cep-33779 and Disease-Models--Animal

When Zika virus emerged as a public health emergency there were no drugs or vaccines approved for its prevention or treatment. We used a high-throughput screen for Zika virus protease inhibitors to identify several inhibitors of Zika virus infection. We expressed the NS2B-NS3 Zika virus protease and conducted a biochemical screen for small-molecule inhibitors. A quantitative structure-activity relationship model was employed to virtually screen ∼138,000 compounds, which increased the identification of active compounds, while decreasing screening time and resources. Candidate inhibitors were validated in several viral infection assays. Small molecules with favorable clinical profiles, especially the five-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor, MK-591, inhibited the Zika virus protease and infection in neural stem cells. Members of the tetracycline family of antibiotics were more potent inhibitors of Zika virus infection than the protease, suggesting they may have multiple mechanisms of action. The most potent tetracycline, methacycline, reduced the amount of Zika virus present in the brain and the severity of Zika virus-induced motor deficits in an immunocompetent mouse model. As Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, the tetracyclines could be quickly translated to the clinic. The compounds identified through our screening paradigm have the potential to be used as prophylactics for patients traveling to endemic regions or for the treatment of the neurological complications of Zika virus infection.

Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Artificial Intelligence; Chlorocebus aethiops; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Immunocompetence; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Methacycline; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Protease Inhibitors; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; Small Molecule Libraries; Vero Cells; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection

Constitutively activated STAT3 and STAT5 are expressed in a wide variety of human malignancies including solid and hematopoietic cancers and often correlate with a poor prognosis and resistance to multiple therapies. Given the well established role of STAT3 in tumorigenesis, inhibition of Janus-activated kinase 2 (JAK2) activity might represent an attractive therapeutic approach. Using a mouse model of colitis-induced colorectal cancer, we show that a novel, orally active, selective JAK2 inhibitor, CEP-33779, induced regression of established colorectal tumors, reduced angiogenesis, and reduced proliferation of tumor cells. Histopathologic analysis confirmed reduced incidence of histologic-grade neoplasia by CEP-33779. Tumor regression correlated with inhibition of STAT3 and NF-κB (RelA/p65) activation in a CEP-33779 dose-dependent manner. In addition, the expression of proinflammatory, tumor-promoting cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β was strongly reduced upon JAK2 inhibition. The ability of CEP-33779 to suppress growth of colorectal tumors by inhibiting the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling suggests a potential therapeutic utility of JAK2 inhibitors in multiple tumors types, particularly those with a strong inflammatory component.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Colitis; Colorectal Neoplasms; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Janus Kinase 2; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Pyridines; Triazoles

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of myriad autoantibodies, some with pathogenic potential, and diverse clinical manifestations. Involvement of the kidney is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in human lupus patients and in murine models of the disease. It is hoped that more specific inhibition of crucial disease pathways would improve patient response rates, while reducing the considerable rates of drug-related side effects associated with current therapy. IL-6 has a pivotal regulatory role in the development and maturation of long-lived plasma cells, one of the key cell types driving the lupus disease phenotype as the source for the majority of lupus-related autoreactive antibodies. In this study, Lu et al. target the IL-6 signal transduction pathway using a specific JAK2 inhibitor of the JAK-STAT pathway, CEP-33779. In murine lupus models, they show significant improvement in nephritis, and prolonged survival, in mice treated with CEP-33779. The study presents the promise of a novel pathway for therapeutic intervention in systemic lupus erythematosus using a medication administered orally.

Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Interleukin-6; Janus Kinase 2; Kidney; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Lupus Nephritis; Mice; Plasma Cells; Pyridines; Signal Transduction; Treatment Outcome; Triazoles

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is involved in the downstream activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and STAT5 and is responsible for transducing signals for several proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including interleukin (IL)-6, interferon γ (IFNγ) and IL-12. In this paper, we describe the efficacy profile of CEP-33779, a highly selective, orally active, small-molecule inhibitor of JAK2 evaluated in two mouse models of RA.. Collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) and collagen type II (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) were established before the oral administration of a small-molecule JAK2 inhibitor, CEP-33779, twice daily at 10 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 55 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg over a period of 4 to 8 weeks.. Pharmacodynamic inhibition of JAK2 reduced mean paw edema and clinical scores in both CIA and CAIA models of arthritis. Reduction in paw cytokines (IL-12, IFNγ and tumor necrosis factor α) and serum cytokines (IL-12 and IL-2) correlated with reduced spleen CII-specific T helper 1 cell frequencies as measured by ex vivo IFNγ enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. Both models demonstrated histological evidence of disease amelioration upon treatment (for example, reduced matrix erosion, subchondral osteolysis, pannus formation and synovial inflammation) and reduced paw phosphorylated STAT3 levels. No changes in body weight or serum anti-CII autoantibody titers were observed in either RA model.. This study demonstrates the utility of using a potent and highly selective, orally bioavailable JAK2 inhibitor for the treatment of RA. Using a selective inhibitor of JAK2 rather than pan-JAK inhibitors avoids the potential complication of immunosuppression while targeting critical signaling pathways involved in autoimmune disease progression.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Arthritis, Experimental; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Blotting, Western; Disease Models, Animal; Enzyme Inhibitors; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Janus Kinase 2; Mice; Mice, Inbred DBA; Pyridines; Triazoles

Accumulating evidence suggests that autoreactive plasma cells play an important role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In addition, several proinflammatory cytokines promote autoreactive B cell maturation and autoantibody production. Hence, therapeutic targeting of such cytokine pathways using a selective JAK2 inhibitor, CEP-33779 (JAK2 enzyme IC(50) = 1.3 nM; JAK3 enzyme IC(50)/JAK2 enzyme IC(50) = 65-fold), was tested in two mouse models of SLE. Age-matched, MRL/lpr or BWF1 mice with established SLE or lupus nephritis, respectively, were treated orally with CEP-33779 at 30 mg/kg (MRL/lpr), 55 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg (MRL/lpr and BWF1). Studies included reference standard, dexamethasone (1.5 mg/kg; MRL/lpr), and cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg; MRL/lpr and BWF1). Treatment with CEP-33779 extended survival and reduced splenomegaly/lymphomegaly. Several serum cytokines were significantly decreased upon treatment including IL-12, IL-17A, IFN-α, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Anti-nuclear Abs and frequencies of autoantigen-specific, Ab-secreting cells declined upon CEP-33779 treatment. Increased serum complement levels were associated with reduced renal JAK2 activity, histopathology, and spleen CD138(+) plasma cells. The selective JAK2 inhibitor CEP-33779 was able to mitigate several immune parameters associated with SLE advancement, including the protection and treatment of mice with lupus nephritis. These data support the possibility of using potent, orally active, small-molecule inhibitors of JAK2 to treat the debilitative disease SLE.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antibodies, Antinuclear; Autoimmunity; Cell Separation; Cytokines; Disease Models, Animal; Enzyme Inhibitors; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Flow Cytometry; Janus Kinase 2; Lupus Nephritis; Mice; Mice, Inbred MRL lpr; Plasma Cells; Pyridines; Triazoles