Patent Application
20060263453
The present invention relates to the field of medicine and medical research. More particularly, the present invention relates to compositions, compounds, and methods for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase. In addition, in certain embodiments, the invention relates to compositions, compounds, and methods for regulating insulin secretion and treating hyperinsulism/hyperammonemia and/or diabetes.
The mitochondria of the pancreatic β-cell play an integrative role in regulating insulin secretion. In particular, the glutamate dehydrogenase enzyme (also referred to herein as “GDH”) within such mitochondria is believed to affect insulin homeostasis. GDH is known to catalyze the oxidative deamination of L-glutamate and exhibit complex regulation in mammals through inhibition by palmitoyl-coenzyme A (“palmitoyl CoA”), guanosine-5′-triphosphate (“GTP”), and adenosine-5′-triphosphate (“ATP”), and activation by adenosine-5′-diphosphate (“ADP”) and leucine. The connection between GDH and insulin regulation was initially demonstrated using a nonmetabolizable analog of leucine, β-2-aminobicycle[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (“BCH”). Specifically, it has been demonstrated that activation of GDH, e.g., by BCH-induced activation, is tightly correlated with increased glutaminolysis (i.e., the conversion of the amino acid glutamine to lactate), which has been shown to indirectly stimulate insulin secretion.
The in vivo importance of GDH in insulin homeostasis is further demonstrated by the discovery that a genetic disorder, hyperinsulism/hyperammonemia syndrome (referred to herein as “HI/HA”), is caused by dysregulation of GDH. Specifically, it is believed that HI/HA syndrome is caused by impaired (or abrogated) GDH sensitivity to GTP inhibition. More particularly, the GDH enzyme in such HI/HA individuals comprise one or more mutations in its GTP binding site, which are believed to act by sterically interfering with GTP binding. As a result, patients with HI/HA have increased β-cell responsiveness to leucine and susceptibility to hypoglycemia following high protein meals, fasting hypoglycemia, and leucine hypersensitivity.
In light of the foregoing, there is a demand for compositions and methods that may be used to modulate the activity of GDH and, preferably, regulate insulin secretion. In addition, there is a continuing demand for compositions and methods for treating and preventing the effects of disorders relating to the dysregulation of insulin secretion, such as HI/HA. Preferably, the foregoing is achieved through the use of a non-toxic pharmacological agent that allosterically regulates GDH.
One embodiment of the present invention is a method for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase comprising providing to a system in need thereof with an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) and ECG (Epicatechin gallate), including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof. A further embodiment of the present invention is a method for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase comprising providing to a system in need thereof with an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for regulating insulin secretion comprising providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of a composition selected from the group consisting of Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG, and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a method for treating or preventing the effects of disorders relating to the dysregulation of insulin secretion, such as HI/HA, wherein such method comprises providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for treating or preventing the effects of HI/HA, which comprises providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract.
A still further embodiment of the present invention is a composition for treating or preventing the effects of HI/HA, which comprises an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof, and an appropriate carrier.
The above-mentioned and additional features of the present invention are further illustrated in the Detailed Description contained herein. All references disclosed herein, including U.S. patents and published patent applications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each was incorporated individually.
The following will describe in detail several preferred embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are provided by way of explanation only, and thus, should not unduly restrict the scope of the invention. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that the invention teaches many variations and modifications, and that numerous variations of the invention may be employed, used, and made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
It is well known that the Camellia sinensis plant (a.k.a. Green tea) is a significant source of a certain type of flavonoids referred to as catechins. Such catechins include epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC). Over the past several decades, there has been growing interest in EGCG, as it has been suggested to, among other things, decrease cholesterol levels, act as an antibiotic and anticarcinogen, and repress hepatic glucose production. The exact mechanism of action of EGCG, with regard to these various effects, is largely unknown and in many cases is assumed to be the result of its apparent antioxidant activity.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, methods for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase are provided, which comprise providing to a system in need thereof with an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG, ECG, and combinations thereof. As used herein, “system” may be, without limitation, an experimental system, including an in vitro and/or in vivo system, or a mammal, such as a human patient or veterinarian patient, which is provided with one or more compositions described herein to be useful in practicing the invention.
As used herein, “EGCG” refers to Epigallocatechin gallate (a.k.a. (2R,3R)-2-(3,4,5-Trihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1 (2H)-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol 3-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate), including salts, hydrates, solvates, structural analogues, and N-oxides thereof. In certain embodiments, EGCG has a chemical formula of C22H18O11 and a molecular weight of approximately 458.37. The chemical structure of a non-limiting example of EGCG is shown below:
As used herein, “ECG” refers to Epicatechin gallate (a.k.a. (2R,3R)-2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1 (2H)-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol 3-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate)), including salts, hydrates, solvates, structural analogues, and N-oxides thereof. In certain embodiments, ECG has a chemical formula of C22H18O10 and a molecular weight of approximately 442.37. The chemical structure of a non-limiting example of ECG is shown below:
The EGCG and ECG compounds described herein contain one or more asymmetric centers and thus give rise to enantiomers, diastereomers, and other stereoisomeric forms that may be defined, in terms of absolute stereochemistry, as (R)— or (S)—. The present invention encompasses all such possible isomers, as well as their racemic and optically pure forms. Optical isomers may be prepared from their respective optically active precursors, or by resolving the racemic mixtures. Such resolution may be carried out in the presence of a resolving agent, by chromatography, or by repeated crystallization or by some combination of such techniques which are known to those skilled in the art.
In addition, when the compounds described herein contain olefinic double bonds, other unsaturation, or other centers of geometric asymmetry, and unless specified otherwise, it is intended that the compounds include both E and Z geometric isomers or cis- and trans-isomers. Similarly, all tautomeric forms are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. The configuration of any carbon-carbon double bond appearing herein is selected for convenience only and is not intended to designate a particular configuration unless the text herein so states; thus, a carbon-carbon double bond or carbon-heteroatom double bond depicted arbitrarily herein as trans may be cis, trans, or a mixture of the two in any proportion.
In certain preferred embodiments, the EGCG and/or ECG compounds that may be used to practice the present invention are in a substantially isolated and purified form. As used herein, “substantially isolated and purified form” means that the EGCG or ECG compound, for example, is separated from its native environment in sufficiently pure form so that it can be manipulated or used for any desired purpose. For example, in certain embodiments, such EGCG or ECG compound (alone or in combination with other GDH-modulating compounds) may constitute at least 40% (wt) of the total composition used to practice the claimed invention, or preferably at least 60% (wt), or more preferably at least 80% (wt), or still more preferably at least 90% (wt).
Still further, the EGCG and ECG compounds disclosed herein may be modified by appending any desired functionalities to enhance selective biological properties. Such modifications are known in the art and may include those which increase the activity, bioavailability, biological penetration into a given system or substrate, solubility, half-life, or other desirable characteristic of such EGCG and/or ECG compound. In addition, such modifications may reduce the relative toxicity of such EGCG and/or ECG compound.
Synthetic chemistry transformations and protecting group methodologies (protection and deprotection) useful in synthesizing and/or derivatizing the EGCG and/or ECG compounds described herein are known in the art and include, for example, those described in R. Larock, Comprehensive Organic Transformations, VCH Publishers (1989); T. W. Greene and P. G. M. Wuts, Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis, 2d. Ed., John Wiley and Sons (1991); L. Fieser and M. Fieser, Fieser and Fieser's Reagents for Organic Synthesis, John Wiley and Sons (1994); and L. Paquette, ed., Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis, John Wiley and Sons (1995), and subsequent editions thereof.
Accordingly, as used herein, EGCG and ECG encompass variations of the above-mentioned chemical formulas and structures. For example, the invention provides that EGCG includes the following compound:
, wherein R1 through R8 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydrogen, oxygen, hydroxy, carbonyl, and other functional groups known in the art that provide desirable characteristics to the compound.
Similarly, the invention provides that ECG includes the following compound:
, wherein R1 through R7 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydrogen, oxygen, hydroxy, carbonyl, and other functional groups known in the art that provide desirable characteristics to the compound.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, the methods for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase comprise providing to an in vitro system an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG, ECG, or combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the in vitro system, optionally, includes purified glutamate dehydrogenase. As used herein, “purified glutamate dehydrogenase” means that the glutamate dehydrogenase enzyme has been separated from its native environment in sufficiently pure form so that it can be manipulated or used for any desired purpose. For example, such enzyme may be sufficiently pure to be used to catalyze the oxidative deamination of L-glutamate (in the presence of the necessary substrates, co-factors, enzymes, and other molecules under suitable conditions). In other preferred embodiments, the Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG and/or ECG compositions may be provided to an in vitro system that comprises glutamate dehydrogenase in its natural environment, such as within a particular cell line and/or tissue type, e.g., within isolated pancreatic β-cells.
In other preferred embodiments, the methods for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase comprise providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG, ECG, or combinations thereof. In such embodiments, for example, the Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG and/or ECG compositions may be provided to a patient to (i) regulate insulin secretion, such as to regulate leucine stimulated insulin secretion, (ii) treat and/or prevent the effects of HI/HA, and/or (iii) treat and/or prevent the effects of diabetes. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the methods for modulating the activity of glutamate dehydrogenase comprise providing to a system in need thereof with an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract, which, in certain preferred embodiments, is an aqueous Camellia sinensis extract. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, however, that such Camellia sinensis extract may be aqueous or non-aqueous. For example, the Camellia sinensis extract may be formulated in connection with any aqueous or non-aqueous pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, such as those carriers described herein.
Non-limiting examples of EGCG and ECG compositions may be found in relatively high levels within Camellia sinensis extract. While Camellia sinensis extracts, and EGCG and ECG compositions derived therefrom, may be used in certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill will appreciate that other sources of EGCG and ECG compositions may be used. For example, the invention provides that extracts from other fruits may be used, such as grape, apple, apricot, blackberry, or cherry or products from scutellaria and bamboo. Furthermore, such alternative sources may be used to isolate and purify EGCG and ECG compositions using methods well known in the art.
The EGCG and/or ECG compositions described herein may be isolated and purified from natural sources and, optionally, modified as described herein. For example, EGCG and/or ECG compositions that may be used in practicing the present invention may be extracted from Camellia sinensis. A non-limiting example of a protocol that may be used to isolate and purify EGCG and/or ECG compositions is described in U.S. patent application publication 2005/0176939, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In addition, methods for producing Camellia sinensis extracts with high EGCG ratios, for example, were reported in Copland et al., 1998. Food Chem. 61: 81-87. Similarly, the use of high-speed counter-current chromatography as a fractionation tool for both crude extracts and semi-purified fractions, as well as for the production of purified catechin, from crude Camellia sinensis extracts was reported in Du et al., 1997. res. Develop. Basic Agric. and High Technol., 1:40-47 and Du et al., 1998. J. Liq. Chromatog. & Related Technol., 21: 203-208.
Alternatively, such EGCG and ECG compositions may be purchased from commercial vendors. In many cases, such EGCG and ECG compositions are commercially-available in substantially purified forms. For example, EGCG and ECG compositions are offered by Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Company (St. Louis, Mo.). After isolating and purifying such EGCG and ECG compositions from natural sources (or otherwise obtaining such compositions from commercial vendors), the EGCG and ECG compositions may be diluted and/or solubilized in any suitable solvent.
EGCG (and ECG) are soluble in, for example, organic solvents such as ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and dimethyl formamide. The solubility of EGCG, for example, in these solvents is at least 20 mg/mL. EGCG has been shown to be stable for at least six months in these solvents if stored at −20° C. Preferably, further dilutions of stock solutions comprising EGCG and/or ECG into aqueous buffers, or isotonic saline, should be made prior to, for example, performing biological experiments or providing such compositions to a patient. In certain embodiments of the present invention, it is generally preferred that any residual amount of such organic solvent is insignificant, since organic solvents may have undesirable physiological effects at sufficient concentrations. Organic solvent-free aqueous solutions of EGCG, for example, in certain embodiments, may be prepared by directly dissolving the crystalline compound in aqueous buffers. The solubility of EGCG in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.2), for example, is at least 25 mg/mL.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the EGCG and ECG compositions of the present invention may be further modified, purified, and/or combined with other agents after such compositions are isolated and purified from a natural source, such as Camellia sinensis, or otherwise purchased from a vendor.
As will be shown and demonstrated in the Examples below, the inventors have discovered that EGCG (and ECG) allosterically modulate GDH activity. More particularly, the inventors have discovered that EGCG (and ECG) allosterically inhibit GDH activity. Such inhibition was demonstrated, in vitro, with a nanomolar ED50. As described and shown herein, because GDH activity is inhibited by the presence of EGCG and ECG, but not EC or EGC, such inhibition cannot be due to the antioxidant properties of such compositions (as EC and EGC are known to exhibit substantially similar antioxidant properties as EGCG and ECG).
Indeed, as described and shown herein, EGCG and ECG inhibition of GDH activity is non-competitive and, similar to GTP inhibition, is abrogated by leucine, BCH, and ADP. Importantly, as described and shown herein, the GDH enzyme found in HI/HA patients, as well as the GDH enzyme from Tetrahymena thermophilia (“tGDH”), are all inhibited by EGCG. It is well known that such HI/HA GDH and tGDH enzymes have dysfunctional GTP binding sites. Accordingly, it is unlikely that EGCG and ECG act by binding to the GTP site of GDH.
In addition, as described and shown herein, the specificity of EGCG (and ECG) for GDH inhibition is observed in pancreatic β-cells. The specificity of such inhibition was confirmed by demonstrating that EGCG, but not epigallocatechin (EGC), causes a concomitant blockade of glutaminolysis stimulated by BCH, but not in the basal level of glutamine oxidation or cellular respiration. Still further, as demonstrated below, when EGCG, for example, is added to pancreatic β-cells during glucose stimulation under conditions that GDH does not play a major role in the regulation of insulin secretion, no effect is observed on insulin secretion, glucose oxidation, or cellular respiration.
HI/HA syndrome has been shown to be caused by impaired (or abrogated) GDH sensitivity to GTP inhibition. More particularly, the GDH enzyme in HI/HA individuals comprise one or more mutations in its GTP binding site, which are believed to act by sterically interfering with GTP binding. As a result, patients with HI/HA have increased β-cell responsiveness to leucine and susceptibility to hypoglycemia following high protein meals, fasting hypoglycemia, and leucine hypersensitivity.
In light of the foregoing, certain preferred embodiments of the present invention provide methods for treating or preventing the effects of HI/HA comprising providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof. The invention provides that such patient may be of any age. In certain preferred embodiments, however, the patient is a pediatric patient.
Similarly, further embodiments of the present invention provide methods for treating or preventing the effects of HI/HA comprising providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of Camellia sinensis extract. The methods and compositions described herein to be useful for “treating or preventing the effects of HI/HA” may, for example, (i) inhibit or reduce the activity of GDH in such individuals or (ii) reduce the extent to which such individuals are susceptible to hypoglycemia following high protein meals, fasting hypoglycemia, and/or leucine hypersensitivity.
Still further embodiments of the present invention provide methods for regulating insulin secretion, which comprise providing to a patient in need thereof with an effective amount of a composition selected from the group consisting of Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG, and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof.
As described and demonstrated herein, in certain embodiments, the present invention provides that Camellia sinensis extract, EGCG, and/or ECG may be used to modulate GDH activity and insulin secretion under certain conditions. For example, such compositions may be used to regulate leucine stimulated insulin secretion (LSIS) by inhibiting GDH activity. Still further, for example, such compositions may be used to regulate LSIS (by inhibiting GDH activity), which may occur after an individual consumes a high protein meal. In addition, such methods for modulating GDH activity and/or insulin secretion may include a monitoring step. For example, for medical applications relating to the treatment of an insulin-related disorder, the invention provides that the insulin level may be measured in a patient, using any appropriate assay or equipment, such as an immunoassay (e.g., radioimmunoassay). Next, the insulin level measured in such patient may be compared to a preferred range, which those skilled in the art will appreciate may depend on, among other things, the age, weight, height, and gender of the patient. If the insulin level is outside of the preferred range, the patient may be provided with an effective amount of EGCG, ECG, Camellia sinensis extract, or a combination thereof.
In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, compositions are provided for treating and/or preventing the effects of a disorder caused by irregular (or the dysregulation of) insulin secretion, such as HI/HA and/or diabetes. In such embodiments, the compositions preferably comprise an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of EGCG and ECG, including salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides, structural analogues, and combinations thereof, and an appropriate carrier.
The compositions useful in the present invention may, optionally, be converted to their therapeutically-active non-toxic acid salt forms by treatment with appropriate acids. Such acids include inorganic acids, e.g., hydrochloric and hydrobromic acids, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid and like acids; or organic acids, such as acetic, propanoic, hydroxyacetic, 2-hydroxypropanoic, 2-oxo-propanoic, ethanedioic, propanedioic and like acids. Of course, the salt forms may be converted into the free base form by treatment with alkali. The pharmaceutically-acceptable acid salts of the present invention also comprise the solvates that the compositions of the present invention may form, which, of course, are included within the scope of the present invention. Non-limiting examples of such solvates are hydrates, alcoholates and the like.
Such pharmacologic compositions may be formulated in various ways known in the art for administration purposes. In certain preferred embodiments, for example, pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be prepared by combining an effective amount of EGCG and/or ECG, in base or acid salt form, as the active ingredient, with one or more pharmaceutically-acceptable carriers and delivery vehicles. As discussed herein, numerous pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and delivery vehicles exist that are readily accessible and well-known in the art, which may be employed to generate the composition desired. Representative examples of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and delivery vehicles include aluminum stearate, lecithin, serum proteins, such as human serum albumin; buffer substances such as the various phosphates, glycine, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, partial glyceride mixtures of saturated vegetable fatty acids; water, salts or electrolytes, such as protamine sulfate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, potassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium chloride, and zinc salts; colloidal silica, magnesium trisilicate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose-based substances, polyethylene glycol, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, polyarylates, waxes, polyethylene-polyoxypropylene-block polymers, polyethylene glycol and wool fat, and the like.
The pharmacologic compositions described herein may further be prepared in unitary dosage form suitable for administration orally, percutaneously, by parenteral injection (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and intradermal), topically, or for application to a medical device, such as an implant or other device.
In preparing the compositions for oral dosage, for example, any of the pharmaceutical media known in the art may be used, such as water, glycols, oils, alcohols and the like in the case of oral liquid preparations such as suspensions, syrups, elixirs and solutions. When solid carriers are desired, starches, sugars, kaolin, lubricants, binders, cellulose and its derivatives, and disintegrating agents and the like may be used to prepare, for example, powders, pills, capsules and tablets.
For parenteral compositions, acceptable carriers often comprise sterile water, which may be supplemented with various solutes to, for example, increase solubility. Injectable solutions may be prepared in which the carrier comprises saline solution, glucose solution, or a mixture thereof, which may include certain well-known anti-oxidants, buffers, bacteriostats, and other solutes that render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended patient.
For percutaneous administration, the carrier may, optionally, comprise a penetration enhancing agent and/or a suitable wetting agent. Dosage forms for topical or transdermal administration of a compound of this invention include ointments, pastes, creams, lotions, gels, powders, solutions, sprays, inhalants or patches. The active compound is mixed under sterile conditions with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and optionally one or more preservatives and/or buffers. The ointments, pastes, creams and gels may contain, in addition to an active compound according to the present invention, excipients such as animal and vegetable fats, oils, waxes, paraffins, starch, tragacanth, cellulose derivatives, polyethylene glycols, silicones, bentonites, silicic acid, talc and zinc oxide, or mixtures thereof.
In some cases, the pH of the pharmaceutical formulations contemplated herein may be adjusted with acceptable acids, bases or buffers to enhance the stability of the active compound or its delivery form.
Still further, in order to prolong the activity of, for example, an EGCG and/or ECG composition disclosed herein, it may be desirable to slow the absorption of the composition from subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. This may be accomplished using a liquid suspension of crystalline or amorphous material with poor water solubility. The rate of absorption of the compound then depends upon its rate of dissolution, which, in turn, may depend upon crystal size and crystalline form. Alternatively, delayed absorption of a parenterally administered drug form may be accomplished by dissolving or suspending the compound in an oil vehicle.
Injectable depot forms are made, e.g., by forming microencapsule matrices of one or more compounds of the present invention in biodegradable polymers such as polylactide-polyglycolide. Depending upon the ratio of active compound, e.g., EGCG and/or ECG, to polymer and the nature of the particular polymer employed, the rate at which such compound(s) is released may be controlled. Examples of other such polymers include poly(orthoesters), poly(anhydrides), polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, copolymers of polylactic and polyglycolic acid, polyepsilon caprolactone, polyhydroxy butyric acid, polyorthoesters, polyacetals, polydihydropyrans, polycyanoacrylates and cross-linked or amphipathic block copolymers of hydrogels.
Depot injectable formulations are also prepared by entrapping the compound in liposomes or microemulsions that are compatible with body tissues.
The compositions of the present invention may also be coupled with soluble polymers as targetable drug carriers. Such polymers may include, for example, polyvinylpyrrolidone, pyran copolymer, polyhydroxypropylmethacrylamide phenyl, polyhydroxyethylaspartamide-phenol, or polyethyleneoxide-polylysine substituted with palmitoyl residues.
In certain embodiments, the compositions described herein may be provided to a patient before, during, or after a HI/HA symptom has formed (or other symptom caused by a disorder relating to irregular insulin secretion, such as diabetes). Thus, such compositions may be administered after a patient has developed, for example, a HI/HA symptom or as a prophylactic to prevent the occurrence (or re-occurrence) of a HI/HA symptom.
The compositions and methods of the present invention may be used to modulate the activity of GDH, regulate insulin secretion, treat or prevent the effects of HI/HA and/or other disorders relating to or caused by dysfunctional regulation of insulin secretion, such as diabetes and similar disorders. In the case of medical applications, for example, the methods of the present invention comprise the steps of providing an effective amount of at least one composition described herein to a patient or, in the case of veterinary applications, to an animal. While the following description makes reference to specific methods and uses of the disclosed compositions for human applications, it should be appreciated that such compositions and methods may be equally useful in animals and, particularly, in veterinary applications.
According to the methods of using the EGCG, ECG, and Camellia sinensis extract compositions disclosed herein for human patient applications, such compositions are, preferably, provided to patients by administering or providing a therapeutically effective amount of such composition, in such amounts and for such time as is necessary to achieve the desired result.
As used herein, a therapeutically “effective amount” of a composition is an amount sufficient to inhibit, reduce, or otherwise modulate the activity of GDH in the system or patient; inhibit, reduce, or otherwise modulate the secretion of insulin in the system or patient; or effectively treat, control and/or prevent the symptoms, or other physiological or biochemical causes or effects, associated with HI/HA (and/or other disorders relating to or caused by dysfunctional regulation of insulin secretion, such as diabetes and similar disorders).
The specific therapeutically effective dose level for any particular patient may depend upon a variety of factors, including the extent to which it is desired to modulate GDH activity, regulate insulin secretion, and/or treat an insulin-related disorder, such as HI/HA or diabetes. In addition, the activity of the specific composition employed; the specific pharmacologic formulation employed; the age, body weight, general health, gender and diet of the patient; the time of administration, route of administration, and rate of excretion of the specific compound employed; the duration of the treatment; drugs used in combination or contemporaneously with the specific compound employed; and like factors well known in the medical arts will influence the specific therapeutically effective dose level. Furthermore, it may be appropriate to administer the required dose more than once in a twenty-four hour period, such as in two, three, four or more sub-doses at appropriate intervals throughout the day.
By way of example only, the total daily dose of one or more of the GDH-modulating compositions disclosed herein may be provided to a patient in single or in divided doses, which may be in amounts from 0.01 to 50 mg/kg body weight or, more typically, from 0.1 to 25 mg/kg body weight. Single dose compositions may contain such amounts or submultiples thereof to make up the daily dose. More preferably, treatment regimens according to the present invention may comprise administering to a patient about 10 mg to about 1000 mg of the GDH-modulating composition(s) disclosed herein, per day in single or multiple doses.
In still further embodiments of the present invention, similar to other compounds such as 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) and BCH, EGCG and ECG provide new pharmacological compositions and methods that may be used in research and development of agents (and methods) that regulate insulin secretion and to otherwise dissect and understand the metabolic pathways that regulate insulin secretion. Of course, diabetic disorders are manifested by dysfunctional insulin secretion regulation and, therefore, the invention provides that EGCG and ECG provide new pharmacological compositions that may be used in the treatment of such diabetic disorders.
Still further, in certain embodiments, the invention provides that the GDH enzyme, and/or EGCG, ECG, and Camellia sinensis extract, may be used in the research, development, identification and screening of agents (and methods) that may be used to treat, for example, diabetes, HI/HA, or other insulin-related disorders. As shown herein, the regulation of GDH activity is strongly correlated with the regulation of insulin secretion. Accordingly, as described herein, the invention provides a new biological target implicated in insulin secretion for pharmacologic agents, whether currently existing or discovered hereafter, to block, interact with, inhibit, bind to, or otherwise regulate. Thus, in certain embodiments, the invention provides a new target, namely, the GDH enzyme, that may be used in the research, development, identification and screening of agents (and methods) that may treat or prevent the effects of diabetes, HI/HA, or other insulin-related disorders. Furthermore, the invention provides compositions, e.g., EGCG and ECG, that may be used to inhibit GDH activity, thereby allowing an investigator to research the effects of other agents on other enzymes or cellular components involved in insulin secretion.
The following examples are provided to further illustrate the compositions and methods of the present invention. These examples are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
In this Example, the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC) from Camellia sinensis on GDH activity were tested. Bovine GDH (bGDH) was used in this Example, which was obtained as an aqueous (NH4)2SO4 suspension from Sigma Aldrich Chemical Company (St. Louis, Mo.).
First, aliquots of GDH were extensively dialyzed against 0.1M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, which contained 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The enzyme concentrations were adjusted to 1 mg/ml and the amount of enzyme added to the reaction mixture, for kinetic analysis, was adjusted to yield optimal steady state velocity measurements. All solutions were made immediately prior to use. Enzyme assays were performed by monitoring reduced coenzyme absorbance at 340 nm using a Shimadzu UV-1601 spectrophotometer. The reductive amination reactions were performed in 3 mL volumes at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.1 mM nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), 50 mM NH4Cl, and 5 mM 2-oxoglutarate. The rate of NADH oxidation was calculated using an extinction coefficient of 6.22 mM−1 cm−1.
As shown in
In this Example, EGCG was added to a reaction (at a final concentration of 0.0, 0.3, or 0.6 μM), along with various concentrations of NADH or 2-oxoglutarate, to further ascertain how EGCG inhibits the reductive amination reaction catalyzed by GDH. Such kinetic analysis was carried out as described above in Example 1. The results of such analysis were examined using Lineweaver-Burke plots, shown in
That is, the above data suggest that EGCG does not act by directly competing with either coenzyme or substrate binding to the active site. Rather, the data suggest that EGCG inhibits GDH activity by binding to either the free enzyme or the enzyme-substrate complex.
The ability of the activators BCH, leucine, and ADP to reverse EGCG regulation on GDH was next examined. More particularly, kinetic analysis of GDH activity was carried out as described in Example 1, wherein each reaction contained either (a) 0 μM EGCG plus leucine; (b) 1 μM EGCG plus leucine; (c) 0 μM EGCG plus BCH; (d) 1 μM EGCG plus BCH; (e) 0 μM EGCG plus ADP; or (f) 1 μM EGCG plus ADP. The concentrations of leucine, BCH, and ADP in this Example were varied, as shown in
As shown in
As described herein, HI/HA syndrome is caused by impaired (or abrogated) GDH sensitivity to GTP inhibition. Many of the mutations present in the GDH enzyme of HI/HA individuals reside in the GTP binding site, and thus, likely act by sterically interfering with GTP binding. Accordingly, the invention provides that EGCG and ECG, compositions that contain EGCG and/or ECG (such as Camellia sinensis extract), and other compounds and compositions that specifically inhibit GDH activity are therapeutically useful if such compositions also inhibit the HI/HA mutant forms of GDH.
To this end, EGCG was tested against five different HI/HA mutant forms of GDH, namely, R265K, R269C, E296A, S448P, and H454Y. In addition, EGCG was tested against human wild type GDH (“WT”), GDH from Tetrahymena thermophilia (“tGDH”) that, like the HI/HA mutant GDH enzymes, is not regulated by GTP, and a human GDH that was missing a certain 48 residue ‘antenna-like’ feature protruding from the top of each of its six subunits that is necessary for ADP, GTP, and Palmitoyl CoA regulation. Such WT, ‘antenna-less’, and HI/HA GDH enzymes were expressed in and purified from E. coli, whereas tGDH was purified from Tetrahymena thermophilia. The kinetic analysis of such GDH enzymes was carried out as described in Example 1 above.
Referring to
Since EGCG and ECG were found to be potent inhibitors of GDH in vitro, it was postulated that GDH-dependent β-cell functions should also be influenced by these catechins. For example, the phenomenon of leucine stimulated insulin secretion (“LSIS”) has been recently shown to be mediated by GDH and its regulation of glutamineolysis. LSIS is only observed after a prolonged period of “run-down” to produce a state of energy depletion. Under these conditions, the levels of GDH inhibitors, ATP and GTP, are reduced while the concentration of the GDH activator, ADP, is increased. When leucine (or its non-metabolizable analog, beta-2-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid, “BCH”) is then added to cells in this depleted state, the flux of glutamine through glutaminase and GDH is increased, ATP is generated, and the β-cells are stimulated to secrete insulin.
In this Example, adult male Wistar rat islets were isolated by collagenase digestion and initially cultured in glucose-free RPMI 11640 medium (Sigma Aldrich Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo.). The culture medium was supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 2 mM glutamine, 100 units/mL penicillin, and 50 μg/mL streptomycin.
The islets were then perifused in the absence of glucose and in the presence of 2 mM glutamine (and the different concentrations of EGCG or EGC shown in
As shown in
In this Example, the effects of EGCG and EGC on LSIS were measured, while simultaneously monitoring respiration rates. More particularly, the effects of EGCG (20 μM) and EGC (20 μM) on BCH-stimulated insulin secretion were measured. First, 1000 adult male Wistar rat islets were isolated as described above and were cultured on a glass perfusion chamber in 10 mM glucose for 3 days. Next, the islets were perifused in an oxygen consumption measurement apparatus containing BCH, along with 0 μM EGCG and 0 μM EGC, 20 μM EGCG, or 20 μM EGC.
The perifusion apparatus used in these Examples consisted of a peristaltic pump, a water bath (37° C.), a gas exchanger (artificial lung: media flowed through the thin-walled silastic tubing loosely coiled in a glass jar that contained 20% O2 and 5% CO2 balanced with N2), and fraction collector. All transfer lines were insulated.
After the system was provided with 20 μM EGCG or 20 μM EGC, oxygen partial pressure was recorded every 10 seconds by phosphorescence lifetimes of an oxygen-sensitive porphyrin (palladium-mesotetra; 4-carboxyphenyl porphyrin dendrimer). The dye molecules were excited with pulses at 524 nm from a UV lead and emission was measured at 690 nm. The inflow oxygen tension was measured in the absence of islets in the chamber before and after each experiment. The perifusate was a Krebs buffer (pH 7.4) containing 2.2 mM Ca2+, 1% bovine serum albumin equilibrated with 20% O2 and 5% CO2 balanced with N2. The flow rate was 100 mL/min and samples were collected every 2 minutes for insulin measurements by radioimmunoassay. The results are summarized in
As shown in
EGC exhibited a number of interesting effects on LSIS. For example, it did not cause significant inhibition of LSIS (
In this Example, the effects of EGCG and DON (6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine) on BCH-stimulated glutamine oxidation were measured.
In a first experiment, a batch of 100 islets were incubated with glucose-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, as described herein, containing 20 μM EGCG or 20 μM EGC and 2 mM glutamine for 60 minutes. The islets were then incubated in the presence of varying concentrations of BCH (shown in
Next, [U-14C]-glutamine oxidation in the incubated islets was measured. A trap filter was placed in each tightly sealed glass tube of the perifusion apparatus to collect the 14CO2 produced by the islets, and the amount of radioactivity was determined by liquid scintillation counting. The results are summarized in
In a second experiment, a batch of 100 islets were incubated with glucose-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, as described herein, containing varying concentrations of EGCG or DON (as shown in
Referring to
In the case of LSIS (and the BCH-induced model described above), the β-cell is substantially depleted of glucose and provided with glutamine at low concentrations prior to the application of leucine (i.e., BCH). Therefore, when leucine (i.e., BCH) is applied, the lack of ATP/GTP inhibition combined with ADP and BCH/leucine activation facilitates glutaminolysis. This leads to the generation of ATP and, combined with the exogenously added glutamine acting as an intracellular signal, insulin secretion is facilitated. Under these conditions, the primary force driving ATP production and subsequent insulin release is enhanced amino acid oxidation with BCH/leucine stimulating this process. When EGCG is introduced, EGCG inhibits GDH activity, blocks glutaminolysis, and thereby prevents the BCH/leucine effects.
In this Example, the effect of EGCG on glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was examined. Isolated rat islets were cultured with 20 mM glucose (
Next, insulin secretion and oxygen consumption were measured, as described herein, during glucose stimulation to confirm the above results. Isolated rat islets were isolated and cultured, as described above, with 10 mM glucose for 3 days and subsequently perifused in the oxygen consumption measurement apparatus described above. EGCG, glucose (G), Mesoxalonitrile 4-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP), and NaN3 were added in the sequence and amounts shown in
Referring to
In addition, the effect of EGCG on glucose oxidation was measured. More particularly, batches of 100 islets were prepared as described herein and preincubated with glucose-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer containing varying concentrations of EGCG (shown in
As shown in
In light of the foregoing, EGCG and ECG, in and of themselves, do not appear to affect glucose-mediated respiration, insulin secretion, or glucose oxidation—under such conditions. Rather, the invention provides that EGCG necessarily affects insulin secretion via modulation of GDH activity. As shown further below, in the case of the GSIS, the effects of EGCG are likely dependent upon the energy state of the cell. That is, under the brief “run-down” conditions used for the GSIS analysis described in this Example, glutaminolysis was not the main energy source for the cells and the levels of high-energy metabolites (e.g., GTP and ATP) were not fully depleted. As a result, such metabolites are still present at sufficient levels to effectively inhibit GDH activity.
Under brief “run-down” conditions used for the above GSIS analysis, where glucose was removed from the cells for only 60 minutes, the levels of high-energy metabolites (i.e., GTP and ATP) have not been depleted and these effectively shut down GDH activity. This, in turn, eliminated any effect GDH might have on insulin secretion. Therefore, the effects of EGCG were also tested on α-cells that had been “run-down” for a longer period of time (120 minutes) prior to glucose stimulation (
Under these conditions, with low ATP and GTP concentrations and high ADP concentrations, GDH inhibition was relieved and the enzyme was able to influence insulin secretion. Here, in contrast to the short “run-down” conditions described in the previous Example, EGCG, but not EGC, potentiates GSIS. As before, neither EGCG or EGC affected KCl-stimulated release of insulin. EGC was shown to be inactive compared to EGCG, but seems to slightly sensitize the cells at low glucose concentrations (
In light of the foregoing, in the case of GSIS, the effects of EGCG are dependent upon the energy state of the cell. When the β-cell has been “run-down” for a brief period of time, glutaminolysis is not the main energy source for the cell and the high-energy metabolites (e.g., GTP and ATP) are still present and strongly inhibit GDH activity. Under these conditions, EGCG does not affect GSIS since GDH is already effectively inhibited.
However, when the cell has been “run-down” for longer periods of time, the high-energy inhibitors, ATP and GTP, have been depleted and the levels of the activator, ADP, have been increased. This is summarized in the model shown in
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those described, and that various other changes or modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/624,025, filed Nov. 1, 2004.
The work of this invention was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The United States Government may have certain rights to this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60624025 | Nov 2004 | US |
