Evaluation of interspecies differences in DS-2087b-induced gastrointestinal toxicity using mouse and monkey

Yuji Shirai1, Takuma Iguchi1, Kazunori Fujimoto1

  • 1Medicinal Safety Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-16-13 Kita-Kasai, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 134-8630, Japan.

Toxicology Letters
|December 19, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Animal small intestinal organoids effectively predict in vivo drug-induced gastrointestinal toxicity. Monkey organoids showed decreased cell viability and altered gene expression, explaining interspecies differences in toxicity from DS-2087b.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Toxicology
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity is a frequent side effect of anti-cancer drugs.
  • Limited in vitro-in vivo correlation data exists for drug-induced GI toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of animal small intestinal organoids for predicting in vivo GI toxicity.
  • To investigate interspecies differences in GI toxicity using DS-2087b, an EGFR/HER2 exon 20 insertion inhibitor.

Main Methods:

  • In vivo oral toxicity studies in mice and monkeys with DS-2087b.
  • Generation of mouse and monkey small intestinal organoids from adult stem cells.
  • In vitro assessment of cell viability and transcriptomic analysis of organoids treated with DS-2087b.

Main Results:

  • Mice showed no GI toxicity; monkeys exhibited diarrhea and histopathological changes (atrophy/erosion) at higher doses.
  • Monkey small intestinal organoids demonstrated significantly reduced cell viability compared to mouse organoids when treated with DS-2087b.
  • Transcriptomic analysis revealed decreased expression of stem and Paneth cell markers in monkey organoids.

Conclusions:

  • Small intestinal organoids serve as valuable tools for in vitro-in vivo translation of drug-induced GI toxicity.
  • Interspecies differences in DS-2087b-induced GI toxicity may be attributed to changes in specific cell-type composition within the intestine.