Regional pharmacokinetics. I. Physiological and physicochemical basis

Systemic pharmacokinetics is the study of the time-course of drug concentrations in 'systemic' blood sampled from either an arterial, central venous or peripheral venous blood vessel. It is generally not suitable for studying the pharmacokinetics of drugs in individual organs of the body, when the blood concentrations of a drug are changing rapidly, or when the physiological or pathophysiological status of a patient is unstable. Regional pharmacokinetics addresses some of these limitations and is based on the study of the factors influencing drug concentrations in specific regions (tissues, organs) of the body due to the movement of drug from blood into and out of the region (drug 'uptake' and 'elution', respectively). It provides a vital link between systemic pharmacokinetics and molecular pharmacology. The physiological basis of regional pharmacokinetics is a function of the interactions of the drug between the cells and proteins in blood, the blood flow supplying a region, the structure of the capillaries of the region and the types of specific and non-specific binding within the region. The physicochemical basis of regional pharmacokinetics is a function of the factors influencing the rate and extent of diffusion of a drug through aqueous and lipid mediums, such as molecular weight, ionization, charge, and lipophilicity.     

R—hap在大鼠体内的组织分布，排泄及药动学研究

测定R-hap在健康Wistar大鼠体内的组织分布，排泄及药动学参数。R-hap采用IODO-GEN标记，测定单次推注给药后^125I-R-hap的组织分布，尿、粪及胆汁的排泄情况。^125I-R-hap药动学参数也是在单次推注给药后测定。R-hap在体内广泛分布，在大部分器官中快速消除。其中肾的含量最高，脂肪的含量最低。累计排泄率为71．81％±2．15％（48小时）及94．71％±1．50％（120小时）。经尿排泄为主要的排泄途径，给药后120小时，尿及粪的累计排泄率分别为80．64％±1．47％，14．07％±0．95％。平均给药时曲线下面积为（8818．4±576．1）Bq／h／mL。R-hap的组织分布，排泄及药动学参数的结果为未来的临床试验设计提供了参考依据。     

家兔静注环丙沙星后血液与眼组织分布及其药代动力学研究

研究家兔静注环丙沙星 (CPL X)后血液与眼组织分布及药代动力学参数。用高效液相色谱法测定血液和眼内各组织中药物浓度。结果给药 30 min后泪液、角膜、房水、虹膜 -睫状体、晶状体和玻璃体组织内峰浓度值 (Cmax)分别为 (8.92± 2 .88)、(14 2 .84± 2 5 .0 2 )、(11.0 6± 2 .80 )、(99.32± 10 .6 0 )、(30 .2 8± 1.91)和(8.10± 1.71) μg/ ml或 μg/ g;其血液和各组织中消除半衰期 (T1 /2β)分别为 (1.2 1± 0 .2 3)、(1.4 8± 0 .97)、(1.6 6± 0 .13)、(2 .0 9± 0 .5 1)、(2 .0 1± 0 .4 4 )、(1.5 2± 0 .92 )和 (1.2 1± 0 .6 6 ) h。表明家兔静注 CPL X后能穿透到眼内各组织中。     

Physiological pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of (+/-)-verapamil in female rats

Tissue distribution and pharmacodynamics of verapamil were evaluated during steady state intravenous (i.v.) infusion and after single dose intraperitoneal (i.p.) drug administration to female Sprague-Dawley rats. In one group of rats, verapamil was infused to a steady state concentration at which time animals were killed. Verapamil-induced decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) were monitored during infusion and correlated with concomitantly obtained plasma verapamil concentrations. Tissue (lung, liver, renal medulla, renal cortex, cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, perirenal fat, brain stem, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum) and plasma samples were obtained immediately after animals were killed and verapamil and norverapamil concentrations determined. Another group of rats, after receiving i.p. verapamil, were killed at 1, 3, 5, 19, and 24 h. Elimination from each tissue evaluated was described by a first order process. Elimination half-life of verapamil was similar among plasma and tissues evaluated (1.5 to 2.2 h). The per cent verapamil not bound to plasma proteins was concentration-independent and similar between rats receiving i.p. (mean +/- S.D.) (2.28 +/- 0.72 per cent) and i.v. (2.08 +/- 0.03 per cent) verapamil. MAP and verapamil concentration in plasma (r = 0.75; p less than 0.01) and cardiac muscle (r = -0.82; p less than 0.01) were inversely correlated in a highly significant fashion during both i.v. and i.p. drug administrations. The tissue-to-plasma distribution ratio for verapamil and norverapamil was similar among animals receiving i.p. verapamil at all points of sampling, suggesting distribution equilibrium had been achieved. After steady state i.v. infusion, both verapamil and norverapamil tissue: plasma concentration ratios were greater than after i.p. administration. Higher tissue: plasma verapamil concentration ratios after i.v. administration than after i.p. administration suggest either only a pseudoequilibrium is attained after i.p. administration or that determinants of tissue distribution of racemic verapamil differ with different routes of drug administration. In these studies, MAP provided a reasonable pharmacodynamic marker for verapamil tissue and plasma concentrations.     

Importance of analytical methods in pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism studies

Pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism studies first request that good analytical data are available. The various methods that permit unchanged drugs and their metabolites to be separated, identified and quantitatively assayed are briefly reviewed. The present importance of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is emphasized, as well as the limits of immunological assays. The sensitivity of the analytical assay has a direct impact on the validity of the pharmacokinetic model which is built up from plasma concentration data. The precision and accuracy of the assay is also critical, and it is not always easily estimated. A new significant parameter is the speed of analysis, and the resulting massive production of analytical data. New drugs coming from biotechnology, and new dosage forms, like targeted drugs, will create new analytical problems in the future. They will probably call for the development of new biological or pharmacological assay procedures, in addition to the physicochemical means of analysis.     

Regional pharmacokinetics. II. Experimental methods

Regional pharmacokinetics is the study of the drug concentrations in specific regions of the body. It allows greater insight into the mechanisms of drug disposition than the study of systemic blood concentrations. Experimental methods in regional pharmacokinetics and their applications and limitations are reviewed. Post-mortem tissue biopsies give the drug concentrations in highly specific regions of the body, but require a large number of animals. Serial tissue biopsies yield the time-course of drug concentrations in individual animals, but have limited applications. Regional blood sampling in vivo requires catheterization of blood vessels and a measure of regional blood flow, but allows repeated measurements of the time-course of regional drug concentrations in an individual. In contrast, artificially perfused regions allow greater control of perfusate flow and composition, but are less representative of the in vivo situation. These factors can be retained in some animals by surgically transplanting organs to another location to increase access. Tissues slices and cell cultures can examine drug uptake in the absence of perfusion, and tissue homogenates can be used to study the in vitro rates of drug metabolism and tissue drug binding.     

Modelling the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of trimazosin

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of trimazosin are described following both intravenous and oral administration to 6 normotensive, male volunteers. The IV and oral drug and metabolite (1-hydroxytrimazosin) concentration data are fitted simultaneously to the same pharmacokinetic model. The pharmacodynamic response, change in systolic blood pressure following 5 min in the erect posture, is described using several possible models. The most efficient is one which attributes the response to both the parent drug and its principal metabolite. The response following oral administration is also consistent with this model. It appears that the reduction in blood pressure following administration of trimazosin at steady state may be governed by the concentration of metabolite.     

Preparation, pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of micelles made of reverse thermo-responsive polymers

New reverse thermo-responsive polymers, poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide) multiblock copolymers (poly(ether-carbonate)s) were synthesized. The micelles made of new reverse thermo-responsive polymers were also prepared loaded with the poorly soluble anticancer drug, hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT). The structure characterization of poly(ether-carbonate)s was determined by ¹H NMR and FT-IR analysis. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), critical micelle temperature (CMT), size distribution and drug release in vitro were determined. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution in vivo for novel copolymer micelles were studied. The experimental results showed that the micelles was spherical in appearance and dispersed well. The process of HCPT release from micelles in vitro was composed of two steps, abrupt release and sustained release. After i.v. administration (2 h), the drug concentration of poly(ether-carbonate) micelles group in liver in mice was 3.46 μg/g, while that of HCPT injection group was 0.401 μg/g. Compared with HCPT injection, the elimination half-life of poly(ether-carbonate) micelles group was prolonged remarkably from 1.3 to 12.5 h. The poly(ether-carbonate) micelles showed a combination of liver targeting and sustained drug release in experiments on animals.     

The pharmacokinetics of methotrexate after intravenous administration of methotrexate-loaded proliposomes to rats

The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of methotrexate (MTX) were investigated after intravenous (i.v.) injection of free MTX (treatment I), MTX-loaded proliposomes (treatment II), and empty proliposomes mixed manually with free MTX (treatment III), 8 mg kg^?1, to rats using an HPLC assay. After i.v. infusion in 1 min, the plasma concentration of MTX (C_p), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC, 639 versus 913 μg min mL^?1), the terminal half-life (t_1/2, 48.8 versus 397 min), the mean residence time (MRT, 8.40 versus 325 min), and the apparent volume of distribution at steady state (V_ss, 98.1 versus 2800 mL kg^?1) were significantly higher; however, the total body clearance (CL, 12.5 versus 8.76 mL min^?1 kg^?1), renal clearance (CL_R, 4.49 versus 2.78 mL min^?1 kg^?1), non-renal clearance (CL_NR, 7.50 versus 5.99 mL min^?1kg^?1), and the amount of MTX excreted in urine (X_u, 808 versus 685 μg, p < 0.0948) were significantly lower from treatment II than from treatment I. This could be due to the fact that some of the MTX-loaded liposomes (formed immediately after hydration of MTX-loaded proliposomes) are entrapped in tissues and the rest are present in the plasma (higher MRT and V_ss from treatment II), and MTX is slowly released from MTX-loaded liposomes (higher t_1/2 from treatment II). In the present HPLC assay, the concentrations of MTX represent the sum of free MTX and MTX loaded in liposomes (higher C_p and AUC, slower CL from treatment II). After i.v. infusion in 1 min, some pharmacokinetic parameters, such as t_1/2, MRT, and V_ss, were significantly different between treatments I and III; however, the differences seemed to be smaller than those between treatments I and II. After 30 min from i.v. infusion, the tissue to plasma (T/P) ratios of MTX in kidney and stomach from treatment II were significantly lower than those from treatment I. This suggested that the i.v. administration of MTX-loaded proliposomes might have fewer side effects in the organs than that of free MTX. The mean amount of MTX loaded in MTX-loaded proliposomes was 2.54 mg/g proliposomes and the MTX was released slowly from hydrated MTX-loaded proliposomes when incubated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), rat plasma, or rat liver homogenate.     

Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics of brucine niosomal gels in rats after topical and oral application

Brucine has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and is the main active compound of the seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica L. To study brucine niosomal gels, a reliable and rapid LC-MS/MS method was established to quantify brucine levels in rats. Tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics of brucine were investigated after topical and oral application of brucine niosomal gels to rats. The plasma concentration versus time profiles suggested that systemic exposure of brucine for oral administration of brucine niosomal gels was higher than that for topical administration, and topical administration showed a relatively sustained release. There was a considerable amount of brucine distributed in the knee joint. These results provided a strong basis for the follow-up study of this preparation.     

Gender differences in pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of 3 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in rats

The aim of this study was to confirm and investigate the gender differences in pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics and tissue distribution of 3 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) consisted of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) in both male and female rats. For this study, a simultaneous determination method of the 3 PFASs in rat plasma and tissues was developed and validated using a UPLC-MS/MS system. The PK parameters after a single oral or intravenous administration of the 3 PFASs in both rats were calculated using WinNonlin^® software. The mean half-life of the 3 PFASs in female and male rats was in the range of 0.15–0.19 and 1.6–1.8 days for PFOA, 23.5–24.8 and 26.4–28.7 days for PFOS, and 0.9–1.7 and 20.7–26.9 days for PFHxS, respectively. The 3 PFASs were highly distributed in the liver and kidney. These results suggest that there are gender differences in the PKs for PFOA and PFHxS in rats, whereas the PFOS represented no significant gender differences except the Kp value of liver. The validated simultaneous determination method of the 3 PFASs was also within the accepted criteria of the international guidance.     

The pharmacokinetics of intramuscular gold sodium thiomalate in normal volunteers

Four normal male volunteers participated in a study designed to examine the disposition of gold given intramuscularly as gold sodium thiomalate. Blood samples were collected for 32 days following the administration of 10 mg of gold sodium thiomalate. Plasma gold concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. A triphasic decay pattern in plasma gold concentrations was observed. Terminal log-linear phases corresponded to a mean disposition half-life of 25 days. Apparent total body clearance of gold was 7.0 +/- 0.6 ml kg-1 day-1 and the apparent volume of distribution was 0.26 +/- 0.051 kg-1. These pharmacokinetic data are in contrast to previous data from other investigators who have reported half-lives of approximately 5 days. Data from the current study provide a sound rationale for the currently used empiric dosing regimens.     

瑞舒伐他汀药代动力学及与其他药物的相互作用研究进展

瑞舒伐他汀是新一代他汀类药物,相对之前的他汀类药物,肝选择性更好;肝代谢少、消除半衰期长,具有更强的降脂作用,临床应用前景广泛;其耐受性良好,不良反应发生率与同类其他药物相似。本文对瑞舒伐他汀的药代动力学及与其他药物相互作用作一综述。以期为指导瑞舒伐他汀的临床用药打下坚实的理论基础,确保临床用药的安全性和有效性,真正实现临床上的个体化给药。     

Dolutegravir does not affect methadone pharmacokinetics in opioid-dependent,HIV-seronegative subjects

Background

Dolutegravir (DTG) is an investigational integrase inhibitor for treatment of HIV infection. As intravenous drug use is a common risk factor for HIV, this study evaluated the effect of DTG on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of methadone.

Methods

This was an open-label, 2-period study in adult, opioid-dependent, HIV-seronegative subjects. Subjects received their current individual methadone doses once daily for 3 days (Period 1) followed by DTG 50 mg twice daily (BID) for 5 days while continuing their stable methadone therapy (Period 2). Serial PK samples for R- and S-methadone were collected after each Period. Pharmacodynamic (PD) measures and safety assessments were obtained throughout the study. Non-compartmental PK analysis was performed, and geometric least-squares mean ratios and 90% confidence intervals were generated.

Results

Plasma exposures of total, R-, and S-methadone were not affected by co-administration of DTG. Mean ratios for AUC were 0.98, 0.95, and 1.01 for total, R-, and S-methadone, respectively, alone compared with in combination with DTG. No statistically significant differences were noted between the 2 treatment periods in methadone PD measures. The combination of DTG and methadone was well tolerated. No deaths, serious adverse events, or grade 3/4 adverse events occurred. No clinically significant changes in laboratory values, vital signs, or electrocardiograms were observed.

Conclusion

Co-administration of methadone with repeat doses of DTG 50 mg BID had no effect on total, R-, and S-methadone PK or on methadone-induced PD markers. No dose adjustment in methadone is required when given in combination with DTG.     

中药甘草的药代动力学以及药物相互作用研究进展

甘草是最古老和最常用的中草药之一,药理作用多样且临床应用广泛,但甘草也会引起不良反应和药物相互作用,了解甘草的化学成分、体内处置以及潜在的药物相互作用,对于它的临床安全、合理使用具有重要意义。本文综述并讨论了近几十年来关于甘草的药代动力学以及药物相互作用研究,促进对甘草的全面认识,保证临床用药安全。     

Physiologically-based modeling of monoclonal antibody pharmacokinetics in drug discovery and development

Over the past few decades, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become one of the most important and fastest growing classes of therapeutic molecules, with applications in a wide variety of disease areas. As such, understanding of the determinants of mAb pharmacokinetic (PK) processes (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) is crucial in developing safe and efficacious therapeutics. In the present review, we discuss the use of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models as an approach to characterize the in vivo behavior of mAbs, in the context of the key PK processes that should be considered in these models. Additionally, we discuss current and potential future applications of PBPK in the drug discovery and development timeline for mAbs, spanning from identification of potential target molecules to prediction of potential drug-drug interactions. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of currently available PBPK models for mAbs that could be implemented in the drug development process.     

Oral dosing in adult zebrafish: Proof-of-concept using pharmacokinetics and pharmacological evaluation of carbamazepine

Background and methodsWe describe a method for obtaining pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacology data from adult zebrafish in terms of mg/kg using a novel method of oral administration. Using carbamazepine (CBZ) as a test drug, we employed dried blood spot (DBS) cards to enable drug quantification for PK; and we evaluated the pharmacological anxiolytic effect using novel tank test.ResultsThe PK study confirmed the presence of CBZ in both blood and brain and the behavioural study showed dose dependent anxiolytic effect. The reproducibility of oral dosing was confirmed by the fact that the results obtained in both the experiments had negligible errors.ConclusionsThis report enables a novel approach for optimizing the utility of zebrafish in drug discovery and drug delivery research.     

A cell-based drug delivery system for lung targeting: I. Preparation and pharmacokinetics

A drug-loaded tumor cell (DLTC) system has been developed for lung metastasis-targeting drug delivery. Doxorubicin was loaded into B16-F10 murine melanoma cells (96 microg/10(6) cells). The loading process led to the death of all the carrier cells. The diameter of DLTC was 15.03+/-2.36 microm (mean +/- SD). The amount and rate of doxorubicin being released from the DLTC mainly depended on the drug loading and carrier cell concentration. Over a 6-month storage in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 4 degrees C, the decrease in intracellular drug concentration and the carrier cell number were less than 25% and 5%, respectively. After a bolus injection of 30 microg doxorubicin in either DLTC form or free solution into the mice tail veins, drug deposit in the lung from DLTC was 3.6-fold of that achieved by free drug solution. The latter resulted in higher drug content in liver and spleen. Extensive trypsinization of DLTC reduced its lung targeting effect by 30%, and the density of surface adhesion molecule GM3 on DLTC surface by 25%. In conclusion, this DLTC system demonstrated a lung-targeting activity that may be partially attributed to its specific surface characteristics.