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The use of 3-methoxy-pregnenolone for the preparation of a drug for treating a traumatic brain injury

a neuroteroid and pregnenolone technology, applied in the field of neuroteroid derivatives, can solve the problems of deprived of medical solutions, cognitive defects, memory loss, and inability to fully realize the effects of traumatic brain injury, and achieve the effects of reducing cell death, easy synthesizing, and increasing the stability of microtubules

Active Publication Date: 2014-02-13
MAPREG
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0056]In a preferred embodiment, and notably to treat diseases related to a central nervous system disturbance, the aforementioned drug also comprises an excipient or a compound that makes it possible to formulate the aforementioned 3-methoxy-PREG such that it crosses the blood-brain barrier better. Such an excipient or compound can also make possible a faster or more long-lasting crossing of the aforesaid blood-brain barrier.

Problems solved by technology

Neurodegenerative diseases and CNS lesions such as spinal cord and brain injuries are widespread conditions with devastating effects on the life of the patients and their close relatives.
Almost more dramatically, about 2,000,000 US people undergo each year a traumatic brain injury (TBI), whose immediate as well as long term consequences are largely underestimated and deprived of medical solution.
Long term consequences of TBI include mood disorders, sleep disorders, cognitive defects, memory loss, locomotor disabilities and occur very frequently unrespectively of the initial severity of the trauma.
At the biological level, TBI provokes widespread shearing and stretching of nerve fibers (diffuse axonal injury) and leads to destabilization of neuronal microtubules, disruption of the cytoskeleton, dendrite atrophy and loss of MAPs.
The functional consequences of dendritic damage are reflected in reports of compromised efficacy of synaptic transmission following TBI.
After TBI, a spontaneous and partial recovery of lost function can occur over time although axonal regeneration is extremely limited in the mammalian adult central nervous system.
Despite many research efforts in the field, effective molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and CNS lesions are still not available.
This deterioration can be the consequence but also the cause of damage to the affected cells.
However, the synthesis of MAP2 proteins is not in and of itself sufficient to induce this dendritic growth process.
Importantly, the MAP2 / TAU loss and microtubule depolymerization observed in spinal cord and brain injury can be directly responsible for the dysfunction of certain neurons and can result in their death.
Moreover, such cytoskeletal deterioration can affect the number and the length of the neuritic extensions of the remaining neuronal cells and, as a consequence, decreases their effectiveness.

Method used

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  • The use of 3-methoxy-pregnenolone for the preparation of a drug for treating a traumatic brain injury
  • The use of 3-methoxy-pregnenolone for the preparation of a drug for treating a traumatic brain injury
  • The use of 3-methoxy-pregnenolone for the preparation of a drug for treating a traumatic brain injury

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

Synthesis of 3-Methoxy-PREG (43B)

[0120]10 g (52 mmol) of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride is added to a solution of 5 g (15.8 mmol) of pregnenolone in 30 ml of pyridine. The mixture is stirred for 14 hours and then added to 100 ml of distilled water. After cooling the reaction medium to 0° C., the mixture is filtered and the white solid obtained is dried under vacuum to yield 7.4 g (98%) of pregnenolone tosylate.

[0121]The 7.4 g of pregnenolone tosylate is refluxed with methanol (50 ml) for 4 hours. After cooling and evaporation of the solvent, the crude reaction product is taken up in 100 ml of ethyl and washed 3 times with 100 ml of a 10% sodium bicarbonate solution. After drying the organic phase over Na2SO4, it is evaporated dry under reduced pressure to yield 5.2 g (100%) of 3-methoxy-PREG in the form of a white powder.

[0122]A novel synthesis of 3-methoxy-PREG was performed on a kilogram scale. The purity of the end product was confirmed by NMR and was greater than 97.5%, with only on...

example 2

Test of 3-Methoxy-PREG (43B) Activity; Comparison with Pregnenolone (PREG)

[0123]This in vitro test measures the effect of molecules on the MAP2-induced polymerization of microtubules. This polymerization occurs when MAP2 proteins and tubulin are mixed at adequate concentrations in the presence of GTP. It is accompanied by an increase in optical density measured at 345 nm for 15 to 30 minutes with a UNICON spectrophotometer thermostated at 37° C. (FIG. 1).

[0124]It is observed that molecule 43B, corresponding to 3-methoxy-PREG, activates microtubule polymerization as does pregnenolone (PREG). Other molecules, such as progesterone and pregnenolone sulfate, are PREG antagonists and do not stimulate polymerization (not shown).

example 3

Cellular Models

Effect of Molecules on Neuritic Growth

[0125]To test the effect of selected molecules on neuritic growth, we first used the PC12 line, which has long been employed in neurobiological research. In the presence of NGF (nerve growth factor), the cells of this line, which arise from a rat pheochromocytoma, form neuritic extensions containing MAP-associated microtubules. The growth of these elongations is stimulated by the addition of PREG. In the presence of PREG (30 μM), the increase in the average length of the neurites after 3 days of culture reaches 60%. The screening of other natural or synthetic steroids made it possible to select several molecules presenting greater effects than that of PREG (FIG. 2). In particular, the addition of molecule 43B, which can be synthesized easily from PREG, caused a spectacular increase (reaching as high as 500%) in the length of neurites formed in the presence of NGF (FIG. 3). This neurite growth accompanies the stimulation by 43-B of...

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PUM

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Abstract

A method for the treatment of a traumatic brain lesion comprises administering to the patient an effective quantity of 3β-methoxy-pregna-5-ene-20-one (3β-methoxy-PREG).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority from, U.S. Ser. No. 12 / 232,993 filed Sep. 26, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority from, U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 542,495 filed Jul. 15, 2005, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 371 from PCT / FR04 / 00086 filed on Jan. 16, 2004, which claims priority from French application No. 0300507 filed on Jan. 17, 2003. The content of each of the prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The invention involves an innovative use of neurosteroid derivatives, notably pregnenolone and pregnenolone derivatives, to treat nervous system lesions, in particular a traumatic spinal cord or brain lesion, and certain neurodegenerative diseases, notably linked to the ability of the aforementioned neurosteroid derivatives to stabilize and / or increase the polymerization of neuronal microtubules. The invention further relates to the therapeutic use...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A61K31/57
CPCA61K31/57A61K31/58
Inventor BAULIEU, ETIENNE-EMILEFELLOUS, ESTER ESTHERROBEL, PAULBIANCHI, MASSIMILIANO
Owner MAPREG
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