Disposition of sandostatin, a new synthetic somatostatin analogue, in rats

The distribution, excretion, and metabolism of Sandostatin, a long-acting octapeptide analogue of somatostatin, have been studied in the rat after iv administration. Similar plasma levels and excretion values were observed by using radioimmunoassay and HPLC-liquid scintillation techniques. For the latter technique Sandostatin was radiolabeled with either 14C or 3H. The plasma pharmacokinetics of Sandostatin were as follows: Vdss = 0.4 liter/kg, C/t = 4.2 ml/min, and t1/2 2.0 hr; this half-life was by far longer than that of somatostatin. The in vitro protein binding amounted to 59% in rat plasma; no Sandostatin was taken up by blood cells. The tissue concentrations of Sandostatin were similar when determined either by radioimmunoassay or by quantitative whole-body autoradiography; this suggests that the distribution of 3H or 14C radioactivity observed 0.5 hr after iv administration mostly represented unchanged Sandostatin. Kidney and liver were the only tissues in which Sandostatin levels were higher than in blood; high radioactivity levels were observed in the blood vessel walls, whereas levels in brain were insignificant. Unchanged drug accounted for most of the radioactivity found in plasma, urine, and bile, whereas only traces of unchanged drug were detected in feces. These results demonstrated the metabolic stability of Sandostatin in the tissues, primarily in the liver, and suggested an extensive degradation in the intestinal tract. The degradation products consisted of smaller peptides and free amino acids. About 50% and 20% of the applied dose were excreted as unchanged Sandostatin in bile and urine, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)