Stability of peptide drugs in the colon.

This study was the first to investigate the colonic stability of 17 peptide molecules (insulin, calcitonin, glucagon, secretin, somatostatin, desmopressin, oxytocin, Arg-vasopressin, octreotide, ciclosporin, leuprolide, nafarelin, buserelin, histrelin, [D-Ser(4)]-gonadorelin, deslorelin, and goserelin) in a model of the large intestine using mixed human faecal bacteria. Of these, the larger peptides - insulin, calcitonin, somatostatin, glucagon and secretin - were metabolized rapidly, with complete degradation observed within 5 min. In contrast, a number of the smaller peptides - Arg-vasopressin, desmopressin, oxytocin, gonadorelin, goserelin, buserelin, leuprolide, nafarelin and deslorelin - degraded more slowly, while octreotide, histrelin and ciclosporin were seen to be more stable as compared to the other small peptides under the same conditions. Peptide degradation rate was directly correlated to peptide lipophilicity (logP); those peptides with a higher logP were more stable in the colonic model (R(2)=0.94). In the absence of human faecal bacteria, all peptides were stable. This study highlights the impact of the colonic environment - in particular, the gut microbiota - on the metabolism of peptide drugs, and identifies potential peptide candidates for drug delivery to the colon.

Toward oral delivery of biopharmaceuticals: an assessment of the gastrointestinal stability of 17 peptide drugs.

A major barrier to successful oral delivery of peptide and protein molecules is their inherent instability in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to determine the stability of 17 disparate peptide drugs (insulin, calcitonin, glucagon, secretin, somatostatin, desmopressin, oxytocin, [Arg(8)]-vasopressin, octreotide, ciclosporin, leuprolide, nafarelin, buserelin, histrelin, [d-Ser](4)-gonadorelin, deslorelin, and goserelin) in gastric and small intestinal fluids from both humans and pigs, and in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. In human gastric fluid, the larger peptides including somatostatin, calcitonin, secretin, glucagon, and insulin were metabolized rapidly, while the smaller peptides showed good stability. In human small intestinal fluid, however, both small and large peptides degraded rapidly with the exception of the cyclic peptide ciclosporin and the disulfide-bridge containing peptides octreotide and desmopressin, which showed good stability. The stability of peptides in both simulated gastric fluid and pig gastric fluid correlated well with stability in human gastric fluid. However, it was not possible to establish such a correlation with the small intestinal fluids because of the rapid rate of peptide degradation. This work has identified the molecular features in the structure of a wide range of peptides that influence their stability in the environment of the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn will allow for better selection of peptide candidates for oral delivery.

The relationship between the drug concentration profiles in plasma and the drug doses in the colon.

After the dosing of an extended-release (ER) formulation, compounds may exist in solutions at various concentrations in the colon because the drugs are released at various speeds from the ER dosage form. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the drug concentration profiles in plasma and the drug doses in the colon. Several drug solutions of different concentrations were directly administered into the ascending colon of dogs using a lubricated endoscope, and the effects of the drug dose on colonic absorption were estimated. As a result, dose-dependency of colonic absorption varied from compound to compound. Although the relative bioavailability of colonic administration of diclofenac, metformin and cevimeline compared to oral administration was similar regardless of the drug doses in the colon, colonic absorption of diltiazem varied according to the doses. From the results of the co-administration of verapamil and fexofenadine, it was clear that diltiazem underwent extensive hepatic and gastrointestinal first-pass metabolism, resulting in a low area under the curves (AUC) at a low drug dose. During the design of oral ER delivery systems, a colonic absorption study of candidate compounds should be carried out at several solutions of different drug concentrations and assessed carefully.

Colonoscopic method for estimating the colonic absorption of extended-release dosage forms in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to develop a new method using beagle dogs in order to evaluate the colonic absorption properties of oral extended-release (ER) solid dosage forms. The established method is not only noninvasive and inexpensive but full-sized ER dosage forms are also directly administered to the colons of conscious dogs through the anus with an endoscope and modified bioptome. In the method, it was possible to administer the ER dosage forms into the ascending colon of dogs within 30 s-1 min. The colonic absorption of Voltaren-XR (Diclofenac sodium), Glucophage-XR (metformin), Pacif (morphine hydrochloride), Herbesser-R (diltiazem hydrochloride) and Plendil (felodipine), which are currently on the market, were investigated by this method. The relative bioavailabilities of these ER dosage forms to oral drug solution were 100.3%, 42.5%, 60.6%, 46.3% and 29.8%, respectively. Some of these results reflected the human colonic absorption profiles reported in the literature. This newly developed method could provide researchers with an alternative way to predict the human colon absorption performance of oral ER delivery systems.

Dosage form design and in vitro/in vivo evaluation of cevimeline extended-release tablet formulations.

The objective of the present work is to develop an extended-release dosage form of cevimeline. Two types of extended-release tablets (simple matrix tablets and press-coated tablets) were prepared and their potential as extended-release dosage forms were assessed. Simple matrix tablets have a large amount of hydroxypropylcellulose as a rate-controlling polymer and the matrix is homogeneous throughout the tablet. The press-coated tablets consisted of a matrix core tablet, which was completely surrounded by an outer shell containing a large amount of hydroxypropylcellulose. The simple matrix tablets could not sustain the release of cevimeline effectively. In contrast, the press-coated tablets showed a slower dissolution rate compared with simple matrix tablets and the release curve was nearly linear. The dissolution of cevimeline from the press-coated tablets was not markedly affected by the pH of the dissolution medium or by a paddle rotating speed over the range of 50-200 rpm. Furthermore, cevimeline was constantly released from the press-coated tablets in the gastrointestinal tract and the steady-state plasma drug levels were maintained in beagle dogs. These results suggested that the designed PC tablets have a potential for extended-release dosage forms.

Effects of hydrophilic cyclodextrins on aggregation of recombinant human growth hormone.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of hydrophilic cyclodextrins (CyDs) on the aggregation induced by different stresses and on the oxidation and deamidation of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). METHODS: The aggregation of rhGH was induced by three denaturing techniques including chemical (4.5 M guanidine hydrochloride), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry), and interfacial denaturation (vortex agitation). The aggregates were characterized and quantified by UV spectrophotometry and size exclusion chromatography. The effects of hydrophilic CyDs on deamidation and oxidation rates of rhGH were studied by HPLC method. RESULTS: In both thermally and chemically induced aggregations, branched beta-CyDs significantly inhibited the aggregation of rhGH compared with the other alpha- and gamma-CyDs. This can explain that the beta-CyD cavity with branched sugar moieties may be relatively preferable in preventing the aggregation of rhGH. In contrast, 2-hydroxypropyl beta-CyD with surface activity was found to be effective in reducing the aggregation induced by interfacial denaturation compared with those of branched beta-CyDs. On the other hand, these hydrophilic CyDs showed no noticeable inhibitory effect on the oxidation and deamidation rates of rhGH. The results suggested that CyDs interact preferably with exposed hydrophobic side chains rather than aliphatic side chains of rhGH, resulting in the inhibition of aggregation but not the oxidation and deamidation rates. CONCLUSIONS: The different inhibitory effect of CyDs is dependent not only on the structure and property of CyD itself but also the nature of the denaturing stimulus. The current results suggested that hydrophilic beta-CyDs can effectively inhibit the aggregation of rhGH. Thus, hydrophilic beta-CyDs may be potentially useful excipients for parenteral preparation of rhGH.