Yoshie Masaoka

In vitro system to evaluate oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs: Simultaneous analysis on dissolution and permeation of drugs

AbstractPurpose. The aim of the present work was to develop a new in vitro system to evaluate oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs by utilizing Caco-2 monolayers. Methods. Caco-2 monolayer was mounted between side-by-side chambers, which enabled the simultaneous assay of dissolution and permeation of drugs (dissolution/permeation system; D/P system). Apical and basal sides of the chamber were filled with buffer solutions. Drugs were applied to the apical side as powder, suspension, or solution, and then, the permeated amounts into the basal side were monitored for 2 h. At the same time, dissolved amounts of drugs at the apical side were detected. The amount of drug applied to the D/P system was based on its in vivo clinical dose. Results. Sodium taurocholate (5 mM, apical side) and bovine serum albumin (4.5% w/v, basal side) increased the permeated amount of poorly water-soluble drugs. Both additives were considered to be effective at mimicking in vivo conditions of intestinal drug absorption. From the correlation between the permeated amount of 13 drugs (% dose/2 h) in the D/P system and their percentage dose absorbed in humans in vivo, this system was found to be useful in evaluating oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs. Conclusions. With attempts made to mimic the physiologic conditions of the human GI tract, in vivo oral absorption of drugs was quantitatively assessed in the D/P system in vitro. This system is quite useful to predict the oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs after administration as solid dosage forms.

Mechanisms of membrane transport of poorly soluble drugs: Role of micelles in oral absorption processes

Micelles formed in the GI tract by bile acid and lecithin play an important role in oral absorption of poorly soluble drugs. In this situation, the drug molecules are present in equilibrium between the free and micellar states. In this study, the relationship between the free drug concentration and the membrane permeability of poorly soluble drugs was examined. Permeability across a Caco-2 monolayer and a dialysis membrane were measured in a side-by-side chamber system. The concentrations of sodium taurocholate (NaTC) and lecithin were varied to allow measurement of membrane permeability at different concentrations of free drugs. For troglitazone, hexylparaben, and heptylparaben, an increase in the NaTC and lecithin concentrations caused the permeability across the Caco-2 monolayer to decrease slightly, whereas the permeability across the dialysis membrane decreased markedly. In contrast, the changes in permeability of griseofulvin with an increased micelle concentration were similar for the Caco-2 monolayer and the dialysis membrane. Assuming that the permeability for the dialysis membrane reflects the free drug concentration in the medium, these results suggest that troglitazone and alkylparabens, but not griseofulvin, can partition directly from micelles to Caco-2 monolayers. This mechanism may contribute to oral absorption of drugs that are poorly soluble in water.

Coaxial Electrospray Formulations for Improving Oral Absorption of a Poorly Water-Soluble Drug

Development of oral dosage forms containing poorly water-soluble drugs is a major challenge in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper describes the use of coaxial electrospray deposition as a promising formulation technology for oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. The technology produced core-shell particles composed of griseofulvin and poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) (Eudragit L-100), with a diameter of around 1 μm. The drug phase was in an amorphous state when the griseofulvin core was coated with the Eudragit L-100 shell. The in vitro dissolution and in vivo oral absorption studies revealed that the core-shell formulation significantly improved dissolution and absorption behaviors, presumably because of a reduction in particle size, improvement in dispersity, and amorphization. Results demonstrated that coaxial electrospray deposition possesses great potential as novel formulation technology for enhancing oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Application of Dissolution/Permeation System for Evaluation of Formulation Effect on Oral Absorption of Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs in Drug Development

ABSTRACTPurposeThe aim of the present study is to evaluate the formulation effect on the oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs using a dissolution/permeation system (D/P system).MethodsThis D/P system, consisting of apical and basal chambers and a Caco-2 cell monolayer mounted between chambers, can be used to perform simultaneous analysis of drug dissolution and permeation process of drugs applied as various dosage forms. Oral administration study with rats was also performed for both drugs as the same dosage forms.ResultsWhen danazol, a low-soluble and high-permeable drug, was applied to the D/P system as various formulations, dissolved and permeated amounts were significantly high compared with those from a suspension form. On the other hand, whereas the dissolved amount of pranlukast, a low-soluble and low-permeable drug, was significantly increased by formulations, there were no significant changes observed in the permeated amount between suspension and formulation. The oral availability of danazol was significantly increased by formulations but not pranlukast, which corresponded well to in vitro evaluations.ConclusionThese results indicated that the D/P system might be applicable for selection of formulation on the basis of physicochemical drug properties.

In vitro/in vivo biorecognition of lectin-immobilized fluorescent nanospheres for human colorectal cancer cells.

Peanut agglutinin (PNA)-immobilized polystyrene nanospheres with surface poly(N-vinylacetamide) (PNVA) chains encapsulating coumarin 6 were designed as a novel colonoscopic imaging agent. PNA was a targeting moiety that binds to beta-D-galactosyl-(1-3)-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, which is the terminal sugar of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen that is specifically expressed on the mucosal side of colorectal cancer cells. PNVA was immobilized with the aim of reducing nonspecific interactions between imaging agents and normal tissues. Coumarin 6 was encapsulated into nanosphere cores to provide endoscopically detectable fluorescence intensity. After incubation of imaging agents with human cells, the fluorescence intensity of imaging agent-bound cells was estimated quantitatively. The average fluorescence intensity of any type of colorectal cancer cell used in this study was higher than that of small intestinal epithelial cells that had not exposed the carbohydrate. The in vivo performance of imaging agents was subsequently evaluated using a human colorectal cancer orthotopic animal model. Imaging agent-derived strong fluorescence was observed at several sites of the large intestinal mucosa in the tumor-implanted nude mice after the luminal side of the colonic loop was contacted with imaging agents. In contrast, when mice that did not undergo tumor implantation were used, the fluorescence intensity on the mucosal surface was extremely low. Data indicated that imaging agents bound to colorectal cancer cells and the cancer cell-derived tumors with high affinity and specificity.

Scaling of in Vitro Membrane Permeability to Predict P-glycoprotein-Mediated Drug Absorption in Vivo

In a previous study, the concentration-dependent permeability of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate drugs, quinidine, verapamil, and vinblastine, in several cell monolayers with different levels of P-gp expression was analyzed kinetically to obtain fundamental parameters for P-gp-mediated transport, Vmax and Km(app) values. Both Vmax and Km(app) values of each drug were found to show linear correlations with the expression level of P-gp. These findings imply the possibility of estimating the Vmax and Km(app) values of P-gp substrate drugs in the in vivo intestinal membrane on the basis of the P-gp expression level. In the present study, concentration-dependent drug permeability to the rat small intestines (upper jejunum and ileum) was simulated on the basis of Vmax and Km(app) values of each drug estimated from the P-gp expression level in the rat small intestines. To validate the predictability of these procedures, drug permeability in the rat small intestines was measured by the in situ single-pass perfusion method. It was confirmed that simulated permeability of each drug in the rat jejunum and ileum corresponded well with permeability measured by the in situ single-pass perfusion method. This study clearly demonstrated the potential to estimate the permeability of P-gp substrate drugs in the human intestine from its P-gp expression level and thus the possibility to predict the oral absorption of those drugs.

Preparation of fenofibrate solid dispersion using electrospray deposition and improvement in oral absorption by instantaneous post-heating of the formulation

A coaxial electrospray technique was applied to a poorly soluble drug, fenofibrate (FEN), to increase its bioavailability. A particulate core-shell solid dispersion was designed using poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) (Eudragit L-100) as a shell material and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) K12-17 as a dispersant for FEN in the core phase. Although 58% of FEN remained in the crystalline state in the electrosprayed formulation, the dissolution behavior was significantly improved due to decrease in particle size, decrease in crystallinity, and increase in dispersion efficiency. The formulation was subjected to post-heating at 100 °C for 30 s to transform the remaining crystals into the amorphous state to further improve the dissolution behavior. Oral bioavailability was also on the order of: heated formulation>intact formulation>crystalline FEN. Instantaneous heating significantly improved the performance of the formulation despite its simple procedure, and thus can be a powerful step to be incorporated in the formulation manufacturing process.

Oligoarginine-linked polymers as a new class of penetration enhancers

Oligoarginines, which are known as cell-penetrating peptides, enhance the cellular uptake of poorly membrane-permeable bioactive molecules that are chemically conjugated to them. We designed a novel polymer: oligoarginine-linked poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-acrylic acid), with the expectation that the polymers will enhance the cellular uptake of the bioactive molecules that are physically mixed with them. Oligoarginines were grafted onto the polymer backbone through the chemical reaction with acrylic acid functional groups. The changes in the blood glucose concentration after nasal administration of insulin with and without the polymer were monitored in mice. The blood glucose concentration was slightly reduced when insulin was given solely at a dose of 10IU/kg. A D-octaarginine-linked poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-acrylic acid) with a grafting degree of 2% significantly enhanced the insulin-induced hypoglycemic effect. A similar enhancement was not observed when the polymer was substituted with intact D-octaarginine. The penetration-enhancing function of D-octaarginine-linked poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-acrylic acid) increased dramatically with an increase in the grafting degree of D-octaarginine. Substitution of D-octaarginine with the corresponding optical isomer and an increase in the number of arginine residues rather reduced the penetration-enhancing function. In vitro cell studies also indicated that a D-octaarginine-linked poly(N-vinylacetamide-co-acrylic acid) with a grafting degree of 17% enabled fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran to effectively penetrate the cell membrane. Results demonstrated that our oligoarginine-linked polymer has a potential to provide a new class of penetration enhancers.

In vitro-in vivo correlation of the effect of supersaturation on the intestinal absorption of BCS Class 2 drugs.

The aim of this study was to establish an in vitro method for evaluating the effect of supersaturation on oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs in vivo. Albendazole, dipyridamole, gefitinib, and ketoconazole were used as model drugs. Supersaturation of each drug was induced by diluting its stock solution by fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF) (solvent-shift method), then dissolution and precipitation profile of the drug was observed in vitro. The crystalline form of the precipitate was checked by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For comparison, control suspension was prepared by suspending a drug powder directly into FaSSIF (powder-suspending method). In vivo intestinal absorption of the drug was observed in rats by determined the plasma concentration after intraduodenal administration of drug suspensions. For all drugs, suspensions prepared by solvent-shift method showed significantly higher dissolved concentration in vitro than that prepared by powder-suspending method, clearly indicated the induction of supersaturation. DSC analysis revealed that crystalline form of the precipitate profoundly affects the extent and the duration of supersaturation. A rat in vivo study confirmed that the supersaturation of these drugs increased the fraction absorbed from the intestine, which corresponded well to the in vitro dissolution and precipitation profile of drugs except for ketoconazole. For ketoconazole, an in vivo absorption study was performed in rats pretreated with 1-aminobenzotriazole, a potent inhibitor of CYP mediated metabolism. CYP inhibition study suggested that the high luminal concentration of ketoconazole caused by supersaturation saturated the metabolic enzymes and further increased the systemic exposure of the absorbed drug. The additional effects of supersaturation on the absorption of ketoconazole are consistent with previous studies in humans under differing gastric pH conditions. In conclusion, effects of supersaturation on the intestinal absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs could be predicted from in vitro dissolution and a precipitation study. However if supersaturation affects the pharmacokinetic profiles of drugs, such as a first-pass metabolism, a combination with in vivo study should be required to evaluate its impact on oral bioavailability.

Assessment of absorption potential of poorly water-soluble drugs by using the dissolution/permeation system.

This study aims to assess the absorption potential of oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs by using the dissolution/permeation system (D/P system). The D/P system can be used to perform analysis of drug permeation under dissolution process and can predict the fraction of absorbed dose in humans. When celecoxib at 1/100 of a clinical dose was applied to the D/P system, percentage of dose dissolved and permeated significantly decreased with an increase in the applied amount, resulting in the oral absorption being predicted to be 22-55%. Whereas similar dissolution and permeation profiles of montelukast sodium were observed, estimated absorption (69-85%) was slightly affected. Zafirlukast absorption (33-36%) was not significantly affected by the dose, although zafirlukast did not show complete dissolution. The relationship between clinical dose and predicted oral absorption of drugs corresponded well to clinical observations. The limiting step of the oral absorption of celecoxib and montelukast sodium was solubility, while that of zafirlukast was dissolution rate. However, due to high permeability of montelukast, oral absorption was not affected by dose. Therefore, the D/P system is a useful tool to assess the absorption potential of poorly water-soluble drugs for oral use.