Simultaneous measurement of blood and brain microdialysates of granisetron in rat by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

Histone Methyltransferase SETDB1 Regulates the Development of Cortical Htr3a-Positive Interneurons and Mood Behaviors

BACKGROUND

GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) interneurons (INs) are highly heterogeneous, and Htr3a labels a subpopulation of cortical INs originating from the embryonic caudal ganglionic eminence. SETDB1 is one of the histone H3K9 methyltransferases and plays an essential role in the excitatory neurons, but its role in regulating cortical inhibitory INs remains largely unknown.

METHODS

In this study, we generated transgenic mice with conditional knockout of Setdb1 in neural progenitor cells (Setdb1-NS-cKO) and GABAergic neurons (Setdb1-Gad2-cKO). In addition, we performed RNA sequencing, ATAC-seq (assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing), chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, luciferase assay, chromatin conformation capture, and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/dCas9 to study the epigenetic mechanism underlying SETDB1-mediated transcriptional regulation of Htr3a. We also performed in situ hybridization and whole-cell recording to evaluate the functional properties of cortical Htr3a+ INs and behavioral tests for mood.

RESULTS

We detected significant upregulation of Htr3a expression in the embryonic ganglionic eminence of Setdb1-NS-cKO and identified the endogenous retroviral sequence RMER21B as a new target of SETDB1. RMER21B showed enhancer activity and formed distal chromatin interaction with the promoter of Htr3a. In addition, we observed an increased number and enhanced excitability of Htr3a+ INs in the knockout cortex. Moreover, Setdb1-Gad2-cKO mice exhibited anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, which were partially reversed by a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that SETDB1 represses Htr3a transcription via RMER21B-mediated distal chromatin interaction in the embryonic ganglionic eminence and regulates the development of cortical Htr3a+ INs and mood behaviors.

Rostral cuneiform nucleus and the defence reaction: Direct and indirect midbrain-medullary 5-HT mechanisms in baroreflex inhibition

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Activation of the defence reaction inhibits the baroreflex response via the intermediate rostro-ventromedial medulla (B3 raphé) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). Our aim was to determine whether and how baroreflex inhibition, induced by the disinhibition of the rostral cuneiform nucleus (part of the defence pathway), involves 5-HT neurons in B3 and 5-HT₃ receptors in the NTS.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

We performed immunohistochemistry and anatomical experiments to determine whether raphé 5-HT cells expressing Fos were directly targeted by the rostral cuneiform nucleus. The effect of blocking raphé 5-HT neurotransmission and NTS 5-HT₃ receptors on cuneiform-induced inhibition of the baroreflex cardiac response were also analysed.

KEY RESULTS

Bicuculline, microinjected into the rostral cuneiform nucleus, induced an increase of double-labelled Fos-5-HT-IR cells in both the lateral paragigantocellular nucleus (LPGi) and raphé magnus. The anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoaggutinin injected into the rostral cuneiform nucleus revealed a dense projection to the LPGi but not raphé magnus. Cuneiform-induced baroreflex inhibition was prevented by B3 injection of 8-OH-DPAT, a selective 5-HT_1A receptor agonist. Cuneiform disinhibition also failed to inhibit the baroreflex bradycardia after NTS microinjection of the 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist granisetron and in 5-HT₃ receptor knockout mice.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

The rostral cuneiform nucleus participates in the defence inhibition of the baroreflex bradycardia via direct activation of the LPGi and via a projection to the raphé magnus to activate NTS 5-HT₃ receptors and inhibit second-order baroreflex neurons. These data bring new insights in primary and secondary mechanisms involved in vital baroreflex prevention during stress.

Quantification of ondansetron, granisetron and tropisetron in goat plasma using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-solid phase extraction coupled with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry

An assay method to quantify ondansetron (OND), granisetron (GRA) and tropisetron (TRO) in goat plasma has been successfully developed and validated. This method procedure for the analysis of OND, GRA and TRO was involved of extracting samples with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) solid phase extraction (SPE) and determination by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectroscopy. An SPE method for the simultaneous extraction of OND, GRA and TRO with high efficiency and selectivity was developed. Prior to HPLC-MS/MS analysis, most of the sources of interference present in the supernatant after protein precipitation of plasma proteins was efficiently removed from the samples by the HILIC SPE treatment. For the quantification of OND, GRA and TRO in the samples, tandem mass spectrometry operating in positive electrospray ionization mode with multiple reaction monitoring was used. The calibration curve was performed in the range of 0.2-20 ng/mL for the target OND, GRA and TRO in goat plasma samples. The precision of the intra- and inter-day assay for OND, GRA and TRO were 1.84-6.23% and 3.89-5.31%, 2.63-6.29% and 3.76-5.31%, 1.99-5.67% and 2.64-4.70%, respectively. The accuracy of the intra- and inter-day assay for OND, GRA and TRO were 89.15-97.39% and 89.46-95.17%, 91.08-100.82% and 91.24-99.47%, 92.30-100.74% and 94.21-97.90%, respectively. For the determination of OND, GRA and TRO in plasma samples, no significant matrix effects were observed. The mean absolute recoveries were 103-150%, 115-121%, and 98-141% for OND, GRA and TRO, respectively. Furthermore, the mean process efficiency values of silica SPE were 98-135%, 92-124%, and 72-109% for OND, GRA and TRO, respectively.

Involvement of the dorsomedial hypothalamus and the nucleus tractus solitarii in chronic cardiovascular changes associated with anxiety in rats

Anxiety disorders in humans reduce both the heart rate variability (HRV) and the sensitivity of the cardiac baroreflex (BRS). Both may contribute to sudden death. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying these alterations, male rats were subjected to social defeat sessions on four consecutive days. Five days later, the rats were found to be in an anxiety-like state. At this time point, we analysed HRV and BRS in the defeated rats, with or without treatment with the anxiolytic chlordiazepoxide (CDZ). HRV was reduced after social defeat, due to changes in the autonomic balance favouring the sympathetic over the parasympathetic component. Spontaneous and pharmacological baroreflex gains were also reduced. CDZ abolished anxiety-like symptoms as well as HRV and BRS alterations. Inhibition of the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) with muscimol reversed all cardiovascular alterations, whereas blockade of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) 5-HT3 receptor by the local or systemic administration of granisetron restored only baroreflex gains and the parasympathetic component of HRV. In conclusion, repeated social defeat in the rat lead to an anxiety-like state that was associated with lasting reduction in HRV and baroreflex gains. The DMH and the NTS were responsible for these chronic cardiovascular alterations. These regions may therefore constitute new therapeutic targets for reducing cardiac dysfunction and fibrillation in anxiety disorders.

Granisetron adjunct to fluvoxamine for moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Several small studies have shown beneficial effects of ondansetron, a serotonin 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist, in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The efficacy of other 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists in patients with OCD is still unclear. Granisetron does not alter cytochrome P450 activity and might have a lower risk of drug interactions, a longer duration of action and a better tolerability profile than other 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of granisetron augmentation of fluvoxamine in patients with OCD.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a two-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study conducted from November 2011 to March 2012.

STUDY SETTING

The study setting was outpatient clinics of two large referral centres.

PATIENTS

Study participants were men and women, aged 18-60 years, who met the diagnostic criteria of OCD based on the DSM-IV-TR and who had a Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score of at least 21.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomly assigned to granisetron (Kytril(®); SmithKline Beecham, Philadelphia, PA, USA) 1 mg every 12 hours or placebo every 12 hours in addition to fluvoxamine for 8 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Patients were assessed using the Y-BOCS at baseline, second, fourth, sixth and eighth weeks. The primary outcome measure was the difference in the score change of Y-BOCS total score from baseline to week 8 between the two groups. We also compared changes in the obsession and compulsion subscales of the Y-BOCS, and frequencies of partial response (≥25% reduction in Y-BOCS score), complete response (≥35% reduction in Y-BOCS score) and remission (Y-BOCS score ≤16) between the two groups.

RESULTS

Of the 42 included patients, 39 (20 in the placebo group, 19 in the granisetron group) completed the study. Significant time X treatment interaction was observed for total Y-BOCS (F [2.097, 79.678] = 4.941, p = 0.009), obsession (F [2.337, 88.799] = 4.938, p = 0.006) and compulsion (F [2.050, 77.899] = 4.674, p = 0.012) subscales. By week 8, complete response and remission were achieved by 20 (100%) and 18 (90%) patients in the granisetron group and by 7 (35%) patients in the placebo group (p-value of Fisher's exact test <0.001, risk ratio (RR) [95% CI] = 3.857 [2.039, 7.297]). There was no significant difference in the tolerability between the two regimens.

CONCLUSION

Granisetron is an efficacious adjunct for the short-term treatment of patients with moderate to severe OCD and is well tolerated.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

IRCT201202041556N32.

Cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry of an anti-emetic agent Granisetron in pharmaceutical formulation and biological matrix

Granisetron showed one well-defined reduction peak at Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode (HMDE) in the potential range from -1.3 to -1.5 V due to reduction of C=N bond. Solid-phase extraction technique was employed for extraction of Granisetron from spiked human plasma. Granisetron showed peak current enhancement of 4.45% at square-wave voltammetry and 5.33% at cyclic voltammetry as compared with the non stripping techniques. The proposed voltammetric method allowed quantification of Granisetron in pharmaceutical formulation over the target concentration range of 50-200 ng/mL with detection limit 13.63 ng/mL, whereas in human plasma 50-225 ng/mL with detection limit 11.75 ng/mL.

Current separation and detection methods in microdialysis the drive towards sensitivity and speed

This review outlines some of the analytical challenges associated with the analysis of microdialysis (MD) samples, in particular, the minute complex sample volumes that are often encountered. In MD sampling many different low-molecular-weight molecules can be collected, but the research findings are often limited by the sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of the analytical technique that is coupled to the dialysis probe. Therefore it is critical that a lot of consideration is given in selecting the most suitable analytical method including the most appropriate detector. This review aims to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of a range of commonly used analytical methods employed in MD. In Section 1, a brief overview of the MD technique is described, followed by a discussion on some of the advantages and drawbacks of this sampling technique. Sections 2 and 3 examine analytical and other technical considerations regarding analysis, with special emphasis on the factors that specifically influence analytical detection. Section 4 outlines the most commonly employed analytical techniques used in MD, including HPLC coupled with various detectors. Detail is given regarding the LOD and LOQ for many applications using each detector. As MS is of such high importance in MD, a special sub-section has been devoted to it. The importance of CE is also highlighted, with specific applications described. In addition, analytical techniques that do not appear to have found routine use in MD are discussed. Section 5 is concerned with recent innovations in chemical separation techniques, in particular MCE and ultra-performance liquid chromatography. Specific applications of the coupling of these techniques with MD are highlighted, along with technical challenges associated with miniaturization. In the Section 6, the future outlook of MD is discussed. Techniques other than electrophoretic- and chromatographic based separation methods are outside the scope of this review.

Nasal absorption studies of granisetron in rats using a validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method with mass spectrometric detection

Granisetron is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that is used therapeutically for the prevention of vomiting and nausea associated with emetogenic cancer chemotherapy. Although forms of the drug are commercially available for intravenous and oral dosage, there is a need for intranasal delivery formulations in specific patient populations in which the use of these dosage forms may be unfeasible and/or inconvenient. A rapid and specific high-performance liq uid chromatography method with mass spectrometric detection (LC-MS) was developed and validated for the analysis of granisetron in plasma after nasal administration in rats. Granisetron was separated in a reverse-phase C-18 column without interference from other components of plasma. This method involves a rapid assay for the determination of granisetron in a small volume of plasma with a run time of 12 min using ondansetron as an internal standard. Data were acquired in the electrospray ionization (ESI) mode with positive ion detection and application of single ion recording (SIR). Granisetron and ondansetron were detected at m/z values of 313.2 and 294.2, respectively. The method described was found to be suitable for the analysis of all samples collected during preclinical pharmacokinetic investigations of granisetron in rats after nasal administration. To date, the first pharmacokinetic study after intranasal administration of granisetron was performed and some pharmacokinetic parameters were presented in this paper. Granisetron was found to be well absorbed through nasal route and the bioavailability of this drug following nasal administration was comparable with that of intravenous administration.

Rapid determination of granisetron in human plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and its application to bioequivalence study

A simple, sensitive and rapid method for analysis of granisetron in human plasma, utilizing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), has been developed and validated to satisfy FDA guidelines for bioanalytical methods. The analyte and internal standard (IS) were isolated from 100microl plasma samples by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE). A Varian 1200l tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with the precursor-to-product ion transitions m/z 313.4/138 for granisetron and m/z 270/201 for the IS used for quantitation. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.02-20ng/ml for granisetron in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.02ng/ml with a relative standard deviation of less than 15%. The mean extraction recovery from spiked plasma samples was 97.9%. The intra-day accuracy of the assay was within 10% of nominal and intra-day precision was better than 15% C.V. A run time of 2.0min for each sample made it possible for high-throughput bioanalysis. The method was employed in a bioequivalence study of two formulations of granisetron hydrochloride 1mg rapidly disintegrating tablets/1mg capsules.

Accurate prediction of the blood-brain partitioning of a large set of solutes usingab initiocalculations and genetic neural network modeling

A genetic algorithm-based artificial neural network model has been developed for the accurate prediction of the blood-brain barrier partitioning (in logBB scale) of chemicals. A data set of 123 logBB (115 old molecules and 8 new molecules) of a diverse set of chemicals was chosen in this study. The optimum 3D geometry of the molecules was estimated by the ab initio calculations at the level of RHF/STO-3G, and consequently, different electronic descriptors were calculated for each molecule. Indeed, logP as a measure of hydrophobicity and different topological indices were also calculated. A three-layered artificial neural network with backpropagation of an error-learning algorithm was employed to process the nonlinear relationship between the calculated descriptors and logBB data. Genetic algorithm was used as a feature selection method to select the most relevant set of descriptors as the input of the network. Modeling of the logBB data by the only quantum descriptors produced a 5:4:1 ANN structure with RMS error of validation and crossvalidation equal to 0.224 and 0.227, respectively. Better nonlinear model (RMS(V) and RMS(CV) equals to 0.097 and 0.099, respectively) was obtained by the incorporation of the logP and the principal components of the topological indices to electronic descriptors. The ultimate performances of the models were obtained by the application of the models to predict the logBB of 23 molecules that did not have contribution in the steps of model development. The best model produced RMS error of prediction 0.140, and could predict about 98% of variances in the logBB data.

Quantification of granisetron in human plasma by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, sensitive and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the assay of granisetron in human plasma. Following liquid-liquid extraction, the analytes were separated using an isocratic mobile phase on a reversed-phase C18 column and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using the respective [M+H]+ ions, m/z 313/138 for granisetron and m/z 409/228 for the IS. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 0.1-20 ng/mL for granisetron in human plasma. The lower limit of quantification was 100 pg/mL with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve range. A run time of 2.0 min for each sample made it possible to analyze more than 400 human plasma samples per day. The validated method has been successfully used to analyze human plasma samples for application in pharmacokinetic, bioavailability or bioequivalence studies.

Simultaneous determination of cefazolin in rat blood and brain by microdialysis and microbore liquid chromatography

A sensitive microbore liquid chromatographic method combined with the minimally invasive technique of microdialysis was devised for simultaneously and continuously monitoring the levels of unbound blood and brain cefazolin in rats. Microdialysis probes were inserted into the jugular vein and brain striatum for blood and brain sampling, respectively. Chromatographic conditions consisted of a mobile phase of methanol-acetonitrile-100 mM monosodium phosphoric acid (20:10:70, v/v, pH 4.5) pumped through a microbore reversed-phase column at a flow rate of 0.05 mL/min. The ultraviolet detection wavelength was set at 270 nm. An on-line design allowed direct and continuous analysis of protein-free samples in the dialysate. Microdialysis probes, being home-made, were screened for acceptable in vivo recovery. Chromatographic resolution and detection were validated for response linearity as well as intra-day and inter-day variabilities. This method was then applied to pharmacokinetic profiling of protein unbound cefazolin in both the blood and brain following intravenous administration (10 mg/kg, i.v., n = 6). Rapid appearance of cefazolin in the rat brain striatal dialysate following drug injection suggested good blood-brain barrier penetration. According to a non-compartmental pharmacokinetics model, the area under the concentration (AUC) vs time ratio of cefazolin in rat brain and blood was 6%.

Simultaneous blood and brain sampling of cephalexin in the rat by microdialysis and microbore liquid chromatography: application to pharmacokinetics studies

To circumvent the need for laborious sample clean-up and multiple blood sampling, a system was developed consisting of on-line microdialysis coupled to microbore liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection. The system was designed for the simultaneous and continuous monitoring of unbound blood and brain cephalexin in the rat following single bolus intravenous administrations (10 mg/kg, n = 6). Microdialysis probes were inserted into the jugular vein and brain striatum, respectively, for blood and brain sampling. Chromatographic conditions consisted of a mobile phase of methanol-100 mM monosodium phosphoric acid (20:80, v/v, pH 5.0) pumped through a microbore reversed-phase column at a flow-rate of 0.05 ml/min. Detection wavelength was set at 260 nm. The method was validated for response linearity as well as intra- and inter-day variabilities. Rapid appearance of cephalexin in the striatal dialysate suggested good blood-brain barrier penetration. This study provided pharmacokinetics information for cephalexin as well as demonstrated the applicability of this continuous sampling method for pharmacokinetics studies.

Concurrent quantification and pharmacokinetic analysis of cefotaxime in rat blood and brain by microdialysis and microbore liquid chromatography

A simple but effective coupling of microdialysis and microbore liquid chromatograph with UV detection technique was applied to the simultaneous studying of the pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime in both the peripheral compartment and central nervous system. The mobile phase consisted of methanol-100 mM monosodium phosphoric acid (25:75, v/v, pH 5.5) pumped through a C18 microbore column at a flow-rate of 0.05 ml/min. Detection of cefotaxime was set at a UV wavelength of 254 nm. Microdialysis probes were inserted into the jugular vein and striatum of the rat. Following stabilization of microdialysate levels, rats received cefotaxime (20 mg/kg, i.v., n=6) via the femoral vein, and complete concentration versus time profiles for blood and striatum were constructed. The results indicated that cefotaxime rapidly (within 10 min) entered the extracellular fluid of brain striatum following intravenous administration. Noncompartmental pharmacokinetics analysis indicated that the area under the concentration versus time ratio of cefotaxime in rat brain and blood was 6.9%, suggesting appreciable blood-brain barrier penetration. The method was relatively simple, imposed minimal physiological perturbance as it involved no body fluid consumption and sampled in particular protein-unbound drugs, generally believed to be the active fraction.

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the D4 receptor antagonist SCH 66712 in rat plasma

SCH 66712 is a potent and selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist. An HPLC method was developed for the analysis of SCH 66712 in the plasma of rats, a species used for safety evaluation of this compound. The method involved solid-phase extraction on an ethyl cartridge and HPLC separation on a reversed-phase C8 column with quantitation using a fluorescence detector. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 5-100 ng/ml. The limit of quantitation was 5 ng/ml, where the coefficient of variation (C.V.) was 2.9% and the bias was 6%. The precision of the method was satisfactory as indicated by an intra-day C.V. of < or = 4% and an inter-day C.V. of < or = 6%. The accuracy was also satisfactory as shown by an intra-day bias of < or = 8% and an inter-day bias of < or = 9%. The assay was shown to be sensitive, specific, accurate, precise, and reliable for use in pharmacokinetic or toxicokinetic studies.

Measurement and pharmacokinetic study of unbound tropisetron in rat blood by microdialysis with high-performance liquid chromatography

A microdialysis system coupled with liquid chromatography was applied for the measurement of unbound tropisetron in rat blood. The microdialysis probe was inserted into a jugular vein/right atrium of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Tropisetron (5 or 10 mg/kg, i.v.) was then administered via a femoral vein of rat. Samples were eluted with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile-100 mM monosodium phosphate (pH 5.0, 26:74, v/v). The UV detector wavelength was set at 284 nm. The detection limit of tropisetron was 20 ng/ml. The in vivo recovery of microdialysis probe in rat jugular vein/atrium for tropisetron at 1, 2, and 5 microg/ml were between 49 and 53% (n=5). Intra- and inter-assay accuracy and precision of the analyses were <10% in the range of 0.1-1 microg/ml. The method has been applied to pharmacokinetic analysis of unbound tropisetron in rat intravenous administration. Rapid distribution followed by a slower elimination phase was observed from the blood concentration-time curve. The disposition of tropisetron at each dose fitted well to a two-compartment model.