Intestinal release of mucin in response to HCl and taurocholate: effect of indomethacin

Evaluation of mucosal damage of surfactants in rat jejunum and colon

Surfactants are one of the most frequently used adjuvants in oral pharmaceutical preparations, used primarily as solubilizers, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and wetting agents. However, surfactants can disrupt normal membrane structure. In this study, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and mucus were evaluated as potential markers of intestinal damage in a single-pass in situ perfusion model in the rat. The release of LDH and mucus into the intestinal lumen of the rat following perfusion of the nonionic surfactants Tween 80 and Triton X-100 was determined. The release rate of LDH increased in the order saline < Tween 80 < Triton X-100 in both jejunum and colon. LDH release rate was approximately three times lower in the colon than in the jejunum, but relative effects of nonionic surfactants were comparable between regions. In addition, the rate of LDH release in the jejunum increased with decreasing perfusion rates for both saline and Tween groups and with increasing Tween 80 concentrations. At each flow rate studied, mucus release rate was greater in the presence of Tween 80 and Triton X-100 than saline, but there was no significant difference between the effect of Tween 80 and Triton X-100 on mucus release rate. When perfusion of Triton X-100 was followed by saline, rates of both mucus and LDH release returned to baseline values, suggesting damage is reversible. Histological damage agreed with trends observed in LDH and mucus release rates. This model allows for early evaluation of intestinal damage due to both excipients and active ingredients and simultaneous measurement of drug absorption.

Mechanism of ebrotidine protection against gastric mucosal injury induced by ethanol

1. The gastroprotective properties of a new H2-receptor antagonist, ebrotidine, against ethanol-induced mucosal injury was investigated. 2. Groups of rats, with and without indomethacin pretreatment, received intragastrically either a dose of ebrotidine or vehicle only, followed by ethanol given at various intervals up to 4 hr. The gastric mucosa, 30 min after the ethanol challenge, was then subjected to macroscopic and histologic examination, and physicochemical measurements. 3. Ebrotidine at doses of 50 mg and higher per kg body wt effectively prevented the alcohol-induced mucosal injury, even in the presence of indomethacin. The protective effect was demonstrable already at 30 min, reached maximum at 1 hr, and persisted up to 3 hr. 4. Physicochemical analyses established that ebrotidine elicited 30% increase in mucus gel dimension, caused 19-20% increase in glycolipids and phospholipids, and evoked 21% increase in sulfomucin and 18% in sialomucins. As a consequence, the mucus gel viscosity increased by 1.4-fold, H+ retardation capacity by 16%, and hydrophobicity by 65%. 5. The results demonstrate that ebrotidine is a unique H2-antagonist endowed with a remarkable mucosal strengthening capability.

Intestinal absorption of drugs. III. The influence of taurocholate on the disappearance kinetics of hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs from the small intestine of the rat

The influence of sodium taurocholate (TC) on the intestinal absorption of drugs was studied in vivo in a chronically isolated internal loop in the rat. The hydrophilic drugs paracetamol (PA) and theophylline (TP) and the lipophilic drugs griseofulvin (GF) and ketoconazole (KE) were used as model drugs. The drug concentrations were kept below the saturation concentration. Absorption kinetics of the drugs were evaluated on the basis of disappearance rates of the drug from luminal solutions in the intestinal loop. Concentrations of TC above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) did not affect the absorption rate of the hydrophilic drugs PA and TP; the barrier function of the intestinal wall for PA and TP was not altered in the presence of taurocholate. The addition of concentrations of TC above the CMC in the perfusion solution resulted in a reduction of the absorption rate of GF and KE. The reduction in the absorption kinetics of GF in the presence of TC correlated well with the reduction of the drug-free fraction in solution due to micellar solubilization. For KE this relation was less clear. It was not possible to determine, on the basis of the phase-separation model, to what extent the fraction of the drug incorporated in TC micelles contributes to the overall diffusion of GF and KE across the preepithelial diffusion barrier. It was concluded that TC exhibits only a minor, if not negligible, effect on the barrier function of the aqueous diffusion barrier adjacent to the intestinal wall.

Intestinal absorption of drugs. I: The influence of taurocholate on the absorption of dantrolene in the small intestine of the rat

The influence of sodium taurocholate (1) on the intestinal absorption of the lipophilic drug dantrolene (2) was studied in vivo in a chronically isolated internal loop in the rat. Concentrations of 2 were kept below the saturation concentration in saline. Absorption kinetics of 2 were evaluated on the basis of steady-state blood levels, which develop during single-pass perfusions, and on the basis of the rate of disappearance of the drug from the perfusate during recirculating perfusions. Compound 1 at a concentration of 10 mM in the perfusate induced a twofold reduction of the absorption rate compared with the same concentration of 2 in saline. Pretreatment of the absorptive surface with a 10 mM solution of 1 had no detectable effect on the absorption rate of 2 in saline. After perfusions with 10 mM solutions of 1, the perfusate concentration of proteins, phosphorus, and hexoses in the effluent was increased. The reduction of the absorption rate can be ascribed mainly to a reduction of the thermodynamically active concentration of 2 as calculated from the phase-separation model. In addition, 10 mM 1 seems to temporarily increase the barrier function of the mucous layer.