Enhanced delivery of carboplatin into brain tumours with intravenous Cereport (RMP-7): dramatic differences and insight gained from dosing parameters.

Cereport (RMP-7) is a selective bradykinin B2 receptor agonist which increases the permeability of the 'blood-brain tumour barrier' (BBTB) to increase delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to brain tumours. A series of experiments was performed in an RG2 rodent model of glioma to evaluate and refine intravenous (i.v.) parameters to optimize Cereport's clinical utility. The first experiment demonstrated that while carboplatin levels were increased by twofold when given as a bolus during the Cereport infusion, no increase in carboplatin levels were seen when Cereport and carboplatin were simultaneously co-infused for 15 min. A subsequent experiment established that a major factor responsible for the lack of an effect with the co-infusion paradigm was tachyphylaxis to Cereport during the 15 min infusion, for a progressively diminished response to Cereport occurred over that time frame, as plasma levels of carboplatin were rising. A final experiment adjusted the timing of the Cereport and carboplatin infusions so that higher plasma carboplatin levels were achieved prior to initiating the Cereport infusion. Significant uptake effects were achieved when the carboplatin infusion preceded the Cereport infusion by 10 min (i.e. 5 min overlap in the delivery of the two agents). Collectively, these data provide the first systematic evaluation of dosing parameters involving receptor-mediated changes in BBTB permeability and provide new information regarding the pharmacodynamics and potential clinical use of Cereport.