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INFLAMMATION, IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY, AND ASTHMA

Pharmacological Profile of JNJ-27141491 [(S)-3-[3,4-Difluorophenyl)-propyl]-5-isoxazol-5-yl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazole-4-carboxyl Acid Methyl Ester], as a Noncompetitive and Orally Active Antagonist of the Human Chemokine Receptor CCR2

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Beerse, Belgium

The interaction between CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) with monocyte chemoattractant proteins, such as MCP-1, regulates the activation and recruitment of inflammatory leukocytes. In this study, we characterized (S)-3-[3,4-difluoro-phenyl)-propyl]-5-isoxazol-5-yl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazole-4-carboxyl acid methyl ester (JNJ-27141491) as a noncompetitive and orally active functional antagonist of human (h)CCR2. JNJ-27141491 strongly suppressed hCCR2-mediated in vitro functions, such as MCP-1-induced guanosine 5'-O-(3-[³⁵S]thio)triphosphate binding; MCP-1, -3, and -4-induced Ca²⁺ mobilization; and leukocyte chemotaxis toward MCP-1 (IC₅₀ = 7–97 nM), whereas it had little or no effect on the function of other chemokine receptors tested. The inhibition of CCR2 function was both insurmountable and reversible, consistent with a noncompetitive mode of action. JNJ-27141491 blocked the binding of ¹²⁵I-MCP-1 to human monocytes (IC₅₀ = 0.4 µM), but it failed to affect MCP-1 binding to mouse, rat, and dog cells (IC₅₀ > 10 µM). Therefore, transgenic mice, in which the mouse (m)CCR2 gene was replaced by the human counterpart, were generated for in vivo testing. In these mice, oral administration of JNJ-27141491 dose-dependently [5–40 mg/kg q.d. (once daily) or b.i.d.] inhibited monocyte and neutrophil recruitment to the alveolar space 48 h after intratracheal mMCP-1/lipopolysaccharide instillation. Furthermore, treatment with JNJ-27141491 (20 mg/kg q.d.) significantly delayed the onset and temporarily reduced neurological signs in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of multiple sclerosis. Taken together, these results identify JNJ-27141491 as a noncompetitive, functional antagonist of hCCR2, capable of exerting oral anti-inflammatory activity in transgenic hCCR2-expressing mice.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Mieke Buntinx, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium. E-mail: mieke.buntinx{at}telenet.be