bar graphs illustrating relative expression of PPAR ⁇ by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 6E presents bar graphs illustrating relative luciferase activity in M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 7 A presents bar graphs illustrating the number of adipocytes generated from M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 7B presents bar graphs illustrating PPAR ⁇ expression by M2 cells after various treatments.
  • Figure 8 shows that 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) inhibits adipogenic differentiation and PPAR ⁇ expression in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.
  • 3T3-L1 cells were treated with control vehicle, DMI, (l ⁇ M dexamethasone, 0.5mM 3-isobutyl-l-methylzanthine and 15 ⁇ g/ml insulin), DMI + 2OS, or 5 ⁇ M 2OS.
  • Fig. 8a shows adipocyte formation, as visualized by Oil-red O staining on Day 10.
  • Fig. 8b shows PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression on Day 4, measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The values are reported as the mean of triplicate determinations ⁇ SD O ⁇ 0.0001 for control vs.
  • FIG. 9 shows the effects of 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) on Hh target genes Glil and Patchedl in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. 3T3-L1 cells were treated with control vehicle, 5 ⁇ M 2OS for 96hr. Glil and Patchedl mRNA expression was measured by quantitative realtime PCR. Fold changes in gene expression relative to control are reported as the mean of triplicate determinations ⁇ SD (a, b: /? ⁇ 0.0001 control or 20S).
  • This application relates, e.g., to a method for inhibiting expression of a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) in a cell, in particular in a preadipocyte cell, comprising contacting at least one oxysterol compound with the cell in an amount effective to inhibit expression of the PPAR and, optionally, measuring the amount of inhibition of the PPAR.
  • PPAR peroxisome proliferator activated receptor
  • the PPAR can be PPAR gamma.
  • the at least one oxysterol compound inhibits adipogenesis of the cell; is an activator of the hedgehog signaling pathway; inhibits the dysregulated differentiation of the cell into an adipocyte; and/or inhibits the expression of a PPAR target gene, such as adipocyte protein 2 (aP2) or lipoprotein lipases (LPL).
  • aP2 adipocyte protein 2
  • LPL lipoprotein lipases
  • the preadipocyte cell may in vitro, ex vivo, or in a subject, including a human.
  • the oxysterol compound can be, for example, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (e.g., at a concentration of about 5 ⁇ M), 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol, 22(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 25- hydroxycholesterol, 25(S)-hydroxy cholesterol, 5-cholesten-3-beta-20-alpha-diol-3- acetate, 24-hydroxycholesterol, 24(S)-hydroxy- cholesterol, 24(S),25-epoxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol, 4-beta-hydroxy- cholesterol, pregnenolone,
  • the expression of PPAR in the cell can be inhibited relative to a baseline value.
  • the baseline value can be the level of PPAR expression (e.g., the amount or activity of the protein, or the amount of mRNA that encodes PPAR) in cells in culture that are stimulated to express PPAR by any of a variety of well-known PPAR stimulatory agents.
  • Such stimulatory agents can include, e.g., a PPAR agonist; the well-characterized adipogenic inducer, DMI (a cocktail of dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine and insulin); a member of the drug class of thiazolidinediones (e.g., troglitazone, pioglitazone, or rosiglitazone); or the like.
  • DMI a cocktail of dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine and insulin
  • thiazolidinediones e.g., troglitazone, pioglitazone, or rosiglitazone
  • inhibiting means reducing or decreasing expression or activity by 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 99%, or 100%, etc. compared to control conditions (e.g., contacting a cell or subject with an oxysterol versus no contact).
  • the baseline value can be indicative of the level of PPAR expression in a subject exhibiting a pathology or condition associated with excessive levels (increased amounts, aberrant levels) of adipogenesis and/or with excessive accumulation of intracellular and/or extracellular fats and/or lipids (e.g., obesity or other well-recognized conditions, including osteoporosis, diabetes, aging, xanthomas, etc.), prior to treatment with an oxysterol compound to reduce expression to a lower, e.g. healthier, level.
  • the baseline value can be an average or mean of the measurements of a pool or population of such subjects. Suitable baseline values can be determined by those of skill in the art without undue experimentation. Suitable baseline values may be available in a database compiled from the values and/or may be determined based on published data or retrospective studies of samples from subjects, and other information that would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill implementing a method of the invention.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for treating or preventing a condition in a subject that is associated with excessive amounts (increased amounts, aberrant levels) of adipogenesis and/or with excessive accumulation of intracellular and/or extracellular fats and/or lipids, comprising administering to the subject an amount of an oxysterol compound that is effective to treat or prevent the condition.
  • the oxysterol compound has been shown to be in an amount that is effective to inhibit PPAR expression in a preadipocyte (e.g., in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo).
  • the oxysterol compound is administered systemically or locally to a target tissue of interest.
  • the condition can be, for example, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, muscular atrophy, xanthoma formation, or aging.
  • a method of the invention can be applied to treating a subject having any of a variety of PPAR expression related conditions, which will be evident to a skilled worker.
  • kits that includes a dosage form of a pharmaceutical composition comprising an oxysterol compound effective to inhibit expression of PPAR in a preadipocyte; the compound may be in a container.
  • the oxysterol compound may be one of more of any of the oxysterols described herein, or others.
  • the kit can include a label indicating use in treating or preventing one or more of the conditions described herein that are associated with excessive levels of adipogenesis and/or with excessive accumulation of intracellular and/or extracellular fats and/or lipids, e.g., obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, muscular atrophy, aging, or xanthoma formation in an animal or a human.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for identifying an oxysterol compound that inhibits expression of PPAR, comprising screening a candidate oxysterol compound for the ability to inhibit expression of PPAR in a preadipocyte cell in an in vitro assay.
  • the method can comprise, e.g., measuring the ability of the candidate oxysterol to reduce the stimulation of PPAR expression by a PPAR-stimulatory agent; and selecting a candidate oxysterol compound that measurably inhibits the PPAR expression.
  • a PPAR stimulatory agent can be contacted with the cell in the presence and absence of a candidate oxysterol; and a candidate can be selected for which the amount of expression of PPAR is at least about 3-fold less (e.g., at least about 10-fold, or 100-fold less) when measured in the presence of the candidate oxysterol than when measured in the absence of the candidate oxysterol.
  • mesenchymal stem cells Much of the discussion herein is directed to the effect of oxysterols on multipotent bone marrow stromal cells, sometimes referred to herein as mesenchymal stem cells
  • MSCs multi-stearoylcholine
  • preadipocytes as defined herein, are already at least partially committed to become adipocytes and thus cannot differentiate into osteoblasts.
  • Age-related bone loss is associated with a progressive decrease in bone formation and an increase in adipogenesis in the bone marrow, increasing the risk of bone fractures.
  • MSCs are common progenitors of osteoblasts and adipocytes, and a potential reciprocal relationship between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of MSCs has been suggested.
  • an increase in adipose tissue volume and a decrease in trabecular bone volume in bone marrow have been observed with aging and in patients with osteoporosis.
  • the molecular mechanisms underlying the reciprocal relationship between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation during aging and pathological states are not well understood.
  • Preadipocytes are derived from mesenchymal stem cells and can be either completely determined or partially determined to become adipocytes. Without wishing to be bound by any particular mechanism, it is suggested that there are multiple populations of preadipocyte cells, some with the ability to differentiate into many cell types that come from the mesenchymal origin, some that may be able to differentiate into several but not all lineages of cells, and some that can differentiate only into adipocytes. For example, a predetermined adipocyte such as the 3T3-L1 cell line is unipotent, meaning that it can only spontaneously differentiate into an adipocyte and not other cell types.
  • preadipocyte refers to a cell that can become an adipocyte, but does not limit the level of multipotency of that cell, except that multipotent cells, such as MSCs, and pluripotent cells, such as embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are excluded from the term, preadipocytes, as it is used herein.
  • multipotent cells such as MSCs
  • pluripotent cells such as embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
  • the term "pluripotent” refers to the ability of a cell to form all the lineages of the body or soma (the embryo proper).
  • embryonic stem cells are a type of pluripotent stem cells that are able to form cells from each of the three germ layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm.
  • multipotent refers to the ability of an adult stem cell to form multiple cell types of one lineage.
  • hematopoietic stem cells are capable of forming all cells of the blood lineage, e.g., lymphoid and myeloid cells.
  • Another non-limiting example of multipotent stem cells are mesenchymal stem cells, which are capable of forming osteoblasts, chondrocytes, fibroblasts, myocytes, adipocytes, and other mesenchymal cell types.
  • Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ⁇ is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and a key regulator of adipogenic differentiation.
  • CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein a (C/EBP ⁇ ) and C/EBP ⁇ induce the expression of PPAR ⁇ and C/EBP ⁇ .
  • PPAR ⁇ and C/EBP ⁇ regulate each other's expression through a positive feedback mechanism and induce other adipogenic genes that establish terminal adipogenic differentiation.
  • PPAR ⁇ consists of two protein isoforms produced by alternative promoter use and splicing. PPAR ⁇ 1 is expressed at low levels in many tissues, whereas PPAR ⁇ 2 is expressed at high levels in adipose tissue.
  • the introduction of PPAR ⁇ 2 into fibroblastic cells using retroviral infection stimulates adipocyte differentiation, whereas PPAR ⁇ null embryonic stem (ES) cells fail to differentiate into adipocytes.
  • Oxysterols can be used to shift MSC differentiation pathways.
  • Oxysterols a large family of 27-carbon oxygenated products of cholesterol, are present in the circulation and in human and animal tissues, and can be formed from cholesterol by either enzymatic or nonenzymatic oxidation. Oxysterols have been identified as bioactive compounds involved in various biological and pathological processes, such as cholesterol efflux, lipoprotein metabolism, calcium uptake, cell differentiation, atherosclerosis, and apoptosis.
  • osteoblastic differentiation markers such as alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin expression, and matrix mineralization in murine M2- 10B4 (M2) MSCs.
  • M2 murine M2- 10B4
  • the osteogenic oxysterols inhibit adipocyte formation and the expression of adipogenic differentiation marker genes, such as lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and adipocyte-specific fatty acid binding protein 2 (ap2).
  • LPL lipoprotein lipase
  • ap2 adipocyte-specific fatty acid binding protein 2
  • oxysterols are novel activators of the hedgehog signaling pathway (Dwyer et al. (2007) J Biol Chem 282, 8959-8968. Inhibitory effects of oxysterols on adipogenic differentiation of MSCs may be mediated by hedgehog signaling.
  • 2OS is a naturally occurring osteogenic oxysterol that we have identified
  • this study we further investigated the molecular mechanisms by which it inhibits adipogenic differentiation of MSCs.
  • 2OS inhibited PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression induced by the thiazolidinedione, troglitazone (Tro), which stimulates adipogenesis by activating PPAR ⁇ .
  • the inhibitory effects of 2OS and Shh on PPAR ⁇ expression were completely blocked by the hedgehog signaling inhibitor, cyclopamine.
  • 2OS and Shh significantly inhibited PPAR ⁇ promoter activity induced by C/EBP ⁇ overexpression.
  • 2OS did not inhibit the transcriptional activity of PPAR ⁇ . This suggests that the inhibition of adipogenesis by 2OS may be mediated predominantly through a hedgehog pathway-dependent mechanism(s).
  • Increased adipogenesis is associated with a variety of conditions including obesity, osteoporosis, and xanthoma formation.
  • the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR ⁇ ) is understood to control the expression of target genes that allow for the formation of adipocytes. Therefore PPAR ⁇ antagonists have the potential to have clinical potential for the treatment of conditions associated with increased adipogenesis.
  • PPAR ⁇ antagonists have potential as combined anti- obesity and anti-diabetic drugs. Few molecules have been heretofore been shown to inhibit the expression of PPAR ⁇ .
  • Compounds reported as having PPAR ⁇ antagonistic activity include the following: SR202, Oxazole, Tesaglitazar (by AstraZeneca), compounds 501516 and 590735 (by GlaxoSmithKline), T0070907 (Cayman Chemical), bisphenol A diglycidylether (BADGE). To our knowledge, none of these compounds belongs to the oxysterol class of molecules.
  • This application presents certain oxysterols that can inhibit the expression of PPAR ⁇ .
  • oxysterols that activate the hedgehog signaling pathway and that have osteogenic and anti-adipogenic properties can inhibit the expression of PPAR ⁇ .
  • Osteogenic oxysterols can inhibit the mRNA expression of PPAR ⁇ .
  • Oxysterol molecules effective in inhibiting PPAR ⁇ expression, analogs of these molecules, and/or active regions of these molecules, alone or as a part of a large molecule, e.g. a carrier molecule, can be systemically or locally administered to a subject to inhibit PPAR ⁇ expression in a target tissue of interest, for example, to decrease differentiation of cells into adipocytes.
  • adipogenesis is associated with increased expression of PPAR ⁇ and its target genes, adipocyte protein 2 (aP2) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL).
  • the osteogenic oxysterol 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) inhibits the mRNA expression of PPAR ⁇ in MSCs.
  • the inhibition is at the level of mRNA expression: 2OS does not inhibit the transcriptional activity of exogenous PPARy when expressed in cells using an artificial expression vector. Therefore, inhibition appears to be at a transcriptional level.
  • oxysterols exhibiting anti-adipogenic and osteogenic characteristics in addition to 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S), can similarly inhibit the expression and/or activity of PPAR ⁇ in MSCs and other cell types.
  • natural and synthetic analogs and molecules incorporating active portions of such anti-adipogenic and osteogenic oxysterols are expected to similarly inhibit the expression and/or activity of PPAR ⁇ in marrow stromal cells and other cell types.
  • Oxysterols exhibiting anti-adipogenic and osteogenic characteristics, their natural and synthetic analogs, and molecules incorporating active portions of anti-adipogenic and osteogenic oxysterols can also modulate the expression and/or activity of other members of the PPAR family of proteins, including but not limited to PP ARa and PPAR ⁇ (also known as PPAR ⁇ ).
  • Oxysterols exhibiting anti-adipogenic and osteogenic characteristics, their natural and synthetic analogs, and molecules incorporating active portions of anti- adipogenic and osteogenic oxysterols can further modulate the expression and/or activity of other members of the PPAR family of proteins, including but not limited to PPAR ⁇ and PPAR ⁇ (also known as PPAR ⁇ ). Such oxysterol compounds can be identified by measuring their effect in vitro or in other assays of PPAR expression or activity, as taught in this application.
  • anti-adipogenic oxysterols, oxysterol analogs, or active portions of oxysterols can be administered to cells, such as cells in vitro or in a human or animal subject to be treated, in an amount effective to inhibit a PPAR-mediated response in the cell ⁇ e.g., in a preadipocyte cell).
  • anti-adipogenic oxysterols are administered to control the dysregulated differentiation of a cell into an adipocyte.
  • anti-adipogenic oxysterols are administered to a human or animal subject to be treated to treat or prevent diseases and disorders associated with PPAR over- expression, including dysregulated and excessive accumulation of intracellular and/or extracellular fats and/or lipids and/or excessive adipogenesis.
  • anti-adipogenic oxysterols are administered to treat or prevent diseases and disorders such as obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, muscular atrophy, aging, and/or xanthoma formation in an animal or a human.
  • PPAR expression inhibiting oxysterol compounds can be administered to treat a physiological and/or pathological condition in which PPAR is a key regulator and target for intervention, for the treatment of a human or animal disease.
  • a subject can be selected for treatment by administration of PPAR expression inhibiting oxysterol compounds (oxysterols, oxysterol analogs, or active portions of oxysterols), for example, on the basis of the subject having a condition, disease, or disorder related to PPAR expression, (otherwise referred to as a PPAR expression related condition), or on the basis of the subject having a measured abnormal level of PPAR expression, for example, systemically, in a region of tissue, or in cells, or on the basis of other diagnostic tests.
  • oxysterol compounds e.g., oxysterols, oxysterol analogs, or active portions of oxysterols
  • the treatment can be modified.
  • a dosage can be increased or decreased or terminated if the subject's measured level of PPAR protein expression moves into a normal range, as determined systemically, in a region of tissue, or in cells, or on the basis of other diagnostic tests, such as inhibition of adipogenesis or serum markers indicative of adipogenesis including, but not limited to, adiponectin, leptin, and triglycerides.
  • a PPAR expression related condition can be identified in a subject by measuring an abnormal level of PPAR expression and/or fat cell formation in the adipose tissue, as well as non-adipose tissues including, but not limited to, bone, bone marrow, skeletal muscle, and organs, such as the liver, heart, and kidney, and the oxysterol compounds of the invention can be administered to the subject to bring the level into a normal range.
  • PPAR expression can be measured directly, for example, in an in vitro study or in a cell culture obtained by biopsy of a tissue of interest in an animal or a human subject.
  • PPAR expression can be measured indirectly, for example, in a non-invasive procedure, such as through an X-ray of an animal or a human subject and/or analysis of symptoms and/or indications by a medical practitioner.
  • an X-ray may indicate excessive fat in a tissue, which may indicate overexpression of PPAR.
  • the PPAR expression related conditions may be, for example, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, muscular atrophy, aging, and other conditions associated with increased adipogenesis, as well as xanthoma formation and other conditions associated with dysregulated and excessive accumulation of intracellular and/or extracellular fats and/or lipids.
  • a kit of the invention can include an oxysterol, such as an anti-adipogenic oxysterol, effective to inhibit expression of a PPAR protein in a preadipocyte.
  • the oxysterol can be formulated as a pharmaceutical composition.
  • the kit can include a label indicating use in treating and/or preventing a condition, disease, or disorder, such as obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, muscular atrophy, aging, or xanthoma formation in a subject, such as an animal or a human.
  • a candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol is screened for the ability to inhibit expression of a PPAR protein in a preadipocyte cell an in vitro assay.
  • a candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol can be selected that inhibits PPAR expression.
  • the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol screened and/or selected can be a compound that has not previously been isolated, purified, or synthesized, or can be a compound that has not previously been recognized as having hedgehog activating, anti-adipogenic, and/or osteogenic characteristics.
  • the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol screened and/or selected can be other than 5-cholesten-3-beta-20-alpha-diol-3-acetate, 4- ⁇ - hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, 7-ketohydroxycholesterol, 7 ⁇ -hydroxycholesterol, 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol, 22(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 24-hydroxycholesterol, 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 24(S),25-epoxycholesterol, 25- hydroxy cholesterol, 25(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 26-hydroxycholesterol, pregnenolone,
  • the oxysterol compound can be present in various forms and, if appropriate, as a pharmaceutically acceptable acid, base, or salt form.
  • a screening method in the invention can comprise contacting a PPAR agonist and the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol with a preadipocyte cell and measuring the level of PPAR protein expression. The level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with the PPAR agonist and the candidate can then be compared to the level of PPAR protein expression in a cell of the same type contacted with PPAR agonist, but not the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol.
  • the ratio of the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with PPAR agonist, but not the candidate, to the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with the PPAR agonist and the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol can be determined.
  • the ratio can be used as a metric of PPAR expression inhibition.
  • a candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol can be selected for exhibiting PPAR expression inhibition if the ratio of the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with PPAR agonist, but not the candidate, to the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with the PPAR agonist and the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol is greater than a predetermined ratio.
  • the predetermined ratio can be chosen to be 3, so that the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with PPAR agonist, but not the candidate, must be three-fold greater than the level of PPAR protein expression by the cell contacted with the PPAR agonist and the candidate oxysterol, oxysterol analog, or active portion of an oxysterol for the candidate to be selected.
  • the predetermined ratio can be chosen to be 10, 100, or another value that one of skill in the art deems appropriate.
  • the oxysterol compound may reduce PPAR expression to, e.g., about 1%, 5%, 10%, 30%, or a higher or lower level compared to the baseline level of expression.
  • the cells used in the method can be preadipocytes.
  • the level of PPAR protein expression measured can be the level of PPAR ⁇ protein.
  • the PPAR agonist used can be troglitazone.
  • the oxysterols used can be natural or synthetic.
  • the oxysterols can exhibit any of a variety of activities, including the stimulation of osteomorphogenesis or osteoproliferation, and/or the inhibition of adipocyte morphogenesis or adipocyte proliferation, and thus can be used to treat conditions mediated by, or exhibiting aberrant expression of, those physiological phenomena.
  • Certain oxysterols act by stimulating the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway.
  • Hh hedgehog
  • oxysterols including naturally occurring molecules as well as synthetic ones, can enhance this pathway, either in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo (in a subject) and can be used to treat conditions mediated by elements of the Hh pathway.
  • oxysterols of the invention are inexpensive to manufacture, can be easily administered (e.g. locally or systemically), and exhibit great efficacy and potency.
  • Bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) can be used to enhance bone healing, but very large amounts of those proteins are required. Because oxysterols of the invention act synergistically with certain BMPs, lower doses of the proteins are required when they are co-administered with an oxysterol of the invention. This is another advantage of oxysterols of the invention.
  • administration of the compounds of the invention allows one to circumvent surgery, which can lead to scarring, e.g. in cosmetically sensitive areas.
  • One aspect of the invention is an oxysterol (e.g., an isolated oxysterol) represented by Formula 1.
  • J can be hydrogen (H) or hydroxyl (OH)
  • L can be hydrogen (H) or hydroxyl (OH)
  • Ri can be a linear or branched alkane of from 1 to 6 carbons, a linear or branched alkene of from 2 to 6 carbons, or phenyl optionally substituted with methyl.
  • J and L can be hydroxyl (OH) and/or at least one of J and L can be hydrogen (H).
  • Rj can be other than 3-methylbutyl.
  • R] when J is OH, R] can be other than 3-methyl-2-butenyl, and when L is OH, Ri can be other than n-propyl.
  • J is hydroxyl (OH) and L is hydrogen (H).
  • Ri can be an alkane of from 5 to 6 carbons, for example, an alkane of from 5 to 6 carbons other than 3-methylbutyl.
  • Rj can be 4-methylpentyl (Oxy 12).
  • Ri can be an alkene of from 5 to 6 carbons, for example, an alkene of from 5 to 6 carbons other than 3- methyl-2-butenyl.
  • Ri can be 3-methyl-3-butenyl (Oxy 13).
  • Ri can be phenyl optionally substituted with methyl.
  • Ri can be 3-methylphenyl (Oxy 11).
  • J is hydrogen (H) and L is hydroxyl (OH).
  • Ri can be an alkane of from 1 to 6 carbons.
  • Ri can be methyl (Oxy 4), ethyl (Oxy 3), n- butyl (Oxy 9), or 4-methylpentyl (Oxy 7).
  • J is hydroxyl (OH) and K is hydroxyl (OH).
  • Ri can be an alkane of from 1 to 6 carbons.
  • Ri can be 3-methylbutyl (Oxy 15 and Oxy 16).
  • a compound has Formula I and J is H or OH and L is H or
  • At least one of J and L is H and at least one of J and L is OH.
  • Rl is selected from the group consisting of alkane of from 1 to 6 carbons, alkene of from 2 to 6 carbons, and phenyl optionally substituted with methyl. Rl is not 3-methylbutyl. When J is OH, Rl is not 3-methyl-2-butenyl. When L is OH, Rl is not n-propyl.
  • One embodiment is a pharmaceutical composition that comprises a compound having Formula I and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • J is H or OH
  • L is H or OH.
  • At least one of J and L is OH.
  • Rl is selected from the group consisting of alkane of from 1 to 6 carbons, alkene of from 2 to 6 carbons, and phenyl optionally substituted with methyl.
  • the pharmaceutical composition further includes at least one additional oxysterol.
  • the pharmaceutical composition includes at least two of Oxy 3, Oxy 4, Oxy 7, Oxy 9, Oxy 11, Oxy 12, Oxy 13, Oxy 14, and Oxy 15.
  • the pharmaceutical composition may further comprise at least one of 20(S)- hydroxycholesterol, 22(S)- hydroxycholesterol, or 22(R)- hydroxycholesterol, or any other oxysterol.
  • the pharmaceutical composition includes Oxy 16.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a complex (in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo) comprising an oxysterol of the invention and any of variety of intracellular oxysterol binding molecules (e.g., proteins, receptors, etc.), examples of which will be evident to the skilled worker.
  • oxysterol binding molecules e.g., proteins, receptors, etc.
  • the singular forms "a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
  • “an” oxysterol” includes multiple oxysterols, e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5 or more oxysterols, which can be the same or different.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a combination or pharmaceutical composition
  • an oxysterol of the invention (optionally in combination of other agents as discussed above) and at least one additional agent, selected, e.g., from the group consisting of parathyroid hormone, sodium fluoride, insulin-like growth factor I (ILGF-I), insulin-like growth factor II (ILGF-II), transforming growth factor beta (TGF- ⁇ ), a cytochrome P450 inhibitor, a phospholipase activator, arachadonic acid, a COX enzyme activator, an osteogenic prostanoid, an ERK activator, BMP 2, 4, 7 and 14.
  • kits for performing any of the methods discussed herein comprising one or more oxysterols of the invention, individually or in combination with one another, or in combination with naturally occurring oxysterols and/or with BMPs or other agents noted herein, optionally packaged in one or more containers.
  • the oxysterol(s) may be in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable composition.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for modulating a hedgehog (Hh) pathway mediated response in a cell (e.g., a preadipocyte cell) or tissue comprising the cells (e.g., preadipocyte cells), comprising contacting the cell or tissue with an effective amount of an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention.
  • the cell or tissue may be in vitro or in a subject (in vivo). In the latter case, the subject can be one who would benefit, e.g., from the stimulation of osteomorphogenesis, osteoproliferation or hair growth; or the inhibition of adipocyte morphogenesis or adipocyte proliferation.
  • a "subject,” as used herein, includes any animal that exhibits a symptom of a condition that can be treated with an oxysterol of the invention.
  • Suitable subjects include laboratory animals (such as mouse, rat, rabbit, or guinea pig), farm animals, and domestic animals or pets (such as a cat or dog).
  • Non-human primates and, preferably, human patients, are included.
  • Typical subjects include animals that exhibit aberrant amounts (lower or higher amounts than a "normal” or “healthy” subject) of one or more physiological activities that can be modulated by an oxysterol of the invention (e.g. stimulation of osteomorphogenesis or osteoproliferation, and/or the inhibition of adipocyte morphogenesis or adipocyte proliferation).
  • Subjects exhibiting non-pathogenic conditions, such as alopecia, are also included.
  • the ability of an oxysterol to "modulate" a response includes the ability to increase or to decrease the level of the response compared to the response elicited in the absence of the oxysterol.
  • the aberrant activities may be regulated by any of a variety of mechanisms, including activation of a hedgehog activity, etc. The aberrant activities can result in a pathological condition.
  • an “effective amount,” as used herein, includes an amount that can bring about a detectable effect.
  • a “therapeutically effective amount,” as used herein, includes an amount that can bring about a detectable therapeutic effect (e.g. the amelioration of a symptom).
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for treating a subject suffering from a condition known to be mediated by oxysterols or by the hedgehog pathway, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for inducing osteoblastic differentiation of a mammalian mesenchymal stem cell, comprising contacting the cell with an effective amount of an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention.
  • This method can further comprise treating the mammalian mesenchymal cell with at least one secondary agent, selected from the group consisting of parathyroid hormone, sodium fluoride, insulin-like growth factor I (ILGF-I), insulin-like growth factor II (ILGF-II), transforming growth factor beta (TGF- ⁇ ), a cytochrome P450 inhibitor, a phospholipase activator, arachadonic acid, a COX enzyme activator, an osteogenic prostanoid and an ERK activator.
  • ILGF-I insulin-like growth factor I
  • ILGF-II insulin-like growth factor II
  • TGF- ⁇ transforming growth factor beta
  • cytochrome P450 inhibitor a phospholipase activator
  • arachadonic acid a
  • an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention include methods for (1) stimulating a mammalian cell (e.g. a mesenchymal stem cell, an osteoprogenitor cell or a cell in a calvarial organ culture) to express a level of a biological marker of osteoblastic differentiation (e.g. an increase in at least one of alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium incorporation, mineralization or expression of osteocalcin mRNA) which is greater than the level of the biological marker in an untreated cell; (2) treating a subject (patient) to increase the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts; (3) treating a subject to induce bone formation (to increase bone mass); or (4) treating a patient exhibiting clinical symptoms of osteoporosis.
  • a mammalian cell e.g. a mesenchymal stem cell, an osteoprogenitor cell or a cell in a calvarial organ culture
  • a level of a biological marker of osteoblastic differentiation e.g. an increase in at least one
  • Methods for treating a subject may comprise administering an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention at a therapeutically effective dose, in an effective dosage form, and at a selected interval to effectively carry out the elicit the desired response (e.g. to increase bone mass, to increase the number of osteoblasts present in bone tissue, to ameliorate the symptoms of the osteoporosis, respectively).
  • a therapeutically effective dose in an effective dosage form, and at a selected interval to effectively carry out the elicit the desired response (e.g. to increase bone mass, to increase the number of osteoblasts present in bone tissue, to ameliorate the symptoms of the osteoporosis, respectively).
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for treating a subject to induce bone formation comprising: harvesting mammalian mesenchymal stem cells; treating the mammalian mesenchymal cells with an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention, wherein the oxysterol induces the mesenchymal stem cells to express at least one cellular marker of osteoblastic differentiation; and administering the differentiated cells to the subject.
  • an implant for use in an animal (e.g. human) body comprising a substrate having a surface, wherein at least the surface of the implant includes an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention, in an amount sufficient to induce bone formation in the surrounding bone tissue.
  • the substrate may be formed into the shape of, e.g., a pin, screw, plate, or prosthetic joint.
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for inhibiting adipocyte differentiation of a mammalian mesenchymal stem cell, comprising contacting the mesenchymal stem cell with an effective amount of an oxysterol or a pharmaceutical composition of the invention.
  • the cell may be in vitro, ex vivo, or in a subject (in vivo).
  • Another aspect of the invention is a method for identifying a modulator of a hedgehog pathway-mediated activity, comprising screening candidate oxysterols for the ability to modulate an activity in one of the hedgehog-related in vitro assays discussed herein (e.g., induction of expression of the GIi-I gene, for example by stimulation of a GUI promoter; activation of a reporter construct driven by a multimerized GIi-I responsive element; induction of expression of Patched; inhibition of a putative oxysterol- induced effect by cyclopamine; etc).
  • induction of expression of the GIi-I gene for example by stimulation of a GUI promoter
  • activation of a reporter construct driven by a multimerized GIi-I responsive element induction of expression of Patched
  • inhibition of a putative oxysterol- induced effect by cyclopamine etc.
  • Another aspect of the invention is in a method for modulating a hedgehog (Hh) pathway mediated response in a cell or tissue (in vitro, ex vivo, or in a subject), the improvement comprising contacting the cell or tissue with an oxysterol of the invention.
  • Another aspect of the invention is in a method for treating a subject for one of the indications as described herein (e.g., to increase the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts, or to induce bone formation, the improvement comprising contacting the cell or tissue with an oxysterol of the invention).
  • One aspect of the invention is an oxysterol (e.g. an isolated oxysterol) of the invention as represented by Formula I, above.
  • oxysterols designated as Oxy 1 through Oxy 4 and Oxy 6 through Oxy 16 are presented in Figure 9.
  • the compounds designated as Oxy 7, Oxy 9, Oxyl 1, Oxyl2, Oxyl3, Oxy 14, and Oxy 15 can stimulate at least a measurable amount of a hedgehog-mediated pathway and/or a PPAR- ⁇ -mediated pathway, and/or osteomorphogenesis or osteoproliferation (or a marker thereof), and/or can inhibit at least a measurable amount of adipocyte morphogenesis or adipocyte proliferation (or a marker thereof).
  • Oxy 3 and Oxy 4 can act as enhancers of activity in combination with other oxysterols.
  • the combination of Oxy 3 and 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol, as well as the combination of Oxy4 and 20(S)- hydroxycholestol were found to enhance the incorporation of 45 Ca in an assay used to measure mineralization in M2 cells over the incorporation when only 20(S)- hydroxycholestol was applied.
  • Oxy 7 was found to be minimally enhancing of activity.
  • oxysterols have not been demonstrated to modulate one of the activities mentioned above. However, these molecules, which share structural features with the oxysterols discussed above, would be expected to act as competitive inhibitors of those compounds and, in some cases, to act as antagonists of one of the mentioned activities (e.g., of osteomorphogenesis or osteoproliferation, etc.).
  • naturally occurring oxysterols e.g., 22(S)- hydroxycholesterol (sometimes referred to herein as "22S”); 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol (sometimes referred to herein as “22R”); 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (also known as 20- alpha hydroxycholesterol, and sometimes referred to herein as "2OS”); 5-cholesten-3beta, 20alpha-diol 3-acetate; 24-hydroxycholesterol; 24(S), 25-epoxycholesterol; pregnenolone, 26-hydroxycholesterol; 4beta-hydroxycholesterol; can also be used.
  • isolated is meant removed from its original environment (e.g., the natural environment if it is naturally occurring), and/or separated from at least one other component with which it is naturally associated.
  • a naturally-occurring oxysterol present in its natural living host is not isolated, but the same oxysterol, separated from some or all of the coexisting materials in the natural system, is isolated.
  • Such an oxysterol can be part of a composition (e.g. a pharmaceutical composition), and still be isolated in that such composition is not part of its natural environment.
  • an intermediate product in the synthesis of another oxysterol, wherein the intermediate product is not purified or separated from other components in the reaction pathway is not isolated.
  • variants include, for example, the following: placement of a hydroxyl group at the steroid 20 position, the steroid 22 position, or both; inclusion of only single carbon-carbon bonds (alkane), double bonds (alkene), triple bonds (alkyne), or aromatic groups (e.g., phenyl, methylphenyl) in the functional group; and variation of stereochemistry. It is desirable to produce synthetic oxysterols that are derivatives of 20S-hydroxycholesterol and that are active even in the absence of 22S-hydroxycholesterol or 22R-hydroxycholesterol.
  • such synthetic oxysterols can be active in that they induce a measurable amount of a hedgehog- mediated pathway and/or a PPAR- ⁇ -mediated pathway, and/or osteomorphogenesis or osteoproliferation (or a marker thereof), and/or inhibit at least a measurable amount of adipocyte morphogenesis or adipocyte proliferation (or a marker thereof).
  • Combinations of oxysterols of the invention, with one another and/or with other oxysterols, including naturally occurring oxysterols, can also be used in methods of the invention.
  • naturally occurring oxysterols that can be used are: 22(S)- hydroxycholesterol; 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol; 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (also known as 20-alpha hydroxycholesterol); 5-cholesten-3beta, 20alpha-diol 3-acetate; 24- hydroxycholesterol; 24(S), 25-epoxycholesterol; 26-hydroxycholesterol; and/or 4beta- hy droxy cholesterol .
  • Example III below, provides illustrative synthetic procedures, as well as bibliographic citations.
  • oxysterols discussed herein can be used to modulate a variety of responses or activities in a cell or tissue, in vitro or in vivo (in a subject).
  • modulate is meant is to increase or decrease the degree of the response.
  • the Examples herein illustrate some of the many activities that are exhibited by oxysterols of the invention.
  • the present inventors and colleagues previously demonstrated that naturally occurring oxysterols (e.g. 22(S)-hy droxy cholesterol (sometimes referred to herein as "22S”); 22(R)-hydroxycholesterol (sometimes referred to herein as “22R”); 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (also known as 20-alpha hydroxycholesterol, and sometimes referred to herein as "2OS”); 5-cholesten-3beta, 20alpha-diol 3-acetate; 24- hydroxycholesterol; 24(S), 25-epoxycholesterol; pregnenolone, 26-hydroxycholesterol; and 4beta-hydroxycholesterol; individually or in combination, exhibit osteogenic and anti- adipogenic properties.
  • the subject method can be employed for the generation of bone (osteogenesis) at a site in the animal where such skeletal tissue is deficient.
  • Indian hedgehog is particularly associated with the hypertrophic chondrocytes that are ultimately replaced by osteoblasts.
  • administration of a hedgehog agent of the present invention can be employed as part of a method for treating bone loss in a subject, e.g. to prevent and/or reverse osteoporosis and other osteopenic disorders, as well as to regulate bone growth and maturation. Periodontal implants are also contemplated.
  • preparations comprising oxysterol compounds can be employed, for example, to induce endochondral ossification, at least so far as to facilitate the formation of cartilaginous tissue precursors to form the "model" for ossification.
  • Therapeutic compositions of hedgehog agonists can be supplemented, if required, with other osteoinductive factors, such as bone growth factors (e.g. TGF- ⁇ factors, such as the bone morphogenetic factors BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-7 or BMP 14 as well as activin), and may also include, or be administered in combination with, an inhibitor of bone resorption such as estrogen, bisphosphonate, sodium fluoride, calcitonin, or tamoxifen, or related compounds.
  • bone growth factors e.g. TGF- ⁇ factors, such as the bone morphogenetic factors BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-7 or BMP 14 as well as activin
  • an inhibitor of bone resorption such as estrogen, bisphosphonate, sodium fluoride,
  • hedgehog proteins are likely to be upstream of BMPs, so that treatment with a hedgehog polypeptide and/or a hedgehog agonist will have the advantage of initiating endogenous expression of BMPs along with other factors.
  • the oxysterols discussed herein can be formulated into various compositions, e.g., pharmaceutical compositions, for use in therapeutic treatment methods.
  • the pharmaceutical compositions can be assembled as a kit.
  • a pharmaceutical composition of the invention comprises an effective amount of an oxysterol or combination of the invention.
  • An "effective amount,” as used herein, is an amount that is sufficient to effect at least a detectable therapeutic response in the individual over a reasonable time frame.
  • the composition can comprise a carrier, such as a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier such as a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable is meant a material that is not biologically or otherwise undesirable, i.e., the material may be administered to a subject without causing any undesirable biological effects or interacting in a deleterious manner with any of the other components of the pharmaceutical composition in which it is contained.
  • the carrier would naturally be selected to minimize any degradation of the active ingredient and to minimize any adverse side effects in the subject, as would be well known to one of skill in the art.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and other components of pharmaceutical compositions see, e.g., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th ed., Mack Publishing Company, 1990.
  • a pharmaceutical composition or kit of the invention can contain other pharmaceuticals, as noted elsewhere herein, in addition to the oxysterols of the invention.
  • the other agent(s) can be administered at any suitable time during the treatment of the patient, either concurrently or sequentially.
  • compositions of the present invention will depend, in part, upon the particular agent that is employed, and the chosen route of administration. Accordingly, there is a wide variety of suitable formulations of compositions of the present invention.
  • Formulations suitable for oral administration can consist of liquid solutions, such as an effective amount of the agent dissolved in diluents, such as water, saline, or fruit juice; capsules, sachets or tablets, each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient, as solid, granules or freeze-dried cells; solutions or suspensions in an aqueous liquid; and oil-in-water emulsions or water-in-oil emulsions.
  • diluents such as water, saline, or fruit juice
  • capsules, sachets or tablets each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient, as solid, granules or freeze-dried cells
  • solutions or suspensions in an aqueous liquid and oil-in-water emulsions or water-in-oil emulsions.
  • Tablet forms can include one or more of lactose, mannitol, corn starch, potato starch, macrocrystalline cellulose, acacia, gelatin, colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, talc, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, and other excipients, colorants, diluents, buffering agents, moistening agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, and pharmacologically compatible carriers.
  • Suitable formulations for oral delivery can also be incorporated into synthetic and natural polymeric microspheres, or other means to protect the agents of the present invention from degradation within the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Formulations suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous and non- aqueous, isotonic sterile injection solutions, which can contain antioxidants, buffers, bacteriostats, and solutes that render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient, and aqueous and non-aqueous sterile suspensions that can include suspending agents, solubilizers, thickening agents, stabilizers, and preservatives.
  • the formulations can be presented in unit-dose or multi-dose sealed containers, such as ampules and vials, and can be stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid carrier, for example, water, for injections, immediately prior to use.
  • Extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions can be prepared from sterile powders, granules, and tablets of the kind previously described.
  • the oxysterols of the invention can be made into aerosol formulations to be administered via inhalation.
  • These aerosol formulations can be placed into pressurized acceptable propellants, such as dichlorodifluoromethane, propane, nitrogen and the like.
  • the oxysterols of the invention can be made into suitable formulations for transdermal application and absorption (Wallace et ah, 1993, supra). Transdermal electroporation or iontophoresis also can be used to promote and/or control the systemic delivery of the agents and/or pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention through the skin ⁇ e.g., see Theiss et al. (1991), Meth. Find. Exp. CHn. Pharmacol. U, 353-359).
  • Formulations which are suitable for topical administration include lozenges comprising the active ingredient in a flavor, usually sucrose and acacia or tragacanth; pastilles comprising the active ingredient in an inert base, such as gelatin and glycerin, or sucrose and acacia; mouthwashes comprising the active ingredient in a suitable liquid carrier; or creams, emulsions, suspensions, solutions, gels, creams, pastes, foams, lubricants, sprays, suppositories, or the like.
  • lozenges comprising the active ingredient in a flavor, usually sucrose and acacia or tragacanth
  • pastilles comprising the active ingredient in an inert base, such as gelatin and glycerin, or sucrose and acacia
  • mouthwashes comprising the active ingredient in a suitable liquid carrier
  • Dosages for an oxysterols of the invention can be in unit dosage form, such as a tablet or capsule.
  • unit dosage form refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for animal (e.g. human) subjects, each unit containing a predetermined quantity of an agent of the invention, alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents, calculated in an amount sufficient to produce the desired effect in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, carrier, or vehicle.
  • One skilled in the art can easily determine the appropriate dose, schedule, and method of administration for the exact formulation of the composition being used, in order to achieve the desired effective amount or effective concentration of the agent in the individual patient.
  • One skilled in the art also can readily determine and use an appropriate indicator of the "effective concentration" of the compounds of the present invention by a direct or indirect analysis of appropriate patient samples (e.g., blood and/or tissues).
  • the dose of an oxysterol of the invention, or composition thereof, administered to an animal, particularly a human, in the context of the present invention should be sufficient to effect at least a therapeutic response in the individual over a reasonable time frame.
  • the exact amount of the dose will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, weight and general condition of the subject, the severity or mechanism of any disorder being treated, the particular agent or vehicle used, its mode of administration and the like.
  • the dose used to achieve a desired concentration in vivo will be determined by the potency of the particular oxysterol employed, the pharmacodynamics associated with the agent in the host, the severity of the disease state of infected individuals, as well as, in the case of systemic administration, the body weight and age of the individual.
  • the size of the dose also will be determined by the existence of any adverse side effects that may accompany the particular agent, or composition thereof, employed. It is generally desirable, whenever possible, to keep adverse side effects to a minimum.
  • a dose can be administered in the range of from about 5 ng (nanograms) to about 1000 mg (milligrams), or from about 100 ng to about 600 mg, or from about 1 mg to about 500 mg, or from about 20 mg to about 400 mg.
  • the dose can be selected to achieve a dose to body weight ratio of from about 0.0001 mg/kg to about 1500 mg/kg, or from about 1 mg/kg to about 1000 mg/kg, or from about 5 mg/kg to about 150 mg/kg, or from about 20 mg/kg to about 100 mg/kg.
  • a dosage unit can be in the range of from about 1 ng to about 5000 mg, or from about 5 ng to about 1000 mg, or from about or from about 100 ng to about 600 mg, or from about 1 mg to about 500 mg, or from about 20 mg to about 400 mg, or from about 40 mg to about 200 mg of a compound of according to the present invention.
  • a dose can be administered once per day, twice per day, four times per day, or more than four times per day as required to elicit a desired therapeutic effect.
  • a dose administration regimen can be selected to achieve a blood serum concentration of a compound of the present invention in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1000 nM, or from about 0.1 to about 750 nM, or from about 1 to about 500 nM, or from about 20 to about 500 nM, or from about 100 to about 500 nM, or from about 200 to about 400 nM.
  • a dose administration regime can be selected to achieve an average blood serum concentration with a half maximum dose of a compound of the present invention in the range of from about 1 ⁇ g/L (microgram per liter) to about 2000 ⁇ g/L, or from about 2 ⁇ g/L to about 1000 ⁇ g/L, or from about 5 ⁇ g/L to about 500 ⁇ g/L, or from about 10 ⁇ g/L to about 400 ⁇ g/L, or from about 20 ⁇ g/L to about 200 ⁇ g/L, or from about 40 ⁇ g/L to about 100 ⁇ g/L.
  • ⁇ g/L microgram per liter
  • a therapeutically effective dose of an oxysterol compound or other agent useful in this invention is one which has a positive clinical effect on a patient as measured by the ability of the agent to improve adipogenesis or PPAR expression related conditions.
  • the therapeutically effective dose of each agent can be modulated to achieve the desired clinical effect, while minimizing negative side effects.
  • the dosage of the agent may be selected for an individual patient depending upon the route of administration, severity of the disease, age and weight of the patient, other medications the patient is taking and other factors normally considered by an attending physician, when determining an individual regimen and dose level appropriate for a particular patient.
  • the invention may include elevating endogenous, circulating oxysterol levels over the patient's basal level.
  • levels are about 10-400 ng/ml depending on age and type of oxysterol, as measured by mass spectrometry.
  • mass spectrometry Those skilled in the art of pharmacology would be able to select a dose and monitor the same to determine if an increase in circulating levels over basal levels has occurred.
  • the other agent can be given at the same time as the oxysterol, or the dosing can be staggered as desired.
  • the two (or more) drugs also can be combined in a composition. Doses of each can be less when used in combination than when either is used alone.
  • the invention may include treatment with an additional agent which acts independently or synergistically with at least a first oxysterol compound to reduce adipogenesis, etc.
  • Additional agents may be agents which, e.g., stimulate the mechanistic pathway by which oxysterols reduce adipogenesis and enhance osteoblastic differentiation.
  • suitable agents are bone morphogenic proteins (e.g., BMP 2, 4, 7, and/or 14), which have been shown by the inventors to act synergistically with oxysterols.
  • the invention may include the use of a combination of at least one oxysterol of the invention and at least one BMP to induce osteoblastic differentiation or bone formation.
  • This combination of agents to maintain bone homeostasis, enhance bone formation and/or enhance bone repair may be desirable at least in that the dosage of each agent may be reduced as a result of the synergistic effects.
  • BMP2 may be used for localized use in fracture healing studies. The dosages used vary depending on mode of delivery. For example, beads coated with 10-100 micrograms of BMP2 have been used in mouse bone fracture studies. In studies with monkeys, BMP7 has been used in dosages ranging from 500-2000 micrograms. In studies with dogs, BMP2 has been used between 200-2000 micrograms.
  • BMP2 was delivered in a sponge implanted in the fracture site
  • the dosage used was 1.5mg/ml.
  • a large dose of 10 mg of BMP2 was used.
  • BMP7 was used at several mg dosages.
  • agents which may be useful in this invention alone or in combination with oxysterols include, but are not limited to cytochrome P450 inhibitors, such as SKF525A.
  • Other classes of agents useful in the invention include phospholipase activators, or arachadonic acid.
  • Other classes of agents useful in the invention include COX enzyme activators, or prostaglandins or osteogenic prostanoids.
  • Other classes of agents useful in the invention include ERK activators.
  • the invention may include combination treatments with oxysterols and other therapeutics.
  • oxysterols in combination with bisphosphonates, hormone therapy treatments, such as estrogen receptor modulators, calcitonin, and vitamin Dl calcium supplementation, PTH (such as Forteo or teriparatide, Eli Lilly), sodium fluoride and growth factors that have a positive effect on bone, such as insulin-like growth factors I and II and transforming growth factor beta.
  • hormone therapy treatments such as estrogen receptor modulators, calcitonin, and vitamin Dl calcium supplementation, PTH (such as Forteo or teriparatide, Eli Lilly)
  • PTH such as Forteo or teriparatide, Eli Lilly
  • sodium fluoride and growth factors that have a positive effect on bone such as insulin-like growth factors I and II and transforming growth factor beta.
  • Those skilled in the art would be able to determine the accepted dosages for each of the therapies using standard therapeutic dosage parameters.
  • MSCs or preadipocytes may be treated with an agent(s) to reduce adipogenesis and/or optionally to stimulate osteoblastic differentiation, as measured by any one of the increase in alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium incorporation, mineralization or osteocalcin mRNA expression, or other indicators of osteoblastic differentiation.
  • MSCs are harvested from a patient, treated with at least one oxysterol of the invention, and osteoblastic cells are administered to the patient.
  • the invention may include administering osteoblastically differentiated MSCs systemically to the patient.
  • the invention may include placing osteoblastically differentiated MSCs at selected locations in the body of a patient.
  • cells may be injected at a location at which bone homeostasis, formation and/or repair is desired.
  • the agents and methods may be applied to, but are not limited to the treatment or to slow the progression of bone related disorders, such as osteoporosis.
  • the agents and methods may be applied to, but are not limited to application of cells or agents to a surgical or fracture site, in periodontitis, periodontal regeneration, alveolar ridge augmentation for tooth implant reconstruction, treatment of non-union fractures, sites of knee/hip/joint repair or replacement surgery.
  • the invention may include implants for use in the human body, comprising a substrate having a surface, wherein at least the surface of the implant includes at least one oxysterol of the invention in an amount sufficient to induce bone formation in the surrounding bone tissue, or the implant may include mammalian cells capable of osteoblastic differentiation, or osteoblastic mammalian cells (e.g., mammalian
  • MSCs MSCs
  • a combination thereof for inducing bone formation or enhancing bone repair.
  • implants may include, but are not limited to pins, screws, plates or prosthetic joints which may be placed in the proximity of or in contact with a bone that are used to immobilize a fracture, enhance bone formation, or stabilize a prosthetic implant by stimulating formation or repair of a site of bone removal, fracture or other bone injury.
  • the invention may also include the application of at least one agent or differentiated cells in the proximity of or in contact with a bone at a site of bone removal, fracture or other bone injury where bone formation or bone repair is desired.
  • kits useful for any of the methods disclosed herein, either in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo.
  • a kit can comprise one or more of the oxysterols or pharmaceutical compositions discussed herein.
  • the kits comprise instructions for performing the method.
  • Optional elements of a kit of the invention include suitable buffers, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, or the like, containers, or packaging materials.
  • the reagents of the kit may be in containers in which the reagents are stable, e.g., in lyophilized form or stabilized liquids.
  • the reagents may also be in single use form, e.g., in single dosage form.
  • a skilled worker will recognize components of kits suitable for carrying out any of the methods of the invention.
  • a statistically significant amount is depends on a number of factors, such as the technique of the experimenter and the quality of the equipment used. For example, in certain cases, a statistically significant amount may be a change of 1%. In other cases, a statistically significant amount can be represented by a change of at least about 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, 75%, double, or more. In relation to inhibition, the significant reduction may be to a level of less than about 90%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, or less.
  • M2 cells are treated with PPAR ⁇ agonist, troglitazone (Tro) at 10 ⁇ M which induces adipogenesis in a variety of multipotent cells including the M2 marrow stromal cells.
  • the synthetic analogues are tested by treating M2 cells with Tro in the absence or presence of the individual oxysterols. After 8 days of treatment, at which time fully formed adipocytes are produced in M2 cultures treated with Tro, oil red O staining is performed to detect adipocytes that stain red due to the accumulation of neutral lipids. Adipocyte numbers are quantified by counting fields under a phase contrast microscope by conventional procedures. Those oxysterols that exhibit anti-adipogenic effects in vitro are also expected to inhibit adipogenesis in vivo.
  • Imidazole (ImH) can be added to a solution of pregnenolone (compound 3, see
  • the Grignard reagent 3-methylbenzylmagnesium bromide can then be reacted with 4 in a mixture of diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran (T ⁇ F).
  • T ⁇ F diethyl ether
  • the silyl ether can be removed by the addition of tetrabutylammonium fluoride to yield compound 5a (Oxy 11) as shown in Scheme 1.
  • the Grignard reagent isoheptylmagnesium bromide can then be reacted with 4 in a mixture of diethyl ether and T ⁇ F.
  • the silyl ether can be removed by the addition of tetrabutylammonium fluoride to yield compound 5c (Oxy 12) as shown in Scheme 1.
  • the pregnenolone silyl ether (compound 4, see Schemes 1 and 2) can be reacted with 4-methylpentynyllithium in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and the resulting alcohol was then reduced using Lindlar's catalyst to give a mixture of cis and trans alkenes which were separated.
  • the cis isomer was epoxidized using t-butyl hydroperoxide and vanadyl acetoacetate to give a mixture of the two epoxides (the first shown in Scheme 2 being major). Hydride reduction of the hydroxy epoxides individually gave the diols.
  • Final removal of the silyl ether of the two diols gave the triols, Oxyl5 and Oxyl ⁇ .
  • This example demonstrates the anti-adipogenic effects of an osteogenic oxysterol
  • the M2-10B4 (M2) murine multipotent bone MSC line was used to assess the inhibitory effects of 20( ⁇ S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) and sonic hedgehog (Shh) on peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor ⁇ (PPAR ⁇ ) and adipogenic differentiation. All results were analyzed for statistical significance using ANOVA.
  • the hedgehog signaling inhibitor, cyclopamine reversed the inhibitory effects of 2OS and Shh on troglitazone-induced adipocyte formation in 10-day cultures of M2 cells by 70% and 100%, respectively, and the inhibitory effect of 2OS and Shh on troglitazone- induced PPAR ⁇ expression was fully reversed at 48 h by cyclopamine. Furthermore, 2OS and Shh greatly inhibited PPAR ⁇ 2 promoter activity induced by CCAAT/enhancer- binding protein ⁇ overexpression.
  • 2OS was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St Louis, MO, USA), recombinant mouse sonic hedgehog, amino-terminal peptide from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN, USA), troglitazone from BioMol Research Laboratories (Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA), cyclopamine and PD98059 from Calbiochem (La Jolla, CA, USA), RPMI 1640 from Irvine Scientific (Santa Ana, CA, USA), and FBS from Hyclone (Logan, UT, USA).
  • Mouse M2 cells were purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Rockville, MD, USA). These cells were maintained in growth medium consisting of RPMI 1640 with 10% heat-inactivated FBS and supplemented with 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 U/ml streptomycin. Cell culture was performed in 24- and 6-well plates for adipogenic differentiation and gene expression studies, respectively, and treatment with test agents was done in growth medium.
  • Oil red O staining for detection of adipocytes was performed as previously described. See Parhami F et al. 1999, Atherogenic diet and minimally oxidized low density lipoprotein inhibit osteogenic and promote adipogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells, J Bone Miner Res 14:2067-2078. The number of adipocytes was quantitated by counting Oil red O-positive cells in five separate fields per well, in three wells per experimental condition. The results are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD.
  • M2 cells at 70% confluency in a 24-well plate were transiently transfected with: a plasmid containing three tandem repeats of the PPAR response element (PPRE) upstream of the basic thymidine kinase promoter (p3xPPRE-TK-Luciferase), a control pTK- Luciferase plasmid devoid of PPRE, a CMX-PPAR ⁇ expression plasmid (all kind gifts of Dr Peter Tontonoz), a CMX-RXR ⁇ expression plasmid (kind gift of Dr Sotirios Tetradis), and a pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid (Promega, Madison, WI, USA) using Fugene 6 Transfection Reagents from Roche (Indianapolis, IN, USA).
  • PPRE PPAR response element
  • p3xPPRE-TK-Luciferase basic thymidine kinase promoter
  • Luciferase activity assay was performed using Dual-Luciferase Reporter 1000 Assay System (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). Luciferase reporter activity was normalized to Renilla Luciferase activity. Transfection efficiency was monitored by co-transfecting with a plasmid expressing green fluorescent protein and found to be >30%.
  • GATA reporter assays M2 cells were transfected with a GATA Luciferase reporter vector or a control reporter vector (both from Panomics, Fremont, CA, USA), and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • M2 cells were transiently transfected with a murine PPAR ⁇ 2 promoter construct luciferase plasmid (pl9-PPAR ⁇ 2; (kind gift of Dr
  • Luciferase activity was measured after
  • Figure IB shows the number of adipocytes for the conditions in Fig. IA, quantitated by counting Oil red O- positive cells in five separate fields per well, and in three wells per experimental condition. The results are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.0001 for control vs. Tro and Tro vs. Tro + 20S).
  • FIG. 2 shows the effect of 2OS on PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression induced by Tro. M2 cells at confluence were treated with control vehicle, 10 ⁇ M Tro, or 5 ⁇ M 2OS, alone or in combination for 24 hours (Fig. 2A), 48 hours (Fig. 2B), and 96 hours (Fig. 2C).
  • PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Fold changes in gene expression to the control were calculated using the ⁇ Ct method and reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.0001 for Tro vs. control and p ⁇ 0.001 for Tro vs. Tro + 2OS at 24 hours (Fig. 2A); p ⁇ 0.0001 for Tro vs. control and Tro vs. Tro + 2OS at 48 hours (Fig. 2B); p ⁇ 0.0001 for Tro vs. control and Tro vs. Tro + 2OS at 96 hours (Fig. 2C).
  • FIG. 3A shows the expression of C/EBP ⁇ mRNA, a key adipogenic gene, but 2OS did not inhibit this increase in C/EBP ⁇ expression at the time-points examined.
  • Figure 3 shows the effect of 20S on C/EBP ⁇ mRNA expression induced by Tro. M2 cells at confluence were treated with control vehicle, 10 ⁇ M Tro, or 5 ⁇ M 2OS, alone or in combination for 24 (Fig. 3A), 48 (Fig. 3B), and 96 (Fig. 3C) hours.
  • C/EBP ⁇ mRNA expression was measured by quantitative realtime PCR.
  • FIG. 4 shows the effect of 2OS on aP2 mRNA expression induced by Tro.
  • M2 cells at confluence were treated with control vehicle, 10 ⁇ M Tro, or 5 ⁇ M 2OS, alone or in combination for 24 hours (Fig. 4A), 48 hours (Fig. 4B), and 96 hours (Fig. 4C).
  • aP2 mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Fold changes in gene expression relative to the control were calculated using the ⁇ Ct method and reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.0001 for Tro or Tro + 2OS vs.
  • M2 cells were transiently transfected with a reporter construct containing three tandem repeats of a PPRE (pTK-3xPPRE-Luciferase) or the control plasmid (pTK-Luciferase). Cells were treated with 10 ⁇ M Tro or control vehicle, and luciferase activity was measured after 24 and 48 h. Results showed that Tro induced a small but significant increase in reporter activity (40%; Fig. 5A).
  • Figure 5 A shows results for M2 cells at 70% confluence in a 24- well plate transiently transfected with a PPRE reporter construct (pTK-3xPPRE-Luciferase) plasmid (PPRE-TK-LUC) or pTK-Luciferase plasmid (pTK-LUC) and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • Luciferase activity was measured after 24 hours and normalized for transfection efficiency using the Renilla luciferase activity. Data are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.001 for control vs. Tro and Tro vs. Tro + 20S).
  • FIG. 5B shows results for M2 cells transiently transfected with a PPRE reporter plasmid (pTK-3xPPRE-Lucif erase) (PPRE- TK-LUC) or pTK-Luciferase plasmid (pTK-LUC), along with CMX-PPAR ⁇ expression plasmid, and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid. Luciferase activity was normalized for transfection efficiency using the Renilla luciferase activity. Data are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.0001 for control vs. Tro and Tro vs. Tro + 20S).
  • Figure 5 C shows results for M2 cells transiently transfected as described for Fig.
  • Luciferase activity was measured after 24 hours and normalized to the Renilla luciferase activity. Data are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.0001 for control vs. Tro and Tro vs. Tro + 20S).
  • osteogenic oxysterols stimulate osteoblastic differentiation of M2 cells by inducing hedgehog pathway activity, and activation of hedgehog pathway is pro-osteogenic and anti-adipogenic.
  • Oxysterols are novel activators of the hedgehog signaling pathway in pluripotent mesenchymal cells, J Biol Chem 282:8959-8968; Spinella-Jaegle S et al. 2001, Sonic hedgehog increases the commitment of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into the osteoblastic lineage and abolishes adipocytic differentiation, J Cell Sci 114:2085-2094: Suh JM et al.
  • Hedgehog signaling plays a conserved role in inhibiting fat formation, Cell Metab 2:25-34; Richardson JA et al. 2005, Characterization of osteogenic oxysterols and their molecular mechanism(s) of action, J Bone Miner Res 2O:S1;S414; Amantea CM et al. 2006, Oxysterols are novel activators of hedgehog and Wnt signaling, J Bone Miner Res 21:SI;S156. We evaluated whether the anti-adipogenic effects of 2OS are mediated through the hedgehog signaling pathway by assessing the effect of hedgehog pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, on the anti-adipogenic effects of 2OS oxysterol.
  • Figure 6 shows that the hedgehog pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, blocks inhibitory effects of 2OS and Shh on Tro-induced adipogenic differentiation and PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression, and 2OS and Shh inhibit the PPAR ⁇ promoter activity induced by C/EBP ⁇ overexpression.
  • Figures 6A and 6B show results for M2 cells at confluence treated with control vehicle (control), 10 ⁇ M Tro, or a combination of Tro and 5 ⁇ M 2OS or 200 ng/mL Shh, with or without a 2-h pretreatment with control vehicle (VEH) or 4 ⁇ M cyclopamine (CYC). After 10 days, adipocyte formation was measured by Oil red O staining.
  • adipocytes The number of adipocytes was determined by counting Oil red O-positive cells in five separate fields per well, in three wells per experimental condition. The results are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (Fig. 6A: p ⁇ 0.0001 for control, Tro + 2OS, or 2OS vs. Tro, Tro + Cyclopamine, or Tro + 2OS + Cyclopamine and Tro + 2OS vs. Tro, Tro + Cyclopamine, or Tro + 2OS + Cyclopamine, and Tro + Cyclopamine vs. Tro + 2OS + Cyclopamine; Fig. 6B: p ⁇ 0.0001 for control, Tro + 2OS, or 2OS vs.
  • FIGS. 6C and 6D show results for M2 cells at confluence treated with control vehicle (control), 10 ⁇ M Tro, or 5 ⁇ M 2OS, alone or in combination, with or without a 2-h pretreatment with control vehicle (VEH) or 4 ⁇ M cyclopamine (CYC).
  • control control
  • VH control vehicle
  • CYC 4 ⁇ M cyclopamine
  • PPAR ⁇ mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Fold changes in gene expression relative to the control were calculated using the ⁇ Ct method and reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (Fig.
  • Figure E shows results for M2 cells transiently transfected with a murine PPAR ⁇ 2 promoter construct luciferase plasmid (pl9-PPAR ⁇ 2), alone (No Vector) or with MSV-C/EBP ⁇ overexpression plasmid (C/EBP-Alpha) and pTK-Renilla-Luciferase plasmid.
  • Luciferase activity was measured after 24 h and normalized for transfection efficiency using the Renilla luciferase activity. Data are reported as the mean of triplicate determination ⁇ SD (p ⁇ 0.001 for control vs. control + C/EBP ⁇ and for control + C/EBP ⁇ vs. 2OS + C/EBP ⁇ or Shh + C/EBP ⁇ ).
  • the canonical Wnt signaling inhibitor, Dkk-1 reversed the inhibitory effect of 2OS on Tro-induced PPAR ⁇ expression by 10%.
  • the MAPK signaling inhibitor, PD98059 (PD) reversed the inhibitory effect of 2OS on Tro-induced PPAR ⁇ expression by 45%.
  • M2 cells was reversed by 70%, 40%, and 50%, by Cyclopamine (administered at 4 ⁇ M), Dkk-1 (administered at 1 ⁇ g/mL), and PD98059 (administered at 20 ⁇ M), respectively.
  • Cyclopamine administered at 4 ⁇ M
  • Dkk-1 administered at 1 ⁇ g/mL
  • PD98059 administered at 20 ⁇ M
  • the inhibition of adipogenesis by the osteogenic oxysterol, 2OS appears to be mediated via a hedgehog-, Wnt-, and MAPK-dependent mechanism(s).
  • 2OS specifically inhibited PPAR ⁇ expression, but not C/EBP ⁇ expression, in early adipogenic differentiation induced by Tro.
  • 2OS did not inhibit C/EBP ⁇ expression
  • the PPAR ⁇ 2 promoter activity assays showed that 2OS and Shh inhibit C/EBP ⁇ - induced PPAR ⁇ promoter activity.
  • these data suggest that inhibition of PPAR ⁇ expression may be at the level of PPAR ⁇ promoter.
  • the molecular mechanism for this inhibition remains to be elucidated; however, it may involve 20S- and Shh-induced regulation of co-activators and/or co- repressors that mediate PPAR ⁇ promoter activity.
  • This signaling pathway plays a role in the regulation of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of progenitor cells. See Spinella-Jaegle S et al. 2001, Sonic hedgehog increases the commitment of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into the osteoblastic lineage and abolishes adipocytic differentiation, J Cell Sci 114:2085-2094: Suh JM et al. 2006, Hedgehog signaling plays a conserved role in inhibiting fat formation, Cell Metab 2:25-34.
  • Shh was reported to inhibit adipogenic differentiation and expression of adipogenic genes in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes.
  • Hedgehog signaling plays a conserved role in inhibiting fat formation, Cell Metab 2:25-34.
  • GIi the transcription factor that mediates hedgehog-regulated gene expression
  • cyclopamine were shown to inhibit hedgehog signaling while stimulating adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells.
  • Hedgehog signaling plays a conserved role in inhibiting fat formation, Cell Metab 3_:25-34.
  • GATA-2 and GAT A-3 inhibit PPAR ⁇ expression and adipogenic differentiation through direct binding to the PPAR ⁇ promoter, as well as by physically interacting with C/EBP ⁇ .
  • C/EBP ⁇ C/EBP ⁇
  • FIG. 8 illustrates the regulation of adipo genie differentiation of bone MSCs by 2OS.
  • 2OS activates LXRs and Hh signaling pathways.
  • LXR activation increases the expression of SREBP- lc/ADDl.
  • LXRs and PPAR ⁇ positively regulate each other's expression.
  • SREBP- lc/ADDl regulates adipogenesis through PPP A ⁇ gene expression and through the production of an endogenous PPAR ⁇ ligand(s).
  • LXRs liver X receptor
  • Oxysterols are ligands for LXRs, which regulate cholesterol, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism.
  • LXR activation increases the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-lc (SREBP-lc)/adipogenic differentiation of factor 1 (ADDl), which induces the expression of fatty acid synthase, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, and stearyl CoA desaturase 2 during adipogenic differentiation. It has been shown that activation of LXRs increases lipid accumulation during adipogenic differentiation of 3T3- Ll and 3T3-F422A pre-adipocytes. LXRs and PPAR ⁇ seem to positively regulate each other's expression.
  • LXR ⁇ is increased directly by PPAR ⁇ activation in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and in a mouse model.
  • Juvet LK et al. 2003 On the role of liver X receptors in lipid accumulation in adipocytes, MoI Endocrinol 17:172-182.
  • PPAR ⁇ promoter contains the conserved binding site for LXR, and LXR activation increases PPAR ⁇ expression. See Seo JB et al. 2004, Activated Liver X receptors stimulate adipocyte differentiation through induction of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor ⁇ expression, MoI Cell Biol 74:3430-3444.
  • SREBPl/ADDl regulates adipogenesis through PPAR ⁇ gene expression through E-box motifs in the PPAR ⁇ promoter and through the production of an endogenous PPAR ⁇ ligand(s) to increase PPAR ⁇ transcriptional activity. Fajas L et al. 1999, Regulation of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor ⁇ expression by adipocyte differentiation and determination 1 : Implications for adipocyte differentiation and metabolism, MoI Cell Biol 19:5495-5503; Kim JB et al. 1998 ADD1/SREBP1 activates PPAR ⁇ through the production of endogenous ligand, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:4333-4337.
  • FIG. 7A shows results obtained with M2-10B4 bone marrow stromal cells treated with control vehicle or the PPAR ⁇ activator, troglitazone (Tro, 10 ⁇ M), in the presence or absence of various oxysterols (5 ⁇ M), as indicated.
  • Tro troglitazone
  • 5 ⁇ M various oxysterols
  • FIG. 7B shows results obtained with M2-10B4 bone marrow stromal cells treated with control vehicle or the PPAR ⁇ activator, troglitazone (Tro, 10 ⁇ M), in the presence or absence of Oxyl3 (5 ⁇ M), as indicated.
  • RNA was extracted from cells and analyzed for PPAR ⁇ expression by Q-RT-PCR. Data from a representative experiment, normalized to GAPDH expression, are reported as the mean of triplicate determinations ⁇ SD. The data indicate that the oxysterol compound identified as Oxyl3 inhibits Tro-induced PPAR ⁇ expression.
  • Example VI Osteogenic Oxysterols that Activate Hedgehog Signaling in Determined Preadipocvtes Also Inhibit Adipogenesis
  • Proliferator- Activated Receptor gamma PPAR ⁇
  • DPI dexamethasone, 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine, and 15 ⁇ g/ml insulin
  • 2OS inhibits adipogenic differentiation in both multipotent mesenchymal cells and in committed preadipocytic cells.
  • anti- adipogenic effects of 2OS are correlated with the activation of Hh pathway in 3T3-L1 cells as demonstrated by the induced expression of Hh target genes GIi 1 and Ptchl ( Figure 2).
  • adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells was induced by the classic adipogenic cocktail, DMI, which has been shown to stimulate the adipogenic differentiation program in these cells.
  • Adipogenesis can also be triggered by ligands that directly activate PPAR ⁇ such as troglitazone and other members of the thiazolidinedione family of drugs.
  • Studies such as those described in this Example are also performed with other oxysterols, including the novel synthetic oxysterols described herein. It is expected that the novel synthetic oxysterols will elicit effects that are even stronger than those obtained with 2OS.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne, par exemple, des méthodes et des agents permettant d'inhiber l'expression des récepteurs au facteur activé de prolifération des peroxysomes (PPAR) dans les préadipocytes.
PCT/US2010/041560 2009-07-10 2010-07-09 Inhibition de l'expression des ppar gamma dans les cellules préadipocytaires au moyen d'oxystérols WO2011006087A1 (fr)

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US9532994B2 (en) 2003-08-29 2017-01-03 The Regents Of The University Of California Agents and methods for enhancing bone formation by oxysterols in combination with bone morphogenic proteins
US9670244B2 (en) 2006-02-27 2017-06-06 The Regents Of The University Of California Oxysterol compounds and the hedgehog pathway
US9526737B2 (en) 2007-12-03 2016-12-27 The Regents Of The University Of California Oxysterols for activation of hedgehog signaling, osteoinduction, antiadipogenesis, and Wnt signaling
KR101471634B1 (ko) * 2012-03-13 2014-12-11 경희대학교 산학협력단 타우린 클로라민을 포함하는 비만 예방 또는 치료용 조성물
US9717742B2 (en) 2012-05-07 2017-08-01 The Regents Of The University Of California Oxysterol analogue OXY133 induces osteogenesis and hedgehog signaling and inhibits adipogenesis
US9683009B2 (en) 2013-05-02 2017-06-20 The Regents Of The University Of California Bone-selective osteogenic oxysterol-bone targeting agents
US9637514B1 (en) 2015-10-26 2017-05-02 MAX BioPharma, Inc. Oxysterols and hedgehog signaling
US10869875B2 (en) 2015-10-26 2020-12-22 MAX BioPharma, Inc. Oxysterols and Hedgehog signaling
EP3623466A4 (fr) * 2017-05-12 2020-08-12 FUJIFILM Corporation Procédé de production de cellules souches mésenchymateuses et application associée
US11649274B2 (en) 2017-05-12 2023-05-16 FUJTFITM Corporation Method for producing mesenchymal stem cell and application of same
WO2019055594A1 (fr) * 2017-09-13 2019-03-21 North Carolina State University Brunissement de tissu adipeux induit localement par timbre à micro-aiguilles pour le traitement de l'obésité
US11826358B2 (en) 2017-09-13 2023-11-28 North Carolina State University Locally-induced adipose tissue browning by microneedle patch for obesity treatment
CN114507638A (zh) * 2021-12-31 2022-05-17 浙江大学 一种抑制间充质干细胞衰老的优化培养基及其应用
CN114507638B (zh) * 2021-12-31 2024-01-02 浙江大学 一种抑制间充质干细胞衰老的优化培养基及其应用

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