WAY-262611

WAY-262611, the DKK1 inhibitor, blocks DKK1 and restores the GDF5 reduced MMP13 gene expression.^[2]

Chondrocytes are resuspended at 1.25×10⁶ cells/ml in basic differentiation media (BDM) consisting of DMEM high glucose supplemented with 100 nM dexamethasone, 1× insulin-transferrin-selenous acid premix (ITS), 1.0 mg/ml human serum albumin supplemented with 5.0 μg/ml linoleic acid, 14 μg/ml L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate and 1× Penicilline-Streptomycin. The cell suspension is divided into aliquots of 200 μl to each well of an uncoated flat bottom 96-well plate. The plate is centrifuged at 1,500 rpm for 5 min and incubated for 48 h at 37°C in 5% CO₂ and 90% relative humidity to allow for pellet formation. After 48 h the culture medium is changed to BDM supplemented with appropriate growth factors (GFs); 2, 10, 100 or 200 ng/ml recombinant GDF5, 50 ng/ml recombinant Wnt3a, 0.5 μM GSK3b inhibitor CHIR-99021, 0.01, 0.1 or 1 μM DKK1 inhibitor WAY-262611. Medium is changed three times per week for 21 days, whereafter the pellets are snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C.

WAY-262611 has excellent pharmacokinetic properties and shows a dose dependent increase in the trabecular bone formation rate in ovariectomized rats following oral administration.^[1]