Microdialysis of melatonin in the confluens sinuum of the rat following quantification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the negative chemical ion mode.

In this study, an original surgical implantation technique in the confluens sinuum via the superior sagittal vein was developed to quantify melatonin secretion by the pineal gland. Melatonin (CAS 73-31-4) was determined using gas chromatography couples to negative ion chemical ionisation mass spectrometry following liquid extraction and derivatisation by penta-fluoropropionic acid anhydride (PFPA). The minimum detectable amount was 40 fg per injection, corresponding to 1 pg.ml-1 in dialysate. The assay was linear in the range 20-1000 pg.ml-1. This method was suitable for routine melatonin determination in dialysats of peripheral and central circulation with coefficients of variation of 11.2 and 24.6%, respectively for within and between analyses. Profiles of melatonin concentration were obtained (n = 3 rats) over a 2-day experimentation with a slowly diminution of the filtration capacity of the probe during the second day. The nocturnal concentrations of melatonin in the confluens sinuum dialysat ranged from 1003.9 to 2345 pg.ml-1 in the dialysat, indicating wide interindividual variations in the melatonin levels.

Blood and cerebral concentrations of the new potential analgesic UP 26-91 measured in vivo by microdialysis after toxic doses.

The concept of proportionality between the pharmacological effects of drugs and their dosage has been questioned since the discovery of saturable phenomenon for some drug dispositions, either during their absorption or their elimination. Such saturation may also occur during the distribution phase in the tissues. This phenomenon, however, is often difficult to demonstrate and microdialysis is a powerful technique to assess precise changes in drug concentrations in tissue. This technique has been used to compare brain and blood concentrations of a potential analgesic, UP 26-91 (3-¿[2-[4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethyl]thio¿ -1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyrioline, citrate salt, CAS 115762-17-9 for the base), at different intravenous doses. Microdialysis probes were surgically implanted in the cerebral cortex and the jugular vein of male Sprague-Dawley rats (about 350 g). A single dose of radiolabelled 14(C) UP 26-91 mixed with unlabelled drug was injected into the animal's tail vein. Three doses of drug (2.5, 12.5 and 22.5 mg.kg-1) were tested, with three rats for each dose. All the doses consisted of the same amount of radiolabelled product, used as a tracer, supplemented by the amount of non-radiolabelled UP 26-91 necessary to reach the desired concentration. The rats were conscious, freely moving and had free access to food and water. Microdialysis samples were collected at the rate of 1 microliter.min-1, and sampled every 15 min for 16-17 h. The two highest doses were in the range of those used for toxicological studies. Blood UP 26-91 radioactivity concentrations were superimposable independent of the dose. Thus, it can be concluded that there was a linear relationship between blood concentrations and administered doses. By contrast, the brain concentration for the highest administered dose was statistically higher than the two others (p < 0.05), which demonstrated that UP 26-91 exhibited a non-linear pharmacokinetics in the brain. It is therefore likely that a saturable transport mechanism occurs across the blood-brain barrier. This study demonstrates that blood toxicokinetics may not correctly reflect tissue exposure to a drug.

The dosing-time dependent influence of chronic cyclosporin A treatment on daily profiles of plasma glucose and insulin in the Wistar rat.

The dosing-time dependent effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) on glucose and insulin plasma levels were evaluated in the light of possible alterations of their biological rhythms. Male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were habituated to a 12:12 h light-dark cycle. At the beginning of the experiments, on day D0 (before any treatment), significant rhythms were obtained for plasma glucose and immunoreactive insulin (IRI). The plasma glucose showed a 12 h periodicity and the plasma IRI a more pronounced rhythm, with both 12 h and 24 h significant components. Plasma glucose and IRI were then determined in drug-treated (20 mg CsA/kg b.wt/day; dosing time point: T01, T07, T13, or T20) and control rats during and after a 21-day treatment period. The CsA-treated rats developed hyperglycemia and a marked enhancement of the amplitude of the daily glucose rhythm. The magnitude of these effects differed among the groups (p < 0.001). Most pronounced alterations were observed on day 21 (D21) in group T07: M = 22.5 +/- 4.0 mmol/l; A = 9.2 +/- 6.0 mmol/l. The mean plasma insulin showed little though significant (p < 0.01) decreases. For instance, on D21 in group T01, M = 28.5 +/- 3.6 microU/ml, and in group T07, M = 28.7 +/- 2.5 microU/ml. In parallel, plasma CsA levels increased during the 21-day period and differed among groups (p < 0.01). The highest levels (4-5 mg/l) were obtained in T07 and T19 on D21. After drug cessation, the levels of plasma glucose were reduced, but stayed higher than control values. Body weights were monitored; the rate of growth was lower (p < 0.01) in CsA-treated rats than in controls (2.93 +/- 0.11 versus 5.1 +/- 0.11 g/day, respectively).

In vitro and in vivo protein binding of methotrexate assessed by microdialysis.

The purpose of the study was firstly to estimate methotrexate protein binding using microdialysis, and secondly to determine the influence of the protein content in the dialyzed medium on the dialysis membrane recovery. In vitro recovery was estimated by both water recovery method and concentration difference method. The relative recovery was independent of methotrexate concentration: 39.3% +/- 2.86% and 39.2 +/- 1.27% for 50 microM and 300 microM, respectively. A significant influence of the presence of proteins on the dialysis membrane recovery was observed: 55.9% +/- 2.7%, 42.3% +/- 7.5% and 45.5% +/- 0.1% for buffer, human serum albumin (HSA) (600 microM) and human plasma, respectively. Methotrexate binding to human and rat plasma proteins showed a nonsaturable phenomenon. The bound percentages and corresponding total binding capacities were 58.7% +/- 3.13% and 1.44 +/- 0.033 mM-1 and 71.7% +/- 4.38% and 2.18 +/- 0.09 mM-1 for the human and rat plasma, respectively. For HSA this binding was saturable with an affinity constant of 4.75 +/- 0.66 mM-1. After intravenous administration (250 mg/kg) the in vivo rat plasma binding of methotrexate was roughly 20% higher (93.6%) than the in vitro methotrexate plasma binding. The in vivo relative recovery of methotrexate was found to be 12.6% +/- 1.8% versus 25.4% +/- 3.3% in vitro. This study showed that the protein content can directly affect microdialysis probe recovery. However, by taking into account this recovery, microdialysis allows to measure the protein binding of methotrexate.

Measurement of actinic erythema in healthy subjects and in subjects with polymorphous light eruption using a tristimulus colorimeter.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of actinic erythema using a tristimulus colorimeter has only been reported from healthy volunteers but never from subjects with photodermatosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the difference of chromometric measurements in patients with polymorphous light eruption versus healthy subjects. METHODS: Seventy-two subjects were subdivided according to two criteria: skin colour and clinical state. Measurements were done on a non-irradiated site and at the clinical minimal erythema dose site in the L*, a* and b* modes. RESULTS: The data submitted to two-way analysis of variance demonstrate the influence of skin colour and clinical state on the above parameters. CONCLUSION: Chromometric measurements of L* help to differentiate skin colour, whereas those of a* enable the discrimination of healthy subjects from those with photodermatosis.

Dosing time-dependent nephrotoxicity of cyclosporin A during 21-day administration to Wistar rats.

The incidence of cyclosporine A (CsA) nephrotoxicity with reference to the temporal stage of administration was studied during a chronic 21-day treatment in male Wistar rats. Oral administration (20 mg/kg/day) was given at four different times: 1, 7, 13, or 19 hours after light onset (HALO). Plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were determined at regular intervals over the 24 h: before treatment (day 0); 7, 14, and 21 days after the beginning of treatment (days 7, 14, and 21); and 7 and 14 days after CsA withdrawal (days 28 and 35). At the same times, creatinine clearance and g-glutamyl transferase urinary excretion were determined in the groups of animals treated at 7 and 19 HALO. Residual concentrations of CsA in the renal tissue were measured at the end of the treatment period (day 21) in all groups. Nephrotoxicity of CsA was dependent on the temporal stage of administration. The renal vasoconstriction showed by the increase in plasma creatinine and BUN levels and the decrease in creatinine clearance was maximal when the CsA was given at 7 and 19 HALO and was correlated to the tissue concentrations of CsA. Tubular injury seems to occur earlier and the return to normal function less rapidly in animals treated at 19 HALO compared with animals treated at 7 HALO.

Chronopharmacokinetics of Cyclosporine A in the Wistar rat following oral administration.

The pharmacokinetics of Cyclosporine A (CsA) was studied in male Wistar rats weighting 300 +/- 50 g trained to a 12:12 light-dark cycle. Oral administration (40 mg/kg) was performed at 1 of 4 different temporal stages: 09.00 h, 15.00 h, 21.00 h or 03.00 h (local time) i.e. 0200, 0800, 1400 or 2000 HALO (hours after light on). Blood samples were collected over 72-96 h after dosing, plasma was separated by centrifugation at 37 degrees C and stored frozen until assay, using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Two experiments were performed: the first with 4 groups of 48 rats and a non-specific polyclonal antibody (P-RIA); and the second with only 2 groups of 48 rats and a more specific monoclonal antibody (M-RIA). Plasma concentration data were evaluated with model-based linear pharmacokinetic concepts, with apparent zero-order or first-order absorption and n-exponential disposition (n = 1, 2 or 3): models MN0 or MN1. A compartment-independent approach was also conducted and led to area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and mean residence time (MRT) determinations. A comparison of the pharmacokinetic profiles across time of administration indicates that absorption, first-pass metabolism and tissue distribution of CsA in the rat are circadian-dosing stage dependent.

Cyclosporine A dosing-time-dependent effects on plasma creatinine and body weight in male Wistar rats treated for 3 weeks.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) nephrotoxicity was assessed in 120 male Wistar rats (350 +/- 50 g) entrained to a 12-h cycle (light-dark 12:12); plasma creatinine level and body weight were examined in controls and in rats that had been treated daily with oral CsA or vehicle alone (olive oil-ethanol 90:10) for 21 days; daily dosing (40 mg/kg) was at one of six equally spaced given times during the 24-h cycle. The variations observed in both indexes were shown to be circadian dosing stage dependent. Nephrotoxicity was present as early as the third day of treatment with CsA; plasma creatinine level was enhanced by about 50% in rats dosed around the time of the change from darkness to light: at 22 HALO, 146.7 +/- 4.5 mumol/L, against 92.0 +/- 2.8 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05); and at 2 HALO, 148.3 +/- 10.0 mumol/L, against 95.0 +/- 4.3 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05). Thereafter, a remission episode was observed between days D5-D9. The more drastic effects were seen on days D16 and D21, in animals dosed in the beginning of the dark span (14 HALO): 185 +/- 10 mumol/L for CsA and 98.0 +/- 5.3 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.01) and, to a lesser extent, in rats treated at the early resting phase (2 HALO): 152.4 +/- 31 mumol/L for CsA and 95.0 +/- 4 mumol/L for controls (p less than 0.05). The normal increase in body weight during the 21-day period (about 14 +/- 8% in controls) was impeded in CsA-administered rats, especially those dosed at the beginning of the activity span (14 HALO) that even suffered weight reduction. Differences in percentages of survivors were noticed, depending on dosing stage. About 40% of the animals in every time CsA-treatment group died, except for those dosed at the end of the resting period (10 HALO), when all animals died. In surviving rats, the cessation of CsA dosing resulted in a reversible effect on the study variables.

Chronotoxicity of methotrexate in mice after intraperitoneal administration.

Methotrexate (MTX), an effective agent in treatment of cancer, is one of the most versatile antineoplastic agents in spite of severe toxicity problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the circadian variation of this toxicity in order to decrease the side effects. The experiments were done in mice given a single i.p. dose. The toxicity of MTX, estimated from the relative weight loss, varied according to the time of administration, with a maximum after administration at 0900 (02 HALO). The dose-effect relationship can be described by a linear function: delta P/P versus log (dose). The slope of this line varies with the time of administration. These variations are correlated with the variations in biochemical [dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity] and pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC) studied in previous works.

A variable reabsorption time-delay model for pharmacokinetics of drugs.

A two-compartment model with time delay is proposed to describe the pharmacokinetics of drugs subject to enterohepatic circulation. This model is applicable when the reabsorption is repeated several times at unequal intervals. Sample applications are provided.

Effects of misonidazole on circadian rhythm in oxygen uptake of mouse brain homogenates.

Changes in mouse brain homogenates oxygen uptake are determined, following intraperitoneal injection of misonidazole (100 or 500 mg/kg), at one of four circadian stages. An analysis of periodic regressions of the observed data shows that the circadian variability of brain oxygen utilization is affected by the timing of drug administration.

Circadian changes in the elimination of misonidazole in mouse.

Intraperitoneal doses of Misonidazole were administered at 15.00 hours and 03.00 hours to Balb c/cenlco mice standardized in controlled environmental cages for 3 weeks before the experiment. Non linear pharmacokinetic and temporal variations in the apparent half life were obtained at higher doses.