Effect of amorphous content on dissolution characteristics of rifampicin.

Rifampicin, one of the main first line anti-TB drugs, shows variable bioavailability in different marketed preparations and reasons cited include physiological, degradation, manufacturing/ processing, solid state, and bioavailability assessment procedure. Although the amorphous form of a drug is expected to exhibit higher solubility, the amorphous rifampicin has been reported to have a solubility disadvantage as compared to crystalline form II, which is used in marketed preparations. Amorphous form was generated and characterized by solid-state characterization techniques. Physical powder mixtures of form II with varying amounts of amorphous form were prepared, which were then subjected to solid-state characterization techniques and further evaluated for their dissolution behavior. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) scans show that area enclosed by integral of melting endotherm can be used for quantification of crystalline component, which can then be used to estimate amorphous content. No definite trend was evident in powder dissolution of mixtures that could implicate solubility difference of amorphous form. Intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) results indicate that amorphous content has no effect on dissolution profiles of crystalline rifampicin.

Fluorescence anisotropy, FT-IR spectroscopy and 31-P NMR studies on the interaction of paclitaxel with lipid bilayers.

To understand the bilayer interaction with paclitaxel, fluorescence polarization, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 31-phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) studies were performed on paclitaxel bearing liposomes. Fluorescence anisotropy of three probes namely, 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), 12-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic acid (12AS) and 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) were monitored as a function of paclitaxel concentration in the unsaturated bilayers. The incorporation of paclitaxel decreased anisotropy of 12AS and ANS probes, while slightly increased anisotropy of DPH. Paclitaxel has a fluidizing effect in the upper region of the bilayer whereas the hydrophobic core is slightly rigidized. FT-IR spectroscopy showed an increase in the asymmetric and symmetric methylene stretching frequencies, splitting of methylene scissoring band and broadening of carbonyl stretching mode. These studies collectively ascertained that paclitaxel mainly occupies the cooperativity region and interact with the interfacial region of unsaturated bilayers and induces fluidity in the headgroup region of bilayer. At higher loadings (>3 mol%), paclitaxel might gradually tend to accumulate at the interface and eventually partition out of bilayer as a result of solute exclusion phenomenon, resulting in crystallization; seed non-bilayer phases, as revealed by 31P-NMR, thereby destabilizing liposomal formulations. In general, any membrane component which has a rigidization effect will decrease, while that with a fluidizing effect will increase, with a bearing on headgroup interactions, partitioning of paclitaxel into bilayers and stability of the liposomes.

Nanoemulsions as versatile formulations for paclitaxel delivery: peroral and dermal delivery studies in rats.

Pathogenesis of psoriasis involves the keratinocytes in epidermis as well as the angiogenesis involving deeper skin layers. So, the drug delivery strategy should be customized to localize paclitaxel (PCL) inside both layers. In this investigation, in order to achieve penetration of PCL into deeper skin layers while minimizing the systemic escape, a nanoemulsion (NE) was formulated and evaluated its in vivo pharmacokinetic performance. Further, the same formulation was explored for peroral bioavailability enhancement of PCL. Upon dermal application, the drug was predominantly localized in deeper skin layers, with minimal systemic escape. When orally administered as NE, PCL was rapidly absorbed reaching a steady-state value of 3.5 microg/ml in 30 minutes, and steady-state levels persisted up to 18 hours. This has amounted to an absolute bioavailability of 70.62%. Inhibition of P-glycoprotein efflux by D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethyleneglycol 1,000 succinate and labrasol would have contributed to the enhanced peroral bioavailability of PCL. This investigation provides direct evidence on the localization of large molecular weight, lipophilic drug, PCL, in dermis. Further, the NE formulation has enhanced the peroral bioavailability significantly to more than 70%. The developed NE formulation was safe and effective for both peroral and dermal delivery of PCL.

An ex vivo characterization of Paclitaxel loaded chitosan films after implantation in mice.

The objective of present investigation was the characterization of chitosan films after in vivo implantation. Chitosan films were prepared at three dose loadings of paclitaxel by classical casting method. They were implanted subcutaneously in Swiss mice in the neck region and were removed at 7, 15, 21 and 30 days post implantation for characterization. In vitro release studies on explanted films were done to observe the influence of the time of implantation and loading on paclitaxel release, which were correlated with amount of paclitaxel remaining in films. Residual amount of paclitaxel remaining in explanted films decreased with increase in loading i.e. after 30 days, the % residual content of drug at 25, 20 and 15 mg loadings (per film) were 13, 20 and 45 % of the initial loading. The in vivo release of paclitaxel from films with higher loadings was higher, indicating that paclitaxel, per se, altered biodegradation of chitosan. Light microscopy and SEM studies of films removed from mice provided qualitative information on the loss of integrity and biodegradation of films with time. Further, FTIR and ATR-FTIR spectra revealed the changes in the film matrix that occur after implantation.

Functional role of P-glycoprotein in limiting peroral drug absorption: optimizing drug delivery.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) associated multi-drug resistance is one of the major challenges in the chemotherapy of various cancers. On the other hand, it is now widely recognized that P-gp influences drug transport across various biological membranes. To this end, there is an increasing trend to optimize pharmacokinetics and drug delivery right from the initial stages of drug discovery by exploring all the possible mechanisms involved in 'deliverability'. Recent advances in molecular biology techniques and biochemical characterization methodologies have helped in identification of various transporters involved in absorption or secretion of drugs. P-gp, an efflux pump expressed along the gastrointestinal tract, limits the permeability of many drugs and thus affects their peroral absorption and bioavailability. A fundamental insight and thorough understanding of P-gp and its functional role in limiting drug absorption is critical to improve predictability of dynamic absorption models and aid in selection of new candidates for development, and also widen the scope of peroral delivery for 'challenging' molecules.

Statistical evaluation of physiological variability of rifampicin in fixed dose combinations.

Tuberculosis is one of the microbial diseases having a long history of its occurrence and yet to be eradicated from the world. Due to the development of bacterial resistance, treatment has changed from monotherapy to combotherapy to fixed dose combinations (FDCs). Rifampicin has been found one of the most important anti-tubercular drugs, however variable bioavailability of rifampicin in some FDCs as well as separate formulations has been reported in the literature, and led to the development of WHO model protocol for evaluation of FDCs for bioequivalence trials. In present investigation, role of physiological variability in rifampicin bioequivalence was studied. Influence of subject's body weight, inter/intra-individual variability of elimination rate and impact of outliers on the decision of bioequivalence were investigated. Normalization of pharmacokinetic measures for bioequivalence (AUC and C(max)) were carried out as per body weights and elimination rate constants of subjects, then different statistical tests like two-way ANOVA, hauschke analysis, normal and log-transformed confidence interval were applied to check for the change in bioequivalence decision. It was found that normalization as per body weights did not play a significant role in the outcome of bioequivalence endpoint. Similarly, elimination rate variability and outliers have been found insignificant regarding final outcome of bioequivalence study. Hence, it has been concluded that physiological variability did not play a significant role in bioequivalence of rifampicin in FDCs.

Simultaneous determination of lamivudine and stavudine in antiretroviral fixed dose combinations by first derivative spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography.

Two methods are described for the simultaneous determination of lamivudine (3TC) and stavudine (d4T) in combined pharmaceutical tablets. The first method depends on first derivative UV-spectrophotometry with zero-crossing measurement technique. The first derivative absorbances at 280 and 300 nm were selected for the determination of stavudine and lamivudine, respectively. The second method is based on the separation of both drugs by high performance liquid chromatography using methanol:water (20:80) as the mobile phase at 0.6 ml/min on a reverse phase column with detection at 270 nm. Both the methods showed good linearity, reproducibility and precision. No spectral or chromatographic interferences from the tablet excipients were found. The proposed methods were suitably applied to the assay of commercial formulations. The procedures were rapid, simple and suitable for routine quality control application.

Development and validation of RP-HPLC and ultraviolet spectrophotometric methods of analysis for the quantitative estimation of antiretroviral drugs in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic and an UV spectrophotometric method were developed and validated for the quantitative determination of three antiretroviral drugs viz. Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine that constitute one of the first line regimens in antiretroviral therapy. The different analytical performance parameters such as linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were determined according to International Conference on Harmonization ICH Q2B guidelines. Chromatography was carried out by isocratic technique on a reversed-phase C-18 SYMMETRY column with mobile phase based and optimized depending on the polarity of the molecules. The UV spectrophotometric determinations were performed at 270, 265 and 313 nm for Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine, respectively. The linearity of the calibration curves for each analyte in the desired concentration range is good (r(2)>0.999) by both the HPLC and UV methods. Both the methods were accurate and precise with recoveries in the range of 97 and 103% for all the three drugs and relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) <5%. Moreover, the accuracy and precision obtained with HPLC correlated well with the UV method which implied that UV spectroscopy can be a cheap, reliable and less time consuming alternative for chromatographic analysis. The proposed methods are highly sensitive, precise and accurate and hence were successfully applied for the reliable quantification of API content in the commercial formulations of Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine.

In vivo pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies in mice of alternative formulations for local and systemic delivery of Paclitaxel: gel, film, prodrug, liposomes and micelles.

The aim of this study was to increase the understanding on the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution of paclitaxel as influenced by formulation approach. For this purpose, various formulations investigated in Swiss mice included liposomes, poloxamer 407 gel and chitosan film for subcutaneous route; and water-soluble methacrylate prodrug, liposomes and poloxamer micelles for systemic administration. During this study, the currently marketed formulation of Cremophor EL of paclitaxel was used as the reference. A highest plasma concentration following intravenous administration of paclitaxel was observed for rigid and 'Stealth((R))' liposomes containing the prodrug while, least was for covalently incorporated paclitaxel micelles. Further, poloxamer micelles demonstrated both the highest mean residence time of 7.34 h and volume of distribution (VSS=4.82 and VZ=5.87 L/kg) for paclitaxel. This was followed by prodrug loaded 'Stealth' liposomes, which showed a mean residence time of 4.96 h but were least distributed into apparent physiological volume (VSS=2.12 and VZ=3.16 L/kg). These results clearly signify the role of formulation/excipient in drug disposition and possible interactions. Importantly, due to decrease in the clearance rate of drug, the area under curve values of paclitaxel increased by 1.64- and 2.5-fold for micellar and prodrug loaded 'Stealth' liposomal formulations, respectively over reference formulation. While thermoreversible gels served to decrease plasma concentration of paclitaxel (8-fold) after subcutaneous administration, systemic levels were totally absent after implantation of films. In tissue distribution studies, maximum percent of paclitaxel was observed in liver for reference formulation, conventional liposomes and micelles whereas highest levels of prodrug and 'Stealth((R))' liposomes were in kidney and spleen, respectively. The novel formulations significantly altered tissue accumulation profiles of paclitaxel relative to the reference formulation, for example, reduction in uptake by heart from liposomes and micelles, as well as the major recognition mechanism for elimination. It is proposed that a combination therapy with liposomes and micelles of paclitaxel for systemic delivery along with implantation of chitosan film for local delivery, may serve not only to improve patient compliance by obliterating the need to administer Cremophor EL, but also increase patient survival.

Preparation and characterization of water-soluble prodrug, liposomes and micelles of Paclitaxel.

Alternative formulations of paclitaxel were developed in order to improve its aqueous solubility, and characterized in vitro. A methacrylic acid based nanoconjugate of paclitaxel was synthesized by a simple esterification reaction with molecular weight of 1657 Da. The in vitro hydrolysis study on the prodrug of paclitaxel in presence of rat plasma has shown that the ester bond was quite stable (less than 1% of paclitaxel was liberated from prodrug in 24 h). This water-soluble prodrug was encapsulated into polyethylene glycol coated liposomes optimized with saturated lipids, to overcome the physical instability associated with paclitaxel. Under in vitro testing, prodrug liposomes seem very impressive with release of only 45% of payload in 180 h. Further, chemical as well as physical stability studies have shown that liposomes were stable without any signs of crystallization of paclitaxel. In addition, paclitaxel was covalently coupled to poloxamer via methacrylic acid linker to obtain a micelle forming conjugate. Evidence for self-assembly of this conjugate into micelles was provided by fluorescence spectroscopy, light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. Micellization of the conjugate was thermodynamically favored and the core of resulting micelles exhibited higher microviscosities (than poloxamer micelles). Release studies using dialysis technique along with high performance liquid chromatography revealed that paclitaxel is liberated from micelle in the form of methacrylic acid oligomer based prodrug in a gradual manner. These preliminary studies provided indication on the performance and feasibility of testing these carrier systems as a safer alternative to the Cremophor EL based paclitaxel formulation.

pH-dependent functional activity of P-glycoprotein in limiting intestinal absorption of protic drugs: kinetic analysis of quinidine efflux in situ.

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the quantitative contribution of pH-dependent passive permeability on the functional activity of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in limiting intestinal absorption of weakly basic drugs, in order to include this effect in prediction models. pH-dependent octanol/buffer partition coefficient, artificial membrane permeability and in situ rat intestinal permeability of quinidine were determined in the physiological pH range of gastrointestinal tract. In situ permeability, as a function of luminal pH, was also determined in the presence of P-gp inhibitor, verapamil (500 microM). Octanol/buffer partition coefficient, transport across artificial membrane, and rat in situ permeability showed high pH-dependency. Absorption quotient (AQ), calculated from in situ permeability to express the functional activity of P-gp, declined with increase in luminal pH or increase in luminal quinidine concentration because of the increased passive permeability or saturation of P-gp. AQ was 0.57 +/- 0.02 and 0.41 +/- 0.05, while passive permeability was 0.32 +/- 0.01 x 10(-4) cm/sec and 0.43 +/- 0.02 x 10(-4) cm/sec, in jejunum and ileum, respectively, at pH 7.4. Further, apparent Michaelis-Menten constants (K(M), J(P-gp,max)) for the quinidine efflux in jejunum indicated that efflux activity was more at luminal pH 4.5 over pH 7.4. K(M) values for jejunum quinidine efflux at pH 4.5 and pH 7.4 were determined to be 77.63 +/- 10.90 and 22.86 +/- 5.22 microM, with J(P-gp,max) values of 1.47 +/- 0.08 and 0.62 +/- 0.04 nM/cm2/sec, respectively. AQ vs passive permeability showed significant relationship indicating dependency of P-gp-mediated efflux on pH-dependent passive permeability, which is dictated by ionization status for a protic or ampholytic drug. In conclusion, an orally administered drug is absorbed from various segments of intestine, which inherit difference in luminal pH, transcellular permeability and P-gp expression. In situ data suggests that pH-dependency and regional variability in passive permeability of protic substrates significantly influence their P-gp-mediated efflux and may have implications on predictions of the in vivo drug absorption.

In situ and in vivo efficacy of peroral absorption enhancers in rats and correlation to in vitro mechanistic studies.

The present investigation attempts to increase intestinal permeability and hence absorption of biopharmaceutic classification system (BCS) Class III (cefotaxime sodium (CX)) and Class IV (cyclosporin A (CSA)) drugs by employing certain absorption enhancers. Drugs were co-perfused with sodium caprate (SC, 0.25% w/v), piperine (P, 0.004% w/v) and sodium deoxycholate (SD, 1.0% w/v) separately in rat in situ single pass intestinal perfusion model. These additives increased intestinal permeability (P(app)) and absorption rate constant (K(a)) up to two and fourfold, respectively. SC exhibited substantial absorption enhancement of both CX and CSA, while SD and P enhanced absorption of CX and CSA, respectively. Co-administration of SC significantly enhanced peroral bioavailability of CX (from 29.4 +/- 1.7 to 69.6 +/- 3.2) and CSA (from 18.4 +/- 15.6 to 49.6 +/- 25.1) in rats, while P increased bioavailability of CSA (from 18.4 +/- 15.6 to 33.1 +/- 17.7). Transmission electron microscopy of intestinal mucosa revealed that SC and SD act on lipid and protein domains of absorptive membrane. P showed no effect on intestinal P(app) and oral bioavailability of CX but has a profound effect on CSA, a known P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate. These results indicated that P enhances intestinal absorption of CSA by modulating P-gp mediated efflux transport. Release of lactate dehydrogenase in situ from intestinal mucosa in the presence of absorption enhancer was taken as index of its local toxicity. All the absorption enhancers showed significantly less release of LDH compared to positive control, sodium dodecyl sulfate (60% w/v). Overall, the data indicate that the features of these commonly used food ingredients or endogenous bile salts can effectively improve bioavailability of various BCS Class III and Class IV drugs.

Absorption enhancement, mechanistic and toxicity studies of medium chain fatty acids, cyclodextrins and bile salts as peroral absorption enhancers.

The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate an oral 'drug delivery' approach, which involves co-administration of absorption enhancers (AEs). The representative low permeable hydrophilic (biopharmaceutic classification system (BCS) Class III) drugs used in the study comprised of cefotaxime sodium and ceftazidime pentahydrate, whereas low permeable lipophilic (BCS Class IV) drugs include cyclosporin A and lovastatin. AEs from three different chemical classes, namely, medium chain fatty acids (sodium caprylate and caprate), cyclodextrins (beta-cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin) and bile salts (sodium cholate and deoxycholate) were evaluated for absorption enhancement efficacy, mechanism of action and toxicity using in vitro everted intestinal sac model. These AEs were found to enhance intestinal permeability of drugs from 2- to 27-fold. Light microscopy studies of intestinal sac incubated with AEs for 120 min revealed morphological changes in absorptive mucosa and rank order of toxicity were cyclodextrins>bile salts congruent with medium chain fatty acids. Fluorescence polarization studies indicated that brush bordered membrane vesicles labeled with lipophilic (DPH, 12AS) and hydrophilic dyes (ANS), when treated with AEs exhibited concentration and time dependent decrease in fluorescence polarization. Total protein released in presence of AEs was more than control but considerably less than EDTA (0.58% w/v), which is known to cause toxic release of proteins from cell. Overall, AEs were found to significantly enhance drug permeability by decreasing lipid membrane fluidity and/or interacting with hydrophilic domains of membrane, and has the potential to improve oral delivery.

Relationship between lipophilicity of BCS class III and IV drugs and the functional activity of peroral absorption enhancers.

Absorption enhancers (AEs) have been shown to be specific in permeation enhancement capabilities because of which they increase absorption of some drug molecules more than others. Present study was designed to investigate the relationship between lipophilicity of drug molecules and the absorption enhancement potential of AEs. Four drug molecules of different lipophilicity were selected as model compounds, namely, cefotaxime sodium, ceftazidime pentahydrate, lovastatin and cyclosporin A. Their apparent permeability coefficients in the absence and presence of three classes of AEs (fatty acids, cyclodextrins, and bile salts) were determined using in vitro everted rat intestinal sac absorption model. Significant relationship was observed between log P of drug and absorption enhancement ratios by AEs. This relationship was found to be functionally directly or indirectly proportional depending upon nature of AE and explain the mechanism of permeation enhancement.

Implication of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics of rifampicin in variable bioavailability from solid oral dosage forms.

Rifampicin is one of the oldest and most effective chemotherapeutic agents available for the treatment of tuberculosis but exhibits variable bioavailability from separate and fixed dose combination formulations, which has been identified as a major bottleneck in the effective treatment of tuberculosis. In this investigation, physico-chemical characterization, single dose pharmacokinetic studies and the permeability of rifampicin under physiological conditions in the rat were studied to trace the possible reasons for its variable absorption. Rifampicin exhibits very high solubility in acidic and basic pH, corresponding to the pH of the stomach and distal intestine, respectively, whereas it is moderately soluble at the jejunal pH. From single-dose pharmacokinetic studies and permeability characterization, rifampicin is a highly permeable molecule and thus according to BCS, it is a borderline class II drug. This investigation has ruled out the possibility of intrinsic solubility, effective permeability, drug decomposition, presystemic metabolism and interaction with other antituberculosis drugs as direct factors responsible for the variable bioavailability of rifampicin. However, it was found that the rate of dissolution in association with pH and the concentration-dependent absorption of rifampicin affects the in vivo performance of the dosage forms. In addition, this is the first report of methodology for correcting inlet concentration for permeability calculations of a chemically unstable molecule.

Feasibility studies of dermal delivery of paclitaxel with binary combinations of ethanol and isopropyl myristate: role of solubility, partitioning and lipid bilayer perturbation.

In the current investigation, paclitaxel (PCL) delivery into the different layers of skin, vehicle optimization and relationship between vehicle composition and the relative contribution of solubility, partition and diffusion towards drug transport has been outlined. Saturation solubility of PCL was determined in ethanol (EtOH), isopropyl myristate (IPM) and their binary combinations, and partition studies performed to study the probability of skin depot formation. Epidermal and dermal partitioning was carried from PCL saturated vehicles. Skin permeation of PCL was studied using the rat skin. FT-IR has been utilized to study the skin barrier perturbation, and the localization of PCL and isopropyl myristate (IPM) in epidermis. High K(app) value in mineral oil/buffer indicated the tendency of PCL to form a reservoir in skin, and an inverse relationship between PCL solubility in different solvent systems and partitioning into epidermis was found. Maximum K(epidermis) for PCL was observed with IPM, while PCL in EtOH/IPM (1:1) showed high partitioning into dermis. Maximum flux of PCL was observed with EtOH/IPM (1:1). For lipophilic drug like PCL modulation of vehicle seems to be effective approach to increase the permeability across the skin. With a binary combination of EtOH/IPM (1:1) higher concentration of PCL can be delivered to deeper layer of skin whereas with IPM higher concentration of PCL could be localized in the epidermis. While engineering the delivery vehicle selection of solvents should be such that one of them is miscible in both hydrophilic and lipophilic phase like ethanol and another should be lipophilic in nature (IPM in this case) so that an optimum balance between 'push-pull' and 'blending' effect can be achieved.

Prediction of in vivo intestinal absorption enhancement on P-glycoprotein inhibition, from rat in situ permeability.

The purpose of this study is to determine the functional role of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in intestinal absorption of drugs and to quantitatively predict the in vivo absorption enhancement on P-gp inhibition. In situ single-pass rat ileum permeability and aqueous solubility were measured for a set of 16 compounds. Permeability studies were also carried out in the presence of P-gp inhibitor to estimate the permeability enhancement on P-gp inhibition. A significant correlation was obtained between rat ileum permeability and the literature human intestinal absorption (HIA), F(a,human) (r = 0.891; p < 0.01). Compounds with permeability >0.2 x 10(-4) cm/s are completely absorbed; however, few practically insoluble compounds were overestimated with this relationship. Inhibition of P-gp increased the permeability (p < 0.05) of three moderately and three highly permeable compounds. Efflux inhibition ratio (EIR), the ratio of permeability due to P-gp-mediated efflux activity and passive permeability only, for these compounds was in the order of digoxin > paclitaxel > fexofenadine > quinidine > verapamil > cyclosporine. Integration of EIR with permeability versus F(a,human) predicted that modulation of P-gp has no significant effect on the absorption of highly permeable compounds (quinidine, verapamil, and cyclosporine A), while for moderately permeable compounds (digoxin, paclitaxel, and fexofenadine), P-gp profoundly influences the intestinal permeability. The in situ permeability in rat ileum may be used to predict the in vivo P-gp function and its quantitative contribution to intestinal drug absorption. Integration of the functional activity of P-gp with the characteristics of BCS may explain drug interactions and explore the possible pharmacokinetic advantage on P-gp inhibition.

Single and multiple dose pharmacokinetic evaluation of a transdermal delivery system of imipramine hydrochloride.

The transdermal route provides an attractive alternative to the presently used peroral therapy with tricyclic antidepressants due to the avoidance of first-pass metabolism and the associated side effects. In this investigation an earlier developed transdermal delivery system (TDS) of imipramine hydrochloride (CAS 113-52-0; IMH) was evaluated with respect to dose proportionality at three different dose levels. Linearity was observed with the lower doses. For the prediction of in vivo plasma levels, various pharmacokinetic parameters such as alpha, beta, volume of distribution, and AUC0-infinity. were determined by single dose intravenous administration (2 mg/kg). The lowest dose was selected for the multiple dose study taking into consideration the issues of stability, safety, therapeutic range and linearity of pharmacokinetics. At all dose levels the experimental plasma values were significantly lower than predicted levels (p < 0.05) but 30-50 fold higher than the therapeutic range with no significant difference at different dose levels. The plasma levels obtained by repeated application were comparable to that obtained in the single dose study. In addition, IMH exhibited dose proportional pharmacokinetics at the higher doses (above 50 mg/day). The developed TDS was able to maintain steady-state plasma levels for the entire duration of the multiple dose study.

Enhanced oral paclitaxel absorption with vitamin E-TPGS: effect on solubility and permeability in vitro, in situ and in vivo.

Solubility and permeability being important determinants of oral drug absorption, this study was aimed to investigate the effect of D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) on the solubility and intestinal permeability of paclitaxel in vitro, in situ and in vivo, in order to estimate the absorption enhancement ability of TPGS. Aqueous solubility of paclitaxel is significantly enhanced by TPGS, where a linear increase was demonstrated above a TPGS concentration of 0.1 mg/ml. Paclitaxel demonstrated asymmetric transport across rat ileum with significantly greater (26-fold) basolateral-to-apical (B-A) permeability than that in apical-to-basolateral (A-B) direction. Presence of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor, verapamil (200 microM), diminished asymmetric transport of paclitaxel suggesting the role of P-gp-mediated efflux. TPGS showed a concentration-dependent increase in A-B permeability and decreased B-A permeability. The maximum efflux inhibition activity was found at a minimum TPGS concentration of 0.1 mg/ml, however, further increase in TPGS concentration resulted in decreased A-B permeability with no change in B-A permeability. Thus, the maximum paclitaxel permeability attained with 0.1 mg/ml TPGS was attributed to the interplay between TPGS concentration dependent P-gp inhibition activity and miceller formation. In situ permeability studies in rats also demonstrated the role of efflux in limiting permeability of paclitaxel and inhibitory efficiency of TPGS. The plasma concentration of [14C]paclitaxel following oral administration (25 mg/kg) was significantly increased by coadministration of TPGS at a dose of 50 mg/kg in rats. Bioavailability is enhanced about 4.2- and 6.3-fold when [14C]paclitaxel was administrated with verapamil (25 mg/kg) and TPGS, respectively, as compared to [14C]paclitaxel administered alone. The effect of verapamil on oral bioavailability of [14C]paclitaxel was limited relative to the TPGS, consistent with the in vitro solubility and permeability enhancement ability of TPGS. In conclusion, the current data suggests that the coadministration of TPGS may improve the bioavailability of BCS class II-IV drugs with low solubility and/or less permeable as a result of significant P-gp-mediated efflux.