2002 - 02

Br J Pharmacol. 2002 Feb;135(3):589-99.

A NO-releasing derivative of acetaminophen spares the liver by acting at several checkpoints in the Fas pathway.

Fiorucci S, Antonelli E, Mencarelli A, Palazzetti B, Alvarez-Miller L, Muscara M, del Soldato P, Sanpaolo L, Wallace JL, Morelli A. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Clinica di Gastroenterologia ed Epatologia, Universita degli Studi di Perugia, Italy.

NCX-701 is a nitric oxide (NO)-releasing acetaminophen (APAP) derivative. In the present study we demonstrated that NCX-701 is as effective as APAP in controlling body temperature in a rat model of endotoxin-induced fever. Liver toxicity is a major complication of APAP overdosing. To investigate whether NCX-701 is hepatotoxic, BALB/C mice were injected with 100 - 500 mg kg(-1) APAP or NCX-701 alone or in combination (i.e. 500 mg kg(-1) of both compounds). Our results demonstrated that although APAP caused a dose-dependent liver injury, NCX-701 was completely devoid of liver toxicity. At the dose of 500 mg kg(-1) APAP caused an approximately 40 fold increase of AST plasma levels and extensive centrilobular necrosis. APAP and NCX-701 share the same metabolic pathway as demonstrated by the time-course of APAP-glucuronide concentrations in plasma and liver. NCX-701 was safe in mice with pre-existing chronic liver disease. Indeed, while C57BL6 transgenic mice expressing the hepatitis B virus (HBV) at the age of 8 months were significantly more susceptible to liver damage induced by APAP (500 mg kg(-1)) than their congenic littermates, treating HBV-transgenic mice with NCX-701, 500 mg kg(-1), caused no damage. Co-administration of NCX-701 at the dose 500 mg kg(-1) to mice treated with APAP, 500 mg kg(-1), completely protected against liver damage induced by APAP. APAP, but not NCX-701, upregulated liver Fas and Fas Ligand mRNA expression in vivo. Incubating mouse hepatocytes with APAP, but not with NCX-701, increased cell surface Fas expression and sensitized hepatocytes to death induced by challenge with a Fas-agonistic antibody. Collectively, these observations suggest that APAP toxicity is Fas mediated and that NCX-701 spares the liver by acting at several checkpoints in the Fas pathway.



Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2002 Feb 1;22(2):263-7.

Beneficial effects of NO-releasing derivative of flurbiprofen (HCT-1026) in rat model of vascular injury and restenosis.

Maffia P, Ianaro A, Sorrentino R, Lippolis L, Maiello FM, del Soldato P, Ialenti A, Cirino G. Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

One of the major problems related to the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty technique is the renarrowing of the vessel, a phenomenon known as restenosis. NO and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to play a role in this pathology. The main problem with the use of conventional NO donors is that they affect blood pressure and flow, and for these reasons, they cannot be used safely in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate, with the use of a rat model of balloon angioplasty, whether a structural derivative of flurbiprofen, containing an added NO-releasing moiety (HCT-1026), is able to reduce or prevent neointimal formation. Rats were treated for 14 days with equimolar doses of flurbiprofen (2, 7, and 21 mg/kg) or HCT-1026 (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg). After this 14-day treatment, HCT-1026 but not flurbiprofen significantly modified the neointima/media ratio. The reduction in the neointimal proliferation obtained with HCT-1026 was well correlated with an increase in nitrite/nitrate plasma levels and a reduced cell proliferation. Neither HCT-1026 nor flurbiprofen affected inducible NO synthase induction in injured vessels. In conclusion, HCT-1026 caused a significant reduction in restenosis that appears to be directly related to NO release. HCT-1026 may prove to be beneficial in preventing or delaying restenosis in humans.