Irinotecan hydrochloride

Irinotecan hydrochloride is a water soluble topoisomerase I inhibitor with antitumor activity.

In Vitro:Irinotecan hydrochloride is a topoisomerase I inhibitor. Irinotecan inhibits the growth of LoVo and HT-29 cells, with IC50s of 15.8 ± 5.1 and 5.17 ± 1.4 μM, respectively, and induces similar amounts of cleavable complexes in both in LoVo and HT-29 cells[2]. Irinotecan suppresses the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), with an IC50 of 1.3 μM[3].

In Vivo:Irinotecan (CPT-11, 5 mg/kg) significantly inhibits the growth of tumors by intratumoral injection daily for 5 days, on two consecutive weeks in rats, and such effects also occur via continuous intraperitoneal infusion by osmotic minipump into mice. However, Irinotecan (10 mg/kg) shows no effect on the growth of tumor by i.p[1]. Irinotecan (CPT-11, 100-300 mg/kg, i.p.) apparently suppresses tumor growth of HT-29 xenografts in athymic female mice by day 21. The two groups of Irinotecan (125 mg/kg) plus TSP-1 (10 mg/kg per day) or Irinotecan (150 mg/kg) in combination TSP-1 (20 mg/kg per day) are nearly equally effective and inhibit tumor growth 84% and 89%, respectively, and both are more effective than Irinotecan alone at doses of 250 and 300 mg/kg[3].

References:
[1]. Morales C, et al. Antitumoral effect of irinotecan (CPT-11) on an experimental model of malignant neuroectodermal tumor. J Neurooncol. 2002 Feb;56(3):219-26. [2]. Pavillard V, et al. Determinants of the cytotoxicity of irinotecan in two human colorectal tumor cell lines. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2002 Apr;49(4):329-35. Epub 2002 Jan 30. [3]. Allegrini G, et al. Thrombospondin-1 plus irinotecan: a novel antiangiogenic-chemotherapeutic combination that inhibits the growth of advanced human colon tumor xenografts in mice. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2004 Mar;53(3):261-6. Epub 2003 Dec 5.

Inhibition of intestinal microflora beta-glucuronidase modifies the distribution of the active metabolite of the antitumor agent, irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) in rats.[Pubmed:9744772]

Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1998;42(4):280-6.

PURPOSE: SN-38, a metabolite of Irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11), is considered to play a key role in the development of diarrhea as well as in the antitumor activity of CPT-11. We have previously found that the inhibition of beta-glucuronidase, which hydrolyzes detoxified SN-38 (SN-38 glucuronide) to reform SN-38, in the lumen by eliminating the intestinal microflora with antibiotics, markedly ameliorates the intestinal toxicity of CPT-11 in rats. In this study we compared the disposition of CPT-11 and its metabolites in rats treated with and without antibiotics. METHODS: Rats were given drinking water containing 1 mg/ml penicillin and 2 mg/ml streptomycin from 5 days before the administration of CPT-11 (60 mg/kg i.v.) and throughout the experiment. CPT-11, SN-38 glucuronide and SN-38 concentrations in the blood, intestinal tissues and intestinal luminal contents were determined by HPLC. RESULTS: Antibiotics had little or no effect on the pharmacokinetics of CPT-11, SN-38 glucuronide or SN-38 in the blood, or in the tissues or contents of the small intestine, which has less beta-glucuronidase activity in its luminal contents. In contrast, antibiotics markedly reduced the AUC1-24 h of SN-38 (by about 85%) in the large intestine tissue without changing that of CPT-11, and this was accompanied by a complete inhibition of the deconjugation of SN-38 glucuronide in the luminal contents. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SN-38, which results from the hydrolysis of SN-38 glucuronide by beta-glucuronidase in the intestinal microflora, contributes considerably to the distribution of SN-38 in the large intestine tissue, and that inhibition of the beta-glucuronidase activity by antibiotics results in decreased accumulation of SN-38 in the large intestine.

Activity of CPT-11 (irinotecan hydrochloride), a topoisomerase I inhibitor, against human tumor colony-forming units.[Pubmed:8049503]

Anticancer Drugs. 1994 Apr;5(2):202-6.

CPT-11 (Irinotecan hydrochloride, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(piperidino)-1-piperidino] carbonyloxy-camptothecin) is a semisynthetic camptothecin derivative developed in Japan. The inhibitory activity of CPT-11 against human tumor colony-forming units from freshly explanted human tumors was explored using a soft agar cloning system. Final CPT-11 concentrations of 0.3-3.0 micrograms/ml were used for a 1 h exposure. At a concentration of 3.0 micrograms/ml antitumor activity was seen against colorectal, ovarian, nonsmall-cell lung, breast cancer and mesothelioma colony-forming units. CPT-11 should have activity against a broad spectrum of tumors in patients.

Therapeutic activity of CPT-11, a DNA-topoisomerase I inhibitor, against peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour and neuroblastoma xenografts.[Pubmed:8761367]

Br J Cancer. 1996 Aug;74(4):537-45.

The anti-tumour activity of CPT-11, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, was evaluated in four human neural-crest-derived paediatric tumour xenografts; one peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumour (pPNET) (SK-N-MC) and three neuroblastomas. Two models, SK-N-MC and IGR-N835, were established in athymic mice from a previously established in vitro cell line. Two new neuroblastoma xenograft models, IGR-NB3 and IGR-NB8, were derived from previously untreated non-metastatic neuroblastomas. They exhibited the classic histological features of immature neuroblastoma along with N-myc amplification, paradiploidy, chromosome 1p deletions and overexpression of the human mdr 1 gene. These tumour markers have been shown to be poor prognostic factors in children treated for neuroblastoma. CPT-11 was tested against advanced stage subcutaneous tumours. CPT-11 was administered i.v. using an intermittent (q4d x 3) and a daily x 5 schedule. The optimal dosage and schedule was 40 mg kg-1 daily for 5 days. At this highest non-toxic dose, CPT-11 induced 100% tumour-free survivors on day 121 in mice bearing the pPNET SK-N-MC xenograft. For the three neuroblastoma xenografts, 38-100% complete tumour regressions were observed with a tumour growth delay from 38 to 42 days, and anti-tumour activity was clearly sustained at a lower dosage (27 mg kg-1 day-1). The efficacy of five anti-cancer drugs commonly used in paediatric oncology or in clinical development was evaluated against SK-N-MC and IGR-N835. The sensitivity of these two xenografts to cyclophosphamide, thiotepa and cisplatin was of the same order of magnitude as that of CPT-11, but they were refractory to etoposide and taxol. In conclusion, CPT-11 demonstrated significant activity against pPNET and neuroblastoma xenografts. Further clinical development of CPT-11 in paediatric oncology is warranted.

Inhibitory activity of camptothecin derivatives against acetylcholinesterase in dogs and their binding activity to acetylcholine receptors in rats.[Pubmed:8099964]

J Pharm Pharmacol. 1993 May;45(5):444-8.

A camptothecin derivative, 7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]carbonyloxycamptothecin (CPT-11), shows a potent antitumour activity in experimental tumour models and in clinical trials. However, CPT-11 induced early diarrhoea and vomiting at high dose levels in clinical studies and showed an acetylcholine-like action on the guinea-pig ileum and trachea. In the present study, we investigated the activities of camptothecin derivatives in inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and in binding to muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR). CPT-11 inhibited AChE and binding of the specific ligand to AChR with respective 50% inhibition concentrations of 0.2 and 5 microM. These inhibitions were induced by camptothecin derivatives having an amino group at the C-10 position (or the C-4 position of hexacyclic derivatives), but were not or were only slightly induced by the others. Early defecation and vomiting in dogs were observed after intravenous injection of DU-6596 and DU-6888, two hexacyclic derivatives having the aminomethyl group at the C-4 position, and of CPT-11. DU-6174, however, which has a hydroxy group at this position, induced no early defecation and little vomiting. Plasma concentrations of CPT-11, DU-6596 and DU-6888 after intravenous treatment at doses causing such early adverse effects were maintained for 1 h or longer at levels sufficient to inhibit AChE. These results suggest that the inhibition of AChE by camptothecin derivatives with an amino group at the C-10 position (or the C-4 position) relates to the early defecation or diarrhoea and vomiting.