Ribociclib is a CDK4/6 inhibitor recently approved for the treatment of some types of breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor. It is currently investigated in the clinic to treat other malignancies, including brain tumors. Using in vitro and genetically modified mouse models, we investigated the effect of the multidrug efflux transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2, and the drug-metabolizing CYP3A enzymes on ribociclib pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution. In vitro, ribociclib was avidly transported by human ABCB1, but not by human ABCG2 and only modestly by mouse Abcg2. Upon oral administration at 20 mg/kg, the plasma AUC0-24h of ribociclib was increased by 2.3-fold, and its terminal elimination was delayed in Abcb1a/1b-/-;Abcg2-/- compared to wild-type mice. The brain-to-plasma ratios of ribociclib were increased by at least 23-fold relative to wild-type mice in Abcb1a/1b-/-;Abcg2-/- and Abc1a/1b-/- mice, but not noticeably in Abcg2-/- mice. Oral coadministration of elacridar, an ABCB1 and ABCG2 inhibitor, increased the brain penetration of ribociclib in wild-type mice to the same level as seen in Abcb1a/1b-/-;Abcg2-/- mice. Plasma exposure of ribociclib further decreased by 3.8-fold when transgenic human CYP3A4 was overexpressed in Cyp3a-deficient mice. Ribociclib penetration into the brain is thus drastically limited by ABCB1 in the blood-brain barrier, but coadministration of elacridar can fully reverse this process. Moreover, human CYP3A4 can extensively metabolize ribociclib and strongly restrict its oral bioavailability. The insights obtained from this study may be useful to further optimize the clinical application of ribociclib, especially for the treatment of (metastatic) brain tumors.
Keywords: BCRP; CDK4/6 inhibitor; CYP3A4; P-gp; brain penetration; ribociclib.