Abstract:
A method for the prevention of central nervous system toxicity of acivicin which comprises the concomitant administration of acivicin and an amino acid solution consisting essentially of large neutral amino acids.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This present invention provides a method for the prevention of central nervous system (CNS) toxicity of the anti-cancer agent (αS,5S)-α-amino-3-chloro-2-isoxazoline-5-acetic acid (ACIVICIN). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     ACIVICIN, a fermentation product of Streptomyces sviceus is an amino acid anti-cancer agent. ACIVICIN and the microbiological process for producing it are claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,856,807 and 3,878,047. A complete chemical synthesis of it is described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,578. In humans it causes reversible, dose-limiting CNS effects such as sedation, ataxia, personality changes and hallucinations. These effects limit the maximum dose of acivicin in cancer patients. 
     In the cat, a species that exhibits some of the acivicin-induced CNS symptoms experienced by humans, it has been shown that an infusion of Aminosyn, 10%® (a mixture of 16 amino acids), prior and subsequent to i.p. treatment with acivicin, prevented symptoms of drug-induced CNS toxicity and lowered the brain levels of acivicin to 15%-20% of controls, effects presumably due to blockage of drug-uptake into the brain by the increased plasma levels of amino acids. Aminosyn infusion also increased the total clearance of acivicin by ca. two-fold, resulting in lower drug levels in other tissues but not to the extent occurring in brain. Aminosyn administration did not block the anti-tumor efficacy of acivicin in mice bearing either L1210 leukemia or MX-1 human mammary carcinoma xenografts. 
     Infusion of an amino acid solution composed of alanine, arginine, histidine, proline, serine, typrosine and glycine (none of which are large neutral amino acids) was ineffective at preventing acivicin-induced CNS toxicity in the cat. 
     INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 
     Studies have shown that inhibition of amino acid transport into the brain is highest after ingestion of diets containing amino acids that are transported by the same system, Peng et al, J. Nutrition, 103:608-17, 1973. 
     The prevention of acivicin-induced CNS toxicity by concomitant amino acid infusion has been described by McGovren et al, Proceedings of AACR, Vol. 27, page 1671, March 1986. The amino acids utilized was Aminosyn®, a mixture of essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids and electrolytes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention provides: a method for the prevention of CNS, toxicity of acivicin in animals, including humans, which comprises the concomitant administration of acivicin and an amino acid solution consisting essentially of large neutral amino acids. 
     The advantage of using a solution of large neutral amino acids rather than a mixture of amino acids such as Aminosyn is (1) a decreased nitrogen load (important in patients with compromised liver or kidney function, (2) decreased electrolyte and osmolar load and (3) potentially lower fluid load (electrolyte and fluid loads are important in patients with potential cardiac dysfunction) and (4) probable ability to achieve more effective CNS protection because these advantages permit larger amounts of the amino acid to be given. 
     The time of administration of amino acid relative to acivicin given intravenously or orally is started from 30 minutes to eight hours prior to acivicin administration and continuing for eight hours to seven days after. 
     A large neutral amino acid solution means a solution containing one or any combination of the following large neutral amino acids: valine, leucine, isoleucine or phenylalanine at concentrations of 100 to 1000 mg/ml. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Acivicin&#39;s dose-limiting toxicity is neurotoxicity which is dose-dependent and reversible. In more severely affected patients in previous Phase I and II trials, the symptoms were disabling and required discontinuation of treatment. Efficacy of acivicin in clinical trials conducted to date has been marginal. Laboratory data indicate a strong dependence of acivicin cytotoxicity on tumor cell exposure concentration and duration. By raising doses in cancer patients above what is currently tolerable, better efficacy is obtained. 
     Using our cat model, we showed that an infusion of Aminosyn 10% reduced the levels of acivicin in the brain significantly and prevented some of the signs of acivicin toxicity seen in the cat model (ataxia, sedation). Acivicin&#39;s efficacy in tumor-bearing mice does not appear to be ablated by Aminosyn co-treatment (5,6). Preliminary findings from a Phase I trial suggest that the volume of Aminosyn which must be administered is a problem, especially when infused via a peripheral vein. There is also some concern about the total nitrogen load administered in Aminosyn. We have determined that a simpler combination of amino acids (which could be administered in a lower infusion volume) has the same toxicity-preventive effect as Aminosyn, but offers certain advantages thereover. 
     EXPERIMENT 1 
     (a) Materials and Methods 
     (i) Animals 
     Female cats, ranging in weight from 2.4 to 3.2 kg. were housed singly. Food and water were given ad libitum except for a fasting period from four hours pre-drug administration to 18 hours post-drug administration when only water was available. All cats had dual chronic jugular cannulas placed surgically for infusion and blood sampling as described previously (4). The cats were anaesthetized using a combination of Rompun® and sodium pentobarbital instead of pentobarbital alone. This allowed the use of a smaller amount of sodium pentobarbital and resulted in a more rapid recovery from anaesthesia. 
     (ii) Agents 
     Acivicin was prepared by fermentation, isolated and characterized at The Upjohn Company by published methods. Aminosyn 10% was purchased from Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL. Aminosyn is a sterile amino acid solution with electrolytes for intravenous infusion. Composition of Aminosyn 10% is given in Table I. A large neutral amino acid solution (LNAA) and a solution of other amino acids (OAA) were prepared from crystalline amino acids (sources given in Table 2) dissolved in sterile water for irrigation (McGaw, Irvine, CA) and sterile-filtered using Gelman Acrodisc or Millipore Millex 0.22 μm filter units. The composition of these two amino acid solutions is given in Table 2. The concentrations of the individual amino acids in these solutions were the same as in Aminosyn 10%. Saline-infused cats received 0.9% sodium chloride irrigation, USP (McGaw, Irvine, CA). 
     (b) Experimental Design 
     Cats were administered saline, Aminosyn, LNAA or OAA by constant rate infusion into the catheterized jugular vein. Solutions were infused by means of a Harvard Model 960 infusion pump (Milford, MA) operating at 21 ml/hr. Solutions were contained in Becton-Dickinson 50 ml plastic syringes fitted with Milipore Millex or Gelman Acrodisc 0.22 μm filters for sterilization. Syringes were refilled with solutions at 2.5 hour intervals throughout the experiment. The filter was attached to a swivel atop the cage via a plastic tubing adapter and a length of PE60 tubing. The reinforced end of the cannula in the cat was attached to the swivel via a 5 mm long 26 gauge stainless steel connector and the &#34;slinky&#34; line (5) or in some uncooperative cats, 112 cm of PE60 tubing protected by a flexible metal tether. The infusion was started four hours prior to i.p. injection of acivicin at 60 mg/kg. Infusions were continued for 18 hours after the acivicin dose except for a five minute interval at +12 hours when cats were disconnected from the infusion apparatus for ataxia testing and observation of other symptoms. 
     Blood was sampled through the blood sampling cannula at -4.0, 0, +4, +6, +9, +12, +18, +24 and +30 hours relative to the acivicin dose, for determination of acivicin concentration by microbiological assay. 
     Cats were judged to be ataxic or normal by observing if they could walk along the edge of an upended wooden pallet without falling. Sedation and somnolence were determined by observing the animals&#39; behavior upon approach to the cage by experimenters. Cats were observed for behavioral changes throughout the experimental period. Somnolence, sedation and ataxia were evaluated at -4, +12, +18 and +24 hours. 
     The experiment was originally designed so that those cats receiving Aminosyn or LNAA would receive either normal saline or NEAA, respectively, two weeks later. However, due to the deaths of two cats (B and C) during the washout period due to infection with beta-hemolytic streptococcus, two replacement cats were prepared and given the cross-over infusions. Another cat (A) died of unknown causes during its second infusion (Aminosyn) and was not replaced. 
     (c) Results and Discussion 
     Detailed observations on each experimental animal are recorded in the Appendix. Table 3 shows the effect of saline or amino acid co-treatment on the incidence of toxic symptoms in the acivicin-treated cats. As seen previously, mydriasis was not alleviated by the Aminosyn infusion nor by any of the other infusions. Like the Aminosyn-treated cats, the LNAA-treated cats exhibited neither ataxia nor sedation. The saline- and OAA-treated cats were both ataxic sedated. 
     The plasma levels of acivicin in cats infused with the various mixtures are shown graphically in FIG. 1. The plasma pharmacokinetic calculations are given in Table 4. Although the mean values of t1/2 and Cl in the saline and Aminosyn groups were quite comparable to what was observed in the previous study (8) and indicated that Aminosyn enhanced acivicin clearance, these differences were not statistically significant due to the low number of cats in which data was analyzed. The pharmacokinetic data in LNAA- and OAA-treated cats were very similar to the data in the saline-treated animals. This result suggests that LNAA treatment could prevent CNS toxicity by blocking brain uptake without increasing acivicin total body clearance. 
     We have shown that an infusion of large neutral amino acids was as effective as the Aminosyn infusion at preventing acivicin-induced ataxia and sedation in cats. These data support the hypothesis that acivicin transport into the brain occurs by means of the large neutral amino acid transport system. The total body clearance of acivicin in cats treated with the large neutral amino acid infusion was apparently not increased as was seen with the Aminosyn infusion. This result suggests that not only could a large neutral amino acid infusion be as effective at reducing or eliminating toxic symptoms of acivicin treatment but could have the added advantage of not increasing the total body clearance of acivicin. 
     
                       TABLE 1______________________________________The Aminosyn Family(Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL 60066)The Aminosyn family is comprised of sterile, non-pyrogenicsolutions of crystalline amino acids for intravenous infusion.They are used with dextrose or dextrose and lipid emulsionfor parenteral nutrition. The Aminosyn family is a highlyadaptable family which can satisfy the nutritional requirementsfor protein synthesis in patients who cannot be fed orally, bethose needs -peripheral vein-nutritional maintenancetotal parenteral nutrition for the pediatric patienttotal parenteral nutrition for the metabolically stable adultpatienttotal parenteral nutrition for the hypermetabolic patienttotal parenteral nutrition for the renal patient.______________________________________                                 7%       3.5%   3.5%*    5%   7%   w/Electro______________________________________Amino Acids(mg/100 ml)L-Isoleucine       252    252      360  510  510L-Leucine   329    329      470  660  660L-Lysine.sup.a       252    252      360  510  510L-Methionine       140    140      200  280  280L-Phenylalanine       154    154      220  310  310L-Threonine 182    182      260  370  370L-Tryptophan       56     56       80   120  120Valine      280    280      400  560  560Non-essential Amino AcidsL-Alanine   448    448      640  900  900L-Arginine  343    343      490  690  690L-Histidine.sup.b       105    105      150  210  210L-Proline   300    300      430  610  610L-Serine    147    147      210  300  300L-Tryosine  31     31       44   44   44Glycine (Amino-       448    448      640  900  900acetic Acid, USP)______________________________________                                 7%       3.5%   3.5% M   5%   7%   w/Electro______________________________________Electrolytes(mEq/liter)Sodium (Na.sup.+)       7.sup.c              47.sup.c none none 70Potassium (K.sup.+)       none   13       5.4.sup.d                            5.4.sup.d                                 66.sup.dMagnesium (Mg.sup.++)       none   3        none none 10Phosphorus (P).sup.e       none   3.5 (mM) none none 30 (mM)Chloride (Cl.sup.-)       none   40       none none 96Acetate     46.sup.g              58.sup.h 86.sup.g                            105.sup.g                                 124.sup.gProtein Equivalent       35     35       50   70   70(approx. g/l)Total Nitrogen       5.5    5.5      7.86 11.00                                 11.00(g/l)Osmolarity  357    477      500  700  1013(mOsm/l)(Calc)pH (Approx.)       5.3.sup.i              5.3.sup.i                       5.3.sup.i                            5.3.sup.i                                 5.3.sup.i______________________________________                  8.5%           8.5%   w/electro 10%  RF-5.2%______________________________________Amino Acids (mg/100 ml)Essential Amino AcidsL-Isoleucine    620    620       720  462L-Leucine       810    810       940  726L-Lysine.sup.a  624    624       720  535L-Methionine    340    340       400  726L-Phenylalanine 380    380       400  726L-Threonine     460    460       520  330L-Trytophan     150    150       160  165L-Valine        680    680       800  528Non-essential Amino AcidsL-Alanine       1100   1100      1280 NoneL-Arginine      50     850       980  600L-Histidine.sup.b           260    260       300  429L-Proline       750    750       860  noneL-Serine        370    370       420  noneL-Tyrosine      44     44        44   noneGlycine (Aminoacetic           1100   1100      1280 noneAcid, USP)Electrolytes (mEq/liter)Sodium (Na.sup.+)           none   70        none nonePotassium (K.sup.+)           5.4.sup.d                  6.6.sup.d 5.4.sup.d                                 5.4.sup.dMagnesium (Mg.sup.++)           none   10        none nonePhosphorus (P).sup.e           none   30 (mM)   none noneChloride (Cl.sup.-)           35     142.sup.g 148.sup.g                                 105.sup.gProtein Equivalent           85     85        100  52(approx. g/l)Total Nitrogen (g/l)           13.4   13.4      15.72                                 7.87Osmolarity (mOsm/l)           850    1160      1000 475(Calc)pH (Approx)     5.3.sup.i                  5.3.sup.i 5.3.sup.i                                 5.3.sup.i______________________________________ *Contains maintenance electrolytes .sup.a Amount cited is for LLysine alone and does not include the acetate salt .sup.b Histidine is considered essential for patients in renal failure .sup.c Includes 7 mEq Na.sup.+ /liter from the antioxidant, sodium hydrosulfite .sup.d Includes 5.4 mEq K.sup.+  liter/from the antioxidant, potassium metabisulfite .sup.e mM = millimoles; one mM of phosphorus = 31 mg phosphorus .sup.f Includes approximately 18 mEq/liter from HCl used in pH adjustment .sup.g Includes acetic acid used in processing and acetate from LLysine .sup.h Includes acetic acid used in processing and the acetate salts of potassium, magnesium and LLysine .sup.i Adjusted with acetic acid .sup.j Adjusted with acetic acid and hydrochloric acid 
    
     
                       TABLE 2______________________________________Composition of Solutions (mg/100 ml) Containing the FourLarge Neutral Amino Acids (LNAA) or the Other AminoAcids (OAA) Formulated in Aminosyn ®, 10%______________________________________LNAAL-isoleucine (Sigma)              720L-leucine (Aldrich)              940L-phenylalanine (Nutri-              400tional Biochemicals)L-valine (Sigma)   800pH adjusted to 5.3 with glacial acetic acid. Calculatedosmolarity, 220 mOSMOAADL-alanine (Aldrich)              1280L-Arginine (Nutritional              980Biochemicals)L-Histidine (ICN)  300L-proline (ICN)    860L-serine (ICN)     420L-tryosine (NUtritional               44Biochemicals)glycine (ICN)      1280pH adjusted to 5.3 with NaOH. Calculated osmolarity,507 mOSM.______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 3______________________________________Effect of Saline or Amino Acid Mixture Co-Treatment on In-cidence of Toxic Symptoms in Acivicin-Treated Cats   Saline         Aminosyn    LNAA    OAA______________________________________mydriasis 4/4     3/3         4/4   4/4vomiting  1/4     0/3         0/4   2/4sedation  4/4     0/3         0/4   4/4ataxia    4/4     0/3         0/4   4/4______________________________________ 
    
     
                       TABLE 4______________________________________Acivicin Pharmacokinetic Data in Cats Administered aConcomitant Infusion of Saline, Aminosyn, LNAA or OAA(mean ± s.d.).sup.a______________________________________Treatment n       K (hr.sup.-1)                         t1/2 (hr)______________________________________Aminosyn  2       0.16 ± 0.03                         4.3 ± 0.7Saline    3       0.087 ± 0.027                         8.4 ± 2.5LNAA      3       0.084 ± 0.01                         8.3 ± 0.8OAA       3       0.095 ± 0.014                          7.4 ± 1.06saline    4       0.275 ± 0.046                          2.6 ± 0.41aminosyn  4       0.093 ± 0.028                         8.18 ± 1.36______________________________________Treatment n       Cl (ml/hr/kg)                         Varea (ml/kg)______________________________________Aminosyn  2       110 ± 8  684 ± 64Saline    3       77 ± 20  893 ± 143LNAA      3       63 ± 10  750 ± 81OAA       3       77 ± 6   814 ± 61saline    4       110.93 ± 15.7                         407.6 ± 33.1Aminosyn  4       55.08 ± 8.77                         625.2 ± 12.3______________________________________ .sup.a Blood draws were unsuccessful in several cats, resulting in only 2-3 sets of plasma levels/treatment which were complete enough for pharmacokinetic analysis.