A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method for the determination of major metabolites of sulfasalazine in biological fluids.

A simple and rapid assay for quantitation of sulfasalazine metabolites in rat urine and plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The method involves dilution of urine or plasma samples (0.1 mL) with methanol for protein precipitation, followed by mixing and centrifugation at 10,000 x g. Chromatography was accomplished with a reversed-phase ODS C-18 column (5 mu; 4.6 x 250 mm). The mobile phase consisted of 20% methanol in 5.0 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0), with 0.5 mM tetrabutylammonium chloride as an ion-pairing agent. The flow rate was 1.7 mL/min. An injection volume of 30 microL was used and the metabolites were quantitated by an ultraviolet detector at 254 nm. Benzamide was used as the internal standard. This method is linear in the range of 0.5 to 25 micrograms/mL for 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), acetylsulfapyridine (Ac-SP), and acetyl-5-aminosalicylic acid (Ac-5-ASA), and from 0.25 to 25 micrograms/mL for sulfapyridine (SP). The percent relative standard deviation ranged from 1 to 7.9% for the metabolite standard curves and precision studies. The limit of detection for 5-ASA, Ac-SP, and Ac-5-ASA is 100 ng/mL, and for SP is 50 ng/mL, in both urine and plasma. This method is rapid, precise, and accurate, and has been used to determine sulfasalazine metabolites in individual rat plasma and urine samples following an oral dose of 60 mg/kg of sulfasalazine.

Drug absorption VIII: Kinetics of GI absorption of methotrexate.

The absorption of methotrexate from the lumen of the rat small intestine, in situ, was found to obey Michaelis--Menten kinetics. The values of Vmax and Km for the absorption process were 4.78 X 10(-7) M/min and 1.49 X 10(-5) M, respectively.

Competitive inhibition between folic acid and methotrexate for transport carrier in the rat small intestine.

Folic acid absorption from the lumen of the rat small intestine in situ obeyed Michaelis--Menten kinetics. The values of Vmax and Km for absorption were 4.63 x 10(-7) M/min and 1.21 x 10(-6) M, respectively. Folic acid and methotrexate were mutual competitive inhibitors of absorption. Their Ki values were 1.28 x 10(-6) and 1.9 x 10(-5) M, respectively.

Dose-dependent absorption of disodium etidronate.

The gastrointestinal absorption of disodium etidronate (as [14C]disodium etidronate) was investigated in the rat proximal jejunum in-situ. Studies using various initial concentrations of the drug suggested that etidronate absorption occurred by passive diffusion at initial concentrations below 0.08 M. At initial concentrations above 0.08 M, the rate of absorption was significantly greater than would be expected if passive diffusion was the only mechanism responsible for absorption. Etidronate absorption is not mediated by the carrier mechanism responsible for phosphate ion absorption.

Pharmacokinetics of sulfasalazine metabolites in rats following concomitant oral administration of riboflavin.

Sulfasalazine, 60 mg/kg, was administered orally to groups of rats (n = 4) along with 1, 5, or 10 mg/kg of riboflavin. Plasma and urine were assayed for 5-aminosalicylic acid, acetyl-5-aminosalicylic acid, sulfapyridine, and acetyl-sulfapyridine using an HPLC method. The mean percent of dose recovered as total metabolites in urine was significantly greater (alpha = 0.01) for the group receiving 10 mg/kg riboflavin compared to the controls or the group receiving 1 mg/kg riboflavin. Plasma AUC and Cmax values were also significantly greater (alpha = 0.05) for the 10 mg/kg riboflavin group. These results suggest that at higher doses, a significant fraction of riboflavin reaches the colon intact and stimulates more efficient reduction of the azo bond in sulfasalazine. Since the concentrations of 5-ASA achieved in the colon may be directly related to the efficacy of sulfasalazine in treating inflammatory bowel disease, concomitant administration of riboflavin may enhance sulfasalazine's efficacy in humans.