Perturbation of mitiglinide metabolism by chronic unpredicted mild stress in rats

Effect of chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced depression on clopidogrel pharmacokinetics in rats

Background

Clopidogrel is widely used to prevent and treat cardiovascular atherosclerosis and thrombosis. However, disturbance in the expression and activity of liver cytochrome metabolic enzymes significantly changes clopidogrel efficacy. Therefore, the effect of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression on the expression of liver cytochrome metabolic enzymes and clopidogrel pharmacokinetics in rats were explored.

Methods

Nine different CUMSs were selected to establish a rat model of depression. Open field experiment and sucrose preference test were applied to explore the depressive behaviors. The concentration of serotonin in the cortex of depressed rats was determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All rats were given 10 mg/kg clopidogrel orally after 12 weeks, and blood samples were collected at different time points. The clopidogrel concentration and CYP2C19/ CYP2C9 activity in rat liver microsomes were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The rat liver drug enzymes expression was determined by Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-qPCR).

Results

Open field experiment and sucrose preference test indicated the successful construction of the CUMS-induced depression model. The concentration of serotonin in the cortex of depressed rats decreased by 42.56% (^∗∗ p < 0.01). The area under the curve of clopidogrel pharmacokinetics decreased by 33.13% (^∗ p < 0.05) in the depression rats, while distribution volume and clearance increased significantly (^∗∗ p < 0.01). The half-time and distribution volume did not significantly differ. The CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 activity of liver microsomes in the CUMS-induced depression group were significantly higher than that in the control group (^∗∗ p < 0.01). CYP2C11 and CYP1A2 mRNA expression up-regulated approximately 1.3 - fold in the depressed rat livers compared with that in the control, whereas that of CYP2C13 was down-regulated by 27.43% (^∗∗ p < 0.01). CYP3A1 and CYP2C12 expression were slightly up-regulated, and that of CES1 did not change.

Conclusions

These results indicated that CUMS-induced depression altered clopidogrel pharmacokinetics, and the change in CYP450 activity and expression in depressed rat livers might contribute to the disturbance of clopidogrel pharmacokinetics.

Sex differences in peripheral monoamine transmitter and related hormone levels in chronic stress mice with a depression-like phenotype

Backgrounds

Chronic stress could induce depression-like phenotype in animal models. Previous data showed that sex differences exist after chronic stress model establishment, however, the detailed information about the difference of blood biochemical indexes is not clear. In this study, we aim to supply comparison of monoamine transmitters and related hormone markers in serum between male and female depressed mice, and in order to better understand the sex difference in transmitters and hormone levels in depression occurrence and development.

Methods

Sixty C57BL/6 mice (both male and female) were divided into two groups by gender. Same gender mice were then divided randomly into the non-treated control group and chronic stress group which was exposed to 8 weeks of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Depression-like behavior was assessed with open-field test and sucrose preference test. Blood sample was collected and monoamine transmitter and related hormone in serum were measured by ELISA.

Results

The depression-like phenotype mice model was established successfully after 8 weeks of chronic stress. The locomotion activity scores in male stressed mice declined more than that in female stressed mice, while the exploratory behavior scores in female stressed mice declined more than that in male stressed mice. Compared to non-treated control group mice, mice in the chronic stress group in response to stress showed greater declines in monoamine transmitters (5-HT, dopamine, norepinephrine) and sex hormones (androgen, estrogen, oxytocin and prolactin), while stress hormones (adrenaline, corticosterone and ACTH) were significantly increased. The decrease of norepinephrine, androgen and estrogen in female stressed mice was greater than in male stressed mice, whereas the 5-HT and oxytocin in male stressed mice decreased more than in female stressed mice, and the corticosterone in male stressed mice increased more than in female stressed mice.

Conclusion

Sex differences of monoamine transmitter and related hormone levels in serum occurred in chronic stress induced depression-like phenotype mice model. It may provide a useful reference to guide precise antidepressant treatment in different gender population in clinical care.

Chronic Stress Disturbs Metabolome of Blood Plasma and Urine in Diabetic Rats

About 30% of diabetes patients suffer from varying degrees of depression. Diabetes itself is associated with abnormal carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Whether chronic stress-induced depression-like behavior impacts the metabolome of blood plasma and urine in diabetes is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic stress on metabolome of plasma and urine in spontaneously diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. The GK rats were subjected to 8 weeks' chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to induce depression-like behavior. Metabolome analysis of blood plasma and urine using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was performed. Multivariate data analysis was used to evaluate the data. Behavior and biochemical assay confirmed the successful establishment of CUMS-induced depression-like behavior model in rats. Disturbance of 20 plasma metabolites and 16 urine metabolites were altered in CUMS-induced depression GK rats as compared to control ones. These disturbed metabolites were involved in fatty acid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, citrate cycle, glycolysis, glutathione metabolism, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. This study suggest that chronic stress-induced depression-like behavior may further disturb diabetes-itself energy metabolome. The plasma and urine lipid metabolites monitoring may be useful for early detection of depression in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Impact of chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced depression on repaglinide fate via glucocorticoid signaling pathway

Chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression could alter the pharmacokinetics of many drugs in rats, however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In this work we studied the pharmacokinetics of repaglinide, and explored the role of glucocorticoid and adrenergic signaling pathway in regulating drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) in GK rats and BRL 3A cells. The plasma cortisol and epinephrine levels were increased, meanwhile the pharmacokinetics of repaglinide were altered significantly in depression model rats. Forty-nine genes in liver of model rats displayed significant difference comparing to control rats. The differentially expressed genes enriched in the drug metabolism and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway significantly, and Nr1i3 matched 335 connectivity genes. CAR and Ugt1a1 protein expression were enhanced significantly in liver of model rats. The mRNA expression of Ugt1a1 and Nr1i2 were increased 2 and 4 times respectively with dexamethasone (DEX) and 8-Br-cAMP co-treatment in BRL 3A cells. The protein expression of PXR was up-regulated, too. However, RU486 reversed the up-regulated effect. The adrenergic receptor agonists had little impact on the DMEs in BRL 3A. Our data suggested that CUMS-induced depression might up-regulate DMEs expression via glucocorticoid signaling pathway, and accelerate the fate of the repaglinide in spontaneous diabetes rats.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling of oral mitiglinide on glucose lowering in healthy Chinese volunteers

Background

Mitiglinide is a widely used agent for diabetic treatment. We established a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model to illustrate the relationship between mitiglinide plasma concentration and its glucose lowering effects in healthy volunteers.

Methods

The volunteers participated in the test after the administration of a single dose of 10 mg mitiglinide. The drug concentration in Plasma and the values of glucose levels were determined by LC-MS/MS assay and hexokinase method. A PK-PD model was established with a series of equations to describe the relationship between plasma medicine and glucose, and the equations were solved numerically and fitted to the data with the Phoenix NLME software.

Results

The results of the two-compartment model analysis were based on the maximum likelihood criterion and visual inspection of the fittings. The terminal elimination half-life (t_1/2) was 1.69 ± 0.16 h and the CL/F was 7.80 ± 1.84 L/h. The plasma glucose levels began to decline by 0.2 h, and hit its bottom decreasing values of 2.6 mg/L at 0.5 h after administration. The calculated parameter and fitting curve indicated that the model established in our experiment fitted well.

Conclusions

A PK/PD model illustrates that the relationship between mitiglinide concentration in plasma and glucose lowering effect in healthy volunteers was established. The results of our experiment suggested that the model can be used reasonably to predict the relationship between PK and PD in mitiglinide, which could be used in diabetes mellitus dosage control in clinical trials and other fields.

Chronic unpredicted mild stress-induced depression alter saxagliptin pharmacokinetics and CYP450 activity in GK rats

Background. This study was to explore the pharmacokinetics of saxagliptin (Sax) in Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats complicated with depression induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS). The comorbidity of diabetic patients with depression is becoming more and more epidemic. Whether depression mental disorder alters the pharmacokinetics of hypoglycemic drugs in diabetes patients is not clear.

Methods. Five-week-old male GK rats were kept in the cage for 7 weeks in a specific pathogen free (SPF)-grade lab until the emergence of diabetes and were then divided into two groups: control group and depression model group. Rats in the CUMS-induced depression group were exposed to a series of stressors for 8 weeks. Plasma serotonin and dopamine levels and behavior of open-field test were used to confirm the establishment of the depression model. All rats were given 0.5 mg/kg Sax orally after 8 weeks and blood samples were collected at different time points. The Sax concentration was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The CYP450 activity of the liver microsomes was determined by using cocktails of probe drugs in which the activities of CYP enzymes were assessed through the determination of the production of the probe drugs.

Results. Statistically significant differences in Sax pharmacokinetics were observed for area under curve, clearance, peak concentration, peak time and mean residence time between the depression rats and the control rats, while no statistical differences were observed for half-time and distribution volume by HPLC-MS/MS analysis. The CYP450 activity had different changes in the depression group.

Conclusions. These results indicated that CUMS-induced depression alters the drug metabolic process of Sax and CYP450 activity of the liver microsomal enzymes in GK rats.