The effects of triethanolamine myristate, a fatty acid salt, on the availability of riboflavin in humans.

A human study examined the effect of administering a triethanolamine myristate tablet 30 min prior to or concomitantly with a fast release riboflavin tablet and a slow release riboflavin tablet. There was no significant difference between any of the treatments although treatments with the slow release riboflavin resulted in greater urinary excretion of riboflavin. It is possible that a difference may only be seen within subjects because gastric emptying has a large intraindividual variation. When triethanolamine myristate is administered to delay gastric emptying, the inhibition may be affected by the individual's normal transit rate. Another reason-might be lack of sufficient bile salts in the fasting state, reducing chyme and micelle formation, or a higher dose of triethanolamine myristate may have been needed to detect a difference.

The effects of triethanolamine myristate, a fatty acid salt, on the bioavailability of riboflavin in dogs.

A study in dogs was performed in which a physiologic approach to delaying gastric emptying was examined. Triethanolamine myristate (a fatty acid salt) was used to delay gastric emptying in hopes of increasing the bioavailability of riboflavin. A bilayer tablet consisting of triethanolamine myristate and riboflavin resulted in an absolute bioavailability of 2-3 times greater than the bioavailability of riboflavin alone. Increases in bioavailability although to a lesser extent, were also seen with the 30 min pretreatment with triethanolamine myristate. The results suggest that it was possible to delay gastric emptying.

Introduction to gene technology.

The increased use of biotechnology for numerous categories of common products (pharmaceuticals, foods, agricultural chemicals, etc.) has an ever increasing impact on our society. In the medical/pharmaceutical field, biotechnology signifies a drastic change in the approach to drug discovery, research and development, diagnosis, and disease management. The basis of replication, transcription, translation, recombinant DNA technology, and production of altered genes are defined. Examples of biopharmaceuticals, i.e., enzymes or regulators of enzyme activity, hormones or hormone-like growth factors, cytokines, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and gene transfer in humans are discussed.

Chronopharmacology: a review of drugs studied.

The science dealing with the phenomenon of rhythmicity in living organisms is called chronobiology. The branch dealing with the pharmacologic aspects of chronobiology is termed chronopharmacology, which may be subdivided into chronotherapy, chronopharmacokinetics and chronotoxicity. After a short discussion of the terminology used in chronobiology, a survey of drugs studied with respect to chronopharmacology, particularly of chronopharmacokinetics in man, is given.

Buccal absorption of insulin in the dog.

Insulin was buccally administered to beagle dogs in the form of a solution using a specially designed buccal cell, or in the form of films (buccal flats). 0.5 ml solutions of different pH (3, 4, 5, 6, 7.5) or of pH 7.5 in combination with sorption promoters (sodium taurocholate, dextran sulfate, linoleic acid, TranscutolR, LabrafilR M 1944 CS, urea and AzoneR) were administered for 0.5 h to anesthetized dogs. Buccal flats 1 X 2 cm in size. All dosage forms contained 10 IU of human insulin. The control solution (normal saline) and the solution of pH 5 resulted in the least pharmacologic availability, P.A. (ratio of area under % glucose reduction X time curve buccally to I.V.). Values of 0.9 % and 1.8%, respectively, were calculated. The insulin solution of pH 7.5 gave the highest P.A. The addition of sorption promoters to the pH 7.5 solution did not further increase the P.A. The combination of pH 7.5 - LabrafilR - AzoneR showed the least SD for the P.A., i.e. 18.3% +/- 4.7. The highest reduction in glucose concentration was found after administration of the taurocholate-linoleic acid combination Cmax = 57.2% +/- 6.3. The buccal flats reached a Cmax of about 16% +/- (SD) and a P.A of about 15% +/- (SD).