Impact of Simulated Intestinal Fluids on Dissolution, Solution Chemistry, and Membrane Transport of Amorphous Multidrug Formulations.

The solution behavior and membrane transport of multidrug formulations were herein investigated in a biorelevant medium simulating fasted conditions. Amorphous multidrug formulations were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. Combinations of atazanavir (ATV) and ritonavir (RTV) and felodipine (FDN) and indapamide (IPM) were prepared and stabilized by a polymer for studying their dissolution (under non-sink conditions) and membrane transport in fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF). The micellar solubilization by FaSSIF enhanced the amorphous solubility of the drugs to different extents. Similar to buffer, the maximum achievable concentration of drugs in combination was reduced in FaSSIF, but the extent of reduction was affected by the degree of FaSSIF solubilization. Dissolution studies of ATV and IPM revealed that the amorphous solubility of these two drugs was not affected by FaSSIF solubilization. In contrast, RTV was significantly affected by FaSSIF solubilization with a 30% reduction in the maximum achievable concentration upon combination to ATV, compared to 50% reduction in buffer. This positive deviation by FaSSIF solubilization was not reflected in the mass transport-time profiles. Interestingly, FDN concentrations remain constant until the amount of IPM added was over 1000 µg/mL. No decrease in the membrane transport of FDN was observed for a 1:1 M ratio of FDN-IPM combination. This study demonstrates the importance of studying amorphous multidrug formulations under physiologically relevant conditions to obtain insights into the performance of these formulations after oral administration.

Insights into Dissolution and Solution Chemistry of Multidrug Formulations of Antihypertensive Drugs.

Using fixed dose combinations of drugs instead of administering drugs separately can be beneficial for both patients and the health care system, but the current understanding of how multidrug formulations work at the molecular level is still in its infancy. Here, we explore dissolution, solubility, and supersaturation of various drug combinations in amorphous formulations. The effect of chemical structural similarity on combination behavior was investigated by using structurally related compounds of both drugs. The effect of polymer type on solution behavior was also evaluated using chemically diverse polymers. Indapamide (IPM) concentration decreased when combined with felodipine (FDN) or its analogues, which occurred even when the IPM solution was undersaturated. The extent of solubility decrease of FDN was less than that of IPM from the dissolution of an equimolar formulation of the drugs. No significant solubility decrease was observed for FDN at low contents of IPM which was also observed for other dihydropyridines, whereas FDN decreases at high contents of IPM. This was explained by the complex nature of the colloidal precipitates of the combinations which impacts the chemical potential of the drugs in solution at different levels. The maximum achievable concentration of FDN and IPM during dissolution of the polyvinylpyrrolidone-based amorphous solid dispersion was higher than the value measured with the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate-based formulation. This emphasizes the significance of molecular properties and chemical diversity of drugs and polymers on solution chemistry and solubility profiles. These findings may apply to drugs administered as a single dosage form or in separate dosage forms and hence need to be well controlled to assure effective treatments and patient safety.

Unconventional Passive Enhancement of Transdermal Drug Delivery: toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Penetration Enhancers Releasing from Acrylic Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive of Patches.

PURPOSE: Penetration enhancers (PEs) enhancing efficacy depends on two processes: PEs release from patches and action on skin. Compared with their action on skin, PEs release process was poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to make a mechanistic understanding of PEs release from acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive of patches and propose an unconventional enhancement of PEs efficacy. METHODS: PEs efficacy was evaluated both in drug permeation study and drug pharmacokinetic study. Confocal Raman spectroscopy was employed to observe PEs release behavior by mapping PEs dynamic distribution in skin. The mechanism of PEs release behavior was provided from molecular interaction and rheology using FT-IR, molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulation and rheometer, separately. RESULTS: The release behavior of PEs themselves greatly restricted their efficacy. By using PEG 400, an improvement of oleic acid (OA) release behavior was achieved, and the efficacy of OA was significantly enhanced with enhancing ratio (ER) from 2.69 to 4.10 and AUClast from 1574 ± 87 to 2664 ± 249 ng·h/mL, separately. The improvement of OA release behavior was primarily resulted from reduction of the interaction between OA and adhesive, which was caused by other small molecules with a strong ability in forming hydrogen bonds with adhesive. Also, the rigidity of adhesive was a factor in affecting PEs release behavior. CONCLUSIONS: An unconventional passive enhancement of transdermal drug delivery was achieved via improving PEs themselves releasing from acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive. Graphical abstract Influence of PEs release behavior on drug permeation through skin and molecular mechanism.

The preparation of felodipine/zein amorphous solid dispersions and in vitro evaluation using a dynamic gastrointestinal system.

ABSTRCT Felodipine has been widely used as a poorly water-soluble model drug for various studies to improve its oral bioavailability and in vivo efficacy. In this study, we developed amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) via spray drying to enhance the bioavailability of felodipine through using natural zein protein as a novel polymeric excipient. The solid state characterization results demonstrated a single glass transition temperature (Tg ) around 128.6 °C and good physical stability post 3 months accelerated study under the condition of 40 °C and 75% relative humidity (RH), which is possibly accounted for the molecular immobilization and hydrogen bonding interactions between felodipine and zein. By combining the in vitro dissolution study with TIM-1 gastrointestinal simulation investigation, it is indicated that felodipine was rapidly released from the ASD in 30 mins, and the supersaturation of felodipine was well maintained over 6 h, which resulted in a significant enhancement of felodipine bioavailability during simulated digestive processes in the upper GI tract. This study suggests that spray drying combined with natural excipient zein is an efficient formulation strategy for the development of ASDs with enhanced aqueous solubility and bioavailability.

Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Felodipine from Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Prepared Through Effervescent Dispersion Technique.

Felodipine (FLD), a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker with excellent antihypertensive effect, is poorly soluble and undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism, which lead to poor oral bioavailability (about 15%) and limit its clinic application. The goal of this study was to develop solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) loading FLD to improve the oral bioavailability. The FLD loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (FLD-SLNs) were prepared by the effervescent dispersion technique developed by our laboratory, which might have some advantages over traditional methods. The FLD-SLNs showed desired particle characteristics with particle size (198.15 ± 1.82 nm), poly dispersity index (0.26 ± 0.02), zeta-potential (- 25.53 ± 0.60 mV), entrapment efficiency (95.65 ± 0.70%), drug loading (2.33 ± 0.10%), and a spherical appearance. Pharmacokinetic results showed that the FLD-SLNs presented 3.17-fold increase in area under the curve (AUC(0-t)) compared with free FLD after oral administration in beagle dogs, which indicated that SLNs prepared using the effervescent dispersion technique can improve the bioavailability of lipophilic drugs like felodipine by enhancement of absorption and reduction first-pass metabolism.

[Felodipine distribution in organisms of warm-blooded animals]. / Raspredelenie felodipina v organizme teplokrovnykh zhivotnykh.

The objective of the work was to study felodipine distribution in warm-blooded animals (rats). The methods of TLC, GC-MS, and UV spectrophotometry were used in the experiments. A lethal dose of felodipine (1.05 g/kg) preliminary suspended in water was introduced intragastric into test animals (male rats of the Wistar line). The analyzed compound was isolated from solid tissues and blood of the animals with acetone, purified by the solvent replacement, and by macrocolumn chromatography with the Silasorb S-18 sorbent of 30 µm and polar eluent, acetonitrile-water (7:3). The analyte was identified by chromatographic behavior in a thin sorbent layer, retention time, and a set of positive ions in its mass spectrum, as well as by the UV spectrum. The analyte was quantitatively detected in biological matrices using UV spectrophotometry. The method was validated by the criteria of linearity, selectivity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection, and quantitative determination. The predominant content of felodipine was detected in tissues of the stomach (312.303±25.980 µg/g), small intestine with its contents (93.235±12.310 µg/g), stomach contents (80.072±8.510 µg/g), and in the spleen (26.083±1.758 µg/g).

A Novel Micron-Size Particulate Formulation of Felodipine with Improved Release and Enhanced Oral Bioavailability Fabricated by Coaxial Electrospray.

The antihypertensive drug felodipine (FD) is a typical biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) II drug; thus, improving the dissolution rate of FD is very important to enhance its bioavailability. Besides, according to the in situ "close loop" perfusion assay, we found that the jejunum is the main absorptive site, then the duodenum and ileum. Consequently, a novel micron-size particulate of FD in a core-shell structure was fabricated by a coaxial electrospray technique; within the drug delivery system, Hypromellose K4M (HPMC K4M) was selected as a sheath material to prolong the retention time in the upper GI tract, while povidone K30 (PVP K30) was mixed with FD in the inner layer. The dissolution study in three different media (0.02% Tween-80 solution; phosphate buffer containing 0.02% Tween-80, pH 6.8; and HCl solution containing 0.02% Tween-80, pH 1.2) demonstrated that FD-loaded coaxial electrospray particles (F-COES) could greatly improve the dissolution of FD. Furthermore, in vivo pharmacokinetics revealed that F-COES emerged no changes in the half-life but significantly prolonged the tmax and increased the oral bioavailability. Collectively, this work supplies a promising drug release system that will improve the dissolution and enhance the bioavailability simultaneously for those poorly water-soluble drugs mainly absorbed in the upper GI tract.

Validated RP-HPLC method for quantification of felodipine in rabbit plasma: Application in a bioequivalence study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of present study was to develop a simple, rapid, selective, sensitive and robust reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for quantification of felodipine in rabbit plasma at the wavelength of 360nm. METHOD: Protein was precipitated from rabbit plasma sample by addition of acetonitrile as a vehicle. An isocratic elution of samples was performed on capcell pak C8 DD S5 column (4.6mm×250mm particle size 5µm) column with mobile phase consisting 5mM Phosphate Buffer (pH 4.8 adjusted with dilute ortho-phosphoric acid solution): acetonitrile (25:75:v/v) delivered at flow rate 1.0mLmin-1. RESULT: A good linear response was achieved over the range of 0.25-20.00µgmL-1. LODs and LOQs for felodipine were found to be 0.055 and 0.201µgmL-1, respectively. The method was quantitatively evaluated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy (recovery), selectivity robustness and stability study as per standard guidelines. The validated RP-HPLC method was successfully applied for the bioavailability studies of felodipine. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for all the investigated drugs in rabbit after single-dose administrations of pure drug and formulation of felodipine. Finally, the obtained results for the application of the proposed RP-HPLC method proved its efficiency to be applied to the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and bioequivalence (BE) studies. CONCLUSION: Thus, developed method is simple, convenient and suitable for the analysis of felodipine in bulk and pharmaceutical formulations.

Investigation of the Intra- and Interlaboratory Reproducibility of a Small Scale Standardized Supersaturation and Precipitation Method.

The high number of poorly water-soluble compounds in drug development has increased the need for enabling formulations to improve oral bioavailability. One frequently applied approach is to induce supersaturation at the absorptive site, e.g., the small intestine, increasing the amount of dissolved compound available for absorption. However, due to the stochastic nature of nucleation, supersaturating drug delivery systems may lead to inter- and intrapersonal variability. The ability to define a feasible range with respect to the supersaturation level is a crucial factor for a successful formulation. Therefore, an in vitro method is needed, from where the ability of a compound to supersaturate can be defined in a reproducible way. Hence, this study investigates the reproducibility of an in vitro small scale standardized supersaturation and precipitation method (SSPM). First an intralaboratory reproducibility study of felodipine was conducted, after which seven partners contributed with data for three model compounds; aprepitant, felodipine, and fenofibrate, to determine the interlaboratory reproducibility of the SSPM. The first part of the SSPM determines the apparent degrees of supersaturation (aDS) to investigate for each compound. Each partner independently determined the maximum possible aDS and induced 100, 87.5, 75, and 50% of their determined maximum possible aDS in the SSPM. The concentration-time profile of the supersaturation and following precipitation was obtained in order to determine the induction time (tind) for detectable precipitation. The data showed that the absolute values of tind and aDS were not directly comparable between partners, however, upon linearization of the data a reproducible rank ordering of the three model compounds was obtained based on the ß-value, which was defined as the slope of the ln(tind) versus ln(aDS)-2 plot. Linear regression of this plot showed that aprepitant had the highest ß-value, 15.1, while felodipine and fenofibrate had comparable ß-values, 4.0 and 4.3, respectively. Of the five partners contributing with full data sets, 80% could obtain the same rank order for the three model compounds using the SSPM (aprepitant > felodipine ≈ fenofibrate). The α-value is dependent on the experimental setup and can be used as a parameter to evaluate the uniformity of the data set. This study indicated that the SSPM was able to obtain the same rank order of the ß-value between partners and, thus, that the SSPM may be used to classify compounds depending on their supersaturation propensity.

The influence of CYP3A5*3 and BCRPC421A genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of felodipine in healthy Chinese volunteers.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The role of CYP3A5 in drug metabolism has been receiving attention because CYP3A5 may be more involved in the metabolism of CYP3A substrates in vivo than previously thought. The polymorphism of transporters, such as P-gp (P-glycoprotein) and breast cancer-related protein (BCRP), influences the metabolism of these substrates, and felodipine is a substrate of P-gp. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacogenetic variability in the disposition of felodipine in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: A single dose of 5 mg felodipine was orally administered to 45 healthy Chinese subjects. The serum concentration of felodipine was measured by using LC/MS/MS. We detected the SNPs of cytochromes P450 enzymes and transporters, which play vital roles in drug metabolism and have a high frequency of mutation in Chinese population. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) within the time points 0 to 72 h (AUC(0-72) ) after felodipine administration was significantly higher in subjects possessing the BCRP421AA alleles than in those with the BCRP421 CC or CA genotype (P = 0·034). The subjects with CYP3A5*3/*3 (n = 27) had higher felodipine exposure than CYP3A5*1/*3 (n = 15) (P = 0·035). WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: This study showed that the genetic polymorphisms of CYP3A5*3 and BCRPC421A might explain the variability in the pharmacokinetics of felodipine in the Chinese population.

Enhanced oral bioavailability of felodipine by novel solid self-microemulsifying tablets.

The novel self-microemulsifying (SME) tablets were developed to enhance the oral bioavailability of a poor water-soluble drug felodipine (FDP). Firstly, FDP was dissolved in the optimized liquid self-microemusifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) containing Miglyol® 812, Cremophor® RH 40, Tween 80 and Transcutol® P, and the mixture was solidified with porous silicon dioxide and crospovidone as adsorbents. Then after combining the solidified powders with other excipients, the solid SME tablets were prepared by wet granulation-compression method. The prepared tablets possessed satisfactory characterization; the droplet size of the SME tablets following self-emulsification in water was nearly equivalent to the liquid SMEDDS (68.4 ± 14.0 and 64.4 ± 12.0 nm); differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) analysis demonstrated that FDP in SME tablets had undergone a polymorphism transition from a crystal form to an amorphous state, which was further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A similar dissolution performance of SME tablets and liquid SMEDDS was also obtained under the sink condition (85% within 10 min), both significantly higher than commercial tablets. The oral bioavailability was evaluated for the SME tablets, liquid SMEDDS and commercial conventional tablets in the fasted beagle dogs. The AUC of FDP from the SME tablets was about 2-fold greater than that of conventional tablets, but no significant difference was found when compared with the liquid SMEDDS. Accordingly, these preliminary results suggest that this formulation approach offers a useful large-scale producing method to prepare the solid SME tablets from the liquid SMEDDS for oral bioavailability equivalent enhancement of poorly soluble FDP.

Synchronous delivery of felodipine and metoprolol tartrate using monolithic osmotic pump technology.

The synchronous sustained-release of two drugs was desired urgently for patients needing combination therapy in long term. However, sophisticated technologies were used generally to realize the simultaneous delivery of two drugs especially those with different physico-chemical properties. The purpose of this study was to obtain the concurrent release of felodipine and metoprolol tartrate, two drugs with completely different solubilities, in a simple monolithic osmotic pump system (FMOP). Two types of blocking agents were used in monolithic osmotic pump tablets and the synchronous sustained-release of FMOP was acquired in vitro. The tablets were also administered to beagle dogs and the plasma levels of FMOP were determined by HPLC-MS/MS. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a non-compartmental model. Cmax of both felodipine and metoprolol from the osmotic pump tablets were lower, tmax and mean residence time of both felodipine and metoprolol from the osmotic pump tablets were longer significantly than those from immediate release tablets. These results verified prolonged release of felodipine and metoprolol tartrate from osmotic pump formulations. The similar absorption rate between felodipine and metoprolol in beagles was also obtained by this osmotic pump formulation. Therefore, it could be supposed that the accordant release of two drugs with completely different solubilities may be realized just by using monolithic osmotic pump technology.

Evaluation of first-pass cytochrome P4503A (CYP3A) and P-glycoprotein activities using felodipine and hesperetin in combination in Wistar rats and everted rat gut sacs in vitro.

The effects of hesperetin on the pharmacokinetics and the role of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the transport of felodipine were investigated in rats and in vitro. Felodipine was administered orally (10 mg/kg) without or with hesperetin (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) to rats for 15 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected at different time intervals on 1(st) day in single dose pharmacokinetic study (SDS) and on 15(th) day in multiple dose pharmacokinetic study (MDS). The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-∞ ) and the peak plasma concentration (Cmax ) of felodipine were dose-dependently increased in SDS and MDS with hesperetin compared to control ( p < 0.001). The half-life (t1/2 ) and mean residence time was longer than the control group in both studies. The role of P-gp determined using everted rat gut sacs in vitro by incubating felodipine with or without hesperetin and verapamil (typical P-gp and CYP3A4 inhibitor). The in vitro experiments revealed that the verapamil and hesperetin increased the intestinal absorption of felodipine (p < 0.01). Concurrent use of hesperetin dramatically altered the pharmacokinetics of felodipine leading to an increase in systemic exposure. The likely mechanism is inhibition of CYP3A4-mediated first-pass metabolism and P-gp in the intestine and the liver.

In vitro/in vivo evaluation of felodipine micropowders prepared by the wet-milling process combined with different solidification methods.

In order to improve the in vitro dissolution rate and in vivo oral bioavailability of the poorly water soluble drug, felodipine (FELO), the wet-milling process was employed involving co-grinding with HPMC E5 and the in vitro release rate as investigated. After solidification by spray drying or freeze drying, the microsized powders were characterized in terms of their size, morphology, and in vitro dissolution rate. The oral bioavailability of this dry powder for suspension was evaluated in rats. After milling with 8% HPMC E5 and freeze drying, the powder mixture had an average particle size of 2.249 ± 1.497 µm and displayed an excellent dissolution rate of up to 93.2% within 10 minutes. DSC and PXRD investigations confirmed the absence of any crystal transformation during the wet-milling process. Using two different solidification methods, powders were stable for 6 months with regard to their in vitro dissolution rate. Significantly improved bioavailability was obtained for the wet-milled suspension before solidification and freeze dried powders with 6.8- (p < 0.001) and 3.6-fold (p < 0.01) increases, respectively, compared with that of the un-milled FELO. Also, no marked difference (p > 0.05) in bioavailability was seen for the spray dried powders. These effects suggest that the solidification method plays an important role in modifying the bioavailability of FELO after wet milling. Consequently, wet-milling is an effective technique to enhance the bioavailability of FELO and to maintain these benefits, freeze-drying is a feasible approach to solidifying the wet-milled suspension for industrial applications.

Enhanced oral bioavailability of felodipine by naringenin in Wistar rats and inhibition of P-glycoprotein in everted rat gut sacs in vitro.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of naringenin on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of felodipine in rats and membrane permeability across rat everted gut sacs in vitro. Rats were simultaneously co-administered with felodipine 10 mg/kg, p.o. and naringenin (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) for 15 consecutive days. Rats of the control groups received the corresponding volume of vehicle. Blood samples were withdrawn from retro-orbital plexus on first day in single dose PK study (SDS) and on 15th day in multiple dosing PK study (MDS). The PK parameters were calculated using Thermo kinetica. The co-administration of naringenin significantly elevated the Cmax and increased the AUCtotal of felodipine in dose-dependent manner. The Cmax of felodipine was increased from 173.25 ± 14.65 to 275.61 ± 44.62 and 223.26 ± 26.35 to 561.32 ± 62.53 ng/mL in SDS and MDS, respectively, at the dose of naringenin 100 mg/kg. The AUCtotal of felodipine was significantly (p < 0.001) increased from 2050.48 ± 60.57 to 3650.22 ± 78.61 and 3276.51 ± 325.61 to 7265.25 ± 536.11 (ng/mL/h) in SDS and MDS, respectively. The permeability of felodipine was increased in presence of naringenin and ritonavir (standard P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4 inhibitor). Felodipine is a substrate of CYP3A4, and naringenin was reported to be a modulator of P-gp and CYP3A4. These results suggest that naringenin significantly increased the Cmax and AUC of felodipine is due to P-gp and CYP3A4 inhibition.

Drug solubilization in dog intestinal fluids with and without administration of lipid-based formulations.

The use of animal experiments can be minimized with computational models capable of reflecting the simulated environments. One such environment is intestinal fluid and the colloids formed in it. In this study we used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate solubilization patterns for three model drugs (carvedilol, felodipine and probucol) in dog intestinal fluid, a lipid-based formulation, and a mixture of both. We observed morphological transformations that lipids undergo due to the digestion process in the intestinal environment. Further, we evaluated the effect of bile salt concentration and observed the importance of interindividual variability. We applied two methods of estimating solubility enhancement based on the simulated data, of which one was in good qualitative agreement with the experimentally observed solubility enhancement. In addition to the computational simulations, we also measured solubility in i) aspirated dog intestinal fluid samples and ii) simulated canine intestinal fluid in the fasted state, and found there was no statistical difference between the two. Hence, a simplified dissolution medium suitable for in vitro studies provided physiologically relevant data for the systems explored. The computational protocol used in this study, coupled with in vitro studies using simulated intestinal fluids, can serve as a useful prescreening tool in the process of drug delivery strategies development.

In vitro to in vivo extrapolation and physiologically based modeling of cytochrome P450 mediated metabolism in beagle dog gut wall and liver.

The beagle dog is a widely used in vivo model to guide clinical formulation development and to explore the potential for food effects. However, the results in dogs are often not directly translatable to humans. Consequently, a physiologically based modeling strategy has been proposed, using the dog as a validation step to verify model assumptions before making predictions in humans. One current weakness in this strategy is the lack of validated tools to incorporate gut wall metabolism into the dog model. In this study, in vitro to in vivo extrapolation factors for CYP2B11 and CYP3A12 mediated metabolism were established based on tissue enzyme abundance data reported earlier. Thereafter, physiologically based modeling of intestinal absorption in beagle dog was conducted in GastroPlus using V(max) and K(m) determined in recombinant enzymes as inputs for metabolic turnover. The predicted fraction of absorbed dose escaping the gut wall metabolism (F(g)) of all five reference compounds studied (domperidone, felodipine, nitrendipine, quinidine, and sildenafil) were within a two-fold range of the value estimated from in vivo data at single dose levels. However, further in vivo studies and analysis of the dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of felodipine and nitrendipine showed that more work is required for robust forecasting of nonlinearities. In conclusion, this study demonstrates an approach for prediction of the gut wall extraction of CYP substrates in the beagle dog, thus enhancing the value of dog studies as a component in a strategy for the prediction of human pharmacokinetics.

Validated LC-ESI-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantitation of felodipine and metoprolol in rat plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.

A highly sensitive and specific LC-ESI-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of felodipine (FDP) and metoprolol (MPL) in rat plasma (50 µL) using phenacetin as an internal standard (IS) as per the FDA guidelines. Liquid-liquid extraction method was used to extract the analytes and IS from rat plasma. The chromatographic resolution of FDP, MPL and IS was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of 0.2% formic acid in water-acetonitrile (25:75, v/v) with a time program flow gradient on a C18 column. The total chromatographic run time was 4.0 min and the elution of FDP, MPL and IS occurred at 1.05, 2.59 and 1.65 min, respectively. A linear response function was established for the range of concentrations 0.59-1148 and 0.53-991 ng/mL for FDP and MPL, respectively, in rat plasma. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision values for FDP and MPL met the acceptance as per FDA guidelines. FDP and MPL were stable in battery of stability studies viz., bench-top, auto-sampler and freeze-thaw cycles. The validated assay was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.

Rapidly absorbed orodispersible tablet containing molecularly dispersed felodipine for management of hypertensive crisis: development, optimization and in vitro/in vivo studies.

A liquisolid orodispersible tablet of felodipine, a BCS Class II drug, was developed to improve drug dissolution and absorption through the buccal mucosa for management of hypertensive crisis. A 24 full-factorial design was applied to optimize felodipine liquisolid systems (FLSs) having acceptable flow properties and possessing enhanced drug dissolution rates. Four formulation variables; The liquid type, X1 (PG or PEG), drug concentration, X2 (10% and 20%), type of coat, X3 (Aerosil® and Aeroperl®) and excipients ratio, X4 (10 and 20) were included in the design. The systems were assessed for dissolution and flow properties. Following optimization, the formulation components (X1, X2, X3 and X4) were PEG, 10%, Aerosil® and 20, respectively. The optimized FLS was compressed into felodipine liquisolid orodispersible tablet using Prosolv® as carrier material (FLODT-2). The in vitro and in vivo disintegration times of FLODT-2 were 9 and 7 s, respectively. The in vivo pharmacokinetic study using human volunteers showed a significant increase in dissolution and absorption rates of the formulation of FLODT-2 compared to soft gelatin capsules filled with felodipine solution in PEG under the same conditions. Our results proposed that the optimized FLODT formulation could be promising to manage hypertensive crisis.

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling for development and applications of a virtual celiac disease population using felodipine as a model drug.

In celiac disease (CeD), gastrointestinal CYP3A4 abundance and morphology is affected by the severity of disease. Therefore, exposure to CYP3A4 substrates and extent of drug interactions is altered. A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) population for different severities of CeD was developed. Gastrointestinal physiology parameters, such as luminal pH, transit times, morphology, P-gp, and CYP3A4 expression were included in development of the CeD population. Data on physiological difference between healthy and CeD subjects were incorporated into the model as the ratio of celiac to healthy. A PBPK model was developed and verified for felodipine extended-release tablet in healthy volunteers (HVs) and then utilized to verify the CeD populations. Plasma concentration-time profile and PK parameters were predicted and compared against those observed in both groups. Sensitivity analysis was carried out on key system parameters in CeD to understand their impact on drug exposure. For felodipine, the predicted mean concentration-time profiles and 5th and 95th percentile intervals captured the observed profile and variability in the HV and CeD populations. Predicted and observed clearance was 56.9 versus 56.1 (L/h) in HVs. Predicted versus observed mean ± SD area under the curve for extended release felodipine in different severities of CeD were values of 14.5 ± 9.6 versus 14.4 ± 2.1, 14.6 ± 9.0 versus 17.2 ± 2.8, and 28.1 ± 13.5 versus 25.7 ± 5.0 (ng.h/mL), respectively. Accounting for physiology differences in a CeD population accurately predicted the PK of felodipine. The developed CeD population can be applied for determining the drug concentration of CYP3A substrates in the gut as well as for systemic levels, and for application in drug-drug interaction studies.