Patent Application
20060029590
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to methods, preparations and pharmaceutical compositions for treating or preventing inflammatory diseases in mammalian subjects.
2. Description of Related Disclosures
Tachykinins are a family of neuropeptides that are widely expressed in the nervous system (Otsuka et al., 1993, and McDonald et al., 1996. A list of references cited is located at the end of this specification; all references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference). Notably, tachykinins are expressed by primary spinal afferent neurons and the enteric nervous system. Inflammatory stimuli trigger the release of substance P (SP) from the peripheral projections of primary spinal afferent neurons. SP activates neurokinin receptors (notably NKIR) on endothelial cells and immune cells to induce inflammation of peripheral tissues (neurogenic inflammation) (McDonald et al., 1996). Bradykinin is generated locally at sites of inflammation. Bradykinin stimulates SP release and also exerts direct inflammatory effects by activating the bradykinin type 2 receptors.
There are multiple receptors for the tachykinins, including the NK1, NK2, and NK3 receptors, as well as others. Involvement of tachykinins in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in humans is illustrated by observations that the NK1R is markedly up-regulated on arterioles, venules, lymph nodes and muscle cells in patients with IBD (Manyth et al., 1995 and 1998) and that SP levels are elevated in patients with ulcerative colitis. There are similar alterations in NK1R expression and SP levels in animal models of IBD (Mantyh et al., 1996), and in some models, antagonism of the NK1R prevents inflammation (Pothoulakis C, 1994, and Sturiale, 1999). Upon trauma and inflammation, a cascade of these pro-inflammatory peptides is released and bound by these receptors. To down-regulate this response, an antagonist has to overcome this cascade, which possesses built-in redundancies. Conventional small molecule or mAb (monoclonal antibody) therapeutic modalities, which typically have a 1:1 stoichiometry, are therefore not well suited for this type of therapeutic target. There remains a need for a therapeutic agent with broad specificity for hydrolysis of tachykinins to overcome the redundancy of the cascade and down-regulate the response so as to achieve a therapeutic effect.
In animals, NEP (neutral endopeptidase) is a cell-surface enzyme that degrades several biologically active peptides that mediate inflammation, notably tachykinins and bradykinin. From a kinetic standpoint, Substance P is the most favorable substrate. Deletion of NEP or administration of NEP inhibitors results in diminished degradation of SP and bradykinin and elevated tissue levels of these peptides. Animals lacking NEP exhibit exacerbated inflammation of the small intestine (Kirkwood et al., 2001), colon (Sturiale et al., 1999), pancreas, and skin (Scholzen et al., 2001), which can be attenuated by administration of recombinant human NEP or of antagonists of the NK1R. Moreover, NEP levels are markedly diminished in the inflamed intestine of rats (Scholzen et al., 2001) and humans, which may exacerbate inflammation. While there has been speculation that replenishment of NEP levels might be a viable mode of therapeutic intervention (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,262,178; 5,403,585; and 5,780,025, each of which is incorporated herein by reference), a number of problems have prevented any realization of this potential therapeutic modality.
First, NEP is a large, transmembrane domain containing, multidomain, heavily glycosylated protease expressed in multiple tissues in the body (Roques et al., 1993). The DNA sequence encoding rat and human NEP is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,700, incorporated herein by reference. In its natural form, NEP is not suitable as a therapeutic, because it is not only difficult to express but also possesses a hydrophobic transmembrane domain that makes it highly unlikely that the intact protein would be a useful therapeutic. While there has been speculation that truncated forms of the protein might be useful, such truncated forms have likewise proven to be difficult to express. Thus, any promise there might have been that NEP proteins could be used to treat disease has not been realized, and there remains a need for new therapeutically effective agents to treat inflammation, particularly inflammatory bowel disease. The present invention helps meet these and other needs by providing methods for making and purifying truncated forms of NEP and for treating diseases with pharmaceutical compositions of the invention that comprise them.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides materials and methods for expressing recombinant, truncated mammalian NEPs and NEP homologs from bacteria and for purifying them to homogeneity such that pharmaceutical compositions comprising them can be prepared. As used herein, “truncated” means that a portion, and in preferred embodiments all, of the transmembrane domain has been deleted from the NEP, relative to a wild-type NEP. In one embodiment, the invention provides recombinant DNA expression vectors suitable for producing a truncated NEP in a yeast cell, and methods for producing the NEP in large amounts in yeast. In one embodiment the yeast is Pichia pastoris.
The invention provides a method for making a recombinant, truncated mammalian neutral endopeptidase (NEP) by culturing a host cell that includes a nucleic acid vector encoding a truncated mammalian NEP, such as amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. For example, the vector is pPicZα-A-NEP. The vector is integrated into the host cell genome. Alternatively, the vector is not integrated into the host cell genome, but remains episomal. The host cell includes mammalian cells (e.g., human cells), non-mammalian eukaryotic cells, and prokaryotic cells such as bacteria.
The invention also provides a method for purifying a recombinant, truncated mammalian neutral endopeptidase (NEP) by adding ammonium sulfate (e.g., to generate a 60% solution) to a solution comprising said NEP, and subjecting the solution to chromatography comprising hydrophobic interaction chromatography and anion exchange chromatography. In embodiments, the method also includes the step of removing any precipitate, if present, from the solution following addition of the ammonium sulfate. The invention also provides the purified recombinant, truncated mammalian NEP obtained by this method. In certain embodiments, the purified NEP is more than 80%, 85%, 90%, 92%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.9%, or 99.99% pure. In embodiments, the truncated mammalian NEP is essentially free from lypopolysaccharides. “Essentially free from” or “essentially pure” when used to describe the state of NEPs produced by the invention means free of protein or other materials normally associated with NEP in its in vivo physiological milieu, as for example when NEP is obtained from blood and/or tissues by extraction and purification.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a truncated NEP useful in the treatment of a disease or disease condition. In one embodiment, the NEP is a human NEP. In another embodiment, the NEP is enzymatically deglycosylated in order to increase the in-vivo half life of the protein. In another, the NEP has each of six asapargines that correspond to mapped N-linked glycosylation sites (with the N-X-S/T glycosylation signature) mutated to one of the 19 other amino acids in order to prevent the protein from being naturally glycosylated during expression. In another, the NEP is a rodent NEP, including but not limited to rat, hamster, and mouse NEP. In another, the NEP is an NEP homolog from a bacterium. In one embodiment, the bacterial NEP homolog is identical or homologous to the NEP homolog from the benign intestinal bacteria Lactococcus lactis. By way of non-limiting example, mammalian NEP homologs include Accession numbers: P08473, P07861, Q61391, P08049, P42891, P42893, P42892, P97739, O60344, P78562, P70669, Q10711, O95672, Q9JMI0, Q9JHL3, Q22523, O52071, P23276, P42359, Q07744, Q09145, Q09319, Q9X5U8, and P89876; bacterial and nematode NEP homologs include Q07744, Q09145, O52071, P42359, P97739, and Q22523.
The invention also provides pharmaceutical composition in a unit dose. For example, one unit dose contains from about 1 to about 200 mg of a truncated NEP or an NEP homolog, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient or carrier, or other amounts of truncated NEP, such as between 20 and 100 mg of said truncated NEP or NEP homolog.
The invention also provides compositions containing NEP muteins. By way of non-limiting example, an NEP mutein has reduced N-linked glycosylation, and contains amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein one or more asparagine residues in SEQ ID NO: 2 are replaced by one or more amino acids other than asparagine. The invention also provides a pharmaceutical formulation comprising recombinant, truncated mammalian neutral endopeptidase (NEP) comprising amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. In embodiments, the pharmaceutical formulation is encapsulated in an enteric coating.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides methods for treating an inflammatory disease, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or a symptom thereof by administering a therapeutically effective dose of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a truncated NEP.
The invention also provides methods of treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in a human patient suffering therefrom by administering to the human a unit dose of truncated NEP, wherein the unit dose consists of between 20 and 100 mg of said truncated NEP or NEP homolog. The administration can by by infusion (e.g., intraveneous infusion) or by other means such that the NEP is delivered to the target cell, tissue or organ. In certain embodiments, the NEP contains amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. Alternatively, the NEP contains amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein one or more asparagine residues in SEQ ID NO: 2 are replaced by one or more amino acids other than asparagine. In an embodiment, the NEP contains amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein N144, N284, N310, N324, N334, and N627 are replaced by one or more amino acids other than asparagine.
The invention further provides a method for treating inflammatory bowel disease in a mammalian subject in need thereof by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective dose of a recombinant, truncated mammalian neutral endopeptidase (NEP) or a bacterial homolog of said NEP. For example, the NEP contains amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. The NEP is administered at a dose ranging from 0.01 mg of NEP per kg of said subject's body weight to 100 mg/kg of NEP per kg of said subject's body weight, such as between 0.1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, between 0.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, and between 1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg.
The invention also provides a method for preventing or reducing a symptom of inflammatory bowel disease in a mammalian subject by identifying a mammalian subject at risk of inflammatory bowel disease, and administering to the subject a therapeutically effective dose of a recombinant, truncated mammalian neutral endopeptidase (NEP) or a bacterial homolog thereof. The subject may be identified based upon the subject's prior history of IBD, the subject's genetic profile, or the subject's family history of IBD. In some embodiments, the NEP is administered to the subject prior to the onset of one or more symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. Alternatively, the NEP is administered to the subject at the onset of one or more symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and claims.
The present invention discloses methods and compositions for treating inflammatory disorders in humans or other mammals, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is also termed Crohns' Disease, ileitis or enteritis. Symptoms of IBD include abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation or alternating diarrhea and constipation, gas, bloating, nausea, weight loss, rectal bleeding, fatigue, and decreased appetite. Children suffering from IBD also experience delayed growth and development. Subjects suffering from IBD have symptoms similar to subjects suffering from Irritable Bowel Disease (also known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or ulcerative colitis.
IBD frequently causes inflammation in the small intestine, e.g., the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum, but it can affect any part of the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation extends deep into the lining of the affected organ. The inflammation can cause pain and can make the intestines empty frequently, resulting in diarrhea. IBD is generally a chronic disorder. (See, digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns).
In IBD, a severe ulceration of the intestinal lumen is often observed. In one aspect of this invention, direct subluminal administration of an NEP-containing pharmaceutical composition to the site of inflammation is employed to treat IBD. Other methods of administration are also provided by the invention. The invention provides methods for administering the NEP-containing pharmaceutical composition by encapsulated oral delivery, direct injection to the bowels, anal suppository, and enema to treat diseases involving intestinal inflammation.
The present invention also provides a variety of recombinant, mammalian truncated NEPs for use as therapeutically effective agents in the treatment of intestinal inflammation. In one embodiment, the NEP of the invention is the recombinant human NEP described in Example 1 below. The present invention also provides expression vectors and methods for purifying a recombinant mammalian NEP, as described in Examples 1 and 2 below.
In addition, the present invention provides other modified forms of mammalian NEPs useful in the treatment of intestinal inflammation. There are a number of loops on the surface of NEP (Protein Data Bank Accession Code: 1DMT) that are solvent accessible and constrained by alpha helices at both ends. In human NEP, these loops span from residues 71-82, 93-102, 259-265, 333-342, 668-681, and 732-749. Peptides that bind with high affinity to a serum protein or proteins of the vasculature, such as albumin, platelet receptors, cell surface proteins, antibodies, or soluble blood proteins are placed within one or more of these loops to provide novel NEPs of the invention that have, relative to the truncated NEP described in Example 1, increased serum half life and/or are more stable without detrimentally affecting the selectivity or the activity of NEP. Methods for identifying such peptides include but are not limited to phage display, ribosome display, peptides on plasmids, and the like.
The present invention also provides bacterial homologs of truncated, mammalian NEP useful in the methods and compositions of the present invention. In one embodiment, the bacterial homolog is identical or homologous to the NEP homolog from the benign intestinal bacteria Lactococcus lactis. Bacterial NEP homologs of the invention can be prepared using recombinant DNA methodology and by isolation from cultures of a recombinant or naturally occurring strain of a producing bacterium.
A truncated NEP polypeptide of the invention includes for example, a protein containing amino acids 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. Alternatively, a truncated NEP polypeptide contains amino acids 41-749, 42-749, 43-749,44-749, 45-749, or 46-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2. The invention also provides a “mutein,” which is a mutant or variant protein any of whose residues may be changed from the corresponding residue shown in SEQ ID NO:2 while still encoding a protein that maintains its NEP-like activities and physiological functions, or a functional fragment thereof. In some embodiments, up to 20% or more of the residues may be so changed in the mutant or variant protein. Preferably, the NEP mutein is at least about 80% homologous to wild-type NEP, more preferably at least about 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, and most preferably at least about 99% homologous to wild-type NEP. In general, an NEP variant that preserves NEP function includes any variant in which residues at a particular position in the sequence have been substituted by other amino acids, and further include the possibility of inserting an additional residue or residues between two residues of the parent protein as well as the possibility of deleting one or more residues from the parent sequence. Any amino acid substitution, insertion, or deletion is encompassed by the invention. Amino acid substitutions are typically of single residues; insertions usually will be on the order of about from 1 to 10 amino acid residues; and deletions will range about from 1 to 30 residues. Deletions or insertions preferably are made in adjacent pairs, i.e., a deletion of 2 residues or insertion of 2 residues. Substitutions, deletions, insertions or any combination thereof may be combined. Obviously, the mutations that will be made in the DNA encoding the NEP mutein should not place the sequence out of reading frame and preferably will not create complementary regions that could produce secondary mRNA structure. In favorable circumstances, the substitution is a conservative substitution. For example, nucleotide substitutions leading to amino acid substitutions at “non-essential” amino acid residues can be made in the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. A “non-essential” amino acid residue is a residue that can be altered from the wild-type sequence of NEP without altering the biological activity, whereas an “essential” amino acid residue is required for biological activity. For example, amino acid residues that are conserved among the NEP proteins of the present invention, are predicted to be particularly unamenable to alteration.
NEP muteins also contain one or more insertions, deletions, or substitutions of an amino acid while still having substantially similar activity of a NEP polypeptide. In embomdiments, substitutions are made in accordance with Table S1, below. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,025, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Substantial changes in function or immunological identity are made by selecting substitutions that are less conservative than those in Table S1, i.e., selecting residues that differ more significantly in their effect on maintaining (a) the structure of the polypeptide backbone in the area of the substitution, for example as a sheet or helical conformation, (b) the charge or hydrophobicity of the molecule at the target site or (c) the bulk of the side chain. The substitutions which in general are expected to produce changes in NEP properties will be those in which (a) a hydrophilic residue, e.g. seryl or threonyl, is substituted for (or by) a hydrophobic residue, e.g., leucyl, isoleucyl, phenylalanyl, valyl or alanyl; (b) a cysteine or proline is substituted for (or by) any other residue; (c) a residue having an electropositive side chain, e.g., lysyl, arginyl, or histidyl, is substituted for (or by) an electronegative residue, e.g., glutamyl or aspartyl; or (d) a residue having a bulky side chain, e.g., phenylalanine, is substituted for (or by) one not having a side chain, e.g., glycine.
While the site for introducing an amino acid sequence variation is predetermined, the mutation per se need not be predetermined. For example, in order to optimize the performance of a mutation at a given site, random mutagenesis may be conducted at the target codon or region and the expressed NEP muteins screened for the optimal combination of desired activity. Techniques for making substitution mutations at predetermined sites in DNA having a known sequence are well known, for example M13 primer mutagenesis.
Therapeutically effective administration of the recombinant, truncated human NEP of the invention typically occurs in doses ranging from 0.1 mg of the protein to kg of body weight to 25 mg/kg. In some embodiments, the therapeutically effective dose is 0.3, 1.0, 3, 5, 7.5, 10 and 25 mg/kg. Example 3 below provides an assay for the activity of an NEP, and therapeutically effective doses of other NEP or NEP homologs of the invention can be determined by measuring their activity relative to the activity of the recombinant, truncated human NEP of the invention and calculating the dose required to deliver an equivalent amount of activity. An amount effective to treat the disorders hereinbefore described depends upon such factors as the efficacy of the active compounds, the molecular weight of the NEP chosen, the nature and severity of the disorders being treated and the weight of the mammal. However, a unit dose will normally contain 0.01 to 200 mg, for example 20 to 100 mg, of the compound of the invention. “Unit dose” includes a discrete amount of the pharmaceutical composition comprising a predetermined amount of the active ingredient. In some embodiments, a dose of 1-200 mg of truncated NEP or an NEP homolog is injected as a single bolus in a human in need of treatment, including but not limited to a human with inflammatory bowel disease. In some embodiments, a dose of 20 to 100 mg is administered. In another embodiment, 1-200 mg of truncated NEP or NEP homolog is infused as a slow drip over the course of 1-4 hours. In some embodiments, a dose of 20 to 100 mg of truncated NEP or NEP homolog is infused intraveneously, e.g., as a slow drip over the course of 1 or more (e.g., 1-4) hours. In another embodiment, truncated NEP or NEP homolog is administered as a bolus of 1-200 mg, followed by an infusion of 1-200 mg over the course of one to six hours. In another embodiment, the dosing consists of slow infusion over the course of six to twelve hours. Doses for individual patients may be adjusted based on the weight or sex of the patient. Depending on the extent and severity of the disease, as many as 3 or four doses may be administered over a 3-4 week period for each disease incident.
A subject who has or is at risk of IBD is treated prior to the onset of one or more disease symptoms. Alternatively, the subject is treated concommittant to or after the onset of one or more disease symptoms. Therefore, the invention provides a method for preventing or reducing a symptom of inflammatory bowel disease in a mammalian subject, by identifying a mammalian subject at risk of inflammatory bowel disease and administering to the identified subject a NEP of the invention. A subject at risk of IBD is identified on the basis of family history, i.e., one or more parents, grandparents, siblings, issue, or other relatives have been diagnosed with IBD. Alternatively, a subject at risk of IBD is identified because the subject has a prior history of inflammatory bowel disease but is currently asymptomatic.
Although the descriptions of pharmaceutical compositions provided herein are principally directed to pharmaceutical compositions that are suitable for ethical administration to humans, it will be understood by the skilled artisan that such compositions are generally suitable for administration to animals of all sorts. Modification of pharmaceutical compositions suitable for administration to humans in order to render the compositions suitable for administration to various animals is well understood, and the ordinarily skilled veterinary pharmacologist can design and perform such modification with merely ordinary, if any, experimentation. Subjects to which administration of the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention is contemplated include, but are not limited to, humans and other primates, domesticated animals, and animals used in agriculture.
As used herein, “administering” includes routes of administration which allow the compositions of the invention to perform their intended function, e.g., treating or preventing cardiac injury caused by hypoxia or ischemia. A variety of routes of administration are possible including, but not necessarily limited to parenteral (e.g., intravenous, intraarterial, intramuscular, subcutaneous injection), oral (e.g., dietary), topical, nasal, rectal, or via slow releasing microcarriers depending on the disease or condition to be treated. Oral, parenteral and intravenous administration are preferred modes of administration. Formulation of the compound to be administered will vary according to the route of administration selected (e.g., solution, emulsion, gels, aerosols, capsule). An appropriate composition comprising the compound to be administered can be prepared in a physiologically acceptable vehicle or carrier and optional adjuvants and preservatives. For solutions or emulsions, suitable carriers include, for example, aqueous or alcoholic/aqueous solutions, emulsions or suspensions, including saline and buffered media, sterile water, creams, ointments, lotions, oils, pastes and solid carriers. Parenteral vehicles can include sodium chloride solution, Ringer's dextrose, dextrose and sodium chloride, lactated Ringer's or fixed oils. Intravenous vehicles can include various additives, preservatives, or fluid, nutrient or electrolyte replenishers (See generally, Remington's Pharmaceutical Science, 16th Edition, Mack, Ed. (1980)).
The pharmaceutical compositions may be prepared, packaged, or sold in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oily suspension or solution. This suspension or solution may be formulated according to the known art, and may comprise, in addition to the active ingredient, additional ingredients such as the dispersing agents, wetting agents, or suspending agents described herein. Such sterile injectable formulations may be prepared using a non-toxic parenterally-acceptable diluent or solvent, such as water or 1,3-butane diol, for example. Other acceptable diluents and solvents include, but are not limited to, Ringer's solution, isotonic sodium chloride solution, and fixed oils such as synthetic mono- or diglycerides. Other parentally-administrable formulations that are useful include those, which comprise the active ingredient in microcrystalline form, in a liposomal preparation, or as a component of a biodegradable polymer systems. Compositions for sustained release or implantation may comprise pharmaceutically acceptable polymeric or hydrophobic materials such as an emulsion, an ion exchange resin, a sparingly soluble polymer, or a sparingly soluble salt.
“Pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” includes any and all solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antibacterial and antifungal agents, isotonic and absorption delaying agents, and the like which are compatible with the activity of the compound and are physiologically acceptable to the subject. An example of a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is buffered normal saline (0.15M NaCl). The use of such media and agents for pharmaceutically active substances is well known in the art. Except insofar as any conventional media or agent is incompatible with the therapeutic compound, use thereof in the compositions suitable for pharmaceutical administration is contemplated. Supplementary active compounds can also be incorporated into the compositions.
An NEP of the invention can be delivered orally or via enema/suppository to treat inflammation of the bowel. For oral delivery, the present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions such that the NEP can pass into the small intestine without being destroyed by the harsh acidic environment of the stomach. Retention enema preparations or solutions for rectal or colonic irrigation may be made by combining the active ingredient with a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier. As is well known in the art, enema preparations may be administered using, and may be packaged within, a delivery device adapted to the rectal anatomy of the subject. Enema preparations may further comprise various additional ingredients including, but not limited to, antioxidants and preservatives.
Suppository formulations may be made by combining the active ingredient with a non-irritating pharmaceutically acceptable excipient which is solid at ordinary room temperature (i.e., about 20° C.) and which is liquid at the rectal temperature of the subject (i.e., about 37° C. in a healthy human). Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients include, but are not limited to, cocoa butter, polyethylene glycols, and various glycerides. Suppository formulations may further comprise various additional ingredients including, but not limited to, antioxidants and preservatives.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides NEP encapsulated in a polymer or other material that is resistant to acid hydrolysis or acid breakdown. In one embodiment, this formulation provides rapid release of NEP upon entry into the duodenum. Accordingly, the invention includes a composition containing an NEP and a pharmaceutically-acceptable acid-resistant (“enteric”) carrier. By acid-resistant is meant that the carrier or coating does not dissolve in an acidic environment. An acidic environment is characterized by a pH of less than 7. The acid-resistant carrier is resistant to acids at pH less than about 4.0. Preferably, the carrier does not dissolve in pH 2-3. Most preferably, it does not dissolve in pH of less than 2. In embodiments, the enteric coating is pH-sensitive. The coating dissolves after the pH is greater than 4.0. For example, the coating dissolves in a neutral environment as is encountered in the small intestine, and does not dissolve in an acidic environment as is encountered in the stomach. Alternatively, the enteric coating dissolves when exposed to specific metabolic event such as an encounter with a digestive enzyme that is found in the small intestine. For example, the coating is digested by a pancreatic enzyme such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, or a pancreatic lipase. Enteric coating materials are known in the art, e.g., malic acid-propane 1,2-diol. Cellulose derivatives, e.g., cellulose acetate phthalate or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (HPMCP), are also useful in enteric acid-resistant coatings. Other suitable enteric coatings include cellulose acetate phthalate, polyvinyl acetate phthalate, methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate and anionic polymers of methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate. Another suitable enteric coating is a water emulsion of ethylacrylate methylacrylic acid copolymer, or hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose acetate succinate (HPMAS). (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,591,433, 5,750,104 and 4,079,125). An enteric coating is designed to resist solution in the stomach and to dissolve in the neutral or alkaline intestinal fluid. See also coatings described in Wilding et al., 1994, Targeting of drugs and vaccines to the gut, Pharmac. Ther. 62: 97-124, incorporated herein by reference. In another embodiment, lyophilized, particulate NEP mixed with bicarbonate (as buffer) is coated with Eudragit S100, L30D or L 100-44 according to the manufacturer's instructions (Rohm America).
In another embodiment, the formulations of the invention are those used successfully with lactase (see Langner, 1999, Enteric polymer coated capsule containing dried bacterial culture for supplying lactase, U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,027, incorporated herein by reference). In this embodiment, gelatin capsules are filled with 50-90% lyophilized NEP, the remaining capacity being filled with stabilizing dessicants such as silicon oxide, silicon dioxide or microcrystalline cellulose and bicarbonate buffer. The capsules are enterically coated with Eudragit polymer (Rohm America) or polyvinyl acetate phthalate (Sureteric, Merck Frosst) and vacuum dried prior to use. Similarly, diastase has been formulated with Eudragits RS 100 and cellulase acetate phthalate coatings for enteric use, and the present invention provides novel formulations that resemble these but contain NEP instead of diastase (see Vyas et al., 1991, Enteric spherules of diastase in enzyme preparations, J. Microencapsulation 8: 447-454, incorporated herein by reference).
To demonstrate that a formulation can increase NEP bioavailability in the small intestine, one uses any of the following tests. First, the ability of NEP activity to withstand 0.5-2 h of simulated gastric treatment (pepsin, in 0.1N HCI, pH 2) can be evaluated. If >10% activity can be reproducibly retained, the formulation is exposed to simulated conditions in the duodenum (pH 6.5 buffer containing trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase at a 1:100 molar ratio and elastase at a 1: 500 ratio to the NEP). In one embodiment, full release of NEP activity is achieved within 15 minutes. Formulations that satisfy the above criteria are tested in or more animal models of IBD, such as those described in Example 4 below.
Combination Therapies
The components of the combination therapies, as noted above, can be administered by the same route or by different routes.
“Combination therapy” also can embrace the administration of the therapeutic agents as described above in further combination with other biologically active ingredients and non-drug therapies. Where the combination therapy further comprises a non-drug treatment, the non-drug treatment may be conducted at any suitable time so long as a beneficial effect from the co-action of the combination of the therapeutic agents and non-drug treatment is achieved. For example, in appropriate cases, the beneficial effect is still achieved when the non-drug treatment is temporally removed from the administration of the therapeutic agents, perhaps by days or even weeks.
Thus, the compounds of the invention and the other pharmacologically active agent may be administered to a patient simultaneously, sequentially or in combination. If administered sequentially, the time between administrations of each individual drug generally varies from 0.1 to about 48 hours. More preferably, the time between administrations varies from 4 hours and 24 hours. It will be appreciated that when using a combination of the invention, the compound of the invention and the other pharmacologically active agent may be in the same pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and therefore administered simultaneously. They may be in separate pharmaceutical carriers such as conventional oral dosage forms which are taken simultaneously. The term “combination” further refers to the case where the compounds are provided in separate dosage forms and are administered sequentially.
The following Examples are meant to be non-limiting and illustrate methods for making and using the invention.
A. Cloning of Human NEP and Construction of Expression Vector
Human neutral endopeptidase is a 749 amino acid protein with an N-terminal transmembrane domain and a large extracellular domain that comprises an active protease domain. See Table 1. A truncation mutant lacking the transmembrane domain is generally more soluble than the full length protein and has more favorable physical characteristics for use as a therapeutic. To obtain the coding sequence of this domain, a LNCAP FGC human cell line was purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), and cells were cultured in RPMI media in accordance with the specifications published in the ATCC bulletin. Whole cell RNA was extracted using Trizol, and approximately 200 micrograms (ug) of RNA were purified from an initial culture volume of 50 mL. RT PCR was used to amplify by PCR both full length and fragments of the human NEP gene. A PCR product encoding a polypeptide corresponding to amino acid residues 47-749 of SEQ ID NO: 2 (See, Genbank accession code: X07166; Swiss Prot ID P08473) was isolated and cloned into the Pichia expression vector pPICZα-A (Invitrogen catalog no. V195-20) using the XhoI and SacII restriction sites. The yeast Pichia pastoris expression system described herein is economical and can be used to produce large quantities of NEP. The design of the expression vector is such that the inserted coding sequence is placed in-frame with the Kex2 cleavage site, so that the coding sequence for the NEP is flush with the Kex2 cleavage site. Standard Recombinant DNA technology and oligonucleotide cassette mutagenesis was used to generate the coding sequence, as shown in Table 2.
tactgctgtt ttattcgcag catcctccgc attagctgct ccagtcaaca ctacaacaga
agatgaaacg gcacaaattc cggctgaagc tgtcatcggt tactcagatt tagaagggga
tttcgatgtt gctgttttgc cattttccaa cagcacaaat aacgggttat tgtttataaa
tactactatt gccagcattg ctgctaaaga agaaggggta tctctcgaga aaaga
gatgg
tatttgcaag tcatcagact gcataaaatc agctgctcga ctgatccaaa acatggatgc
caccactgag ccttgtacag actttttcaa atatgcttgc ggaggctggt tgaaacgtaa
tgtcattccc gagaccagct cccgttacgg caactttgac attttaagag atgaactaga
agtcgttttg aaagatgtcc ttcaagaacc caaaactgaa gatatagtag cagtgcagaa
agcaaaagca ttgtacaggt cttgtataaa tgaatctgct attgatagca gaggtggaga
acctctactc aaactgttac cagacatata tgggtggcca gtagcaacag aaaactggga
gcaaaaatat ggtgcttctt ggacagctga aaaagctatt gcacaactga attctaaata
tgggaaaaaa gtccttatta atttgtttgt tggcactgat gataagaatt ctgtgaatca
tgtaattcat attgaccaac ctcgacttgg cctcccttct agagattact atgaatgcac
tggaatctat aaagaggctt gtacagcata tgtggatttt atgatttctg tggccagatt
gattcgtcag gaagaaagat tgcccatcga tgaaaaccag cttgctttgg aaatgaataa
agttatggaa ttggaaaaag aaattgccaa tgctacggct aaacctgaag atcgaaatga
tccaatgctt ctgtataaca agatgacatt ggcccagatc caaaataact tttcactaga
gatcaatggg aagccattca gctggttgaa tttcacaaat gaaatcatgt caactgtgaa
tattagtatt acaaatgagg aagatgtggt tgtttatgct ccagaatatt taaccaaact
taagcccatt cttaccaaat attctgccag agatcttcaa aatttaatgt cctggagatt
cataatggat cttgtaagca gcctcagccg aacctacaag gagtccagaa atgctttccg
caaggccctt tatggtacaa cctcagaaac agcaacttgg agacgttgtg caaactatgt
caatgggaat atggaaaatg ctgtggggag gctttatgtg gaagcagcat ttgctggaga
gagtaaacat gtggtcgagg atttgattgc acagatccga gaagttttta ttcagacttt
agatgacctc acttggatgg atgccgagac aaaaaagaga gctgaagaaa aggccttagc
aattaaagaa aggatcggct atcctgatga cattgtttca aatgataaca aactgaataa
tgagtacctc gagttgaact acaaagaaga tgaatacttc gagaacataa ttcaaaattt
gaaattcagc caaagtaaac aactgaagaa gctccgagaa aaggtggaca aagatgagtg
gataagtgga gcagctgtag tcaatgcatt ttactcttca ggaagaaatc agatagtctt
cccagccggc attctgcagc cccccttctt tagtgcccag cagtccaact cattgaacta
tgggggcatc ggcatggtca taggacacqa aatcacccat ggcttcgatg acaatggcag
aaactttaac aaagatggag acctcgttga ctggtggact caacagtctg caagtaactt
taaggagcaa tcccagtgca tggtgtatca gtatggaaac ttttcctggg acctggcagg
tggacagcac cttaatggaa ttaatacact gggagaaaac attgctgata atggaggtct
tggtcaagca tacagagcct atcagaatta tattaaaaag aatggcgaag aaaaattact
tcctggactt gacctaaatc acaaacaact atttttcttg aactttgcac aggtgtggtg
tggaacctat aggccagagt atgcggttaa ctccattaaa acagatgtgc acagtccagg
caatttcagg attattggga ctttgcagaa ctctgcagag ttttcagaag cctttcactg
ccgcaagaat tcatacatga atccagaaaa gaagtgccgg gtttggtaat aaccgcggcg
In this construct, the DNA sequence encoding the yeast alpha factor signal sequence corresponds to bases 941-1195 and is shown in bold. The DNA sequence encoding human NEP residues 47-749 (SWISSPROT accession code: P08473) corresponds to bases 1196-3292 and is underlined. The alpha-factor/NEP fusion protein translated from this construct is:
The underlined portion of the sequence above corresponds to NEP amino acids 47-749. The Kex2 protease cleaves between the alpha factor signal sequence and NEP, producing a mature form of the protease which is secreted into the media. Standard sequencing methods were used to verify that the desired construct, designated pPicZa-A-NEP, was obtained. The expressed protein is summarized as follows in Table 3:
B. Screening for a High Level Expression Vector
Previously published reports on the expression of NEP describe yields of approximately 1-10 mg/L (Gorman et al., J. Cell Biochem., 39:277-284 (1989), and Dale et al., Acta Cryst., D56:894-897 (2000)). These levels of production make cost prohibitive the production of therapeutic grade truncated NEP. The present invention provides an expression system that produces truncated NEP at substantially higher yeilds, and which are suitable for GMP production as a biological therapeutic. As outlined below, a genetic selection in the Pichia pastoris expression system was used to isolate a “jackpot” clone that contained multiple copies of DNA encoding truncated integrated into the Pichia chromosome(s) and expressed high levels of NEP. First, the pPicZα-A-NEP expression vector was linearized using the restriction enzyme SacI and then transformed into P. pastoris X33 cells by electroporation. Expression of a recombinant protein in Pichia is dependent on integration of the recombinant gene into the yeast genome. It has been shown that dramatically enhanced expression can be observed if multiple integration events occur during transformation. These “jackpot” clones (clones possessing multiple integrants) can be selected by using increasing amounts of the resistance marker zeocin. Approximately 10,000 colonies were plated onto standard YPDS plates containing zeocin, at concentrations of 100, 500, or 1000 ug/mL, in the growth media. As shown in
During the expression process using the pPicZα-A-NEP expression vector-containing P. pastoris cells of the invention, the NEP protein is secreted into the media. To purify the NEP protein in accordance with the methods of the invention, the bulk of contaminating proteins is removed by centrifugation of the media and removal of the cell pellet. After that, the protein is purified by slowly adding ammonium sulfate to the cell supernatant to a final concentration of about 60%. The precipitate that forms is removed by centrifugation; the NEP is in the soluble fraction, and the pellet containing the precipitate is discarded. This soluble fraction is then subjected to standard hydrophobic interaction chromatography. In one embodiment, this is accomplished using a column with a methyl or phenyl group coupled to a solid support such as Sepahrose. The soluble fraction is loaded in the presence of a high ionic strength buffer, such as, for example, 1.5 M ammonium sulfate containing 50 mM Tris, pH 7.4. The protein is then eluted from the resin in a column using a gradient of decreasing ammonium sulfate. Upon elution, the protein is >99% pure, as shown in
The activity of the NEP can be measured as follows. Succynl-Ala-Ala-Phe-aminomehtylcoumarin is a standard commercially available substrate (Sigma). Approximatley 10 nanograms of the NEP is incubated with the substrate at a concentration of 100 uM for 15 minutes at 37 degrees. At that time, phosphoramidon, an inhibitor to NEP, is added to the mixture in excess to terminate the reaction. At this point, aminopeptidase M (Sigma) which degrades amino terminus containing peptides, frees the fluorescent AMC leaving group only in the substrates internally hydrolyzed by NEP. The reaction is further incubated for 15 minutes at 37 degrees C., and then fluorescence of the AMC group is measured using a standard plate reader, such as a Spectramax Gemini (Molecular Devices, Inc.).
Expression of NEP in the methlyltropic yeast pichia pastoris results in the in a final expessed protein product that has a non-native, high mannose containing N-linked glycosylation pattern, which is typical of proteins expressed in yeast. These post-translational modifications can be highly immunogenic and cause rapid clearance in mammals. In this example we describe the enzymatic removal of such N-linked sugars with the enzyme Endoglycosidase F1, which leaves a single glc-nac hexose modification on each modified Asparagine residue. Upon purification of NEP as shown in Example 2, the protein is treated with EndoF1 as follows: (1) a high quality source of Endo F1 (sourced from either Calbiochem or Q&A Bio) is mixed with recombinant truncated NEP at a ratio of 0.01-0.10% (w/w) EndoF1:NEP (final) in either 50 mM Sodium Acetate buffer, pH 5.5 or Phosphate Buffered Saline. For example, 250 milligrams of NEP (at a concentration of 1-10 mg/ml) is incubated with 25-250 micrograms of EndoF1 for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight at 4 degrees Celsius. Upon enzymatic deglycosylation of NEP, the protein is loaded onto a S12 cation exhange column (BIO RAD) at pH 5 in 50 mM Sodium Acetate. Generally, NEP is bound onto the column at this pH. A gradient is run from pH 5 to 5.5 (all in 50 mM NaOAc) and NEP elutes at approximately pH 5.25. Most contaminating proteins do not elute during this process, resulting in a very efficient purification step. Catalytically inactive NEP is also separated, resulting in a process that allows one to isolate NEP with high specific activity. The Endo F1 treated NEP runs at approximately 10 KDa lower molecular weight on a SDS page polyacrylamide gel (
Recombinant, truncated fully glycosylated or enzymatically deglycosylated NEP was tested for increased in-vivo half life in mice by the following experiment: 100 μl of NEP, (3 mg/ml) was injected into the tail vein of male Swiss Webster mice. Blood was drawn at 1, 5, 15, 30, 60 min, 4 hr, 12 hr, and 24 hr (3 mice sacrificed per time point). The mice were exsanguinated and the plasma isolated (approximately 500 μl). The presence of recombinant, truncated NEP was tested by the use of the following ELISA. An anti human NEP antibody (R&D Systems) was coupled to biotin using standard chemistry (Pierce) and bound onto a strepdavidin (Pierce) coated maxysorp plate. 100 μl of NEP containing plasma, where each well represents a time point in the 24 hour PK study (done in triplicate), was loaded per well onto the plate and allowed to incubate, mixing, for one hour at room temperature. The plate was washed 3 times with 200 μl of 1× PBS plus 0.01% Tween 20. An anti human NEP-HRP conjugate was synthesized using standard coupling chemistry (Pierce, R&D Systems), purified, added to the plate, mixed, and allowed to incubate with the sample for 30 minutes, shaking at room temperature. The ELISA was then developed using a standard TMB substrate solution (Pierce). Fully glycosylated recombinant, truncated NEP has an in vivo half life of approximately 10 minutes and enzymatically deglycosylated recombinant, truncated NEP has an in vivo half life of >100 minutes (
A variant of NEP which has site-directed N to Q mutations in each of the 6 known N-linked glycosylation sites has advantages over the naturally produced material in that a) the protein does not have to be enzymatically deglycosylated, which eliminates a costly manufacturing step, b) the potentially immunogenic or destabilizing residual glc-nac on each of the 6 Asparagine residuces is avoided, and c) the final, purified material is generally free of any heterogeneous glycoforms. This construct, prepared as in example 1, is enoded by the following DNA sequence where the genetic mutations encoding the asparagine to glutamine variants are in bold. The mutants correspond to the NEP primary amino acid sequence as follows: N144Q, N284Q, N310Q, N324Q, N334Q, and N627Q and the resultant construct is named NEP(N144Q/N284Q/N310Q/N324Q/N334Q/N627Q):
The underlined portion of the sequence above corresponds to NEP amino acids 47-749. The Kex2 protease cleaves between the alpha factor signal sequence (shown in bold) and NEP, producing a mature form of the protease which is secreted into the media. Standard sequencing methods were used to verify that the desired construct, designated pPicZa-A-NEP, was obtained. The expressed protein is summarized as follows:
In order to prevent rapid in-vivo clearance of NEP and to maximize its anti-inflammatory activity, the protein may be fused to peptides which bind to long-lived serum proteins such as serum albumin, fibrinogen, and antibodies, or other proteins present in the vasculature or serum (e.g., cell surface proteins of endothelial cells, and the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)). These NEP variants generally exhibit an increased circulating half life, compared with wild type NEP, due to their binding to long lived serum proteins or cell surface proteins, and will therefore increase in-vivo exposure of NEP to its natural substrates. This increased exposure of NEP to its substrates increases the therapeutic effect of the protein. For example, the following construct encodes a fusion protein between a peptide that binds to both human and mouse serum albumin (DRLIEDICLPRWGCLWEDDGS) (SEQ ID NO: 6). This peptide was fused to an antibody Fab Fragment (Dennis et al, 2002) and increased the serum half life of the protein 25-50 fold when tested in both mice and rabbits.
The portion of the DNA sequence above that encodes the albumin binding peptide is shown in bold type. The underlined portion of the sequence above corresponds to NEP amino acids 47-749. The Kex2 protease cleaves between the alpha factor signal sequence and NEP (shown in bold), producing a mature form of the protease which is secreted into the media. Standard sequencing methods were used to verify that the desired construct, designated pPicZa-A-NEP, was obtained. The expressed protein is summarized as follows:
The albumin binding peptide is also designed as a fusion protein to NEP(N144Q/N284Q/N310Q/N324Q/N334Q/N627Q) and is shown in the construct below:
The portion of the DNA sequence above that encodes the albumin binding peptide is shown in bold type. The underlined portion of the sequence above corresponds to NEP amino acids 47-749. The Kex2 protease cleaves between the alpha factor signal sequence and NEP (shown in bold), producing a mature form of the protease which is secreted into the media. Standard sequencing methods were used to verify that the desired construct, designated pPicZa-A-NEP, was obtained. The expressed protein is summarized as follows:
A. TNBS Induced Colitis Model
In this validated experimental model of colitis, TNBS (2,4,6 trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid, Sigma) is added to mice at a dose of approximately 2-6 mg per mouse, via rectal injection anesthetized with Enflurane, to induce severe, transmural Th1 mediated colitis. Recombinant NEP, for example, as produced in Example A, can be administered by a variety of routes at various doses to treat this induced colitis in accordance with the methods of the invention. The effect of administrating recombinant NEP on TNBS induced colitis can be measured by the following scores: macroscopic, histologic, and myeloperoxidase activity. For macroscopic damage, tissue from the proximal colon is removed at various time points and immediately scored. For histological examination, the tissue is fixed in 10% formalin, then stained with either hematoxylin or eosin, and then scored for inflammation. To test for granulocyte infiltration myeloperoxidase activity, a commercially available kit is employed, and the readout is in units/mg tissue. A positive result is described as follows. After onset of TNBS induced colitis in this model, administration of recombinant NEP results in a decrease in macroscopic score, histologic score, and myeloperoxidase activity when compared to parallel administration of a control protein such as serum albumin in a seperate mouse.
The recombinant, truncated human NEP of the present invention is administered to mice having TNBS induced colitis and its therapeutic effect demonstrated by a decrease in the macroscopic score, histologic score, and observed myeloperoxidase activity. Therapeutically effective administration of 0.3, 1.0, 3, 10, and 20 mg/kg of active, recombinant, truncated human NEP is employed to find the optimal dose that maximizes the desired therapeutic effect with minimal toxic side effects in this model (for a mouse of average weight, ˜25 grams, the dose is ˜7.5, 25, 75, 250, and 500 μg, per mouse, respectively, at these doses). Recombinant human truncated NEP shows potent anti-inflammatory activity in the TNBS model of acute colitis as show in
B. IL-10 Knockout Model
Human patients with IBD tend to have a low Interleukin-10 producer genotype more often than normal controls. Mice lacking specific components of the immune response, such as IL-10, IL-2, or the receptor chains of T-cells, spontaneously develop bowel inflammation. Mice with allele specific knockouts of IL-10 develop a spontaneous inflammation that resembles Crohn's Disease. IL-10 knockout mice are commercially available from Harlan UK. The effect of administration of recombinant, truncated human NEP, and other NEPs of the invention, on inflammation can be demonstrated by histological score and level of cytokines in stool, which correlate with activity of bowel inflammation. To induce colitis, mice 4-5 wk of age were given piroxicam (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.) mixed into their feed (National Institutes of Health-31M) for 2 wk. They received 60 mg of piroxicam/250 g of food wk1 and 80 mg piroxicam/250 g of food wk 2. Mice subsequently were placed on the normal rodent chow without piroxicam. The colitis was evaluated from 2-16 days after colitis induction. Mice were given NEP at 8 and 24 mg/kg/day for 2 wk tatting 2 days after discontinuation of the piroxicam. NEP was given by continuous SQ infusion using osmotic pumps (Alzet, Cupertino, Calif.). Control mice also had implantation of osmotic pumps releasing just control buffer. For the histological score, samples from the colon are graded on the number of observed lesions, which is a measure of the degree of inflammation caused by the IL-10 knockout phenotype. A high degree of intestinal inflammation produces a large number of lesions and increased cytokine level in stool samples. Therapeutically effective administration of 0.3, 1.0, 3, 10 or 25 mg/kg of active, recombinant, truncated human NEP is employed to find the optimal dose that maximizes the desired therapeutic effect, ie attenuated inflammation, with minimal toxic side effects in this model (for a mouse of average weight, ˜25 grams, the dose is ˜7.5, 25, 75, and 250 μg, per mouse, respectively, at these doses). The dosing can also occur over the course of two weeks via osmotic pump delivery. In this example, NEP was dosed at 8 and 24 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks via pump delivery. A positive therapeutic effect would result in a decreased histological score and upon addition of recombinant NEP. This is shown in
Description of ileitis in SAMP1/Yit mice. Mild to moderate ileitis was first found in SAMP1/Yit mice by 20 weeks of age, and reached 100% penetrance by 30 weeks. Lesion severity and incidence increased with age. Histologicalanalysis of stomach, liver, kidney, spleen, mesenteric and peripheral lymph nodes, and thymus revealed no significant extraintestinal inflammation. SAMP1/Yit mice exhibited discontinuous areas of transmural intestinal inflammation, most severe in the terminal ileum Severe inflammatory lesions could be identified by visual inspection as discrete areas of bowel wall thickening and relative stenosis of the lumen. Histological examination revealed mononuclear and PMN cell infiltrates in the lamina propria, submucosa, and muscle layers. PMNs were found most abundantly in the lamina propria and submucosa. There was focal infiltration of the epithelium by PMNs to form lesions of active cryptitis and crypt microabscesses, identical to the lesions found in human CD. Many but not all of the inflammatory lesions were associated with Peyer's patches. Early inflammatory lesions consisting of neutrophils causing epithelial damage overlying these preexisting lymphoid aggregates were commonly identified, resembling the aphthoid lesions found in human CD. Mucosal ulceration and intestinal fistulae were uncommon. The mononuclear cell population consisted of cells morphologically compatible with histiocytes (tissue macrophages), lymphocytes, and plasma cells. Abnormal accumulations of plasma cells could be seen at the base of the mucosa in chronically inflamed areas, compatible with the basal plasmacytosis seen in human chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In some animals, the tissue macrophages focally coalesced into loose aggregates compatible with granuloma formation. The normal delicate villous architecture, with a villus/crypt ratio of 4:1 to 5:1, was lost in inflammatory lesions to various degrees by a combination of elongation of the crypts and expansion of the lamina propria. This combination of changes lead to areas in the majority of animals that, although not reduced in overall mucosal height, nevertheless had complete loss of villous architecture. In older mice, the severely inflamed areas also showed prominent mucosal fibrosis and distortion of the normally straight crypt architecture in the form of budded and branched glands. In chronically inflamed areas, changes in epithelial phenotype were typically observed in the form of Paneth cell and goblet cell hyperplasia. The “pyloric metaplasia” commonly seen in human CD was not observed in these animals. Other histological features observed in these mice in common with human CD included muscular and neural hyperplasia of the bowel wall and mucosal lymphangiectasia. Although the colons of these animals never developed grossly identifiable inflammatory lesions, histological examination showed focal areas of mucosal and transmural inflammation in some animals, always of lesser severity than the inflammation found in the terminal ileum. The overall pathological assessment of these animals was a disease process remarkably similar to that seen in human CD
NEP is tested in this model as follows: NEP is administered in a 7 day or 2 week subcutaneous osmotic pump to 40-week-old SAMP1/YitFc mice. Control animals are age-matched SAMP1/YitFc mice treated with saline only pumps. All animals are sacrificed at 7 or 14 days after treatment. The histological assessment of the colons is described as above for the IL-10 knockout model.
Although particular embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example for purposes of illustration only, and is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims, which follow. In particular, it is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications considered to be within the scope of the following claims.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 60/578,911, filed Jun. 10, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60578911 | Jun 2004 | US |
