Lack of an effect of Madopar on the disposition of tolcapone and its 3-O-methylated metabolite in rats.

The effect of Madopar (benserazide and L-dopa, 1:4) on the disposition of the new selective inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase, tolcapone, in rats was investigated. There was no statistically significant difference in the pharmacokinetic parameters of tolcapone in the presence or absence of Madopar except for a change in the mean residence time after oral administration. Thus, we rejected the hypothesis that the consumption of S-adenyl-L-methionine by Madopar would change the disposition of tolcapone. There were no statistically significant differences in the cumulative amount absorbed of drug and the absorption rate in the presence or absence of Madopar. We concluded that there was no interaction between tolcapone and Madopar.

The disposition of the tolcapone 3-O-methylated metabolite is affected by the route of administration in rats.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyses the transfer of the methyl group from S-adenyl-L-methionine (SAM) to one of the hydroxy groups of a catechol, usually the hydroxy group in position 3. COMT is present mainly in a soluble form (S-COMT) in the cytosol, but a small fraction is bound to cell membranes (MB-COMT). MB-COMT has higher affinity for the catechol substrate than does S-COMT by a factor of > 10, and high MB-COMT activity is observed in the intestinal muscle layer. The present study investigates the effect of the administration route on the disposition of the tolcapone 3-O-methylated metabolite following intravenous and oral tolcapone administration in rats. Tolcapone is a substrate for COMT although the 3-O-methylated metabolite produced has no pharmacological actions. The 3-O-methylated metabolite was eliminated very slowly following oral administration of tolcapone, and its concentration approached a plateau level, which was in contrast to the situation following intravenous administration of tolcapone. It is thought that the oral dose of tolcapone receives a high exposure to MB-COMT in the intestinal muscle layer during its absorption, and tolcapone seems to form a complex with MB-COMT having a high affinity constant (i.e. a very low Ki). The fraction of the intravenous dose of tolcapone metabolized to the 3-O-methylated metabolite at 10 mg kg-1 was 2.6%, whereas those of the oral doses, which were corrected by the bioavailability, were 5.4% for 20 mg kg-1 and 2.7% for 40 mg kg-1.

Development of a prodrug of salicylic acid, salicylic acid-L-alanine conjugate, utilizing hydrolysis by rabbit intestinal microorganisms.

The hydrolysis of salicylic acid-L-alanine conjugate (salicyl-L-alanine) following oral, intravenous, intracaecal and rectal administration (60, 10, 5 and 5 mg kg-1, respectively: salicylic acid equivalent) was examined in rabbits. Salicylic acid was detected in the blood 2 h after oral administration of salicyl-L-alanine and reached a maximum concentration at 10 h, whereas salicyl-L-alanine was rapidly eliminated. In contrast, unchanged salicyl-L-alanine only was found following intravenous administration of salicyl-L-alanine, suggesting that presystemic de-conjugation of salicyl-L-alanine was involved. The intestinal mucosal de-conjugation of salicyl-L-alanine was not recognized in the in-situ intestinal sac preparation with complete mesenteric venous blood collection. Immediate and very extensive salicylic acid formation in the caecum was found following intracaecal administration of salicyl-L-alanine. After oral pretreatment of rabbits with kanamycin sulphate, a significant inhibition of salicylic acid formation following intracaecal administration of salicyl-L-alanine was observed, indicating that the intestinal microorganisms were responsible for the biotransformation of salicyl-L-alanine. In-vitro incubation of salicyl-L-alanine with gut contents showed that the major source of its hydrolysis was the hind gut. Consequently, the blood concentration of salicylic acid was prolonged extensively following rectal administration of salicyl-L-alanine, suggesting the usefulness of salicyl-L-alanine as a prodrug of salicylic acid.

Unequal hydrolysis of salicylic acid-D-alanine and salicylic acid-L-alanine conjugate in rabbit intestinal microorganisms.

The behavior of salicylic acid-D-alanine conjugate (salicyl-D-alanine) following intravenous, oral and intracecal administration was examined in rabbits, then compared with that of salicylic acid-L-alanine conjugate (salicyl-L-alanine) as reported previously. Following intravenous administration, salicyl-D-alanine eliminated rapidly from the blood, and its blood concentration was almost identical with that of salicyl-L-alanine. In both cases, salicylic acid could not be detected in the blood, indicating that systemic de-conjugation of D-alanine might not occur. Unchanged salicyl-D-alanine was found in the blood mainly following oral and intracecal administration of salicyl-D-alanine. On the other hand, salicylic acid formed extensively following oral and intracecal administration of salicyl-L-alanine, suggesting that the presystemic de-conjugation of D-alanine and L-alanine was unequal. Furthermore, in vitro incubation of salicyl-D-alanine with cecal content, in which the major source of salicyl-L-alanine hydrolysis is found, showed that the hydrolysis of salicyl-D-alanine was negligible in rabbit intestinal microorganisms.