Intestinal safety of water-soluble beta-cyclodextrins in paediatric oral solutions of spironolactone: effects on human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells.

Effects of water-soluble beta-cyclodextrins (beta CDs) on intestinal epithelial integrity were investigated, to establish the safe use of these beta CDs as solubilizers of spironolactone in paediatric enteral solutions. Mannitol permeability and transepithelial resistance (TER) of human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayers during exposure to dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM beta CD), hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP beta CD) and sulphobutyl ether beta-cyclodextrin (SBE beta CD) were followed. Staining methods were used to discern cells with damaged membranes and to study the integrity of cytoskeletal actin and tight junctions. Cytotoxicity of the beta CDs was tested by effects on intracellular dehydrogenase activity. Exposure to HP beta CD and SBE beta CD solutions had only minor effects on the integrity of Caco-2 cell monolayers. In contrast, DM beta CD clearly increased the epithelial permeability for the hydrophilic marker [14C]mannitol across Caco-2 monolayers, decreased TER and showed a dose-dependent cytotoxicity. According to staining, DM beta CD increased the permeability of the apical cell membrane without discernable effects on cytoskeletal actin. HP beta CD and SBE beta CD appear to be safe additives for use in enteral spironolactone preparations with respect to their acute local effects on epithelial integrity.

Concurrent nimodipine attenuates the withdrawal signs and the increase of cerebral dihydropyridine binding after chronic morphine treatment in rats.

The effect of chronic administration of dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist nimodipine (1 mg/kg/day) given concurrently with morphine on the signs of morphine withdrawal and on the [3H]nitrendipine binding in the rat brain has been investigated. Chronic morphine administration in increasing daily doses from 20 mg/kg to 70 mg/kg for 24 days and consequent withdrawal for 24 h induced loss of body weight, wet dog shakes, episodes of writhing and yawning behaviour. The density of [3H]nitrendipine binding was elevated in the cortex and limbic structures but not in the striatum after chronic morphine treatment. Chronic concurrent administration of nimodipine prevented the loss of body weight and reduced the scores of wet dog shakes and writhing, but did not affect yawning behaviour at 24 h after morphine withdrawal. The concurrent nimodipine treatment also prevented the rise in the density of central dihydropyridine binding sites which occurred upon chronic morphine treatment. These results suggest that chronic nimodipine treatment attenuates the development of the withdrawal signs which occur upon the termination of chronic morphine treatment by preventing the up-regulation of the central dihydropyridine-sensitive binding sites.

Dissolution studies on ampicillin embonate and amoxycillin embonate.

The dissolution behaviour of slightly water-soluble embonic acid salts of ampicillin and amoxycillin was studied quantitatively as a function of solution pH (1.15-8.00) using the rotating disk method combined with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The dissolution rate of ampicillin embonate was greater than that of amoxycillin embonate at all pH values investigated. The graphs of pH-intrinsic rate of dissolution of the antibiotics from the salts were U-shaped, the minimum being close to the respective isoelectric points of the parent antibiotics. Embonic acid was not detectable below pH 5; above pH 5 the dissolution rate of embonic acid increased as a function of pH.