Neurotoxic effects of ivermectin administration in genetically engineered mice with targeted insertion of the mutated canine ABCB1 gene

Orzechowski, Krystyna L.; Swain, Marla D.; Robl, Martin G.; Tinaza, Constante A.; Swaim, Heidi L.; Jones, Yolanda L.; Myers, Michael J.; Yancy, Haile F.

Neurotoxic effects of ivermectin administration in genetically engineered mice with targeted insertion of the mutated canine ABCB1 gene

2012

Objective: To develop in genetically engineered mice an alternative screening method for evaluation of P-glycoprotein substrate toxicosis in ivermectin-sensitive Collies. Animals: 14 wild-type C57BL/6J mice (controls) and 21 genetically engineered mice in which the abcb1a and abcb1b genes were disrupted and the mutated canine ABCB1 gene was inserted. Procedures: Mice were allocated to receive 10 mg of ivermectin/kg via SC injection (n = 30) or a vehicle-only formulation of propylene glycol and glycerol formal (5). Each was observed for clinical signs of toxic effects from 0 to 7 hours following drug administration. Results: After ivermectin administration, considerable differences were observed in drug sensitivity between the 2 types of mice. The genetically engineered mice with the mutated canine ABCB1 gene had signs of severe sensitivity to ivermectin, characterized by progressive lethargy, ataxia, and tremors, whereas the wild-type control mice developed no remarkable effects related to the ivermectin. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The ivermectin sensitivity modeled in the transgenic mice closely resembled the lethargy, stupor, disorientation, and loss of coordination observed in ivermectin-sensitive Collies with the ABCB1–1Δ mutation. As such, the model has the potential to facilitate toxicity assessments of certain drugs for dogs that are P-glycoprotein substrates, and it may serve to reduce the use of dogs in avermectin derivative safety studies that are part of the new animal drug approval process.

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