HT-102

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a type of autoimmune disease that involves multiple organs involved as well as cytokine dysregulation. The treatment of SLE is still challenging due to the side effects of the different drugs used. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) is a kinase involved in T cell homeostasis and autoinflammation. Although clinical trials have shown that RIPK1 inhibition exhibits significant efficacy in different autoimmune diseases, its role in SLE remains unclear.

MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice received RIPK1 inhibitor ZJU37 or vehicle intraperitoneally for 10 weeks. A BM12-induced chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) lupus-like model was introduced in RIPK1 D138N mice or C57BL/6 mice. Nephritis, serum autoantibody levels, dysregulation of adaptive immune response and cytokines were compared in treated and untreated mice.

ZJU37 alleviated the clinical features of the MRL/lpr mice including nephritis and anti-dsDNA antibody production. In addition, ZJU37 treatment reduced the proportion of double-negative T cells in the spleen and the cytokines of TNFα, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-1β in the serum. Moreover, RIPK1 D138N mice were able to prevent the cGVHD lupus-like model from SLE attack, manifesting as anti-dsDNA antibody production, the proliferation of germinal centre B cells, plasma cells, and T follicular helper cells as well as IgG and C3 deposits in kidneys.

RIPK1 inhibition has a protective effect in the mouse model of SLE and can potentially become a new therapeutic target for SLE in humans.

The aim of the study was to develop a reliable quantification procedure for mixtures of three solid forms of ranitidine hydrochloride using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Raman spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis. The effect of mixing methods of the calibration samples on the calibration model quality was also investigated. Thirteen ternary samples of form 1, form 2 and the amorphous form of ranitidine hydrochloride were prepared in triplicate to build a calibration model. The ternary samples were prepared by three mixing methods (a) manual mixing (MM) and ball mill mixing (BM) using two (b) 5 mm (BM5) or (c) 12 mm (BM12) balls for 1 min. The samples were analyzed with XRPD and Raman spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to study the effect of mixing method, while partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to build the quantification models. PCA score plots showed that, in general, BM12 resulted in the narrowest sample clustering indicating better sample homogeneity. In the quantification models, the number of PLS factors was determined using cross-validation and the models were validated using independent test samples with known concentrations. Multiplicative scattering correction (MSC) without scaling gave the best PLS regression model for XPRD, and standard normal variate (SNV) transformation with centering gave the best model for Raman spectroscopy. Using PLS regression, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values of the best models were 5.0-6.9% for XRPD and 2.5-4.5% for Raman spectroscopy. XRPD and Raman spectroscopy in combination with PLS regression can be used to quantify the amount of single components in ternary mixtures of ranitidine hydrochloride solid forms. Raman spectroscopy gave better PLS regression models than XRPD, allowing a more accurate quantification.