Oral environment and taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral environment and the taste function of Japanese HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral therapy. Their median age of 73 patients taking anti-HIV drugs was 46 years. The median period of taking anti-HIV drugs was 30 months. The oral condition was evaluated by measurement of oral moisture, amount of saliva secretion, the number of oral bacteria, presence of oral candida, a taste test, and the number of missing teeth. The levels of oral moisture and secreted saliva were significantly lower in the HIV-infected group than in the healthy volunteer (control) group. The HIV-infected group showed a more robust decrease in taste sensation than the control group. The number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the HIV-infected group than in the control group. Furthermore, all of the evaluated oral conditions were worse in the HIV-infected patients whose CD4+ T lymphocyte counts were less than 500/mm3 than in the control group. It became clear that the patients taking anti-HIV drugs, especially the CD4+ count < 500/mm3 group, had a deteriorated oral environment and dysgeusia, suggesting that the management of oral hygiene is necessary to maintain oral health, which leads to systemic health.

Clinical Outcomes of Post-exposure Prophylaxis following Occupational Exposure to Human Immunodeficiency Virus at Dental Departments of Hiroshima University Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Dental professionals have so many opportunities to use injection needles and sharp instruments during dental treatment that they face an increased risk of needlestick injuries. This retrospective study reports the utilization and clinical outcomes of occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with anti-retroviral agents after being potentially exposed to HIV at the dental departments of Hiroshima University Hospital. OBJECTIVE: This study reports the utilization and clinical outcomes of occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with antiretroviral agents after being potentially exposed to HIV at dental departments of Hiroshima University Hospital. METHODS: Data on the clinical status of HIV-infected source patients and information on HIV-exposed dental professionals from 2007 to 2018 were collected. RESULTS: Five dentists with an average experience of 5.6 years (1-15 years) were exposed. The averaged CD4-positive cell number and HIV-RNA load were 1176 (768-1898) /µl and less than 20 copies/ml, respectively, in all the patients. Two of the five HIV exposed dentists received PEP. Three months after the exposures, all of their results were negative in HIV antibody/antigen tests. CONCLUSION: ; These data might support the concept of "undetectable equals untransmittable", although HIV exposure in this study was not through sexual transmission.

Comparisons of the pharmacokinetics and the leukopenia and thrombocytopenia grade after administration of irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil in combination to rats.

BACKGROUND: Irinotecan (CPT-11) has been used recently for the treatment of several cancers in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Preliminary data on this combination therapy in humans demonstrated no drug interactions between CPT-11 (or its metabolite, SN-38) and 5-FU however, because there is so little information on the combination, the possibility for an interaction still exists. MATERIAL AND METHODS: CPT-11 and 5-FU were injected intravenously into rats and the pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 and SN-38 and alternations in blood cell count were investigated. RESULTS: In the group of rats administered 5-FU prior to CPT-11, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of CPT-11 was approximately eight-fold larger compared with the group administered CPT-11 prior to 5-FU. On the other hand, the grade of leukocytopenia or thrombocytopenia was not significantly different among the two groups. CONCLUSION: In rats, the conversion of CPT-11 into SN-38 is possibly delayed by prior administration of 5-FU.

Radioimmunoassay for DS-4574, an antiallergic agent: development, evaluation, and application to human plasma samples.

A sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) method for DS-4574, an antiallergic drug, in plasma has been developed. As the three major metabolites have a hydroxyl group on the cyclohexyl ring, the triazole ring in the terminal part of molecule was attached to ovalbumin with a spacer of beta-chloropropionic acid succinimido ester to prepare an immunogen. Anti-DS-4574 antisera was obtained in rabbits immunized with the immunogen emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant. The detection limit of the present RIA method was 1 mg/mL of plasma, which was 100-fold more sensitive than the HPLC method developed previously. Cross-reactivities with three major metabolites were less than 3%. The precision of the assay based on triplicate samples showed intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variations of less than 5% and 4%, respectively. This RIA method was applied to plasma samples of six volunteers who had received a single oral 10 mg dose of DS-4574. Plasma concentrations increased rapidly and reached 60 ng/mL at 0.5 h after administration. The concentration decreased to near the detection limit at 4 h postdose. The present RIA method was shown to possess adequate sensitivity to evaluate pharmacokinetic properties of the drug for clinical study, which was not possible by the HPLC method.

Radioimmunoassay method for DX-9065a, an anticoagulant agent. Development, evaluation and application to human plasma.

A simple and sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) method was developed for determination of DX-9065a, (+)-(2S)-2[4-[[(3S)-1-acetimidoyl-3-pyrrolidinyl] oxy]phenyl]-3-[7-amidino-2-naphthyl]propanoic acid hydrochloride pentahydrate, a newly synthesized anticoagulant agent. Immunogens were prepared by condensation of a hapten with bovine serum albumin via a carboxyl group. Antisera was obtained by immunization of five rabbits with immunogen. High-titer antisera was obtained from 2 rabbits immunized with immunogen. The sensitivity of this newly developed RIA method was 100-fold greater than that of a previously used conventional HPLC method. This method was validated for determination of human plasma samples in clinical trials. The cross-reactivities of employed antisera with three steroisomers (2R3R-, 2R3S- and 2S3R forms) were 0.7, 20.2 and 43.9% respectively. The effect of cross-reactivity of postulated stereoisomers in clinical samples was evaluated by a parallelism study using human plasma samples obtained after oral administration of the drug to healthy Japanese volunteers. Results showed no effect on measured concentration. From these data, this method showed suitable accuracy and precision for the pharmacokinetic evaluation of DX-9065a in clinical study. The method was applied to plasma samples obtained from a healthy Japanese volunteer who had orally received 12.85 mg (10 mg as DX-9065) of the drug. The maximum plasma concentration measured was 6.2 ng ml-1 1 h after administration.

Application of computer-assisted sperm analysis system to elucidate lack of effects of cyclophosphamide on rat epididymal sperm motion.

A computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system was used to examine the motion of epididymal spermatozoa derived from cyclophosphamide (CP)-treated male rats. Male rats were orally dosed daily for 1 week with 20 mg/kg of CP. Males were euthanized or were mated 3 times with untreated females at 1 day, 3 weeks, and 8 weeks after the final treatment. Significant decreases in testicular and epididymal weights and epididymal sperm counts of the treated animals were noted after 8-week recovery. Histopathological morphometry of the testis revealed minimal damage to spermatogonia at 1 day after the final treatment and to spermatocytes after 3-week recovery in the CP-treated group. On Caesarian section, increased post-implantation losses were found in females mated with CP-treated males in matings starting 1 day and 3 weeks after the final treatment. On the other hand, none of the sperm motion parameters of treated males derived from the CASA system exhibited significant changes at any time points, although the spermatozoa of treated males at 1 day and 3 weeks after the final treatment were damaged at the DNA level, and the spermatozoa of males after 8-week recovery had been the target cells of CP when they were spermatogonia in the testis. It was thus found that damaged spermatozoa could exhibit no changes on their motion when the damage was confined to the nuclei, and that the effect of CP on sperm nuclei was reversible.

Collaborative assessment of optimal administration period and parameters to detect effects on male fertility in the rat: effects of cyclophosphamide on the male reproductive system.

As part of a collaborative project to determine optimal administration period and parameters to detect compound effects on male fertility in the rat, adult male rats were administered cyclophosphamide daily at 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg for 2 weeks, or at 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg for 4 or 9 weeks. After the pre-pairing administration period, each male was paired with an untreated female. After mating, testes and epididymides were removed and examined for organ weights, sperm head counts, sperm morphology and histopathology. Mated females were caesarean-sectioned on Day 13 of gestation. Although atrophy of epithelia in the cauda epididymides and decreases of spermatogenic cells in the testes were observed in the higher dose groups in the 2w study, no other effects on the male reproductive system were noted in any of the studies. There were clear effects on pregnancy outcome; implantation efficiency was decreased in the highest dosage groups and postimplantation losses increased in all the dosage groups in all studies. These results suggest that a fertility study with females is needed particularly in the case of mutagenic agents, together with a detailed histopathological evaluation for reliable detection of toxicity on the male reproductive system.

Kinetic characteristics of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases towards a dithiol metabolite of malotilate in hepatic microsomes of rats and rabbits.

1. The kinetic activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UDPGT) towards a dithiol metabolite of malotilate, 2,2-di(isopropoxycarbonyl)ethylene-1,1-dithiol, was investigated using rat and rabbit hepatic microsomes. The thio-glucuronide formed was analysed by h.p.l.c. The Km values obtained using rat and rabbit UDPGT were 36.3 +/- 3.3 and 443 +/- 43 microM, respectively. The Vmax values were 7.14 +/- 0.61 and 29.2 +/- 6.4 nmol/min per mg (mean +/- SD, n = 3). 2. Phenobarbital, an inducer of the GT2 isoform of UDPGT, increased rat microsomal UDPGT activity towards the dithiol. In inhibitory studies, menthol and borneol (specific substrates for GT2a isoform) competitively inhibited glucuronidation of the dithiol. Thus it was concluded that formation of the thio-glucuronide was catalysed mainly by the GT2a isozyme of UDPGT, which is involved in glucuronidation of monoterpenoid alcohols.

Identification of the metabolites of a new hypoglycaemic agent, midaglizole, in dogs.

1. The metabolism of a new hypoglycaemic agent, midaglizole, was studied. Six major metabolites were isolated from the urine of dogs dosed with 14C-midaglizole. The structures of these metabolites were elucidated by n.m.r., i.r., u.v. and mass spectrometry, and confirmed by comparison with synthesized authentic samples. 2. For midaglizole, oxidation on the imidazoline ring and subsequent ring-opening were the major metabolic pathways in dogs. 3. Two metabolites, namely, the imidazole analogue (M-I) and amidine analogue (M-III), had hypoglycaemic activity.

Identification of a dithiol intermediate metabolite of malotilate in rats.

1. A chemically unstable dithiol intermediate metabolite of malotilate was identified by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry after conversion of the dithiol to a stable derivative by a cyclization reaction with 1,3-dichloroacetone. The dithiol, namely, 2,2-di(isopropoxycarbonyl)ethylene-1,1-dithiol, was present in rat liver at low concentrations. 2. A study of glucuronidation in vitro indicated that the dithiol was converted to the corresponding thio-glucuronide by rat hepatic microsomal enzymes. 3. It was thus confirmed that metabolism of malotilate proceeds via the dithiol intermediate to form the thio-glucuronide, which is a major metabolic pathway.

Sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the lactone form and the lactone plus hydroxy-acid forms of the new camptothecin derivative DX-8951 in human plasma using fluorescence detection.

A sensitive quantitation of the lactone form and the lactone plus hydroxy-acid forms of DX-8951, a camptothecin derivative, in human plasma has been investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This assay method consisted of two analytical procedures. In Procedure I, the lactone form was collected by the stepwise separation on a C18 cartridge. In Procedure II, the lactone plus hydroxy-acid forms were collected using another batch of the plasma sample by co-elution of the two forms from a C18 cartridge with acidic solution. The hydroxy-acid form of DX-8951 was quantitated from the difference of the lactone plus hydroxy-acid forms and the lactone form. Thereafter, these pre-treated samples were assayed by HPLC under the same HPLC conditions with a spectrofluorometer and a reverse-phase ODS column. The mobile phase was acetonitrile/0.05 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3) (18:82, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. For the assay of the lactone form and the lactone plus hydroxy-acid forms of DX-8951 in plasma, analytical method were validated over the range 0.2-50 ng/ml.

Isolation and characterization of a new thio-glucuronide, a biliary metabolite of malotilate in rats.

1. The metabolism of malotilate, possessing a 1,3-dithiole ring, was studied in rats. A major biliary metabolite of malotilate was isolated and determined to be a thio-glucuronide of the dithiol formed by ring-opening, namely, 1-mercapto-2,2-di(isopropoxycarbonyl)-ethenyl 1-thio-beta-D-glucosiduronic acid. The structure was elucidated by proton-n.m.r., 13C-n.m.r. and high-resolution mass spectrometry. 2. The thio-glucuronide was completely hydrolysed by beta-glucuronidase. This enzymic reaction was inhibited by saccharo-1,4-lactone.

Biliary metabolites of semotiadil fumarate in the rat.

After oral administration of 14C-semotiadil fumarate to rat, 81.3% of the dosed radioactivity was excreted into the bile. Five major biliary metabolites were detected and characterized as phenolic O-glucuronides by FAB mass spectrometry and 1H-nmr spectrometry. From these results it was concluded that the first step in the metabolism of semotiadil in rat was oxidations at various portions around the molecule to produce phenols. These oxidations implied the ring-opening of the methylenedioxy ring, O-demethylation of the methoxybenzene, hydroxylation of the ring, and aromatic N-demethylation. The next step was O-glucuronidation of the resulting intermediate phenolic metabolites.

Validation study of assay method for DX-8951 and its metabolite in human plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

A new liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric assay has been developed for the determination of DX-8951, a new anti-tumor drug, and its 4-hydroxymethyl metabolite (UM-1) in human plasma and urine. Solid-phase extractions were used for sample preparation. A gradient reverse-phase HPLC separation was developed with mobile phases consisting of trifluoroacetic acid and methanol. The detection was conducted using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the selected reaction monitoring mode. A structural analog, camptothecin (CPT), was used as the internal standard. The assay was validated for the determination of DX-8951 and UM-1 in human plasma and urine. The lower limits of quantitation of DX-8951 and UM-1 were 0.1 ng/mL in plasma and 1 ng/mL in urine. The method showed a satisfactory sensitivity, precision, accuracy, recovery and selectivity.

Identification of major biliary and urinary metabolites of ecabapide in rats.

1. The structures of major biliary and urinary metabolites of ecabapide in rat were identified by comparison with authentic standards using lc-ms and 1H-nmr spectrometry. 2. A major metabolite was found in the bile obtained from rat after an oral dose of 14C-ecabapide and identified as the amidaldehyde derivative. In the urine, two polar metabolites were characterized as the phenolic sulphates. Further, two lipophilic metabolites were identified as alcohol derivatives, and two others as oxamic acids. 3. From these results, it was estimated that the first step in the metabolism of ecabapide in rat was oxidative N-dealkylation to produce the amidaldehyde. This amidaldehyde was further metabolized by two routes, one by reduction of the amidaldehyde into the corresponding alcohol followed by mono-demethylation and subsequent aromatic O-sulphation, the second by oxidation of the amidaldehyde into the oxamic acid followed by mono-demethylation and subsequent aromatic O-sulphation.

High-Performance liquid chromatographic analysis of lactone and hydroxy acid of new antitumor drug, DX-8951 (exatecan), in mouse plasma.

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the determination of lactone and total drug (lactone plus hydroxy-acid) of DX-8951 in mouse plasma. Solid-phase extraction by C18 cartridge separated lactone from total drug of DX-8951. Analysis was performed using a reverse-phase ODS column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/0.05 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3) (18: 82, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The limits of quantitation of lactone and total drug were 3 ng/ml in plasma and a linear range of determination were observed over the concentration of 3 to 500 ng/ml. This method was applied to pharmacokinetic study in male mice treated with a single intravenous administration of either lactone or hydroxy-acid of DX-8951. The plasma concentrations of lactone from 2 to 6 h after dosing were similar regardless of the form of DX-8951 administered.