Pharmacology and toxicology of phosphorothioate oligonucleotides in the mouse, rat, monkey and man.

Phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (PS-ODN) designed to temporarily modulate selected gene expression have made the journey from bench top to beside in a remarkably short period of time. A PS-ODN with sequence complementary to the p53 mRNA was administered to mice (4 mg/kg subcutaneously), rats (3-300 mg/kg intravenously), monkeys (intravenous infusions for up to 15 days) and humans (up to 0.25 mg/kg/h intravenous infusions for 10 days). These studies demonstrate the PS-ODN provides feasible pharmacokinetic parameters and minimal toxicity.