Evaluation of a targeted prodrug strategy of enhance oral absorption of poorly water-soluble compounds.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to examine a targeted prodrug strategy to increase the absorption of a poorly water-soluble lipophilic compound. METHODS: Three water-soluble prodrugs of Cam-4451 were synthesized. The amino acid (Cam-4562, Cam-4580) or phosphate (Cam-5223) ester prodrugs introduced moieties ionized at physiological pH and targeted intestinal brush-border membrane enzymes for reconversion to the parent. Selectivity for reconversion of the three prodrugs was examined in rat intestinal perfusate and brush-border membrane suspensions. Bioavailability of Cam-4451 in rats was evaluated after administering orally as the parent or as prodrugs in a cosolvent vehicle or in methylcellulose. RESULTS: Cam-5223 was highly selective for reconversion at the brush-border, but was rapidly reconverted in intestinal perfusate. Cam-4562 was not as selective but was more stable in the perfusate, whereas Cam-4580 was neither selective nor stable. Oral bioavailability of Cam-4451 was 14% after dosing as the parent in the cosolvent vehicle, 39% and 46%, respectively, as Cam-4562 and Cam-5223. Oral bioavailability was only 3.6% when the parent was dosed in methylcellulose, whereas the bioavailability was 7-fold higher when dosed as the phosphate prodrug. CONCLUSIONS: Water-soluble prodrugs that target brush-border membrane enzymes for reconversion can be useful in improving drug oral bioavailability.

Absorption of Cam-2445, and NK1 neurokinin receptor antagonist: in vivo, in situ, and in vitro evaluations.

Cam-2445 is a selective, high-affinity NK1 receptor antagonist that is a potentially useful treatment for arthritis, asthma, migraine, anxiety, psychosis, and emesis. Cam-2445 exhibits low aqueous solubility and high lipophilicity and has a molecular weight of 470. Cam-2445 has poor oral bioavailability and the purpose of this research was to examine the potential barriers to the oral bioavailability of Cam-2445. Cam-2445 was relatively stable at 37 degrees C in 0.1 N HCl, 5 microM alpha-chymotrypsin, rat intestinal perfusate, and in rat jejunal brush border membrane suspension. High permeability was observed from CACO-2 cells and from rat single-pass intestinal perfusions. Cam-2445 was administered as a solution to rats by intravenous (i.v.), oral (p.o.), intraduodenal (i.d.), and intraportal (i.p.v.) routes. The total oral bioavailability was poor at 1.4%. Absorption appeared to be rapid after i.d. dosing; bioavailability was 26%, and 54% of the dose was absorbed intact into the portal system. After i.p.v. dosing, 48% of the dose was available to the systemic circulation. The elimination t1/2 after i.d. dosing (2.91 h) was comparable to that i.v. dosing (2.93 h), whereas it was significantly longer after p.o. dosing (12.4 h). The p.o. dose apparently precipitated in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, resulting in low oral bioavailability. These results indicated that neither stability in the GI tract nor membrane transport were major obstacles to the absorption of Cam-2445. While hepatic extraction of 52% was significant, the low aqueous solubility of Cam-2445, as well as the differences noted between p.o. and i.d. studies, strongly support GI dissolution and/or precipitation as the limiting factor for the oral bioavailability of the compound.

Comparison of intestinal permeabilities determined in multiple in vitro and in situ models: relationship to absorption in humans.

In vitro and in situ experimental models that are descriptive of drug absorption in vivo are valuable tools in the discovery of new chemical entities that are bioavailable after oral administration. The specific objective of the study was to compare the intestinal permeabilities obtained in the three absorption models for consistency, and to assess the utility of the models in predicting the fraction of dose absorbed in human studies. The intestinal absorption models that were compared are widely used: the rat in situ single-pass intestinal perfusion system, the rat everted intestinal ring method, and monolayers of human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (CACO-2). The models were compared using small molecular reference compounds, as well as a series of peptidomimetic (PM) analogs. Each model had strong potential for estimating the fraction absorbed. For small organic molecules, excellent correlation was observed when permeabilities from CACO-2 cells and perfusions, or everted rings and perfusions, were compared. Weaker correlation was observed between everted rings and CACO-2 cells. Permeabilities for the set of reference compounds and PMs were positively correlated between any two of the three systems. Variance between correlations for reference compounds and PMs are likely due to structural features and physicochemical properties that are unique to the latter class of compounds. The results support caution in extrapolating correlations based on findings with small organic molecules to the behavior of complex peptidomimetics. Corroboration of permeabilities with two methods of determination is a useful cross-validation of experimental systems, as well as producing a reliable permeability assessment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evaluation of physicochemical parameters important to the oral bioavailability of peptide-like compounds: implications for the synthesis of renin inhibitors.

A series of radiolabeled compounds related to renin inhibitor structures was synthesized to represent a range of physicochemical properties. These compounds were tested in assays for intestinal absorption and hepatic clearance in order to define parameters conducive to optimizing bioavailability. In general, compounds with higher lipophilicity were better absorbed from the intestine. Absorption may also be dependent on molecular charge, as compounds with ionizable functionality were less well-absorbed than neutral compounds. Neutral compounds showed some dependency on molecular weight, with smaller compounds exhibiting better absorption. While uptake into hepatic cells was rapid regardless of partition coefficient or molecular weight, rate of appearance in bile was dependent on the molecular weight of the compounds.