The flavonolignan silybin, the main component of silymarin, extract from the seeds of Silybum marianum, is used mostly as a hepatoprotectant. Silybin is almost 1:1 mixture of two diastereomers A and B. The individual UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) contributing to the metabolism of silybin diastereomers have not been identified yet. In this study, the contribution of UGTs to silybin metabolism was examined.
The potential silybin metabolites were formed in vitro by incubating silybin (i) with the human liver microsomal fraction, (ii) with human hepatocytes and finally (iii) with 12 recombinant UGTs (UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A7, 1A8, 1A9, 1A10, 2B4, 2B7, 2B15 and 2B17). High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) techniques with UV detection and additionally MS detection were used for metabolite identification.
Hepatocytes and microsomes formed silybin A-7-O-β-d-glucuronides, B-7-O-β-d-glucuronides, A-20-O-β-d-glucuronides and B-20-O-β-d-glucuronides. With recombinant UGTs, the major role of the UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A8 and 1A10 enzymes but also of the UGT1A6, 1A7, 1A9, 2B7 and 2B15 in the stereoselective reactions leading to the respective silybin glucuronides was confirmed. UGT1A4, UGT2B4 and UGT2B17 did not participate in silybin glucuronidation.
The predominant formation of 7-O-β-d-glucuronides and the preferential glucuronidation of silybin B diastereomer in vitro by human UGTs were confirmed.
Pharmacokinetics of sildenafil and its metabolite, N-desmethylsildenafil, in humans and rats with liver cirrhosis (LC) and diabetes mellitus (DM), alone and in combination (LCD) did not seem to be reported.
Sildenafil was administered intravenously (10?mg/kg) and orally (20?mg/kg) to control, LC, DM, and LCD rats. Expression of intestinal CYP isozymes in those rats was also measured.
In LC, DM, and LCD rats, the areas under the curve (AUCs) of intravenous sildenafil were significantly greater (by 195%, 54.2%, and 127%, respectively) than controls. In LC and LCD rats, AUCs of oral sildenafil were significantly greater (3010% and 2030%, respectively) than controls.
In LC, DM, and LCD rats, significantly greater AUCs of intravenous sildenafil were due to the slower hepatic extraction of sildenafil (because of decrease in the protein expression of hepatic CYP2C11 and 3A subfamily in LC and LCD rats, and CYP2C11 in DM rats). In LC and LCD rats, greater magnitude of increase in AUCs of oral sildenafil than those after the intravenous administration could be mainly due to the decrease in the intestinal extraction of sildenafil (because of decrease in the protein expression of intestinal CYP2C11 in LC and LCD rats).
Cytoprotective effects of liquiritigenin (LQ) against liver injuries have been reported, but its pharmacokinetics has not been studied in acute hepatitis. Thus, pharmacokinetics of LQ and its two conjugated glucuronide metabolites: 4′-O-glucuronide (M1) and 7-O-glucuronide (M2), in rats with acute hepatitis induced by d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GalN/LPS) rats or carbon tetrachloride-treated (CCl4-treated) rats were evaluated.
LQ was administered intravenously (20?mg kg?1) and orally (50?mg kg?1) to control GalN/LPS and CCl4-treated rats. Expression of uridine 5′-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferases 1A (UGT1A) and in vitro metabolism of LQ in hepatic and intestinal microsomes were also measured.
After intravenous administration of LQ, area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of LQ in GalN/LPS rats was significantly smaller than that in controls due to faster non-renal clearance, as a result of its greater free fraction in plasma and faster hepatic blood flow rate than the controls. In CCl4-treated rats, the AUCM1, 0?8 h/AUCLQ and AUCM2, 0?8 h/AUCLQ ratios were significantly greater than the controls due to decrease in biliary excretion of M1 and M2. However, no significant pharmacokinetic changes were observed in both acute hepatitis rats after oral administration due to comparable intestinal metabolism of LQ.
Modification of oral dosage regimen of LQ may not be necessary in patients with acute hepatitis; but human studies are required.
BST204, a purified ginseng dry extract containing a high concentration of racemic Rh2 and Rg3 mixtures, is being developed for supportive care use in cancer patients in Korea. This study investigates the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of BST204 in rats.
After oral administration of BST204, only the S epimers, S-Rh2 and S-Rg3, could be determined in rat plasma. The poor absorption of the R-epimers, R-Rh2 and R-Rg3, may be attributed to lower membrane permeability and extensive intestinal oxygenation and/or deglycosylation into metabolites. The AUC and Cmax values of both S-Rh2 and S-Rg3 after BST204 oral administration were proportional to the administered BST204 doses ranged from 400?mg/kg to 2000?mg/kg, which suggested linear pharmacokinetic properties.
There were no statistically significant differences in the pharmacokinetics of S-Rh2 and S-Rg3 after oral administration of pure S-Rh2 (31.5?mg/kg) and S-Rg3 (68?mg/kg) compared with oral administration of BST204, 1000?mg/kg. These indicated that the presence of other components of BST204 extract did not influence the pharmacokinetic behavior of S-Rh2 and S-Rg3.
After oral dosing of BST204, S-Rh2 and S-Rg3 were distributed mainly to the liver and gastrointestinal tract in rats.
Our finding may help to understand pharmacokinetic characteristics of S-Rh2, R-Rh2, S-Rg3, and R-Rg3, comprehensively, and provide useful information in clinical application of BST204.
Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is highly expressed in testis, but there is conflicting information regarding the inducibility of testicular CYP1B1 by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists.
To assess AhR-mediated regulation, testicular CYP1B1 expression was measured following treatment of adult rats with 3-methylcholanthrene and various dosages of benzo[a]pyrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The effect of TCDD on CYP1B1 expression in R2C rat Leydig and MA-10 mouse Leydig cells in culture was also determined.
Immunoblot analysis showed that treatment with benzo[a]pyrene at dosages up to 200?mg/kg/day and 3-methylcholanthrene at 25?mg/kg/day did not induce testicular CYP1B1 expression. Treatment with TCDD at dosages of 1, 5 or 100 μg/kg had no effect, but testicular CYP1B1 protein levels were increased by approximately 50% at dosages of 10 and 50 μg/kg.
CYP1B1 mRNA levels in MA-10 and CYP1B1 protein levels in R2C cells were not induced by exposure to TCDD (10–1000?nM).
Overall, the results indicate that rodent testicular CYP1B1 is not inducible by AhR agonists.
Valspodar is a P-glycoprotein inhibitor widely used in preclinical and clinical studies for overcoming multidrug resistance. Despite this, the pharmacokinetics of valspodar in rat, a commonly used animal model, have not been reported. Here, we report on the pharmacokinetics of valspodar in Sprague–Dawley rats following intravenous and oral administration of its Cremophor EL formulation, which has been used for humans in clinical trials.
After intravenous doses, valspodar displayed properties of slow clearance and a large volume of distribution. Its plasma unbound fraction was around 15% in the Cremophor EL formulation used in the study. After 10?mg kg?1 orally it was rapidly absorbed with an average maximal plasma concentration of 1.48?mg l?1 within approximately 2?h. The mean bioavailability of valspodar was 42.8%.
In rat, valspodar showed properties of low hepatic extraction and wide distribution, similar to that of its structural analogue cyclosporine A.
The purpose was to investigate whether the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of prednisolone in the non-human primate was an appropriate surrogate for man.
After single intravenous doses of 0.03, 0.3, and 3?mg kg?1, prednisolone demonstrated a dose-dependent clearance and volume of distribution. When corrected for concentration-dependent protein binding, the free clearance was linear at the tested dose levels. The protein binding-corrected volume of distribution was similar across doses. The serum half-life was estimated as being between 2 and 4?h. Prednisolone exhibits near complete inhibition of the cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 with very similar IC50 estimates from 0.09 to 0.16 μg ml?1 (from 0.24 to 0.44 μM).
The monkey demonstrated a similar pharmacokinetics–pharmacodynamics profile of prednisolone when compared with man (from the literature).
Tissue distribution, metabolism, and disposition of oral (0.2–20?mg/kg) and intravenous (0.2?mg/kg) doses of [2-14C]dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN) were investigated in male rats and mice.
[14C]DBAN reacts rapidly with rat blood in vitro and binds covalently. Prior depletion of glutathione (GSH) markedly diminished loss of DBAN. Chemical reaction with GSH readily yielded glutathionylacetonitrile.
About 90% of the radioactivity from orally administered doses of [14C]DBAN was absorbed. After intravenous administration, 10% and 20% of the radioactivity was recovered in mouse and rat tissues, respectively, at 72?h. After oral dosing, three to four times less radioactivity was recovered, but radioactivity in stomach was mostly covalently bound.
Excretion of radioactivity into urine exceeded that in feces; 9–15% was exhaled as labeled carbon dioxide and 1–3% as volatiles in 72?h.
The major urinary metabolites were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and included acetonitrile mercaptoacetate (mouse), acetonitrile mercapturate, and cysteinylacetonitrile.
The primary mode of DBAN metabolism is via reaction with GSH, and covalent binding may be due to reaction with tissue sulphydryls.
The metabolism and excretion of a GABAA partial agonist developed for the treatment of anxiety, CP-409,092; 4-oxo-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid (4-methylaminomethyl-phenyl)-amide, were studied in rats following intravenous and oral administration of a single doses of [14C]CP-409,092.
The pharmacokinetics of CP-409,092 following single intravenous and oral doses of 4 and 15?mg kg?1, respectively, were characterized by high clearance of 169?±?18?ml min?1 kg?1, a volume of distribution of 8.99?±?1.46 l kg?1, and an oral bioavailability of 2.9% ± 3%.
Following oral administration of 100?mg kg?1 [14C]CP-409,092, the total recovery was 89.1% ± 3.2% for male rats and 89.3% ± 0.58% for female rats. Approximately 87% of the radioactivity recovered in urine and faeces were excreted in the first 48?h. A substantial portion of the radioactivity was measured in the faeces as unchanged drug, suggesting poor absorption and/or biliary excretion. There were no significant gender-related quantitative/qualitative differences in the excretion of metabolites in urine or faeces.
The major metabolic pathways of CP-409,092 were hydroxylation(s) at the oxo-tetrahydro-indole moiety and oxidative deamination to form an aldehyde intermediate and subsequent oxidation to form the benzoic acid. The minor metabolic pathways included N-demethylation and subsequent N-acetylation and oxidation.
The present work demonstrates that oxidative deamination at the benzylic amine of CP-409,092 and subsequent oxidation to form the acid metabolite seem to play an important role in the metabolism of the drug, and they contribute to its oral clearance and low exposure.
Domperidone was evaluated in direct and time-dependent cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inhibition assays in human liver microsomes with midazolam and testosterone as probe substrates.
Domperidone was found to be a modest mechanism-based inhibitor of human and rat CYP3A. For human CYP3A, the inactivation constant (KI) is 12 μM, and the maximum inactivation rate (kinact) is 0.037?min?1.
A rat interaction study was conducted between midazolam and either a single dose or five daily doses of domperidone. Although a single oral dose of 10?mg kg?1 domperidone did not affect the pharmacokinetics of 10?mg kg?1 oral midazolam, five daily oral doses of domperidone almost doubled the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of midazolam, and increased the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of midazolam by 72%.
Based on the simulation and rat in vitro–in vivo extrapolation, it is predicted that co-administration of domperidone in humans could modestly increase (approximately 50%) the exposure of drugs that are primarily cleared by CYP3A.
Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE) causes forestomach hyperplasia and neoplasia in mice when administered chronically by inhalation.
The study was initiated to test the physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model prediction that 2-butoxyacetaldehyde (BAL), a transient, labile intermediate in the oxidation of EGBE to butoxyacetic acid (BAA), is unlikely to achieve concentrations sufficient to cause DNA damage in target tissues.
Male and female B6C3F1 mice were administered a high oral dose of EGBE (600?mg?kg?1), and tissues were collected at 5, 15, 45 and 90?min following the dose. The tissues were processed for determination of EGBE, BAL and BAA by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
BAL was detected at low concentrations in all tissues sampled and at all time points following EGBE administration (about 0.3–33?μM). BAL concentrations were highest in the initial samples (5?min) in all tissues and declined from that point.
BAL concentrations in liver and forestomach tissues corresponded to the peak concentrations predicted by an already published PBPK model, and are higher than BAL concentrations that could be achieved by inhalation exposure to EGBE.
Mouse inhalation exposure to EGBE is therefore unlikely to generate BAL concentrations in tissues sufficient to initiate a carcinogenic response.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of a single, intravenous dose of antofloxacin hydrochloride in healthy Chinese male volunteers.
Twelve subjects were randomly assigned to groups that received a single, intravenous dose of 200, 300, or 400?mg antofloxacin hydrochloride in a three-way crossover design study. The serum and urine concentrations of antofloxacin were then assayed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Major pharmacokinetic parameters and urine excretion were obtained up to 96?h after administration.
All three dosages were well tolerated. No clinically adverse reactions or abnormal laboratory results were detected.
After single-dose intravenous administration, antofloxacin hydrochloride exhibited linear pharmacokinetic characteristics with increasing dosages. The Cmax for groups treated with 200, 300, or 400?mg dosages were 2.05?±?0.38, 3.01?±?0.60, and 3.80?±?0.78?mg l?1, respectively; the areas under the curve from zero to infinity (AUC0–∞) were 25.14?±?2.95, 37.63?±?5.42, and 53.87?±?9.48?mg l?1·h, respectively. The t1/2β was around 20?h; and the urinary excretion was measured as being from 58% to 60% within 96?h.
Based on these results, 300?mg of antofloxacin hydrochloride administered once daily is the dose suggested for further investigation in multiple-dose administration studies.