Pharmacokinetic analysis of in vivo disposition of succinylated proteins targeted to liver nonparenchymal cells via scavenger receptors: importance of molecular size and negative charge density for in vivo recognition by receptors

In vivo disposition characteristics of succinylated (Suc-) proteins were studied after intravenous injection in mice in relation to their molecular characteristics as negatively charged macromolecules. Recombinant superoxide dismutase (SOD; molecular mass, 32 kDa), bovine serum albumin (BSA; molecular mass, 67 kDa), and bovine IgG (molecular mass, 150 kDa) were used to produce succinylated derivatives with different degrees of modification. (111)In-labeled Suc-SODs were rapidly excreted into the urine with no significant hepatic uptake. In contrast, (111)In-Suc-BSA and Suc-IgG were significantly taken up by liver nonparenchymal cells via scavenger receptors (SRs) according to the degree of succinylation and the dose injected. Interestingly, highly succinylated BSAs exhibited significant accumulation in the kidney at higher doses when the hepatic uptake was saturated. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated that the hepatic uptake of succinylated proteins depended on the molecular size and the estimated surface density of succinylated amino residues. Further analysis based on a physiological pharmacokinetic model, involving a saturable process with Michaelis-Menten kinetics, revealed that the surface density of negative charges was correlated with the affinity of larger succinylated proteins for the hepatic SRs. Thus, the present study has provided useful basic information for a therapeutic strategy and the molecular design of succinylated proteins for use as drug carriers and therapeutic agents per se for SR-mediated targeting in vivo.     

Role of bile acid conjugation in hepatic transport of dihydroxy bile acids

The effect of conjugation and side chain length on dihydroxy bile acid unidirectional hepatic uptake and efflux was studied using the isolated perfused rat liver which was perfused prograde or retrograde in single pass fashion. Deoxycholic acid (DC) and its C23 (nor) derivative nor-DC, as well as the synthetically prepared taurine conjugate of DC, were administered at a constant dose of 1 mumol/min/kg (body weight), upon which a bolus tracer dose of labeled bile acid was superimposed. Analysis of radioactivity recovery in perfusate indicated that unidirectional uptake of all three bile acids was equally rapid, but that only nor-DC showed considerable and continuing efflux into the perfusate; this involved mostly the unchanged acid. Nor-DC was not amidated but was metabolized to mostly ester glucuronides and hydroxylated derivatives; the biotransformation products did not reflux and were secreted into bile; similarly, DC was amidated with taurine; its taurine conjugate did not efflux and was secreted into bile. When nor-DC-taurine was infused, it did not efflux and was secreted rapidly into bile. When the liver was perfused retrograde fashion to increase concentrations of bile acids pericentral cells, only nor-DC showed efflux, which again involved only the unchanged acid. All bile acids were partly 7 alpha-hydroxylated, the magnitude being greater during retrograde perfusion presumably because slower cellular transport exposed bile acid to hydroxylation enzymes for a longer period. It is concluded that bile acid conjugation, whether by esterification with CoA formation adn subsequent amidation or by esterification with glucuronate, restricts the movement of lipophilic dihydroxy bile acids to the hepatocyte and canalicular lumen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Acetaldehyde modification of low density lipoprotein accelerates its catabolism in man

Acetaldehyde (AcA), the first metabolite in ethanol oxidation, is chemically highly reactive and binds covalently to the free amino groups of various proteins. In this study, we examined the metabolism of acetaldehyde-modified LDL (AcA-LDL) in man. LDL was isolated from human volunteers, radiolabelled with either 125I or 131I, incubated in various AcA concentrations (Aca-LDL) and injected back into the donors simultaneously with LDL incubated in identical conditions but omitting AcA (C-LDL). Acetaldehyde treatment did not change the chemical composition, electrophoretic mobility or the flotation characteristics of LDL. The proportion of free amino groups of AcA-LDL, ranging from 97 to 54.5%, was negatively correlated with the final concentration of AcA used in the incubation medium (r = -0.99, P less than 0.001). AcA modification of LDL accelerated its in vivo catabolism in man in such a way that the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) for AcA-LDL was negatively correlated with the percentage of free amino groups in AcA-LDL (r = -0.87, P less than 0.01). The clearance of AcA-LDL modified in 0.4, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mM AcA was 0.9, 1.4, 2.5 and 3.7 times faster than the clearance of C-LDL, respectively. If AcA-LDL is formed in man after ethanol ingestion, its rapid clearance may be one possible mechanism for the low LDL levels observed in chronic alcohol users.     

Inhibition of liver metastasis by targeting of immunomodulators using mannosylated liposome carriers

Mannosylated liposomes were prepared by incorporating cholesten-5-yloxy-N-(4-((1-imino-2-β- -thiomannosylethyl)amino)butyl)formamide (Man-C4-Chol) into small unilamellar liposomes consisting of cholesterol and distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC). The biodistribution of liposomes labeled with [³H]cholesteryl hexadecyl ether was examined in mice. The rate and extent of the hepatic uptake of those [³H]liposomes increased proportionally on increasing the mixing ratio of Man-C4-Chol. Their hepatic uptake was reduced by increasing the administered dose due to the limited number of mannose receptors. The liver uptake of [³H]Man-liposomes was preferentially mediated by liver non-parenchymal cells (NPC) and significantly inhibited by co-injection with an excess of Man-BSA, indicating the involvement of a mannose receptor-mediated mechanism in the hepatic uptake of Man-liposomes. Muramyl dipeptide (MDP), an immunomodulator, was also incorporated into the liposomes and its inhibitory effect in an experimental liver metastasis model was examined. In contrast to free MDP treatment, which showed little effect on the inhibition of metastasis, liposomal MDP significantly reduced the number of metastatic colonies in the liver. Active targeting of MDP to liver NPC by Man-liposomes resulted in more effective inhibition than delivery of MDP by liposomes without mannose. Treatment with MDP/Man-liposomes further increased the survival of the tumor-bearing mice. These results suggest that Man-liposomes are effective carriers for targeted delivery of bioactive compounds to liver NPC.     

Urinary dopamine in man and rat: effects of inorganic salts on dopamine excretion.

1. Plasma and urine free dopamine (3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) were measured in six normal male volunteer subjects and the urinary clearance of dopamine was calculated for each subject. 2. The excretion rates for free dopamine in man were greater than could be explained by simple renal clearance. It was concluded that free dopamine must, therefore, be formed in the kidney. 3. Changes in urinary dopamine excretion were studied in four groups of rats initially maintained on low sodium diet and then given equimolar dietary supplements of NaCl, NaHCO3, KCl or NH4Cl, to study the specificity of the previously observed increase in dopamine excretion after increased dietary NaCl. 4. The mean dopamine excretion increased significantly in rats given NaCl, KCl and NH4Cl, whereas dopamine excretion decreased in those given NaHCO3. 5. The failure of dopamine excretion to rise in response to loading with NaHCO3 was unexpected, and argues against a simple effect of volume expansion by the sodium ion. The increase in dopamine excretion with KCl and NH4Cl showed that this response was not specific to the sodium ion.     

Increased tissue concentrations of the gastrin precursor in patients treated with omeprazole

The main form of gastrin in antral mucosa, the amidated heptadecapeptide G17, is generated from an inactive precursor, progastrin, by steps involving endopeptidase cleavage and amidation. Gastrin cells are normally inhibited by gastric acid and in this study we have examined how suppression of acid by treatment with omeprazole for 6-8 weeks influences gastrin production in patients with oesophagitis. Plasma concentrations of total amidated gastrins in the fasting state increased from 18 to 43 pmol l-1; assays specific for G17-immunoreactivity indicated that the plasma concentrations of this form increased from 6 to 12 pmol l-1. In endoscopic biopsies of antral mucosa there was no change with omeprazole treatment in the concentrations of total amidated gastrins, or their immediate precursors, the Gly-extended gastrins. However, assays using an antibody that reacts with progastrin, together with size exclusion chromatography, indicated that tissue progastrin concentration increased 6-fold. The data suggest a modest net increase in gastrin production with omeprazole-treatment; because the ratio of tissue concentrations of total amidated gastrins to Gly-extended gastrins did not change, it would seem that the amidating capacity of the gastrin cell was maintained. However, the increase in progastrin concentrations suggests a relative failure of the initial steps of post-translational processing, and consequently that in certain circumstances endopeptidase cleavage of progastrin may be rate limiting.     

The erythrocyte as instigator of inflammation. Generation of amidated C3 by erythrocyte adenosine deaminase.

Myocardial ischemia is characterized by the liberation of adenosine and by complement-mediated inflammation. We have reported that amidated C3, formed when ammonia (NH3) disrupts the thiolester bond of C3, serves as an alternative pathway convertase, generates C5b-9, and stimulates phagocytic oxidative metabolism. We investigated whether the deamination of adenosine by adenosine deaminase in hematopoietic cells might liberate sufficient ammonia to form amidated C3 and thereby trigger complement-mediated inflammation at ischemic sites. In the presence of 4 mM adenosine, NH3 production per erythrocyte (RBC) was equal to that per neutrophil (PMN) (3.3 X 10(-15) mol/cell per h). Because RBC outnumber PMN in normal blood by a thousandfold, RBC are the major source of NH3 production in the presence of adenosine. NH3 production derived only from the deamination of adenosine by the enzyme adenosine deaminase and was abolished by 0.4 microM 2'-deoxycoformycin, a specific inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. When purified human C3 was incubated with 5 X 10(8) human RBC in the presence of adenosine, disruption of the C3 thiolester increased more than twofold over that measured in C3 incubated with buffer, or in C3 incubated with RBC (P less than 0.05). The formation of amidated C3 was abolished by the preincubation of RBC with 2'-deoxycoformycin (P less than 0.001). Amidated C3 elicited statistically significant release of superoxide, myeloperoxidase, and lactoferrin from PMN. Thus, the formation of amidated C3 by RBC deamination of adenosine triggers a cascade of complement-mediated inflammatory reactions.     

Diabetes-induced functional and structural changes in insulin receptors from rat skeletal muscle.

The effect of diabetes on the structure and function of insulin receptors was studied in rats 7 d after streptozotocin injection, using solubilized, partially purified receptors from rat hindlimb muscles. Diabetes increased the number of insulin receptors per gram of muscle 60-70% without apparent change in insulin binding affinity. Incubation of receptors at 4 degrees C with [gamma-32P]ATP and insulin resulted in dose-dependent autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit on tyrosine residues; receptors from diabetic rats showed decreased base-line phosphorylation, as well as a decrease in autophosphorylation at maximally stimulating insulin concentrations. These receptors also showed diminished exogenous substrate kinase activity using histone H2b and angiotensin II as phosphoacceptors. The electrophoretic mobility (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) of a subpopulation of beta-subunits derived from diabetics was slightly decreased; differences in electrophoretic mobility between control- and diabetic-derived beta-subunits were enhanced by generating fragments by partial Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion. Endoglycosidase-H or neuraminidase treatment increased the electrophoretic mobility of beta-subunits in both groups, but only neuraminidase appeared to decrease or abolish differences in electrophoretic mobility between controls and diabetics, suggesting that excess sialilation may account, in part, for the altered mobility of diabetic derived beta-subunits. All structural and functional alterations in insulin receptors were prevented by treating diabetic rats with insulin for 60 h. Peripheral insulin resistance associated with insulinopenic diabetes may be related to modifications in insulin receptor structure, resulting in impaired signal transmission.     

What is the cause of benign transient hyperphosphatasemia? A study of 35 cases

In a study of 35 children with benign transient hyperphosphatasemia, I found a marked seasonal clustering of cases after the summer months. Furthermore, plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were almost twice those of controls matched for age and time of year. Many children had evidence of weight loss and one had idiopathic hypercalcemia of infancy. Activities both of liver and bone isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) in plasma were increased. The liver and (to a lesser extent) bone isoenzymes had enhanced electrophoretic mobility, and both showed increased binding to wheat-germ lectin by affinity electrophoresis. For the liver (and probably also the bone) isoenzyme, these changes were due to an increased content of sialic acid. A possible etiology for the condition is proposed involving (a) increased synthesis of alkaline phosphatase, mediated by vitamin D metabolites, and (b) decreased hepatic clearance caused by the high sialic acid content and exacerbated in some cases by the effects of some drugs on the liver.     

Vascular binding, blood flow, transporter, and enzyme interactions on the processing of digoxin in rat liver

The roles of vascular binding, flow, transporters, and enzymes as determinants of the clearance of digoxin were examined in the rat liver. Digoxin is metabolized by Cyp3a and utilizes the organic anion transporting polypeptide 2 (Oatp2) and P-glycoprotein (Pgp) for influx and excretion, respectively. Uptake of digoxin was found to be similar among rat periportal (PP) and perivenous (PV) hepatocytes isolated by the digitonin-collagenase method. The Km values for uptake were 180 +/- 112 and 390 +/- 406 nM, Vmax values were 13 +/- 8 and 18 +/- 4.9 pmol/min/mg protein, and nonsaturable components were 9.2 +/- 1.3 and 10.7 +/- 2.5 microl/min/mg for PP and PV, respectively. The evenness of distribution of Oatp2 and Pgp was confirmed by Western blotting and confocal immunofluorescent microscopy. When digoxin was recirculated to the rat liver preparation in Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate (KHB) for 3 h in absence or presence of 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 20% red blood cell (rbc) at flow rates of 40 and 10 ml/min, respectively, biexponential decays were observed. Fitted results based on compartmental analyses revealed a higher clearance (0.244 +/- 0.082 ml/min/g) for KHB-perfused livers over the rbc-albumin-perfused livers (0.114 +/- 0.057 ml/min/g) (P < 0.05). We further found that binding of digoxin to 1% BSA was modest (unbound fraction = 0.64), whereas binding to rbc was associated with slow on (0.468 +/- 0.021 min(-1)) and off (1.81 +/- 0.12 min(-1)) rate constants. We then used a zonal, physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to show that the difference in digoxin clearance was attributed to binding to BSA and rbc and not to the difference in flow rate and that clearance was unaffected by transporter or enzyme heterogeneity.     

Effects of chronic phenobarbital on verapamil disposition in humans

Very little is known about the effects of hepatic enzyme induction with phenobarbital on the disposition of high clearance drugs in humans. Our study was undertaken to investigate the effect of phenobarbital on both alpha-1 acid glycoprotein concentrations and total and free verapamil and its metabolites. Single oral, single i.v., and multiple oral verapamil administrations were evaluated before and after 21 days of phenobarbital treatment in healthy caucasian male volunteers. Significant changes in the pharmacokinetics of total and free verapamil and its metabolites occurred in a predictable manner. Mean total apparent oral clearance after a single dose of verapamil was increased after phenobarbital treatment (75.1 +/- 49.2 vs. 376.2 +/- 221.8 ml/min/kg, P less than .05). Clearance of free drug increased to a similar magnitude. Mean total verapamil systemic clearance was increased (9.95 +/- 1.3 vs. 18.9 +/- 8.7 ml/min/kg, P less than .05); however free drug clearance was not altered. After multiple oral administration, total verapamil apparent oral clearance was increased after phenobarbital pretreatment (21.2 +/- 9.8 vs. 91.2 +/- 28.5 ml/min/kg, P less than .05). Free drug clearance was increased similarly. Finally, the pharmacokinetic theories derived for hepatic extraction of drugs subject to a high metabolic clearance can be successfully applied to men after liver enzyme induction with phenobarbital.     

The distribution kinetics of triiodothyronine: studies of euthyroid subjects with decreased plasma thyroxine-binding globulin and patients with Graves'' disease

The kinetics of distribution of 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T(3)) have been studied employing both a single-injection and a continuous infusion of T(3-) (131)I. External monitoring of radioactivity in the liver during the infusion permitted estimation of the hepatic distribution volume (V(H)) and the one-way hepatic clearance (C(H)) of the hormone. Among 10 euthyroid control subjects, V(H) averaged 2.07 liters +/-0.50 (SD), and the mean value for C(H), 231 ml of plasma per min (+/-64). In three euthyroid men whose plasma showed decreased binding capacity by thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) abnormally high V(H) and C(H) values were found, the increase in C(H) being proportional to the decrease in binding activity by plasma proteins. Among all 13 subjects, there was a high correlation (+ 0.86) between C(H) and the proportion of free hormone in plasma, measured in vitro.In four patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease V(H) ranged from 3.2 to 4.2 liters and C(H) was elevated in every case, averaging 989 ml/min. The increase in C(H) in this group was out of proportion to the elevation of free hormone fraction in plasma. Seven patients who were either euthyroid or hypothyroid after treatment of Graves' disease showed a slight but significant increase in C(H) compared with the euthyroid controls without Graves' disease. The percentage of free hormone in the plasma of the treated group was normal or low and therefore could not explain the persistent elevation in unidirectional hepatic clearance observed.The rate of accumulation of labeled T(3) in the tissues of the thigh during the interval from 10 to 60 min of the sustaining infusion of tracer was slow compared to the rate of equilibration in the liver and did not differ significantly among the various groups studied. These latter findings suggest that in slowly equilibrating tissues such as the thigh the kinetics of T(3) distribution are relatively insensitive to alterations in hormone-binding activity by plasma proteins.     

Characterization of novel kidney-specific delivery system using an alkylglucoside vector

The alkylglucoside vector has been demonstrated to be a kidney-specific drug delivery system via cell surface-specific binding sites. In the present study, we examined the targeting efficiency of this vector derivatized with several types of ligand to determine the efficacy and limitations of this system. The tissue uptake clearance in the kidney (CL(uptake, kidney)) of alkylglucoside-acylated poly-L-lysine conjugates (Glc-S-C8-APL) with a mol. wt. of 4,500, 17,000, or 41,000 was greater than that accounted for by glomerular filtration and was reduced by coadministration of n-octyl-thioglucoside, which has an affinity for alkylglycoside binding sites. The mol. wt. distribution, assessed by gel filtration high-performance liquid chromatography, of the radioactivity associated with the kidney after intravenous administration of Glc-S-C8-APL41000 was shifted to a lower mol. wt. range compared with the authentic compound. The CL(uptake, kidney) and specific binding of Glc-S-C8-APL, fractionated based on mol. wt., to kidney membrane fractions was reduced as the mol. wt. of the fractionated Glc-S-C8-APL increased. These results suggest that the target efficiency of this vector depends on the size of the ligand that it delivers. Both the CL(uptake, kidney) and specific binding to kidney membranes of an alkylglucoside-tyrosine conjugate (Glc-S-C8-Tyr) with an acidic charge was much lower than that of Glc-S-C8-Tyr with cationic and neutral charges, suggesting that the anionic moiety could reduce the renal targeting efficiency. Thus, the targeting efficacy of the alkylglucoside vector seems to depend on, at least, the size and charge of the ligand that it delivers.     

Role of fibronectin on the clearance and tissue uptake of antigen and immune complexes in rats.

In the present study, we have evaluated how plasma fibronectin (FN) and tissue FN can affect the clearance from the circulation and organ uptake of antigen or immune complexes (IC) that have the capacity to bind to FN. Phenylated gelatin (DNP-GL) (a FN binding antigen) and IC composed of DNP-GL and monoclonal IgGl anti-dinitrophenol (DNP) antibodies were tested. These probes were compared with DNP-bovine serum albumin (BSA) (a non-FN-binding antigen) and DNP-BSA IC formed with the same anti-DNP antibody used for the preparation of DNP-GL IC. We found evidence that DNP-GL, but not DNP-BSA, formed complexes with soluble FN in vitro and the data strongly suggest that DNP-GL-FN complexes form in vivo. The formation of complexes with plasma FN aided in the clearance of DNP-GL from the circulation, as shown by the facts that DNP-GL was removed from the circulation much faster than DNP-BSA and that complexes of DNP-GL with plasma FN were removed from the circulation faster than uncomplexed DNP-GL. The sites of deposition of DNP-GL were also different from those of DNP-BSA. Thus, DNP-GL demonstrated higher hepatic, splenic, and renal uptake than did DNP-BSA. Renal uptake of DNP-GL was quite high despite the fact that DNP-GL is anionic. Indeed, expressed per gram of tissue, liver and kidney deposition of DNP-GL was not significantly different. By immunofluorescence microscopy, DNP-GL could be demonstrated in hepatic sinusoids and glomerular mesangium. In vitro, DNP-GL bound to FN in the mesangium of frozen sections of kidney tissue. IC formed with DNP-GL or DNP-BSA demonstrated virtually the same size, yet the fate of DNP-GL IC was strikingly different from that of DNP-BSA IC. The removal of DNP-GL IC from the circulation was mediated by the antigen and not by Fc receptors since gelatin (an inhibitor of DNP-GL clearance) but not aggregated IgG (an inhibitor of Fc receptors) inhibited the removal of DNP-GL IC from the circulation. In summary, these studies suggest that the ability of an antigen or IC to bind to FN markedly influences the fate of that antigen or IC. Specifically, binding to FN accelerates clearance from the circulation and favors hepatic and renal (primarily mesangial) uptake of the FN binding antigen of IC.     

Rifampin enhances the glucose-lowering effect of metformin and increases OCT1 mRNA levels in healthy participants

We evaluated the effect of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) agonist rifampin on metformin pharmacokinetics, organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) and OCT2 mRNA levels, and glucose levels, using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 16 healthy subjects. The glucose-lowering effects of metformin were evaluated by OGTT before and after metformin treatment on days 1 and 2 and again on days 13 and 14 after a 10-day course of rifampin. Rifampin increased the difference in maximum glucose levels (ΔG(max)) by 41.9% (P = 0.024) and the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) during the first 60?min after glucose ingestion (ΔAUC(gluc60)) by 54.5% (P = 0.020). Renal clearance (CL(R)) of metformin was increased by 16% (P = 0.008), but the systemic exposure was only slightly increased (13%, P = 0.049), possibly because of increased absorption. Rifampin increased OCT1 mRNA levels 4.1-fold in peripheral blood cells (P = 0.001); however, OCT2 mRNA was not detected. Our results suggest that rifampin increases OCT1 expression and hepatic uptake of metformin, leading to enhanced glucose-lowering action.     

Hepatic metabolism of free fatty acids in normal and diabetic dogs

Fasted dogs prepared with catheters in the femoral artery, portal vein, and hepatic vein and infused intravenously with palmitate-1-(14)C were used to estimate uptake of free fatty acids in liver and their conversion to major metabolic products secreted into hepatic venous blood. Animals were studied under ordinary conditions and when fat mobilization was increased abruptly by infusing norepinephrine or for a prolonged period by withdrawing insulin from depancreatized dogs. 80% of hepatic blood flow was assumed to be derived from the portal vein.Hepatic uptake was proportional to net outflow transport of plasma free fatty acids in the three groups and, in each, hepatic extraction fraction was about 25%. Since specific activity of free fatty acids entering and leaving the liver was equal and their composition was closely similar in the three sites sampled, it was concluded that palmitate is a representative tracer for free fatty acids entering the liver and that the liver does not release free fatty acids into the blood.In norepinephrine-infused dogs, the fraction of free fatty acids secreted in triglycerides (13%) was similar to that of control animals, so that transport of triglycerides was increased. In diabetic dogs no increased transport could be demonstrated since an average of only 2% of free fatty acids was converted to plasma triglyceride fatty acids; the hyperlipemia uniformly observed therefore appeared to result from defective removal of triglycerides from the blood.A similar fraction of free fatty acids was converted to ketones in normal and norepinephrine-infused dogs. This fraction was somewhat higher in diabetic animals and, in addition, a substantial quantity of ketones was derived from unlabeled precursors. Fractional conversion of free fatty acids to CO(2) was similar in normal and norepinephrine-infused dogs, but reduced in the diabetics.     

Effect of apoproteins on hepatic uptake of triglyceride emulsions in the rat.

The addition of apoprotein E isolated from human very low density lipoproteins to both rat lymph chylomicrons and a triglyceride emulsion significantly increased the hepatic uptake of these particles in a nonrecycling isolated rat liver perfusion system. The cleared triglyceride was removed without apparent hydrolysis by the hepatocyte. When lymph chylomicrons were loaded with both Apo E and Apo C proteins by exposure to rat plasma, no increment in hepatic clearance was observed. Sequential evalutions of the influence of the C apoproteins on the hepatic clearance of both emulsions and chylomicrons revealed that the CIII (CIII-1) protein had a pronounced inhibitory effect on hepatic removal. The inhibition was observed for both Apo E-enriched chylomicrons and those containing little of this apoprotein.     

EFFECT OF TURPENTINE-INDUCED INFLAMMATION ON THE DISPOSITION KINETICS OF PROPRANOLOL, METOPROLOL, AND ANTIPYRINE IN THE RAT

Plasma concentrations after oral administration of the high extraction drug propranolol are increased in patients and animals with inflammation. This could be due to increased serum propranolol binding, but also to decreased first-pass metabolism. We studied the pharmacokinetics of 3 drugs in control rats and in rats with turpentine-induced inflammation: propranolol, which is bound extensively to alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (alpha 1-AGP); metoprolol, another high extraction drug, but which is negligibly bound to alpha 1-AGP; and antipyrine, a low extraction drug, not bound to serum proteins. After IV administration of propranolol in rats with inflammation, systemic clearance, volume of distribution, and free fraction decreased, and the area under the curve (AUC) increased, whereas the half-life did not change. As the systemic clearance of a high extraction drug such as propranolol depends on hepatic blood flow only, a fall in hepatic blood flow or transition to a low extraction situation should be postulated. After oral administration of propranolol, the AUC was increased 20-fold in rats with inflammation; as the decrease in free fraction was only 4-fold, it can be concluded that a considerable decrease in hepatic intrinsic clearance was present. For metoprolol, in contrast to propranolol, after IV administration, no changes in pharmacokinetic parameters as a result of inflammation were observed. After oral administration, the AUC was increased about 4 times in rats with inflammation; as metoprolol is only negligibly bound to serum proteins, the increase in AUC can be attributed to a decrease in hepatic intrinsic clearance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Pharmacokinetic analysis of hepatic uptake of galactosylated bovine serum albumin in a perfused rat liver

Hepatic uptake of

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-labelled galactosylated bovine serum albumin (Gal-BSA) with different number of galactose residues per BSA were studied in rat liver perfusion experiments. During a single-pass constant infusion mode, [

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]Gal-BSAs (0.1–2.0 μg/ml) were continuously extracted by the liver and its extraction ratio at steady-state (E_ss) was lowered as the inflow concentration increased. Hepatic clearances of [

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]Gal-BSAs increased significantly according to the increase in the number of galactose residues per BSA at an inflow concentration of 0.7 μg/ml. The outflow patterns of [

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]Gal-BSAs at various inflow concentrations were simultaneously fitted to a one-organ pharmacokinetic model, by which we can characterize their binding to the cell surface and internalization processes separately. The parameters obtained were varied significantly among [

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]Gal-BSAs depending on the number of galactose residues and indicate that not only the binding to the receptors but also the internalization after the binding are regulated by the number of galactose residues per BSA during hepatic uptake.