Comparative Study of Flux of FITC-labeled Dextran 4000 on Normal (iso)- and Hyper-osmolarity in Basal Side in Caco-2 Cell Monolayers

Novel method of measurement of in vitro drug uptake in OATP1B3 overexpressing cells in the presence of dextran

BACKGROUND

In predictions about hepatic clearance (CLH), a number of studies explored the role of albumin and transporters in drug uptake by liver cells, challenging the traditional free-drug theory. It was proposed that liver uptake can occur for transporter substrate compounds not only from the drug's unbound form but also directly from the drug-albumin complex, a phenomenon known as uptake facilitated by albumin. In contrast to albumin, dextran does not exhibit binding properties for compounds. However, as a result of its inherent capacity for stabilization, it is widely used to mimic conditions within cells.

METHODS

The uptake of eight known substrates of the organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3 (OATP1B3) was assessed using a human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293), which stably overexpresses this transporter. An inert polymer, dextran, was used to simulate cellular conditions, and the results were compared with experiments involving human plasma and human serum albumin (HSA).

RESULTS

This study is the first to demonstrate that dextran increases compound uptake in cells with overexpression of the OATP1B3 transporter. Contrary to the common theory that highly protein-bound ligands interact with hepatocytes to increase drug uptake, the results indicate that dextran's interaction with test compounds does not significantly increase concentrations near the cell membrane surface.

CONCLUSIONS

We evaluated the effect of dextran on the uptake of known substrates using OATP1B3 overexpressed in the HEK293 cell line, and we suggest that its impact on drug concentrations in liver cells may differ from the traditional role of plasma proteins and albumin.

Integrating Continuous Transepithelial Flux Measurements into an Ussing Chamber Set-Up

Fluorescently labelled compounds are often employed to study the paracellular properties of epithelia. For flux measurements, these compounds are added to the donor compartment and samples collected from the acceptor compartment at regular intervals. However, this method fails to detect rapid changes in permeability. For continuous transepithelial flux measurements in an Ussing chamber setting, a device was developed, consisting of a flow-through chamber with an attached LED, optical filter, and photodiode, all encased in a light-impermeable container. The photodiode output was amplified and recorded. Calibration with defined fluorescein concentration (range of 1 nM to 150 nM) resulted in a linear output. As proof of principle, flux measurements were performed on various cell lines. The results confirmed a linear dependence of the flux on the fluorescein concentration in the donor compartment. Flux depended on paracellular barrier function (expression of specific tight junction proteins, and EGTA application to induce barrier loss), whereas activation of transcellular chloride secretion had no effect on fluorescein flux. Manipulation of the lateral space by osmotic changes in the perfusion solution also affected transepithelial fluorescein flux. In summary, this device allows a continuous recording of transepithelial flux of fluorescent compounds in parallel with the electrical parameters recorded by the Ussing chamber.

Changes in the Expression of Aquaporin-3 in the Gastrointestinal Tract Affect Drug Absorption

Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) plays an important role in water transport in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study, we conducted a Caco-2 cell permeability assay to examine how changes in the expression and function of AQP3 affect the rate at which a drug is absorbed via passive transport in the GI tract. When the function of AQP3 was inhibited by mercuric chloride or phloretin, there was no change in warfarin permeability. In contrast, when the expression of AQP3 protein was decreased by prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) treatment, warfarin permeability increased to approximately twice the control level, and membrane fluidity increased by 15%. In addition, warfarin permeability increased to an extent comparable to that after PGE₂ treatment when cell membrane fluidity was increased by 10% via boric acid/EDTA treatment. These findings suggest the possibility that the increased drug absorption under decreased AQP3 expression was attributable to increased membrane fluidity. The results of this study demonstrate that the rate of water transport has little effect on drug absorption. However, our findings also indicate that although AQP3 and other similar transmembrane proteins do not themselves transport drugs, changes in their expression levels can cause changes in cell membrane fluidity, thus affecting drug absorption rates.

Using Human Plasma as an Assay Medium in Caco-2 Studies Improves Mass Balance for Lipophilic Compounds

PURPOSE

To examine the utility of human plasma as an assay medium in Caco-2 permeability studies to overcome poor mass balance and inadequate sink conditions frequently encountered with lipophilic compounds.

METHODS

Caco-2 permeability was assessed for reference compounds with known transport mechanisms using either pH 7.4 buffer or human plasma as the assay medium in both the apical and basolateral chambers. When using plasma, P_app values were corrected for the unbound fraction in the donor chamber. The utility of the approach was assessed by measuring the permeability of selected antimalarial compounds using the two assay media.

RESULTS

Caco-2 cell monolayer integrity and P-gp transporter function were unaffected by the presence of human plasma in the donor and acceptor chambers. For many of the reference compounds having good mass balance with buffer as the medium, higher P_app values were observed with plasma, likely due to improved acceptor sink conditions. The lipophilic antimalarial compounds exhibited low mass balance with buffer, however the use of plasma markedly improved mass balance allowing the determination of more reliable P_app values.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the utility of human plasma as an alternate Caco-2 assay medium to improve mass balance and permeability measurements for lipophilic compounds.

Chitosan-N-acetyl cysteine conjugates: in vitro evaluation of permeation enhancing and P-glycoprotein inhibiting properties

This study evaluated three chitosan-N-acetyl cysteine (CAC) conjugates of increasing molecular mass as a valuable tool to improve the absorption of drugs by assessing its permeation enhancing effect regarding the active P-gp substrate rhodamine-123 in comparison to the trans- and paracellular marker FD 4 both in rat intestine and Caco 2 monolayers. Additional LDH and MTT cytotoxicity tests have attested a non-toxic profile to CAC, which can consequently be seen as a safe and promising novel drug carrier with the ability to enhance drug absorption and to inhibit P-gp efflux transporters.

Effects of lipopolysaccharide on intestinal P-glycoprotein expression and activity

It is well known that pharmacokinetics is often altered by changing the expression and activity of P-glycoprotein during sepsis. However, there have been few reports about expression and activity of P-glycoprotein in the small intestine during sepsis. We examined the levels of intestinal P-glycoprotein expression and activity using a rat sepsis model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, from Escherichia coli). LPS was administered to male Wistar/ST rats intraperitonealy (i.p.) at 5 mg/kg. The small intestine was excised before and 1, 3 and 7 days after LPS administration, and the intestinal P-glycoprotein expression was determined using Western blot analysis. The activity of P-glycoprotein was evaluated by measuring the efflux of rhodamine-123 (Rho123) in rats using an in situ single perfusion method. The changes of permeability via the paracellular route were evaluated by measuring the amount of fluorescein isothicyanate-dextran 4400 (FD-4) in a similar way. On Day 1 after LPS administration, both the level of P-glycoprotein expression and the total amount of Rho123 excreted into the intestinal lumen decreased significantly, but levels of both AUC2-95 and CLtot were not significantly different as compared with the control group. On Day 3, the total P-glycoprotein, including intestinal P-glycoprotein, might have been induced by sepsis, and then the excretion of P-glycoprotein substrate drugs into the intestinal lumen increased more than that of the control group. On Day 7, all pharmacokinetic parameters returned to the control level. Thus the intestinal P-glycoprotein function recovered within 3 days of LPS administration.

Mechanistic Analysis for Drug Permeation Through Intestinal Membrane

For drug absorption, intestinal drug permeability's through both the paracellular and transcellular routes were analyzed. Absorption enhancers, such as sodium caprate (C10), decanoylcarnitine (DC) and tartaric acid (TA), increased the paracellular permeability of water-soluble, low lipophilic and poorly absorbable drugs by enlargement of tight junction (TJ) adhering to the intercellular portion; that is, expansion of the paracellular routes. C10 increased the intracellular calcium level to induce contraction of calmodulin-dependent actin filaments. Although DC also increased the intracellular calcium level, the action was independent of calmodulin, and thus the action mechanism of DC was considered to differ from that of C10. DC and TA decreased the intracellular ATP level and the intracellular pH, suggesting that intracellular acidosis increases the calcium level through decrease in ATP level followed by opening TJ. TA had no effect on Western blot analysis, but TA significantly inhibited excretion of rhodamine 123, one of the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates, from the serosal to mucosal side, suggesting that TA increases the intestinal absorption of P-gp substrates, possibly by inhibiting the P-gp function without changing the expression of P-gp. During ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury during small intestine grafting, TJ opening and decrease in P-gp function simultaneously occurred. The in vitro model of I/R showed that lipid peroxidation is a trigger of the injury, and superoxide and iron ion participate in TJ opening and decrease in P-gp function. Colonic epithelial cells have the specific transcellular transport systems for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of which shows substrate specificity in the interaction with CD14 and/or that of TLR4. In the infective disease induced by LPS, the mucosal LPS sensitive transport capability was decreased and in the secretory direction, the receptor-mediated uptake mechanism disappeared. LPS taken up into the cells can be excreted by P-gp or mrp. The expression levels and function of the secretory transporters were considered to be increased in the infective condition. In conclusion, changes in TJ as the membrane structure and P-gp as the membrane function are important factors controlling intestinal membrane transport.

Surface-layer protein extracts from Lactobacillus helveticus inhibit enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 adhesion to epithelial cells

Adherence of intestinal pathogens, including Escherichia coli O157:H7, to human intestinal epithelial cells is a key step in pathogenesis. Probiotic bacteria, including Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 inhibit the adhesion of E. coli O157:H7 to epithelial cells, a process which may be related to specific components of the bacterial surface. Surface-layer proteins (Slps) are located in a paracrystalline layer outside the bacterial cell wall and are thought to play a role in tissue adherence. However, the ability of S-layer protein extract derived from probiotic bacteria to block adherence of enteric pathogens has not been investigated. Human epithelial (HEp-2 and T84) cells were treated with S-layer protein extract alone, infected with E. coli O157:H7, or pretreated with S-layer protein extract prior to infection to determine their importance in the inhibition of pathogen adherence. The effects of S-layer protein extracts were characterized by phase-contrast and immunofluorescence microscopy and measurement of the transepithelial electrical resistance of polarized monolayers. Pre-treatment of host epithelial cells with S-layer protein extracts prior to E. coli O157:H7 infection decreased pathogen adherence and attaching-effacing lesions in addition to preserving the barrier function of monolayers. These in vitro studies indicate that a non-viable constituent derived from a probiotic strain may prove effective in interrupting the infectious process of an intestinal pathogen.

Heat stress increases protein antigen transport across the intestinal epithelium via a mechanism of impairing proteolytic enzymatic activity

It has not been fully understood how intact protein antigens escape digestion in the course of absorption. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanism that heat stress induced an increase in intact protein antigen absorption. Human colonic cell line Caco-2 cells were treated with high temperature (37 to 43 degrees C) for 60 min. Epithelial permeability was evaluated by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) flux and dextran flux. Activity of the major intracellular proteolytic enzyme, acid phosphatase, in Caco-2 cells was determined. HRP products in Caco-2 cells were observed by electron microscopy (EM) and analyzed with a computerized image processing system. Heat stress significantly increased intact protein HRP transport across Caco-2 monolayers, decreased acid phosphatase activity of the cells, and significantly reduced transepithelial electric resistance of Caco-2 cells. EM results showed that HRP transport across Caco-2 monolayers occurred mainly via the intracellular pathway.