Expression profiles of metabolic enzymes and drug transporters in the liver and along the intestine of beagle dogs.

Beagle dogs are widely used in preclinical pharmacokinetic, safety, and formulation studies. However, little is known about intestinal and hepatic distribution of major enzymes and transporters involved in oral absorption and presystemic drug metabolism. We characterized mRNA levels of CYP3A12, CYP3A26, CYP2D15, UGT1A6, ABCB1 (MDR1), ABCC1 (MRP1), ABCG2 (BCRP), SLC15A1 (PEPT1), and SLC22A1 (OCT1) in dog liver and along the intestine by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Tissue protein levels of CYP2D15, MDR1, and PEPT1 were obtained by Western blot. Gene distribution and expression variability was statistically described by a generalized additive mixed model smoothing function and correspondence analysis. Results were compared with the expression pattern known for the human orthologs. Hepatic mRNA levels for metabolic enzymes were generally higher than those for membrane transporters, whereas in the intestine the opposite was observed. Hepatic mRNA levels followed the order CYP2D15 > UGT1A6 ≈ CYP3A26 > ABCB1 ≈ SLC15A1 ≈ SLC22A1 > ABCG2 > ABCC1 ≈ CYP3A12. Along the gut, the genes were differentially distributed with greatest expression in duodenum/upper jejunum (ABCG2), middle jejunum (ABCB1 and SLC15A1), or in cecum/colon (ABCC1 and CYP2D15). CYP3A12, CYP3A26, SLC22A1, and UGT1A6 had a rather uniform expression. Intestinal mRNA profiles of CYP2D15, ABCB1, and SLC15A1 correlated with the respective protein levels. Canine CYP3A12/26, CYP2D15, and ABCB1 colonic distributions differed from those of human orthologs, whereas UGT1A6, ABCC1, ABCG2, SLC15A1, and SLC22A1 were comparable to those of humans in both small and large intestine. We aim to apply these data to better interpret pharmacokinetic studies in dogs with respect to their human relevance.

Characterization of post-surgical alterations in the bile duct-cannulated rat.

The bile duct-cannulated (BDC) rat is a standard animal model used in ADME experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate post-surgical alterations that are relevant to ADME investigations in BDC rats compared with sham- and non-operated animals. Water and food intake was reduced in the animals' post-surgery. This led to a lower body weight in operated animals. In BDC animals, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in plasma were transiently elevated and total bile acid levels were reduced. Alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in plasma and the concentration of bile components in bile were elevated. Histopathology showed inflammation in the area of the cannulation between the liver and the small intestine. A microarray-based gene expression and RTq-PCR analysis identified altered expression for several genes involved in drug disposition including the down-regulation of cytochrome P450 enzymes. This led to reduced cytochrome P450 content in the liver and lower metabolic activity in microsomes from BDC and sham-operated rats compared with naïve animals. The results of the study suggest that the post-surgical inflammation leads to physiological changes relevant for drug absorption and disposition. These alterations should be accounted for in the interpretation of ADME studies in BDC animals.