Do lysosomes contribute to anomalous pharmacokinetic behavior of melanocortin-4 receptor agonists?
Weakly basic drugs with optimal physicochemical properties can be extensively sequestered into lysosomes according to a pH-partitioning type mechanism. When administered orally in animals, this particular sequestration event can manifest itself in long term retention in the liver and negligible levels in blood. This work revealed the mechanism for liver retention and provided a rational platform for the design of a new analog with decreased liver accumulation and better opportunity for pharmacokinetic analysis and therapeutic activity.
Lipids could induce apoptosis, accompanied by increase of intracellular free cholesterol content, which could be augmented by ACATI, suggesting that insults resulting in ER free cholesterol rise might be the initiator of apoptosis.