Drug transport and targeting. Intestinal transport

Amino Acid Derivatives as Palmitoylethanolamide Prodrugs: Synthesis, In Vitro Metabolism and In Vivo Plasma Profile in Rats

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has antinflammatory and antinociceptive properties widely exploited in veterinary and human medicine, despite its poor pharmacokinetics. Looking for prodrugs that could progressively release PEA to maintain effective plasma concentrations, we prepared carbonates, esters and carbamates at the hydroxyl group of PEA. Chemical stability (pH 7.4) and stability in rat plasma and liver homogenate were evaluated by in vitro assays. Carbonates and carbamates resulted too labile and too resistant in plasma, respectively. Ester derivatives, prepared by conjugating PEA with various amino acids, allowed to modulate the kinetics of PEA release in plasma and stability in liver homogenate. L-Val-PEA, with suitable PEA release in plasma, and D-Val-PEA, with high resistance to hepatic degradation, were orally administered to rats and plasma levels of prodrugs and PEA were measured at different time points. Both prodrugs showed significant release of PEA, but provided lower plasma concentrations than those obtained with equimolar doses of PEA. Amino-acid esters of PEA are a promising class to develop prodrugs, even if they need further chemical optimization.

Polymer-based oral peptide nanomedicines

Oral peptide delivery has been one of the major challenges of pharmaceutical sciences as it could lead to a great improvement of classical therapies, such as insulin, alongside making an important number of new therapies feasible. Successful oral delivery needs to fulfill two key tasks: to protect the macromolecules from degradation in the GI tract and to shuttle them across the intestinal epithelium in a safe and efficient fashion. Over the last decade, there have been numerous approaches based on the chemical modification of peptides and on the use of permeation enhancers, enzyme inhibitors and drug-delivery systems. Among the approaches developed to overcome these restrictions, the design of nanocarriers seems to be a particularly promising approach. This article is an overview on the state of the art of oral-peptide formulation strategies, with special attention to insulin delivery and the use of polymeric nanocarriers as delivery systems.

Enhancing the intestinal membrane permeability of zanamivir: a carrier mediated prodrug approach

The purpose of this study was to improve the membrane permeability and oral absorption of the poorly permeable anti-influenza agent, zanamivir. The poor oral bioavailability is attributed to the high polarity (cLogP ∼ -5) resulting from the polar and zwitterionic nature of zanamivir. In order to improve the permeability of zanamivir, prodrugs with amino acids were developed to target the intestinal membrane transporter, hPepT1. Several acyloxy ester prodrugs of zanamivir conjugated with amino acids were synthesized and characterized. The prodrugs were evaluated for their chemical stability in buffers at various pHs and for their transport and tissue activation by enzymes. The acyloxy ester prodrugs of zanamivir were shown to competitively inhibit [(3)H]Gly-Sar uptake in Caco-2 cells (IC(50): 1.19 ± 0.33 mM for L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir). The L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir exhibited ∼3-fold higher uptake in transfected HeLa/hPepT1 cells compared to wild type HeLa cells, suggesting, at least in part, carrier mediated transport by the hPepT1 transporter. Further, enhanced transcellular permeability of prodrugs across Caco-2 monolayer compared to the parent drug (P(app) = 2.24 × 10(-6) ± 1.33 × 10(-7) cm/s for L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir), with only parent zanamivir appearing in the receiver compartment, indicates that the prodrugs exhibited both enhanced transport and activation in intestinal mucosal cells. Most significantly, several of these prodrugs exhibited high intestinal jejunal membrane permeability, similar to metoprolol, in the in situ rat intestinal perfusion system, a system highly correlated with human jejunal permeability. In summary, this mechanistic targeted prodrug strategy, to enhance oral absorption via intestinal membrane carriers such as hPepT1, followed by activation to parent drug (active pharmaceutical ingredient or API) in the mucosal cell, significantly improves the intestinal epithelial cell permeability of zanamivir and has the potential to provide the high oral bioavailability necessary for oral zanamivir therapy.

Membrane transporters and drug development: relevance to pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics, epigenetics, and systems biology

The study of membrane transporters may result in breakthroughs in the discovery of new drugs and the development of safer drugs. Membrane transporters are essential for fundamental cellular functions and normal physiological processes. These molecules influence drug absorption and distribution and play key roles in drug therapeutic effects. A primary goal of current research in drug discovery and development is to fully understand the interactions between transporters and drugs at both the system levels in the human body and the individual level for personalized therapy. Systematic studies of membrane transporters will help in not only better understanding of diseases from the systems biology point of view but also better drug design and development. The exploration of both pharmacogenomics and systems biology in transporters is necessary to connect individuals' genetic profiles with systematic drug responses in the human body. Understanding of gene-diet interactions and the effects of epigenetic changes on transporter gene expression may help improve clinical drug efficacy. The integration of pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics, epigenetics, and systems biology may enable us to move from disease treatment to disease prevention and optimal health. The key issues in such integrative understanding include the correlations between structure and function, genotype and phenotype, and systematic interactions among transporters, other proteins, nutrients, drugs, and the environment. The exploration in these key issues may ultimately contribute to personalized medicine with high efficacy but less toxicity.

Pharmacokinetics of Stereoisomeric Dipeptide Prodrugs of Acyclovir Following Intravenous and Oral Administrations in Rats: A Study Involving In vivo Corneal Uptake of Acyclovir Following Oral Dosing

Objective

To delineate the plasma pharmacokinetics and determine the corneal uptake of valine based stereoisomeric dipeptide prodrugs of acyclovir (ACV) in rats.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the study. Pharmacokinetics of ACV, L-valine-acyclovir (LACV), L-valine-D-valine-acyclovir (LDACV) and D-valine-L-valine acyclovir (DLACV) prodrugs were delineated. These compounds were administered intravenously as a bolus via jugular vein cannula and orally by gavage. Samples were purified by protein precipitation method and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Pertinent pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by using WinNonlin. Corneal uptake studies of LDACV and LACV were studied following oral administration.

Results

Following i.v. administration, the area under the curve (AUC) in μM*min of generated ACV was in the order of LACV > LDACV > DLACV indicating their rate of metabolism. The AUC values of total drug obtained in the systemic circulation after oral administration LACV and LDACV were 1077.93 ± 236.09 and 1141.76 ± 73.67 μM*min, respectively. DLACV exhibited poor oral absorption. C_max (μM) and AUC of the intact prodrug obtained in the systemic circulation following oral administration of LDACV were almost 4–5 times higher than LACV. Moreover, concentrations achieved in the cornea after oral administration of LDACV were almost two times of LACV.

Conclusions

LDACV increased both the oral bioavailability and subsequent in vivo corneal uptake of ACV. Hence, LDACV can be considered as the most promising drug candidate for delivery of ACV, in treatment of both genital herpes and ocular herpes keratitis after oral administration.

Modeling of the intestinal peptide transporter hPepT1 and analysis of its transport capacities by docking and pharmacophore mapping

An early pharmacokinetic screen for peptidomimetic drugs should have the ability to predict molecules with high affinity for intestinal transporters, as peptide-like derivatives are seldom absorbed passively. Hence, the first objective of this study was to generate a reliable model for the structure of the hPepT1 protein, which is the main intestinal transporter involved in the absorption of both dietary peptides and peptidomimetics. The modeling was based on the resolved structure of the homologous bacterial lactose permease LacY using a fragmental strategy. The interaction capacities of the hPepT1 model were explored by docking a set of 50 known ligands. Despite the known predilection of hPepT1 for hydrophobic ligands, docking results unveiled the key role of the polar interactions stabilized by charged termini, especially concerning the ammonium head group. The docking results were further verified by developing a pharmacophore model that confirmed the key features required for optimal hPepT1 affinity. The consistency of the docking results and the agreement with the pharmacophore model afford an encouraging validation for the proposed model and suggest that it can be exploited to design peptide-like molecules with an improved affinity for such a transporter.

Progress in absorption enhancers based on tight junction

Absorption enhancers have been investigated since the 1960s, in order to assist the transfer of drugs across the paracellular space in the intestinal epithelium. However, few absorption enhancers are presently used clinically, due to the difficulty of developing enhancers with high specificity and low toxicity. Using high-throughput genomic techniques, new drug candidates such as, non-Lipinski molecules, peptides, antibodies and nucleic acids, are being discovered, so the need for oral drug delivery strategies using absorption enhancers is gaining importance. The key to addressing this issue is to understand the molecular mechanism of the paracellular route in epithelial cell sheets. Towards this end, basic research in cell biology has revealed the components that regulate the paracellular route, and how the transport of substances is regulated. Based on these findings, novel strategies for enhancing drug absorption have been proposed. In this article, the authors first survey the development of absorption enhancers, then outline recent progress in the cell biology of tight junctions, and finally discuss novel approaches for absorption enhancers based on these advances.

Pharmacophore-based discovery of ligands for drug transporters

The ability to identify ligands for drug transporters is an important step in drug discovery and development. It can both improve accurate profiling of lead pharmacokinetic properties and assist in the discovery of new chemical entities targeting transporters. In silico approaches, especially pharmacophore-based database screening methods have great potential in improving the throughput of current transporter ligand identification assays, leading to a higher hit rate by focusing in vitro testing to the most promising hits. In this review, the potential of different in silico methods in transporter ligand identification studies are compared and summarized with an emphasis on pharmacophore modeling. Various implementations of pharmacophore model generation, database compilation and flexible screening algorithms are also introduced. Recent successful utilization of database searching with pharmacophores to identify novel ligands for the pharmaceutically significant transporters hPepT1, P-gp, BCRP, MRP1 and DAT are reviewed and the challenges encountered with current approaches are discussed.

Purification by p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)-affinity chromatography and the functional reconstitution of the nateglinide/H+ cotransport system in the rat intestinal brush-border membrane

(-)-N-(trans-4-isopropylcyclohexanecarbonyl)-D-phenylalanine (nateglinide) is a novel oral hypoglycemic agent possessing a peptide-type bond and a carboxyl group in its structure. Recently, we have shown that nateglinide transport occurs via the ceftibuten/H+ cotransport system, which is distinct from PepT1, and that the fluorescein/H+ cotransport system is involved in the uptake of nateglinide. The aim of this study was to characterize the functional properties of the intestinal nateglinide transporter. In the first part of this study, we demonstrated that the ceftibuten/H+ cotransport system is identical to the fluorescein/H+ cotransport system. We succeeded in purification of the nateglinide transporter from brush-border membranes of the rat small intestine using p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)-affinity chromatography. We then investigated the functional properties of the nateglinide transporter using proteoliposomes prepared from the PABA-affinity chromatography elute. We demonstrated that nateglinide, ceftibuten, and fluorescein are transported by the same transporter in the intestine.

Amino acid ester prodrugs of the antiviral agent 2-bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)benzimidazole as potential substrates of hPEPT1 transporter

Amino acid ester prodrugs of 2-bromo-5,6-dichloro-1-(beta-d-ribofuranosyl)benzimidazole (BDCRB) were synthesized and evaluated for their affinity for hPEPT1, an intestinal oligopeptide transporter. Assays of competitive inhibition of [(3)H]glycylsarcosine (Gly-Sar) uptake in HeLa/hPEPT1 cells by the amino acid ester prodrugs of BDCRB suggested their 2- to 4-fold higher affinity for hPEPT1 compared to BDCRB. Further, promoieties with hydrophobic side chains and l-configuration were preferred by the hPEPT1 transporter.

Molecular and cellular physiology of renal organic cation and anion transport

Organic cations and anions (OCs and OAs, respectively) constitute an extraordinarily diverse array of compounds of physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological importance. Renal secretion of these compounds, which occurs principally along the proximal portion of the nephron, plays a critical role in regulating their plasma concentrations and in clearing the body of potentially toxic xenobiotics agents. The transepithelial transport involves separate entry and exit steps at the basolateral and luminal aspects of renal tubular cells. It is increasingly apparent that basolateral and luminal OC and OA transport reflects the concerted activity of a suite of separate transport processes arranged in parallel in each pole of proximal tubule cells. The cloning of multiple members of several distinct transport families, the subsequent characterization of their activity, and their subcellular localization within distinct regions of the kidney now allows the development of models describing the molecular basis of the renal secretion of OCs and OAs. This review examines recent work on this issue, with particular emphasis on attempts to integrate information concerning the activity of cloned transporters in heterologous expression systems to that observed in studies of physiologically intact renal systems.

Amino acid ester prodrugs of floxuridine: synthesis and effects of structure, stereochemistry, and site of esterification on the rate of hydrolysis

PURPOSE

To synthesize amino acid ester prodrugs of floxuridine (FUdR) and to investigate the effects of structure, stereochemistry, and site of esterification of promoiety on the rates of hydrolysis of these prodrugs in Caco-2 cell homogenates.

METHODS

Amino acid ester prodrugs of FUdR were synthesized using established procedures. The kinetics of hydrolysis of prodrugs was evaluated in human adenocarcinoma cell line (Caco-2) homogenates and pH 7.4 phosphate buffer.

RESULTS

3'-Monoester, 5'-monoester, and 3',5'-diester prodrugs of FUdR utilizing proline, L-valine, D-valine, L-phenylalanine, and D-phenylalanine as promoieties were synthesized and characterized. In Caco-2 cell homogenates, the L-amino acid ester prodrugs hydrolyzed 10 to 75 times faster than the corresponding D-amino acid ester prodrugs. Pro and Phe ester prodrugs hydrolyzed much faster (3- to 30-fold) than the corresponding Val ester prodrugs. Further, the 5'-monoester prodrugs hydrolyzed significantly faster (3-fold) than the 3',5'-diester prodrugs.

CONCLUSIONS

Novel amino acid ester prodrugs of FUdR were successfully synthesized. The results presented here clearly demonstrate that the rate of FUdR prodrug activation in Caco-2 cell homogenates is affected by the structure, stereochemistry, and site of esterification of the promoiety. Finally, the 5'-Val and 5'-Phe monoesters exhibited desirable characteristics such as good solution stability and relatively fast enzymatic conversion rates.

Challenges for the oral delivery of macromolecules

The rapid integration of new technologies by the pharmaceutical industry has resulted in numerous breakthroughs in the discovery, development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. In particular, the commercial-scale production of high-purity recombinant proteins has resulted in important additions to treatment options for many large therapeutic areas. In addition to proteins, other macromolecules, such as the animal-derived mucopolysaccharide heparins, have also seen dramatic growth as injectable pharmaceutical products. To date, macromolecules have been limited as therapeutics by the fact that they cannot be orally delivered. This article will address the current status and future possibilities of oral macromolecular drug delivery.

Mechanism of corneal permeation of L-valyl ester of acyclovir: targeting the oligopeptide transporter on the rabbit cornea

PURPOSE

To delineate mechanisms associated with the corneal transport of a L-valine prodrug of an antiviral agent, acyclovir.

METHOD

The permeability and enzymatic hydrolysis of L-Val-ACV were evaluated using freshly excised rabbit cornea. Transport mechanism across rabbit cornea was investigated through a competitive inhibition study of L-Val-ACV with other substrates of human peptide transporter (hPepT1).

RESULTS

L-Valyl ester of Acyclovir (L-Val-ACV) was approximately threefold more permeable across the intact rabbit cornea than acyclovir (ACV). Dipeptides, beta-lactam antibiotics, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, strongly inhibited the transport of L-Val-ACV indicating that a carrier mediated transport system specific for peptides is primarily responsible for the corneal permeation of L-Val-ACV. L-Val-ACV transport was found to be saturable (Km = 2.26 +/- 0.34 mM, Jmax = 1.087 +/- 0.05 nmoles cm(-2) min(-1)), energy and pH dependent. CONCLUSIONS Functional evidence of an oligopeptide transport system present on the rabbit cornea has been established. The peptide transporter on the corneal epithelium may be targeted to improve the ocular bioavailability of poorly absorbed drugs.

Structural biology and function of solute transporters: implications for identifying and designing substrates

Solute carrier (SLC) proteins have critical physiological roles in nutrient transport and may be utilized as a mechanism to increase drug absorption. However, we have little understanding of these proteins at the molecular level due to the absence of high-resolution crystal structures. Numerous efforts have been made in characterizing the peptide transporter (PepT1) and the apical sodium dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) that are important for both their native transporter function as well as targets to increase absorption and act as therapeutic targets. In vitro and computational approaches have been applied to gain some insight into these transporters with some success. This represents an opportunity for optimizing molecules as substrates for the solute transporters and providing a further screening system for drug discovery. Clearly the future growth in knowledge of SLC function will be led by integrated in vitro and in silico approaches.

Carrier mediated uptake of L-tyrosine and its competitive inhibition by model tyrosine linked compounds in a rabbit corneal cell line (SIRC)--strategy for the design of transporter/receptor targeted prodrugs

The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of amino acid transporters on the corneal epithelium and to enhance corneal drug absorption through prodrug modification targeted to the amino acid transporters. SIRC was used as a model cell line representing the corneal epithelium. Uptake studies were carried out using [3H] L-tyrosine at 37 degrees C. Temperature, energy and pH dependence studies were carried out. The uptake seems to be composed of a major saturable and minor non-saturable component (V(max) =2.9+/-0.62 nmoles/min/mg protein, K(m) =71+/-21 microM, K(d) =2.6+/-0.6 nl/min/mg protein). No significant inhibition of uptake was observed in the presence of metabolic inhibitors or in the absence of sodium. Competitive inhibition studies were performed in the presence of various amino acids and model tyrosine conjugates (p-nitro and p-chloro benzyl ether conjugate of L-tyrosine). Uptake was inhibited by neutral aromatic and large neutral aliphatic amino acids. L-Tyrosine uptake was inhibited by its ether conjugates in a concentration dependent manner suggesting that these compounds may be sharing the same transport mechanism. This study provides biochemical evidence of the presence of a large neutral amino acid transport system on the corneal epithelium, which may be utilized to enhance the corneal drug transport.

Mutation screening of two candidate genes from 13q32 in families affected with Bipolar disorder: human peptide transporter (SLC15A1) and human glypican5 (GPC5)

BACKGROUND

Multiple candidate regions as sites for Schizophrenia and Bipolar susceptibility genes have been reported, suggesting heterogeneity of susceptibility genes or oligogenic inheritance. Linkage analysis has suggested chromosome 13q32 as one of the regions with evidence of linkage to Schizophrenia and, separately, to Bipolar disorder (BP). SLC15A1 and GPC5 are two of the candidate genes within an approximately 10-cM region of linkage on chromosome 13q32. In order to identify a possible role for these candidates as susceptibility genes, we performed mutation screening on the coding regions of these two genes in 7 families (n-20) affected with Bipolar disorder showing linkage to 13q32.

RESULTS

Genomic organization revealed 23 exons in SLC15A1 and 8 exons in GPC5 gene respectively. Sequencing of the exons did not reveal mutations in the GPC5 gene in the 7 families affected with BP. Two polymorphic variants were discovered in the SLC15A1 gene. One was T to C substitution in the third position of codon encoding alanine at 1403 position of mRNA in exon 17, and the other was A to G substitution in the untranslated region at position 2242 of mRNA in exon 23.

CONCLUSIONS

Mutation analysis of 2 candidate genes for Bipolar disorder on chromosome 13q32 did not identify any potentially causative mutations within the coding regions or splice junctions of the SLC15A1 or GPC5 genes in 7 families showing linkage to 13q32. Further studies of the regulatory regions are needed to completely exclude these genes as causative for Bipolar disorder.

Protein drug oral delivery: the recent progress

Rapid development in molecular biology and recent advancement in recombinant technology increase identification and commercialization of potential protein drugs. Traditional forms of administrations for the peptide and protein drugs often rely on their parenteral injection, since the bioavailability of these therapeutic agents is poor when administered nonparenterally. Tremendous efforts by numerous investigators in the world have been put to improve protein formulations and as a result, a few successful formulations have been developed including sustained-release human growth hormone. For a promising protein delivery technology, efficacy and safety are the first requirement to meet. However, these systems still require periodic injection and increase the incidence of patient compliance. The development of an oral dosage form that improves the absorption of peptide and especially protein drugs is the most desirable formulation but one of the greatest challenges in the pharmaceutical field. The major barriers to developing oral formulations for peptides and proteins are metabolic enzymes and impermeable mucosal tissues in the intestine. Furthermore, chemical and conformational instability of protein drugs is not a small issue in protein pharmaceuticals. Conventional pharmaceutical approaches to address these barriers, which have been successful with traditional organic drug molecules, have not been effective for peptide and protein formulations. It is likely that effective oral formulations for peptides and proteins will remain highly compound specific. A number of innovative oral drug delivery approaches have been recently developed, including the drug entrapment within small vesicles or their passage through the intestinal paracellular pathway. This review provides a summary of the novel approaches currently in progress in the protein oral delivery followed by factors affecting protein oral absorption.

The mucosa of the small intestine: how clinically relevant as an organ of drug metabolism?

The intestinal mucosa is capable of metabolising drugs via phase I and II reactions. Increasingly, as a result of in vitro and in vivo (animal and human) data, the intestinal mucosa is being implicated as a major metabolic organ for some drugs. This has been supported by clinical studies of orally administered drugs (well-known examples include cyclosporin, midazolam, nifedipine and tacrolimus) where intestinal drug metabolism has significantly reduced oral bioavailability. This review discusses the intestinal properties and processes that contribute to drug metabolism. An understanding of the interplay between the processes controlling absorption, metabolism and P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux from the intestinal mucosa into the intestinal lumen facilitates determination of the extent of the intestinal contribution to first-pass metabolism. The clinical relevance of intestinal metabolism, however, depends on the relative importance of the metabolic pathway involved, the therapeutic index of the drug and the inherent inter- and intra-individual variability. This variability can stem from genetic (metabolising enzyme polymorphisms) and/or non-genetic (including concomitant drug and food intake, route of administration) sources. An overwhelming proportion of clinically relevant drug interactions where the intestine has been implicated as a major contributor to first-pass metabolism involve drugs that undergo cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4-mediated biotransformation and are substrates for the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein. Much work is yet to be done in characterising the clinical impact of other enzyme systems on drug therapy. In order to achieve this, the first-pass contributions of the intestine and liver must be successfully decoupled.

Modeling of active transport systems

Transport proteins have critical physiological roles in nutrient transport and may be utilized as a mechanism to increase drug absorption. However, we have little understanding of these proteins at the molecular level due to the absence of high-resolution crystal structures. Numerous efforts have been made to characterize the P-glycoprotein efflux pump, the peptide transporter (PepT1) and the apical sodium-dependent transporter (ASBT) which are important not only for their native transporter function but also as drug targets to increase absorption and bioactivity. In vitro and computational approaches have been applied to gain some insight into these transporters with some success. This represents an opportunity for optimizing molecules as substrates for the solute transporters and providing a further screening system for drug discovery. Clearly the future growth in knowledge of transporter function will be led by integrated in vitro and in silico approaches.

Spatial expression patterns of peptide transporters in the human and rat gastrointestinal tracts, Caco-2 in vitro cell culture model, and multiple human tissues

This study sought to identify the spatial patterns of expression of peptide transporter 1 (PepT1), peptide transporter 3 (PTR3), peptide/histidine transporter 1 (PHT1), and the human peptide transporter 1 (HPT-1) mRNA in complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries of the human and rat gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), Caco-2 in vitro cell culture model, and in a human multiple tissue panel. Human PTR3 and PHT1 are putative peptide transporters recently discovered. Using sequence-specific primers designed to amplify regions of PepT1, PTR3, PHT1, and HPT-1, we were able to identify the expression of mRNA for each of these transporters in human cDNA panels (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA), the rat GIT, and in Caco-2 cDNA libraries by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern Blot analysis. These studies suggest that in the human GIT, PepT1 appears to be localized predominantly in the duodenum, with decreasing expression in the jejunum and ileum. In contrast, PTR3 and HPT-1 were widely expressed in the human GIT, with predominant expression in the different regions of the colon. PHT1 appeared to be expressed in low levels throughout the human GI tract. Interestingly, the mRNAs for all 4 peptide transporters were expressed in Caco-2 cells throughout 30 days of culture. PepT1, PTR3, PHT1, and HPT-1 were also widely expressed in the rat GIT. Human tissue cDNA panel screening suggests that PTR3 and PHT1 are more uniformly expressed, whereas PepT1 and HPT-1 demonstrated site-specific expression. These results suggest that PepT1, PTR3, PHT1, and HPT-1 all may act to facilitate the diffusion of peptides and peptide-based pharmaceuticals in the GIT. PTR3, PHT1, and HPT-1 expressions in Caco-2 cell monolayers strongly suggest that their function needs to be further elucidated and their contribution to peptide transport not ignored. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential for molecular biological characterization in localizing active transporter systems that can potentially be targeted for enhancing the absorption of peptide-based pharmaceuticals.

Targeted prodrug design to optimize drug delivery

Classical prodrug design often represents a nonspecific chemical approach to mask undesirable drug properties such as limited bioavailability, lack of site specificity, and chemical instability. On the other hand, targeted prodrug design represents a new strategy for directed and efficient drug delivery. Particularly, targeting the prodrugs to a specific enzyme or a specific membrane transporter, or both, has potential as a selective drug delivery system in cancer chemotherapy or as an efficient oral drug delivery system. Site-selective targeting with prodrugs can be further enhanced by the simultaneous use of gene delivery to express the requisite enzymes or transporters. This review highlights evolving strategies in targeted prodrug design, including antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy, gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy, and peptide transporter-associated prodrug therapy.