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Biomedical subjects

G L Amidon

Publications and source records attributed to G L Amidon.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Dissolution testing as a prognostic tool for oral drug absorption: dissolution behavior of glibenclamide.

PURPOSE: The dissolution behavior of two commercially available glibenclamide formulations was tested in various media. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the use of biorelevant dissolution media (BDM) would be advantageous over the use of standard media for predicting the in vivo performance of the two formulations. METHODS: The dissolution tests were performed using USP 23 apparatus 2. Conventional buffers and USP media were compared with two BDM containing different amounts of lecithin and sodium taurocholate. RESULTS: The dissolution of two drug powders was highly dependent on wetting, particle size, pH, and the composition of the medium used. In addition, the dissolution behavior of the two glibenclamide formulations showed differences in all media tested. The dissolution results of the two formulations were compared with those from an in vivo bioequivalence study undertaken by the central quality control laboratory of the German pharmacists (ZL). The bioequivalence criterion set by the ZL requires more than 80% drug release within 10 minutes. Results in FaSSIF, one of the BDMs, met the ZL criterion and this medium was also able to discriminate between the two formulations. This was not the case for the other media tested. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that BDM are better able to discriminate between glibenclamide formulations than standard dissolution media.

Administration, Oral↗

Targeted prodrug design to optimize drug delivery.

Classical prodrug design often represents a nonspecific chemical approach to mask undesirable drug properties such as limited bioavailability, lack of site specificity, and chemical instability. On the other hand, targeted prodrug design represents a new strategy for directed and efficient drug delivery. Particularly, targeting the prodrugs to a specific enzyme or a specific membrane transporter, or both, has potential as a selective drug delivery system in cancer chemotherapy or as an efficient oral drug delivery system. Site-selective targeting with prodrugs can be further enhanced by the simultaneous use of gene delivery to express the requisite enzymes or transporters. This review highlights evolving strategies in targeted prodrug design, including antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy, gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy, and peptide transporter-associated prodrug therapy.

Animals↗

Human proton/oligopeptide transporter (POT) genes: identification of putative human genes using bioinformatics.

The proton-dependent oligopeptide transporters (POT) gene family currently consists of approximately 70 cloned cDNAs derived from diverse organisms. In mammals, two genes encoding peptide transporters, PepT1 and PepT2 have been cloned in several species including humans, in addition to a rat histidine/peptide transporter (rPHT1). Because the Candida elegans genome contains five putative POT genes, we searched the available protein and nucleic acid databases for additional mammalian/human POT genes, using iterative BLAST runs and the human expressed sequence tags (EST) database. The apparent human orthologue of rPHT1 (expression largely confined to rat brain and retina) was represented by numerous ESTs originating from many tissues. Assembly of these ESTs resulted in a contiguous sequence covering approximately 95% of the suspected coding region. The contig sequences and analyses revealed the presence of several possible splice variants of hPHT1. A second closely related human EST-contig displayed high identity to a recently cloned mouse cDNA encoding cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-inducible 1 protein (gi:4580995). This contig served to identify a PAC clone containing deduced exons and introns of the likely human orthologue (termed hPHT2). Northern analyses with EST clones indicated that hPHT1 is primarily expressed in skeletal muscle and spleen, whereas hPHT2 is found in spleen, placenta, lung, leukocytes, and heart. These results suggest considerable complexity of the human POT gene family, with relevance to the absorption and distribution of cephalosporins and other peptoid drugs.

Blotting, Northern↗

A pH- and ionic strength-responsive polypeptide hydrogel: synthesis, characterization, and preliminary protein release studies.

A novel polypeptide hydrogel has been synthesized by crosslinking poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLG) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The PLG-PEG hydrogel was shown to be highly hydrophilic, and the extent of swelling varied with pH, increasing at higher ionization of the PLG. Aside from electrostatic effects, such as ion-ion repulsion and internal ion osmotic pressure, circular dichroism studies showed that swelling response to pH also is affected by secondary structural attributes associated with the polypeptide backbone. Modification of the polypeptide by changing its hydrophobicity and degree of ionization was an effective method for altering the overall extent of pH-responsive swelling. Rapid de-swelling (contraction) was observed when the PLG-PEG hydrogel was transferred from high to low pH buffer solution, and this swelling/de-swelling behavior was reversible over repeated cycles. Drug release from swollen hydrogels was examined using the model protein lysozyme. Rapid de-swelling of the hydrogel was found to be an effective means of facilitating lysozyme release. The crosslinking of synthetic polypeptides with PEG appears to be a highly versatile approach to the preparation of pH-responsive biodegradable hydrogels.

Biocompatible Materials↗

Setting bioequivalence requirements for drug development based on preclinical data: optimizing oral drug delivery systems.

The recently proposed Biopharmaceutics Classification System can be used to classify drugs and set standards for scale-up and post-approval changes as well as standards for in vitro/in vivo correlation for immediate and controlled release products. This classification scheme is based on determining the underlying process that is controlling the drug absorption rate and extent, namely, drug solubility and intestinal membrane permeability. Theoretical analysis and experimental results suggest that a permeability/solubility classification scheme can be used to set more rationale drug standards. In particular, high solubility/high permeability, rapidly dissolving drugs may be regulated on the basis of a single point rapid dissolution test while low solubility dissolution rate limited drugs can be regulated based on an in vitro dissolution test that reflects the in vivo dissolution process. This dissolution test may include multiple time points, media change, as well as surfactants in order to reflect the in vivo dissolution process and would be used by the manufacturer for requesting a waiver from a bioequivalence (BE) trial. For controlled release products, the regulation of bioequivalence standards is more complex due to the potential differences in position-dependent permeability/solubility and metabolism of drugs along the gastrointestinal tract. These differences may result in drug absorption rates that are highly transit time dependent. This paper will present the current status of the biopharmaceutic drug classification scheme, the underlying developed data base and its application to optimizing IR and CR products.

Administration, Oral↗

A compartmental absorption and transit model for estimating oral drug absorption.

This report describes a compartmental absorption and transit model to estimate the fraction of dose absorbed and the rate of drug absorption for passively transported drugs in immediate release products. The model considers simultaneous small intestinal transit flow and drug absorption. Both analytical and numerical methods were utilized to solve the model equations. It was found that the fraction of dose absorbed can be estimated by F(a) = 1-(1+0.54 P(eff))(-7), where P(eff) is the human effective permeability in cm/h. A good correlation was found between the fraction of dose absorbed and the effective permeability for ten drugs covering a wide range of absorption characteristics. The model was able to explain the oral plasma concentration profiles of atenolol.

Adsorption↗

Modified polypeptides containing gamma-benzyl glutamic acid as drug delivery platforms.

We previously reported the development of diffusion-controlled biodegradable polypeptides for drug delivery purposes. In this paper, we describe the synthesis of three modified polypeptides that contain gamma-benzyl glutamic acid as the common structural backbone. The properties of these polymers were characterized with regard to their potential application as drug delivery platforms. Procainamide hydrochloride, a hydrophilic drug, and protamine sulfate, a low molecular weight protein, were used as model drugs for examining release rate profiles from these polymers. The homopolymer of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamic acid), PBLG, showed a highly helical configuration and a moderate release rate of procainamide. Modification of structural attributes by random copolymerization of the D- and L- isomers of gamma-benzyl glutamic acid produced poly(gamma-benzyl-D,L-glutamic acid), PBDLG, which displayed a significantly slower release of procainamide when compared to PBLG. The modification of polymer bulk hydrophobicity by copolymerization of PBLG (A) with poly(ethylene glycol) (B) yielded an ABA triblock copolymer exhibiting much faster release rates for both procainamide and protamine than those demonstrated by the other two polymers. Using this triblock copolymer, protamine release rates ranging from 2 weeks to approximately 2 months were obtained by simply varying the polymer processing conditions and protein particle size. A nearly complete release of protein was obtained from the triblock copolymer blends and this occurred without reliance upon degradation of the polymer backbone. Fickian diffusion-controlled release mechanisms were implied for release of procainamide and protamine from these polypeptide formulations based on the linear relationship displayed between cumulative drug release and the square root of time.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗

Overview of membrane transport.

Pharmaceutical scientists increasingly utilize transporters for drug delivery and targeting. The biological barriers to drug delivery can basically be divided into epithelial, endothelial, elimination, and target cell barriers. Membrane transporters play an important role in drug entrance and exit from the body. In addition, it is possible to utilize transporters for drug delivery, e.g., improving oral absorption via the peptide transporter. Identification, a better understanding of their transport characteristics, and the regulation of the membrane transporters will allow the development of better drug delivery strategies.

Biological Transport↗

Drug transport and targeting. Intestinal transport.

A wide variety of transporters are found in the intestine, and are involved in the membrane transport of daily nutrients as well as drugs. These intestinal transporters are located in the brush border membrane as well as basolateral membrane. Each transporter exhibits its own substrate specificity, and some have broader specificities than others. In addition, the distribution and characteristics of the intestinal transporters exhibit regional differences along the intestine, implying diverse physiologic functions and in some cases pathologic responses. Indeed several genetic disorders have been shown to result from deficient intestinal transporters. The development of prodrugs that target to intestinal transporters has been successful in improving oral absorption. For example, the intestinal peptide transporter is utilized in order to increase the bioavailability of several classes of peptidomimetic drugs, especially ACE inhibitors and beta-lactam antibiotics. The bioavailability of poorly absorbed drugs can be improved by utilization of the transporters responsible for the intestinal absorption of various solutes and/or by inhibiting the transporter involved in the efflux system. Recent advances in gene cloning and molecular biology techniques make it possible to study the characteristics and distribution of transporters at the molecular level. Based on molecular characterizations of membrane transporters and accumulated biochemical data on their specificities and kinetics, structural modification and targeting of a specific transporter is a promising strategy for the design of drugs that improve bioavailability and tissue distribution.

Biological Availability↗

CHO/hPEPT1 cells overexpressing the human peptide transporter (hPEPT1) as an alternative in vitro model for peptidomimetic drugs.

The present study characterized Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing a human intestinal peptide transporter, CHO/hPEPT1 cells, as an in vitro model for peptidomimetic drugs. The kinetic parameters of Gly-Sar uptake were determined in three different cell culture systems such as untransfected CHO cells (CHO-K1), transfected CHO cells (CHO/hPEPT1) and Caco-2 cells. Vmax in CHO/hPEPT1 cells was approximately 3-fold higher than those in Caco-2 cells and CHO-K1 cells, while Km values were similar in all cases. The uptake of beta-lactam antibiotics in CHO/hPEPT1 cells was three to twelve fold higher than that in CHO-K1 cells, indicating that CHO/hPEPT1 cells significantly enhanced the peptide transport activity. However, amino acid drugs also exhibited high cellular uptake in both CHO-K1 and CHO/hPEPT1 cells due to the high background level of amino acid transporters. Thus, cellular uptake study in CHO/hPEPT1 cells is not sensitive enough to distinguish the peptidyl drugs from amino acid drugs. The potential of CHO/hPEPT1 cells as an in vitro model for peptidomimetic drugs was also examined through the inhibition study on Gly-Sar uptake. Peptidomimetic drugs such as beta-lactam antibiotics and enalapril significantly inhibited Gly-Sar uptake whereas the nonpeptidyl compounds, L-dopa and alpha-methyldopa, did not compete with Gly-Sar for cellular uptake within the therapeutic concentrations. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the further characterization of CHO/hPEPT1 cells as an uptake model as well as inhibition study and suggests their utility as an alternative in vitro model for drug candidates targeting the hPEPT1 transporter.

Animals↗

Evidence for overlapping substrate specificity between large neutral amino acid (LNAA) and dipeptide (hPEPT1) transporters for PD 158473, an NMDA antagonist.

PURPOSE: The objective of this research was to investigate the substrate specificity of large neutral amino acid carrier (LNAA) and di/tripeptide (hPEPT1) transporters with respect to PD 158473, an NMDA antagonist. METHODS: Cellular uptake studies were carried out using two types of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO). CHO-K1 cells represent the wild type with inherent large neutral amino acid (LNAA) activity. CHO-PEPT1 cells were generated by stable transfection of hPEPT1 gene into CHO cells. Therefore, these cells possess both LNAA activity and di/tripeptide transporter activities as a result of the transfection. Cellular uptake of PD 158473 was quantified using a HPLC method previously developed in our laboratory. RESULTS: The utility of the CHO-PEPT1 cell model was demonstrated by determining the uptake kinetics of Gly-Sar, a prototypical dipeptide transporter substrate. Uptake kinetics of PD 158473 displayed two carrier-mediated transport components in CHO-PEPT1 cells, while in CHO-K1 cells the relationship was consistent with classic one component Michaelis-Menten kinetics. These results confirmed the affinity of PD 158473 for both LNAA and di/tripeptide transporters. Further, results from inhibition experiments using these two cell types indicate that the high affinity-low capacity system was the LNAA carrier and the low affinity-high capacity carrier was the di/tripeptide transporter. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates overlapping substrate specificity between LNAA carrier and di/tripeptide transporter (hPEPT1) for PD 158473, an amino acid analog. Establishing Structure Transport Relationship (STR) for this overlap will aid in a design strategy for increasing oral absorption or targeting specific drugs to selected tissues.

Amino Acid Transport Systems↗

The effect of in vivo dissolution, gastric emptying rate, and intestinal transit time on the peak concentration and area-under-the-curve of drugs with different gastrointestinal permeabilities.

PURPOSE: To theoretically investigate the impact of gastric emptying half-time, intestinal transit time and the time for 85% in vivo dissolution on the peak concentration and area-under-the curve of model drugs. METHODS: Simulations were performed using mathematical models of gastrointestinal physiology and pharmacokinetics of model drugs with different gastrointestinal permeability. They were used to investigate the effect of different permutations of gastric emptying times, intestinal transit times, dissolution rates and effective permeabilities on the maximum plasma drug concentration and the area-under-the-curve of immediate release tablets relative to an oral solution (i.e., Cmax(tablet)/Cmax(solution) and AUC(tablet)/AUC(solution)). RESULTS: The higher the permeability of the drug, the more sensitive the Cmax ratio is to dissolution rate and gastric emptying rate. As the intestinal transit time becomes more rapid, the sensitivity to T85% dissolution time and gastric emptying half-time increases. There is less dependence for the AUC ratio on the gastric emptying time and dissolution rate. CONCLUSIONS: Under the assumptions of the models, the criterion of 85% dissolution in 15 minutes (T85%) for classifying a rapidly dissolving drug product is relatively conservative since the Cmax ratio exceeded 0.8 for a T85% dissolution time of one hour and a gastric emptying half-time faster than 0.2 hour over a wide range of permeabilities.

Area Under Curve↗

Function and immunolocalization of overexpressed human intestinal H+/peptide cotransporter in adenovirus-transduced Caco-2 cells.

PURPOSE: To determine the localization of the human intestinal H+/peptide cotransporter (hPepT1) and its function in intestinal epithelial cells after adenoviral transduction. METHODS: Caco-2 cells grown on Transwell membrane filters were transduced with a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus carrying the hPepT1 gene. The transport of Gly-Sar across both apical and basolateral membranes was measured after adenoviral transduction as a function of pH, temperature, inhibitors, and substrate concentration. The localization of hPepT1 was examined by immunocytochemistry using confocal laser scanning microscopy. RESULTS: The apical-to-basolateral and basolateral-to-apical transport of Gly-Sar in Caco-2 cells after viral transduction was increased 3.3 and 3.5-fold, respectively. The similar magnitude of Gly-Sar permeability from either direction indicates involvement of identical transport pathways in both membranes. This was further confirmed by immunocytochemistry showing that hPepT1 was localized in the apical and basolateral membrane of Caco-2 cells after adenoviral transduction. In both directions, Gly-Sar transport was enhanced in the presence of a pH gradient. In addition, the basolateral-to-apical Gly-Sar transport was dependent on temperature, multiplicity of infection (MOI), and Gly-Sar concentration. It was inhibited in the presence of excess Gly-Pro and cephalexin. CONCLUSIONS: Caco-2 cell monolayers represent an appropriate model to study gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells. Transport characteristics of Gly-Sar from the basolateral to the apical side in adenovirus-transduced Caco-2 cells are in agreement with those from the apical to the basolateral side, indicating that hPepT1 is also expressed in the basolateral membrane and displays a similar level of transport enhancement after adenovirus mediated hPepT1 gene expression.

Adenoviridae↗

Membrane topology of the human dipeptide transporter, hPEPT1, determined by epitope insertions.

We have used epitope insertion to analyze the transmembrane topology of the human H+-dipeptide symporter hPEPT1. An epitope tag, EYMPME (EE), was inserted into different locations at amino acids 39, 78, 106, 412, and 708 of hPEPT1 by site-directed mutagenesis. The functional integrity of the tagged protein was tested by measuring its dipeptide transport activity in transfected Cos7 cells. Further, cells expressing hPEPT1 or EE-tagged hPEPT1 derivatives were labeled with an anti-EE-monoclonal antibody (anti-EE-mAb) or an antiserum raised against the carboxyl terminus of hPEPT1 (anti-hPEPT1) and examined by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. EE106-, 412-, and 708-hPEPT1 transported the dipeptide tracer as well as wild-type hPEPT1. Tags at position 106 and 412 were shown to be extracellular because they were accessible to anti-epitope antibody in nonpermeabilized cells. In contrast, the carboxyl-terminal domain and EE708 were shown to be intracellular since they were only accessible to the antibodies in permeabilized cells. These results are consistent with a 12-transmembrane domain (TMD) topological model of PEPT1. Epitope insertions at regions linking the putative TMD1 and TMD2, and TMD2 and TMD3 (EE39- and EE78-hPEPT1), abolished the dipeptide transport into the cells. In transfected Cos7 cells, these tagged proteins remained largely intracellular rather than at the plasma membrane. These results suggest that the integrity of these regions is essential for transporter trafficking and/or function. Thus, the topology of the amino-terminal portion, including putative TMD1 and -2, remains to be clarified.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of integrin expression in adenovirus-mediated gene delivery to the intestinal epithelium.

Adenoviral vectors are being developed for oral delivery of therapeutic genes to the intestine. Initial studies in the rat using mucolytics and direct application of adenovirus encoded with the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene to the jejunum produced limited gene expression. The goal of this study was to determine the role of integrins in adenovirus-mediated gene delivery to the intestinal epithelium. Integrins are involved in cellular differentiation and tight junction formation and mediate adenoviral internalization. Results from Caco-2 and IEC-18 cells suggest that, as enterocytes differentiate, cell-surface integrin expression decreases. Pretreatment of Caco-2 cells with RGD peptides reduced adenoviral transduction efficiency by 80% in undifferentiated cells and 20% in differentiated cells. Both differentiated and undifferentiated IEC-18 cells showed a 70% drop in transduction when pretreated with the peptide. Infection inhibition studies with monoclonal antibodies further suggest that alpha(v)beta3 and alpha6beta1 integrins play significant roles in adenoviral internalization in the intestine. Expression of integrins in cell culture models of the intestine correlated with in vivo expression in intestinal segments. These results indicate that the ileum is a prime target for efficient adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in the rat. To enhance transduction in differentiated enterocytes (probable targets for oral gene delivery), Caco-2 cells were treated with interleukin-1beta (a cytokine known to increase integrin expression) prior to administration of the virus. Transduction efficiency increased four-fold.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Determination of the population pharmacokinetic parameters of sustained-release and enteric-coated oral formulations, and the suppository formulation of diclofenac sodium by simultaneous data fitting using NONMEM.

Data from sustained-release and enteric-coated oral formulations, and the suppository formulation of diclofenac sodium are fitted simultaneously using NONMEM and the general linear model, ADVAN 5. Absorption and disposition parameters, serum levels, and absorption profiles were determined. The in vivo absorption profiles were determined using the program TOPFIT. The in vivo absorption for the sustained-release formulation is slow first order and follows a flip-flop model since disposition rate constants are greater than absorption rate constants. Absorption from the enteric-coated form is essentially complete (> or = 95%) at about 7.5 h, while it is 95% complete at 24 h from the sustained-release formulation. This suggests likely absorption from the colon in the case of the sustained-release formulation since absorption is only 75% complete during the first 10 h. The sustained-release relative bioavailability is 90-99%. Absorption from the suppository is essentially complete at about 4.5 h. However, the relative bioavailability of the suppository formulation is low (55%), since defecation may remove the drug from the absorption site before complete absorption.

Administration, Oral↗