Influence of various anions on intestinal disappearance of hexamethonium chloride and pralidoxime chloride in rats

Enhanced permeation of methotrexate in vitro by ion pair formation with L-arginine

Ion paired solutions of methotrexate in L-arginine/water/propylene glycol systems were evaluated for their potential to enhance the permeation of methotrexate across rabbit nasal mucosa in vitro. The partition coefficient of methotrexate in the methotrexate: L-arginine ion paired systems was observed to be 24 times greater than that of the methotrexate system without L-arginine. The ion pair formation between methotrexate and L-arginine was confirmed by a decrease in the conductivity of the systems in the presence of propylene glycol, a dielectric constant reducing agent. The permeation of methotrexate across the rabbit nasal mucosa from the ion paired systems was observed to be significantly greater (p < 0.05) as compared to control systems of methotrexate solution in water and a sodium salt. Furthermore, a threefold increase in the flux of methotrexate was observed when propylene glycol was added to the ion paired systems. These results suggest that methotrexate: L-arginine ion paired systems have potential in improving the permeation of methotrexate across rabbit nasal mucosa and may form the basis for further development of an intranasal therapeutic system of methotrexate.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of a Liposaccharide Drug Delivery Agent: Application to the Gastrointestinal Absorption of Gentamicin

The design, synthesis, and evaluation of a liposaccharide (11) for use as an agent to enhance the gastrointestinal absorption of charged, hydrophilic drugs with poor membrane permeability is reported. 11 was designed to possess both surfactant and ion-pairing properties and was conveniently synthesized from d-glucuronic acid (2) and N-Boc-lipoamino acid (5) precursors in eight steps in good yield. Isothermal titration microcalorimetry was used to determine the critical micelle concentration of 11 (in PBS) to be 2.09 +/- 0.01 mM with an enthalpy of demicellization of 4.91 +/- 0.11 kJ/mol. The ability of 11 to enhance the gastrointestinal absorption of the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin (1), a hydrophilic polycation with negligible oral bioavailability, was assessed in vivo using rats. Rats dosed orally with a mixture of 11 (100 mg/kg) and 1 (60 mg/kg) had a statistically significant (P < or = 0.034) increase in Cmax, AUC120, and percent absolute bioavailability (F) compared to control 1 (60 mg/kg) alone. The highest bioavailability (F = 9.1 +/- 2.0%) was achieved by dosing with the mixture 11 (100 mg/kg) and 1 (15 mg/kg). This represents a 6-fold increase in bioavailability compared to the control (F = 1.4 +/- 0.3%). These results suggest that the molar ratio of 1:11 may be critical in optimizing the delivery system, a finding ascribed in part to the ion-pairing properties of 11. The effect of 11 on the gastrointestinal mucosa was assessed using light microscopy to examine tissue samples from rats used in the pharmacokinetic study. No morphological changes were found in either the esophagi or duodena of the rats examined. One rat dosed with 11 (100 mg/kg) and 1 (60 mg/kg) exhibited slight gastric erosion, which could be attributed to 11.

Transport characteristics of paraquat across rat intestinal brush-border membrane

The mechanism of absorption of paraquat, which is a type of quaternary ammonium compound (QAC), was studied using rat intestinal loops and brush-border membrane vesicles. Approximately 47% and 37% of radioactively labeled paraquat injected into jejunal and ileal loops disappeared, respectively, after 60 min. Since only a small amount of radioactivity was detected in the mucosal fraction, most of the paraquat that disappeared from the intestinal lumen was considered to have been carried away by the bloodstream, indicating that paraquat absorption was greater than expected. In spite of its low lipid solubility, the uptake of paraquat by brush-border membrane vesicles reflected smooth penetration into the intravesicular space rather than binding to the membrane. According to the increase in extravesicular paraquat concentration, paraquat uptake in the early stage was saturable. Moreover, early paraquat uptake was significantly inhibited by structurally-related QACs such as tetramethylammonium and choline, but not by an endogenous dicationic amine (putrescine). On the other hand, inside-negative membrane potential had no significant effect on the time course of paraquat uptake. From these results, it is suggested that paraquat is absorbed through a specialized mechanism associated with the carrier-mediated transport system for choline on the brush-border membrane.

Effect of anti-inflammatory drugs on partitioning characteristics of propranolol and oxprenolol

The influence of a range of nine anti-inflammatory drugs on the octan-1-ol aqueous phosphate buffer pH 7.4 apparent partition coefficients of propranolol and oxprenolol has been examined. All produced a change in the apparent partition coefficient which can be explained in terms of partitioning of hydrophobic ion-pairs formed between the ionic anti-inflammatory compound and the protonated cationic drug.

Ion pair absorption of ionized drugs--fact or fiction?

The lipophilicity of some highly ionized drugs at physiological pH is very low. Gastro-intestinal absorption of such compounds cannot be explained by the 'pH-partition' hypothesis. Ion pair formation between a drug and an endogenous counter ion alone resulting in an electrically neutral and potentially more lipophilic species has been proposed as a mechanism to explain the observed, though deficient, absorption of ionic drugs. The concept of ion pair formation between an ionic drug and an exogenous counter ion has been the rationale for attempts to improve penetration of biological membranes and, specifically, result in increased absorption from the gastro-intestinal tract. The validity of the 'ion pair absorption hypothesis' is re-evaluated in the context of a conceptual review of relevant literature.

Altered ocular absorption and disposition of sodium cromoglycate upon ion-pair and complex coacervate formation with dodecylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride

Ion-pair formation between the dianionic drug sodium cromoglycate and dodecylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride has been found to alter the extent and rate of corneal penetration of both large ions upon their coadministration. Additionally, using a complex coacervate of the two large ions as the applied dose form (in which the complex is in equilibrium with the ion pairs), a change in the overall disposition of both large ions to the various components of the eye is observed.