Assessment of in vitro and in vivo recovery of gallamine using microdialysis

Blood-Placental Barrier Transfers and Pharmacokinetics of Unbound Morphine in Pregnant Rats with Multiple Microdialysis Systems

Microdialysis coupled to an analytical system can be used to continuously monitor unbound protein analytes in any biological fluid, tissue, or organ of animals. To date, no application of microdialysis has been performed to simultaneously monitor unbound morphine and its metabolites in the placenta and fetus of pregnant rats. Our hypothesis is that morphine and its metabolite penetrate the blood-placental barrier to reach the fetus during pregnancy. To investigate this hypothesis, this study aimed to develop a microdialysis experimental animal model coupled with an analytical system to monitor morphine and morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) in the maternal blood, placenta, fetus, and amniotic fluid of pregnant rats. To determine the analytes in dialysates, a validated ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed. The pharmacokinetic results indicated that morphine fit well to a two-compartment model and exhibited nonlinear pharmacokinetic behavior within the dosage regimen. The M3G-to-morphine metabolite ratio, determined by the area under the concentration curve (AUC) ratio (AUC_M3G/AUC_morphine), was approximately 5.40 in the maternal blood. In terms of tissue distribution, the mother-to-fetus transfer ratio (AUC_fetus/AUC_blood) of morphine and M3G was about 0.34 and 0.18, respectively. In conclusion, the high metabolite ratio suggests that morphine has the characteristics of rapid biotransformation, and the mother-to-fetus transfer ratio indicates that morphine and M3G partially transfer the blood-placental barrier in pregnant rats. This newly developed multiple microdialysis coupled to UHPLC-MS/MS system can be applied to the studies of maternal pharmacokinetics and blood-placental transfer in pregnant rats.

Percutaneous Microdialysis and Pharmacokinetic Study of Tongluo-Qutong Rubber Plaster in Rats by UPLC-MS/MS

Tongluo-Qutong rubber plaster (TQRP) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription for the treatment of osteoarthritis and cervical spondylosis. Due to a lack of in vivo permeation data, the active ingredients of TQRP have not been fully elucidated, presenting a huge obstacle to quality evaluation, pharmacokinetic studies, and safety assessment of TQRP for clinical application. In this study, a selective and reproducible ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for percutaneous microdialysis and pharmacokinetic experiments. In the percutaneous microdialysis study, the mean area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0-24h) of emodin (EMO) and piperine (PIP) were 127.1 and 2603.6 h·ng/mL, respectively. In the pharmacokinetic study, ferulic acid (FA), EMO, and PIP were determined in plasma samples. The mean AUC0-32h values of FA, EMO, and PIP in plasma were 15441.5, 202.0, and 1704.5 h·ng/mL, respectively. The in vivo exposure levels of active ingredients such as FA, EMO, and PIP after dermal administration of TQRP provide insights and data to support identification of its bioactive components and further study of its mechanism of action.

Comparative pharmacokinetics of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate in rat plasma and extracellular fluid of brain after intranasal, intragastric and intravenous administration

The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of tetramethylpyrazine phosphate (TMPP) in plasma and extracellular fluid of the cerebral cortex of rats via three delivery routes: intranasal (i.n.), intragastric (i.g.) and intravenous (i.v.) administration. After i.n., i.g. and i.v. administration of a single-dose at 10 mg/kg, cerebral cortex dialysates and plasma samples drawn from the carotid artery were collected at timed intervals. The concentration of TMPP in the samples was analyzed by HPLC. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and the ratio of the AUCbrain to the AUCplasma (drug targeting efficiency, DTE) was calculated to evaluate the brain targeting efficiency of the drug via these different routes of administration. After i.n. administration, TMPP was rapidly absorbed to reach its peak plasma concentration within 5 min and showed a delayed uptake into cerebral cortex (t max=15 min). The ratio of the AUCbrain dialysates value between i.n. route and i.v. injection was 0.68, which was greater than that obtained after i.g. administration (0.43). The systemic bioavailability obtained with i.n. administration was greater than that obtained by the i.g. route (86.33% vs. 50.39%), whereas the DTE of the nasal route was 78.89%, close to that of oral administration (85.69%). These results indicate that TMPP is rapidly absorbed from the nasal mucosa into the systemic circulation, and then crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to reach the cerebral cortex. Intranasal administration of TMPP could be a promising alternative to intravenous and oral approaches.

The percutaneous permeability and absorption of dexamethasone esters in diabetic rats: a preliminary study

To evaluate the influence of diabetes on the permeation of dexamethasone acetate (DA) and dexamethansone sodium phosphate (DSP), the two major dexamethansone esters in clinical practice, when applied percutaneously, histochemical staining was used to determine the skin morphology; improved Franz diffusion cells and microdialysis were used to assess the percutaneous permeation of DA and DSP in normal and diabetic rats. Histopathological examination showed that the epidermal tissue of diabetic rat was much thinner, the epidermal cell layer was less clear and the stratified arrangement of epidemic cell had almost disappeared and progressive atrophy were developed on the subcutaneous fat. In vitro studies showed that the cumulative and the penetrated DSP amount in Group DM were higher. The mean flux value and the mean depositional amount of Group DM were increased significantly compared to those of Group CTL, whereas the amount of DA penetrating was of no difference. Microdialysis indicated that there was no significant difference between Group CTL and Group DM for all the pharmacokinetic parameters of DA. In contrast, the subcutaneous AUCall values and the C(max) of DSP were significantly increased compared to the control. In conclusion, diabetic rat skin significantly increased the percutaneous permeation of DSP but had no effect on that of DA. It suggests that patients with diabetes should consider the dose of administration when using DA, DSP or other glucocorticoids topically, as different liposolubilities may play some role in the permeability of these compounds via diabetic skin.

Time Delay of Microdialysis in vitro

Background:

Microdialysis is a specific and local sampling method to collect free molecules from the extracellular fluid, however, there are no reports on time delay issues of microdialysis applications.

Aims:

This study was to check the time gap between the start of target molecule changes in detected fluid and corresponding stable concentration formation in the sampled dialysate.

Materials and Methods:

A designated microdialysis system for free calcium ion was set up in vitro and perfused with saline. The dialysate was diluted synchronously, and collected in a vial every 10 min. The free calcium concentration [Ca++] of the sample was measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. A signal-switching method was introduced to mimic the target molecule [Ca++] changes in the detected fluid, standard calcium solution and saline.

Results:

There was a notable lag in dialysates [Ca++] for both uprising and down going course in spite of instant switching between the detected fluids. The recovery time (RT) of the microdialysis system was extrapolated to be 20 min for [Ca++] detection.

Conclusions:

With 10 min sampling interval, [Ca++] time delay of the microdialysis system existed, and could not be estimated precisely beforehand. The signal-switching method was applicable for RT calibration in vitro with a dedicated microdialysis system.

Preparation and evaluation of lyophilized liposome-encapsulated bufadienolides

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to prepare bufadienolides-loaded liposome (BU-lipo).

METHODS

The BU-lipo was prepared by a thin-film hydration method involving sonication and lyophilization procedures. The lyophilized BU-lipo was characterized with regard to the appearance and particle size by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photon correlation spectroscopy. The entrapment efficiency (EE) of BU-lipo was evaluated by the microdialysis technique.

RESULTS

In the optimal formulation, Lipoid E-80 and the mass ratio of cholesterol to lipid were fixed at 1.25% and 0.05. The media diameters of BU-lipo before and after lyophilization were about 100 nm, and the EEs of bufalin (B), cinobufagin (C), and resibufogenin (R) were 86.5%, 90.0%, and 92.1%, respectively. In the EE study, the probe recoveries of B, C, and R were 21.53 +/- 1.14%, 19.49 +/- 1.34%, and 20.19 +/- 1.25%, respectively, at a flow rate of 4 microL/min by the gain method. The EE of BU-lipo evaluated by microdialysis and ultrafiltration were equivalent.

CONCLUSION

The lyophilized BU-lipo contained trehalose (10%) was stable up to 6 months in a desiccator under 2 degrees C-8 degrees C. The microdialysis technique has a wide application perspective in the investigation of the free-drug concentration of microcarrier systems.

Pharmacokinetic Study of Ketoprofen Isopropyl Ester-Loaded Lipid Microspheres in Rat Blood Using Microdialysis

A blood microdialysis technique coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was used to investigate the pharmacokinetics of unbound ketoprofen in rats after intravenous administration of a lipid-soluble ketoprofen derivate, ketoprofen isopropyl ester (KPI), loaded into lipid microspheres (LM) and ketoprofen solution. A microdialysis probe was inserted into the jugular vein of male Wistar rats. KPI-loaded LM or ketoprofen solution (24 mg/kg, i.v.) was then administrated via a femoral vein. Dialysate samples were analyzed using HPLC. The in vitro and in vivo recovery rate of the microdialysis probe was 30.42+/-0.74% (n=3) and 40.27+/-2.74% (n=3), respectively. The pharmacokinetic parameters for ketoprofen after intravenous administration of KPI-loaded LM and ketoprofen solution exhibited no statistically significant differences. The results of this pharmacokinetic study indicate that the microdialysis technique can be widely applicable to investigations of in vivo free-drug of microcarrier systems.

An assessment of calibration and performance of the microdialysis system

To improve the reliability of microdialysis measurements of tissue concentrations of metabolic substances, this study was designed to test both the performance and the internal validity of the microdialysis methods in the hands of our research group. The stability of the CMA 600 analyser was tested with a known glucose solution in 72 standard microvials and in 48 plastic vials. To evaluate if variation in sampling time makes any difference in sample concentration (recovery), sampling times of 10, 20 and 30 min were compared in vitro with a constant flow rate of 1 microl/min. For testing of sampling times at different flow rates, an in vitro study was performed in which a constant sample volume of 10 microl was obtained. With the no net flux method, the actual concentration of glucose and urea in subcutaneous tissue was measured. The CMA 600 glucose analysis function was accurate and stable with a coefficient of variability (CV) of 0.2-0.55%. There was no difference in recovery for the CMA 60 catheter for glucose when sampling times were varied. Higher flow rates resulted in decreased recovery. Subcutaneous tissue concentrations of glucose and urea were 4.4 mmol/l and 4.1 mmol/l, respectively. To conclude, this work describes an internal validation of our use of the microdialysis system by calibration of vials and catheters. Internal validation is necessary in order to be certain of adequate sampling times, flow rates and sampling volumes. With this in mind, the microdialysis technique is useful and appropriate for in vivo studies on tissue metabolism.

In vitro microdialysis sampling of docetaxel

Microdialysis is a technique that allows sampling compounds from the extracellular fluid in different tissues, such as muscle, lung, and brain. However, the feasibility of using this technique with lipopohilic and high molecular weight compounds has been questioned, since these compounds are less likely to diffuse through the dialysis membrane. Therefore, it was the objective of this study to investigate the feasibility of doing microdialysis of docetaxel by determining its recovery by the microdialysis probe. Three different methods were investigated: extraction efficiency, retrodialysis, and no-net-flux. For the first two methods, three different concentrations were tested: 2.5, 5, and 9 mg/l. The recovery obtained for each concentration was 49.3 +/- 6.7 (n = 4), 44.6 +/- 5.4 (n = 3), and 34.7 +/- 2.1 (n = 4) by extraction efficiency, and 53.4 +/- 7.9 (n = 3), 61.4 +/- 7.6 (n = 3), and 64.2 +/- 1.9 (n = 3) by retrodialysis, respectively. The average recovery obtained by no-net-flux was 68.7 +/- 9.6 (n = 5). Although it has been reported that microdialysis cannot be applied to lipophilic compounds, the results here show the opposite. The high recoveries obtained for docetaxel in all methods applied show that the compound can diffuse through the probe membrane. Overall, docetaxel seems to be very suitable for microdialysis despite its lipophilicity and high molecular weight.

Assaying protein unbound drugs using microdialysis techniques

Compared with traditional sampling methods, microdialysis is a technique for protein unbound drug sampling without withdrawal of biological fluids and involving minimal disturbance of physiological function. Conventional total drug sample consists of unbound drugs and protein bound drugs, which are loosely bound to plasma proteins such as albumin and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, forming an equilibrium ratio between bound and unbound drugs. However, only the unbound fraction of drug is available for absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination, and delivery to the target sites for pharmacodynamic actions. Although several techniques have been used to determine protein unbound drugs from biological fluids, including ultrafiltration, equilibrium dialysis and microdialysis, only microdialysis allows simultaneous sampling of protein unbound chemicals from plasma, tissues and body fluids such as the bile juice and cerebral spinal fluid for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. This review article describes the technique of microdialysis and its application in pharmacokinetic studies. Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of microdialysis are discussed, including the detailed surgical techniques in animal experiments from rat blood, brain, liver, bile duct and in vitro cell culture for unbound drug analysis.

Muscle distribution of the neuromuscular blocker gallamine using microdialysis

Measurement of drug concentrations in target tissue has the potential to provide insight into the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a drug. In this study, the distribution of the neuromuscular blocker, gallamine, into muscle tissue was investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats after an intravenous bolus dose (6 mg/kg). Microdialysis sampling was used to continuously determine gallamine concentrations in muscle interstitial fluid (MIF). In vivo microdialysis recovery of gallamine was determined as the relative loss of gallamine from the perfusate into muscle tissue after perfusion with gallamine (2 microg/mL). Recovery was determined in each rat before the pharmacokinetic studies. Terminal muscle sampling followed by homogenization was also performed to examine gallamine distribution within muscle tissue. All samples were assayed for gallamine using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography assay. Gallamine was rapidly distributed into MIF with a MIF-plasma partition coefficient of 0.9 +/- 0.1 (n = 6). By contrast, the estimated gallamine concentration in muscle tissue homogenate was only 23 +/- 5% (n = 5) of the concentration in MIF as estimated by microdialysis sampling at the terminal sampling time. These findings suggest that gallamine is not distributed uniformly within muscle but selectively distributes into MIF. Simulations using a hybrid physiologically based pharmacokinetic model which describes uptake of drug only into the interstitial space showed good agreement between predicted and observed concentration data obtained from microdialysis sampling, supporting the findings that gallamine selectively distributes into MIF. These studies demonstrate microdialysis combined with conventional terminal tissue sampling provides valuable information on intra-tissue drug distribution.