The evaluation of an in vitro motility assay for its potential to predict gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions

Abstract

Gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions are frequently reported during the clinical testing phase of new drug compounds; they are often a deciding factor in whether or not research on the compound is continued. There is a lot of potential for drug companies if a reliable model could be used to quickly and simply assay new drug compounds and establish their likely effect on the gastrointestinal tract. This process could help save a lot of time and money as research on those compounds showing a severe adverse reaction could be discontinued before the clinical phase of trials begins. An in-vitro motility assay could potentially be used to test a relatively high volume of compounds each day and highlight any of these that are having a significant effect on gastrointestinal motility. This project has involved the blind testing of various pharmacological compounds on the mouse colon invitro in order to investigate their effect on gastrointestinal motility. The data was later correlated with the reported gastrointestinal side effects of the drug and its mechanism of action to help evaluate the model as a potential indicator of gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions.