Chemical formula: C₆₂H₁₁₁N₁₁O₁₂ Molecular mass: 1,202.635 g/mol PubChem compound: 5284373
Ciclosporin (also known as ciclosporin A) is a cyclic polypeptide immunomodulator with immunosuppressant properties. It has been shown to prolong survival of allogeneic transplants in animals and significantly improved graft survival in all types of solid organ transplantation in man.
Ciclosporin has also been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Studies in animals suggest that ciclosporin inhibits the development of cell-mediated reactions. Ciclosporin has been shown to inhibit the production and/or release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 2 (IL-2) or T-cell growth factor (TCGF). It is also known to up-regulate the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Ciclosporin appears to block the resting lymphocytes in the G0 or G1 phase of the cell cycle. All available evidence suggests that ciclosporin acts specifically and reversibly on lymphocytes and does not depress haematopoiesis or has any effect on the function of phagocytic cells.
In patients with dry eye disease, a condition that may be considered to have an inflammatory immunological mechanism, following ocular administration, ciclosporin is passively absorbed into Tlymphocyte infiltrates in the cornea and conjunctiva and inactivates calcineurin phosphatase. Ciclosporin-induced inactivation of calcineurin inhibits the dephosphorylation of the transcription factor NF-AT and prevents NF-AT translocation into the nucleus, thus blocking the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-2.
Ciclosporin (also known as ciclosporin A) is a cyclic polypeptide consisting of 11 amino acids. It is a potent immunosuppressive agent, which in animals prolongs survival of allogeneic transplants of skin, heart, kidney, pancreas, bone marrow, small intestine or lung. Studies suggest that ciclosporin inhibits the development of cell-mediated reactions, including allograft immunity, delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, Freund’s adjuvant arthritis, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and also T-cell dependent antibody production. At the cellular level it inhibits production and release of lymphokines including interleukin 2 (T-cell growth factor, TCGF). Ciclosporin appears to block the resting lymphocytes in the G0 or G1 phase of the cell cycle, and inhibits the antigen- triggered release of lymphokines by activated T-cells.
All available evidence suggests that ciclosporin acts specifically and reversibly on lymphocytes. Unlike cytostatic agents, it does not depress haemopoiesis and has no effect on the function of phagocytic cells.
Successful solid organ and bone marrow transplantations have been performed in man using ciclosporin to prevent and treat rejection and GVHD. Ciclosporin has been used successfully both in hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive and HCV negative liver transplants recipients. Beneficial effects of ciclosporin therapy have also been shown in a variety of conditions that are known, or may be considered to be of autoimmune origin.
In patients with dry eye disease, a condition that may be considered to have an inflammatory immunological mechanism, following ocular administration, ciclosporin is passively absorbed into T-lymphocyte infiltrates in the cornea and conjunctiva and inactivates calcineurin phosphatase.
Ciclosporin has been shown to be efficacious in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.
Following oral administration of ciclosporin peak blood concentrations of ciclosporin are reached within 1-2 hours. The absolute oral bioavailability of ciclosporin following administration of ciclosporin is 20 to 50%. About 13 and 33% decrease in AUC and Cmax was observed when Neoral was administered with a high-fat meal. The relationship between administered dose and exposure (AUC) of ciclosporin is linear within the therapeutic dose range. The intersubject and intrasubject variability for AUC and Cmax is approximately 10-20%. Ciclosporin oral solution and soft gelatin capsules are bioequivalent.
Ciclosporin is distributed largely outside the blood volume, with an average apparent distribution volume of 3.5 l/kg. In the blood, 33 to 47% is present in plasma, 4 to 9% in lymphocytes, 5 to 12% in granulocytes, and 41 to 58% in erythrocytes. In plasma, approximately 90% is bound to proteins, mostly lipoproteins.
Ciclosporin is extensively metabolised to approximately 15 metabolites. Metabolism mainly takes place in the liver via cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), and the main pathways of metabolism consist of mono- and dihydroxylation and N- demethylation at various positions of the molecule. All metabolites identified so far contain the intact peptide structure of the parent compound; some possess weak immunosuppressive activity (up to one-tenth that of the unchanged drug).
There is a high variability in the data reported on the terminal half-life of ciclosporin depending on the assay applied and on the target population. The terminal half-life ranged from 6.3 hours in healthy volunteers to 20.4 hours in patients with severe liver disease. Excretion is primarily biliary, with only 6% of an oral dose excreted in the urine, and with less than 1% in the unchanged form. The elimination half-life in kidney-transplanted patients was approximately 11 hours, with a range between 4 and 25 hours.
In a study performed in patients with terminal renal failure, the systemic clearance was approximately two thirds of the mean systemic clearance in patients with normally functioning kidneys. Less than 1% of the administered dose is removed by dialysis.
An approximate 2- to 3-fold increase in ciclosporin exposure may be observed in patients with hepatic impairment. In a study performed in severe liver disease patients with biopsy-proven cirrhosis, the terminal half-life was 20.4 hours (range between 10.8 to 48.0 hours) compared to 7.4 to 11.0 hours in healthy subjects.
Pharmacokinetic data from paediatric patients given ciclosporin caps or solution are very limited. In 15 renal transplant patients aged 3-16 years, ciclosporin whole blood clearance after intravenous administration of Sandimmun was 10.6±3.7 ml/min/kg (assay: Cyclo-trac specific RIA). In a study of 7 renal transplant patients aged 2-16 years, the ciclosporin clearance ranged from 9.8 to15.5 ml/min/kg. In 9 liver transplant patients aged 0.65-6 years, clearance was 9.3±5.4 ml/min/kg (assay: HPLC). In comparison to adult transplant populations, the differences in bioavailability between ciclosporin caps and solution in paediatrics are comparable to those observed in adults.
Formal pharmacokinetic studies have not been conducted in humans with ciclosporin eye drops.
Blood concentrations of ciclosporin eye drops were measured using a specific high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay. In 374 patients from the two efficacy studies, plasma concentrations of ciclosporin were measured before administration and after 6 months (SICCANOVE study and SANSIKA study) and 12 months of treatment (SANSIKA study). After 6 months of ocular instillation of ciclosporin once per day, 327 patients had values below the lower limit of detection (0.050 ng/mL) and 35 patients were below the lower limit of quantification (0.100 ng/mL). Measurable values not exceeding 0.206 ng/mL were measured in eight patients, values considered to be negligible. Three patients had values above the upper limit of quantification (5 ng/mL) however they were already taking oral ciclosporin at a stable dose, which was allowed by the studies' protocol.
After 12 months of treatment, values were below the low limit of detection for 56 patients and below the low limit of quantification in 19 patients. Seven patients had measurable values (from 0.105 to 1.27 ng/mL), all considered to be negligible values. Two patients had values above the upper limit of quantification, however they were also on oral ciclosporin at a stable dose since their inclusion in the study.
Ciclosporin gave no evidence of mutagenic or teratogenic effects in the standard test systems with oral application (rats up to 17 mg/kg/day and rabbits up to 30 mg/kg/day orally). At toxic doses (rats at 30 mg/kg/day and rabbits at 100 mg/kg/day orally), ciclosporin was embryo- and foetotoxic as indicated by increased prenatal and postnatal mortality, and reduced foetal weight together with related skeletal retardations.
In two published research studies, rabbits exposed to ciclosporin in utero (10 mg/kg/day subcutaneously) demonstrated reduced numbers of nephrons, renal hypertrophy, systemic hypertension, and progressive renal insufficiency up to 35 weeks of age. Pregnant rats which received 12 mg/kg/day of ciclosporin intravenously (twice the recommended human intravenous dose) had foetuses with an increased incidence of ventricular septal defect. These findings have not been demonstrated in other species and their relevance for humans is unknown. No impairment in fertility was demonstrated in studies in male and female rats.
Ciclosporin was tested in a number of in vitro and in vivo tests for genotoxicity with no evidence for a clincally relevant mutagenic potential.
Carcinogenicity studies were carried out in male and female rats and mice. In the 78-week mouse study, at doses of 1, 4, and 16 mg/kg/day, evidence of a statistically significant trend was found for lymphocytic lymphomas in females, and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas in mid-dose males significantly exceeded the control value. In the 24-month rat study conducted at 0.5, 2, and 8 mg/kg/day, pancreatic islet cell adenomas significantly exceeded the control rate at the low dose level. The hepatocellular carcinomas and pancreatic islet cell adenomas were not dose related.
Non-clinical data reveal no special hazard for humans based on conventional studies of safety pharmacology, repeated dose toxicity, phototoxicity and photoallergy, genotoxicity, carcinogenic potential, toxicity to reproduction and development. Effects in non-clinical studies were observed only with systemic administration or at exposures considered sufficiently in excess of the maximum human exposure indicating little relevance to clinical use.
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