Abstract C81: BBB efflux pump activity limits brain penetration of palbociclib (PD0332991) in glioblastoma.
Authors: Parrish Karen E. , Pokorny Jenny L. , Mittapalli Rajendar K. , Bakken Katrina , Sarkaria Jann N. , Elmquist William F. 
Published: August 2014

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and is associated with a poor prognosis. Progress in developing effective therapies for this disease is significantly limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which limits the delivery of many anti-cancer agents to infiltrative tumor cells. In addition to physical barriers, such as tight junctions, the efflux proteins bcrp and P-gp in the BBB limit the brain distribution of numerous anti-cancer agents. Palbociclib (PD0332991) is a potent Cdk4/6 inhibitor which has shown remarkable efficacy in treating peripheral (non-brain) tumors. The Cdk4 pathway is dysregulated in approximately 75% of GBM; most commonly, the pathway is hyperactivated through the homozygous deletion of p16 (52%), amplification of Cdk4 (18%), or amplification of Cdk6 (1%). The purpose of this study is to define the role of the efflux transporters P-gp and bcrp in the brain distribution of palbociclib and to examine if an intact BBB limits efficacy.

Palbociclib brain distribution studies were performed in FVB wild-type, P-gp knockout (PKO; Mdr1a/b(-/-)), bcrp knockout (BKO; Bcrp1(-/-)), and triple knockout (TKO; Mdr1a/b(-/-)Bcrp1(-/-)) mice after an oral dose (10mg/kg). The concentrations of palbociclib from all distribution studies were determined by a sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS assay. Survival studies were conducted in patient-derived primary GBM xenograft models in athymic nu/nu mice.

The brain exposure of palbociclib (AUCbrain-to-AUCplasma ratio) was ∼ 33.5, 3.2, and 150-fold higher as compared to WT mice (WT: .044; PKO: 1.34; BKO: 0.13; TKO: 6.24). Further, the steady-state brain-to-plasma ratio (B/P) of palbociclib after a constant intra-peritoneal infusion of 10 µg/hr for 48hrs was ∼120-fold higher in the TKO mice than the WT mice [WT: (0.21 ± 0.07); PKO: (2.48 ± .13); BKO: (0.43 ± 0.12); TKO: (26.5 ± 5.4) p &lt; 0.0001]. Inhibition of P-gp and bcrp with elacridar (10 mg/kg IP) resulted in a marked increase in palbociclib brain distribution [control B/P (0.06 ± 0.02); elacridar treatment (2.0 ± 1.4)]. For survival studies, palbociclib was dosed at 150 mg/kg/day continuously. Consistent with limited brain penetration, palbociclib did not improve the median survival of an orthotopic GBM xenograft model. In contrast, treatment of GBM22 xenografts grown as flank tumors resulted in profound efficacy with a 70 day prolongation in the time for tumor volume to reach 1000mm3.

These data suggest the clinical paradigm of a potent anti-cancer agent (for instance, palbociclib) used in the treatment of peripheral disease is less effective in the treatment of brain tumors due to the BBB and active efflux by P-gp and bcrp.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C81.

Citation Format: Karen E. Parrish, Jenny L. Pokorny, Rajendar K. Mittapalli, Katrina Bakken, Jann N. Sarkaria, William F. Elmquist. BBB efflux pump activity limits brain penetration of palbociclib (PD0332991) in glioblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C81.