Responses in Blood Pressure and Kidney Function to Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase Stimulation or Activation in Normal and Diabetic Rats.

Introduction:: Agonists of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) are being developed as treatment for cardiovascular disease. Most effects of nitric oxide (NO) on glomerular and tubular function are mediated through sGC but whether sGC agonists mimic these effects is unknown.

Methods:: Renal clearance and micropuncture studies were performed in Wistar-Froemter rats (WF), with or without streptozotocin diabetes (STZ-WF), and in Goto-Kakizaki rats (GK) with mild type-2 diabetes to test for acute effects of the sGC “stimulator” BAY 41-2272, which synergizes with endogenous NO, and the “activator” runcaciguat, which generates cGMP independent of NO.

Urinary miRNA Profiles in Chronic Kidney Injury-Benefits of Extracellular Vesicle Enrichment and miRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Renal Fibrosis, Glomerular Injury, and Endothelial Dysfunction.

Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are regulators of gene expression and play an important role in physiological homeostasis and disease. In biofluids, miRNAs can be found in protein complexes or in extracellular vesicles (EVs). Altered urinary miRNAs are reported as potential biomarkers for chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Runcaciguat, a novel soluble guanylate cyclase activator, shows renoprotection in hypertensive, diabetic, and metabolic preclinical models of chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney diseaQueryse (CKD) is associated with oxidative stress which can interrupt the nitric oxide (NO)/soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) signaling and decrease cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production. Low cGMP concentrations can cause kidney damage and progression of CKD. The novel sGC activator runcaciguat targets the oxidized and heme-free form of sGC, restoring cGMP production under oxidative stress.

Novel soluble guanylyl cyclase activators increase glomerular cGMP, induce vasodilation and improve blood flow in the murine kidney.

Background And Purpose: Generation of cGMP via NO-sensitive soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) has been implicated in the regulation of renal functions. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with decreased NO bioavailability, increased oxidative stress and oxidation of sGC to its haem-free form, apo-sGC. Apo-sGC cannot be activated by NO, resulting in impaired cGMP signalling that is associated with chronic kidney disease progression.

Discovery of the Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Activator Runcaciguat (BAY 1101042).

Herein we describe the discovery, mode of action, and preclinical characterization of the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activator runcaciguat. The sGC enzyme, via the formation of cyclic guanosine monophoshphate, is a key regulator of body and tissue homeostasis. sGC activators with their unique mode of action are activating the oxidized and heme-free and therefore NO-unresponsive form of sGC, which is formed under oxidative stress.

The Impact of the Nitric Oxide (NO)/Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase (sGC) Signaling Cascade on Kidney Health and Disease: A Preclinical Perspective.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a highly prevalent disease with a substantial medical need for new and more efficacious treatments. The Nitric Oxide (NO), soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling cascade regulates various kidney functions. cGMP directly influences renal blood flow, renin secretion, glomerular function, and tubular exchange processes.

Therapy with a Selective Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 Agonist Limits Albuminuria and Renal Injury in Mice with Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy.

Background/aims: A critical involvement of the endocannabinoid/cannabinoid receptor system in diabetes and its complications has been recognized. Experimental evidence suggested that activation of the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2), which is expressed in the kidney by podocytes and inflammatory cells, had a protective role in early streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes in mice. No experimental evidence is so far available on the effects of CB2 agonists in type 2 diabetes.

Animal models of diabetic macrovascular complications: key players in the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong, incapacitating metabolic disease associated with chronic macrovascular complications (coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease) and microvascular disorders leading to damage of the kidneys (nephropathy) and eyes (retinopathy). Based on the current trends, the rising prevalence of diabetes worldwide will lead to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therefore, novel means to prevent and treat these complications are needed.

Effects of pioglitazone and fenofibrate co-administration on bone biomechanics and histomorphometry in ovariectomized rats.

Pioglitazone, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) agonist is an effective therapy for type 2 diabetes, but has been associated with increased risk for bone fracture. Preclinical studies suggest that PPAR-α agonists (e.g.

6-Alkoxy-5-aryl-3-pyridinecarboxamides, a new series of bioavailable cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) antagonists including peripherally selective compounds.

We identified 6-alkoxy-5-aryl-3-pyridinecarboxamides as potent CB1 receptor antagonists with high selectivity over CB2 receptors. The series was optimized to reduce lipophilicity compared to rimonabant to achieve peripherally active molecules with minimal central effects. Several compounds that showed high plasma exposures in rats were evaluated in vivo to probe the contribution of central vs peripheral CB1 agonism to metabolic improvement.

Combination treatment with pioglitazone and fenofibrate attenuates pioglitazone-mediated acceleration of bone loss in ovariectomized rats.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ agonists, such as pioglitazone (Pio), improve glycemia and lipid profile but are associated with bone loss and fracture risk. Data regarding bone effects of PPARα agonists (including fenofibrate (Feno)) are limited, although animal studies suggest that Feno may increase bone mass. This study investigated the effects of a 13-week oral combination treatment with Pio (10 mg/kg per day)+Feno (25 mg/kg per day) on body composition and bone mass parameters compared with Pio or Feno alone in adult ovariectomized (OVX) rats, with a 4-week bone depletion period, followed by a 6-week treatment-free period.

Orally active aminopyridines as inhibitors of tetrameric fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.

A novel sulfonylureido pyridine series exemplified by compound 19 yielded potent inhibitors of FBPase showing significant glucose reduction and modest glycogen lowering in the acute db/db mouse model for Type-2 diabetes. Our inhibitors occupy the allosteric binding site and also extend into the dyad interface region of tetrameric FBPase.

Effects of aleglitazar, a balanced dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α/γ agonist on glycemic and lipid parameters in a primate model of the metabolic syndrome.

Background: Glycemic control and management of dyslipidemia to reduce cardiovascular risk are major therapeutic goals in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study was performed to evaluate the effects of aleglitazar, a balanced dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α/γ (PPARα/γ) agonist, on both lipid and glycemic parameters in obese, hypertriglyceridemic, insulin-resistant rhesus monkeys.

Methods: A 135-day efficacy study was performed in six rhesus monkeys.

Mechanisms underlying off-target effects of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor torcetrapib involve L-type calcium channels.

Objective: The increased mortality observed with the cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor torcetrapib is partly due to increased aldosterone production and blood pressure. The mechanisms underlying these effects were investigated.

Methods: Cytochrome P450 subunit 11B2 (aldosterone synthase), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p44/42) and voltage-gated Cachannel alpha subunit mRNA profiling, aldosterone production, cytosolic calcium and RNA interference were assessed in adrenocarcinoma human cells (H295R).

Sulfonylureido thiazoles as fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase inhibitors for the treatment of type-2 diabetes.

Sulfonylureido thiazoles were identified from a HTS campaign and optimized through a combination of structure-activity studies, X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling to yield potent inhibitors of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase. Compound 12 showed favorable ADME properties, for example, F=70%, and a robust 32% glucose reduction in the acute db/db mouse model for Type-2 diabetes.

Aleglitazar, a new, potent, and balanced dual PPARalpha/gamma agonist for the treatment of type II diabetes.

Design, synthesis, and SAR of novel alpha-alkoxy-beta-arylpropionic acids as potent and balanced PPARalphagamma coagonists are described. One representative thereof, Aleglitazar ((S)-2Aa), was chosen for clinical development. Its X-ray structure in complex with both receptors as well as its high efficacy in animal models of T2D and dyslipidemia are also presented.

Design and biological evaluation of novel, balanced dual PPARalpha/gamma agonists.

An X-ray-guided design approach led to the identification of a novel, balanced class of alpha-ethoxy-phenylpropionic acid-derived dual PPARalpha/gamma agonists. The series shows a wide range of PPARalpha/gamma ratios within a rather narrow structural space. Advanced compounds possess favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profiles and show a high efficacy in T2D and dyslipidemia animal models.

Benzodioxoles: novel cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonists for the treatment of obesity.

The application of the evolutionary fragment-based de novo design tool TOPology Assigning System (TOPAS), starting from a known CB1R (CB-1 receptor) ligand, followed by further refinement principles, including pharmacophore compliance, chemical tractability, and drug likeness, allowed the identification of benzodioxoles as a novel CB1R inverse agonist series. Extensive multidimensional optimization was rewarded by the identification of promising lead compounds, showing in vivo activity. These compounds reversed the CP-55940-induced hypothermia in Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice and reduced body-weight gain, as well as fat mass, in diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats.

Quantitative body composition analysis in awake mice and rats by magnetic resonance relaxometry.

Objective: Magnetic resonance (MR) relaxometry has recently been introduced for noninvasive body composition analysis in awake mice. The purpose of the present study was to extend the method to rats and to introduce calibration procedures that render MR relaxometry fully quantitative.

Research Methods And Procedures: Proton T(2) MR relaxometry at 4.