ω-imidazolyl-alkyl derivatives as new preclinical drug candidates for NASH therapy

Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and its production of ROS play an essential role in the development and progression of inflammatory liver diseases such as alcoholic steatohepatitis. For this isoenzyme we have developed two new inhibitors - 12-imidazolyl-1-dodecanol (I-ol) and 1-imidazolyldodecane (I-an) - and wanted to test their effect on the related disease of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The fat-rich Lieber-DeCarli diet, which was administered over the entire experimental period of 16 weeks, was used for disease induction in the rat model, while the experimental substances were administered in parallel over the last four weeks. This high-calorie diet pathologically altered the ROS balance, the amount of adipocytokines, TNF-α and lipids as well as the activities of liver enzymes. Together with the histological examinations, the conclusion could be drawn that the diet led to the formation of NASH. I-ol and to a lesser extent I-an were able to shift the pathological values towards the normal range - despite continued administration of the noxious agent. I-ol, in particular, showed an extremely good tolerability in the acute toxicity study in rats. Thus, CYP2E1 appears to be a suitable drug target as well as I-ol and I-an promising drug candidates for the treatment of NASH.