Preclinical and first-in-human evaluation of PRX-105, a PEGylated, plant-derived, recombinant human acetylcholinesterase-R

Jacob Atsmon, Einat Brill-Almon, Carmit Nadri-Shay, Raul Chertkoff, Sari Alon, Dimitri Shaikevich, Inna Volokhov, Kirsten Y. Haim, Daniel Bartfeld, Avidor Shulman, Ilya Ruderfer, Tehila Ben-Moshe, Orit Shilovitzky, Hermona Soreq, Yoseph Shaaltiel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

PRX-105 is a plant-derived recombinant version of the human 'read-through' acetylcholinesterase splice variant (AChE-R). Its active site structure is similar to that of the synaptic variant, and it displays the same affinity towards organophosphorus (OP) compounds. As such, PRX-105 may serve as a bio-scavenger for OP pesticides and chemical warfare agents. To assess its potential use in prophylaxis and treatment of OP poisoning we conducted several preliminary tests, reported in this paper. Intravenous (IV) PRX-105 was administered to mice either before or after exposure to an OP toxin. All mice who received an IV dose of 50nmol/kg PRX-105, 2min before being exposed to 1.33×LD50 and 1.5×LD50 of toxin and 10min after exposure to 1.5×LD50 survived. The pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of PRX-105 were evaluated in mice and mini-pigs. Following single and multiple IV doses (50 to 200mg/kg) no deaths occurred and no significant laboratory and histopathological changes were observed. The overall elimination half-life (t1/2) in mice was 994 (±173) min. Additionally, a first-in-human study, to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of the compound, was conducted in healthy volunteers. The t1/2 in humans was substantially longer than in mice (average 26.7h). Despite the small number of animals and human subjects who were assessed, the fact that PRX-105 exerts a protective and therapeutic effect following exposure to lethal doses of OP, its favorable safety profile and its relatively long half-life, renders it a promising candidate for treatment and prophylaxis against OP poisoning and warrants further investigation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)202-209
Number of pages8
JournalToxicology and Applied Pharmacology
Volume287
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Sep 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • AChE-R
  • First-in-human
  • Organophosphorous
  • Preclinical
  • Prophylaxis

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