Brain to blood efflux transport of adenosine: blood-brain barrier studies in the rat

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) efflux transport of [(14)C] adenosine was studied using the brain efflux index (BEI) technique. BEI increased linearly over the first 2 min after injection, with deviation from linearity thereafter; 90.12 +/- 1.5% of the injected [(14)C] radioactivity remained within the brain after 20 min. The remaining tracer appears to be mainly intracellular, trapped by phosphorylation, as an almost linear increase of BEI over 20 min was observed after intracerebral injection of [(14)C] adenosine together with 5-iodo tubercidin. The BBB efflux clearance of [(14)C] radioactivity was estimated to be 27.62 +/- 5.2 micro L/min/g, almost threefold higher than the BBB influx clearance estimated by the brain uptake index technique. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of blood plasma collected from the jugular vein after the intracerebral injection revealed metabolic breakdown of [(14)C] adenosine into nucleobases. The BBB efflux transport was saturable with apparent K(m) = 13.22 +/- 1.75 micro m and V(max) = 621.07 +/- 71.22 pmole/min/g, which indicated that BBB efflux in vivo is 6.2-12p mole/min/g, negligible when compared to the reported rate of adenosine uptake into neurones/glia. However, these kinetic parameters also suggest that under conditions of elevated ISF adenosine in hypoxia/ischaemia, BBB efflux transport could increase up to 25% of the uptake into neurones/glia and become an important mechanism to oppose the rise in ISF concentration. HPLC-fluorometry detected 93.6 +/- 5.25 nm of adenosine in rat plasma, which is 17- to 220-fold lower than the reported K(m) of adenosine BBB influx in rat. Together with the observed rapid degradation inside endothelial cells, this indicated negligible BBB influx of intact adenosine under resting conditions. Cross-inhibition studies showed that unlabelled inosine, adenine and hypoxanthine caused a decrease in BBB efflux of [(14)C] radioactivity in a concentration-dependent manner, with K(i) of 16.7 +/- 4.88, 65.1 +/- 14.1 and 71.1 +/- 16.9 micro m, respectively. This could be due to either competition of unlabelled molecules with [(14)C] adenosine or competition with its metabolites hypoxanthine and adenine for the same transport sites.     

Polypeptide point modifications with fatty acid and amphiphilic block copolymers for enhanced brain delivery

There is a tremendous need to enhance delivery of therapeutic polypeptides to the brain to treat disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). The brain delivery of many polypeptides is severely restricted by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The present study demonstrates that point modifications of a BBB-impermeable polypeptide, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), with lipophilic (stearoyl) or amphiphilic (Pluronic block copolymer) moieties considerably enhance the transport of this polypeptide across the BBB and accumulation of the polypeptide in the brain in vitro and in vivo. The enzymatic activity of the HRP was preserved after the transport. The modifications of the HRP with amphiphilic block copolymer moieties through degradable disulfide links resulted in the most effective transport of the HRP across in vitro brain microvessel endothelial cell monolayers and efficient delivery of HRP to the brain. Stearoyl modification of HRP improved its penetration by about 60% but also increased the clearance from blood. Pluronic modification using increased penetration of the BBB and had no significant effect on clearance so that uptake by brain was almost doubled. These results show that point modification can improve delivery of even highly impermeable polypeptides to the brain.     

Distribution of calcitonin gene-related peptide-containing fibers in the urinary bladder of the rat and their origin

Summary Using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a tracer, we have investigated if the so-called apical tubules (AT) in the kidney proximal tubule cells are directly involved in the endocytic process by carrying the tracer into the cells, or if they are derived from the intracellular membrane compartments. Rat kidney was fixed by vascular perfusion at different time intervals after intravenous injection of HRP and prepared for electron microscopy. An analysis revealed that 0.5 min after injection, invaginations of the plasma membrane and small apical endocytic vesicles, including coated vesicles, were labelled with reaction product, whereas almost all large apical endocytic vacuoles and the AT were negative. The endocytic vacuoles and about 18% of the AT were labelled 1 min after injection. The reaction product in the large endocytic vacuoles was usually seen along the luminal surface of the vacuoles. The AT with reaction product appeared as a branched network, and were frequently connected with the labelled endocytic vacuoles. Three min after injection, reaction product was detected in about 38% of the AT, and thereafter, the percentage increased to about 74% after 7 min. No reaction product was detected in the Golgi complex at any time after HRP-injection. These findings indicate that the AT are probably formed by budding off from the large endocytic vacuoles, rather than being directly involved in the endocytic process.     

The application of MRI for depiction of subtle blood brain barrier disruption in stroke

The development of imaging methodologies for detecting blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption may help predict stroke patient's propensity to develop hemorrhagic complications following reperfusion. We have developed a delayed contrast extravasation MRI-based methodology enabling real-time depiction of subtle BBB abnormalities in humans with high sensitivity to BBB disruption and high spatial resolution. The increased sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption is obtained by acquiring T1-weighted MRI at relatively long delays (~15 minutes) after contrast injection and subtracting from them images acquired immediately after contrast administration. In addition, the relatively long delays allow for acquisition of high resolution images resulting in high resolution BBB disruption maps. The sensitivity is further increased by image preprocessing with corrections for intensity variations and with whole body (rigid+elastic) registration. Since only two separate time points are required, the time between the two acquisitions can be used for acquiring routine clinical data, keeping the total imaging time to a minimum. A proof of concept study was performed in 34 patients with ischemic stroke and 2 patients with brain metastases undergoing high resolution T1-weighted MRI acquired at 3 time points after contrast injection. The MR images were pre-processed and subtracted to produce BBB disruption maps. BBB maps of patients with brain metastases and ischemic stroke presented different patterns of BBB opening. The significant advantage of the long extravasation time was demonstrated by a dynamic-contrast-enhancement study performed continuously for 18 min. The high sensitivity of our methodology enabled depiction of clear BBB disruption in 27% of the stroke patients who did not have abnormalities on conventional contrast-enhanced MRI. In 36% of the patients, who had abnormalities detectable by conventional MRI, the BBB disruption volumes were significantly larger in the maps than in conventional MRI. These results demonstrate the advantages of delayed contrast extravasation in increasing the sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption in ischemic stroke patients. The calculated disruption maps provide clear depiction of significant volumes of BBB disruption unattainable by conventional contrast-enhanced MRI.     

Effect of angiotensin II on liposome uptake by the rat brain in vivo

Studies have been performed to assess the possibility of using small unilamellar liposomes as therapeutic carriers to the brain of hypertensive rats. Rats were made temporal hypertensive by the infusion of angiotensin II (AII; 15 micrograms in 1 ml) through their right common carotid artery. Another control group was infused with physiological saline. Free 125iodine-BSA (125I-BSA) and 125I-BSA encapsulated liposomes (average diameter approximately equal to 100 nm) were injected in the tail vein 2 min after the infusion of AII or saline. Plasma radioactivity was monitored at different times up to 15 min when the cerebral uptake of 125I-BSA was determined. While a little variation in plasma clearance pattern of liposomes in hypertensive and control group was noticed, the uptake by cerebral tissues was markedly higher in hypertensive group. Analysis of pharmacokinetic parameters in relation to cerebral uptake indicated AII induced a short term opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) resulting in an increased cerebral uptake. Positively charged liposomes was found to be most effective in hypertensive state.     

Brain-to-blood efflux transport of estrone-3-sulfate at the blood-brain barrier in rats

Efflux transport of estrogens such as estrone-3-sulfate (E1S), and estrone (E1) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was evaluated using the Brain Efflux Index (BEI) method. The apparent BBB efflux rate constant (Keff) of [3H]E1S, and [3H]E1 was 6.63 x 10(-2) +/- 0.77 x 10(-2) min(-1), and 6.91 x 10(-2) +/- 1.23 x 10(-2) min(-1), respectively. The efflux transport of [3H]E1S from brain across the BBB was a saturable process with Michaelis constant (Km) of 96.0 +/- 34.4 microM and 93.4 +/- 22.0 microM estimated by two different methods. By determining [3H]E1S metabolites using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after intracerebral injection, significant amounts of [3H]E1S were found in the jugular venous plasma, providing direct evidence that most of [3H]E1S is transported from brain across the BBB in intact form. To compare the apparent efflux clearance across the BBB of E1S with that of E1, the brain distribution volume of E1S and E1 was estimated using the brain slice uptake method. The apparent efflux clearance of [3H]E1S was determined to be 74.9 +/- 3.8 microl/(min x g brain) due to the distribution volume of 1.13 +/- 0.06 ml/g brain. By contrast, the apparent efflux clearance of E1 was more than 227 +/- 3 microl/(min x g brain), since the distribution volume of [3H]E1 at 60 min was 3.28 +/- 0.13 ml/g. The E1S efflux transport process was inhibited by more than 40% by coadministration of bile acids (taurocholate, and cholate), and organic anions (sulfobromophthalein, and probenecid), whereas other organic anions did not affect the E1S efflux transport. The [3H]E1S efflux was significantly reduced by 48.6% after preadministration of 5 mM dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. These results suggest that E1S is transported from brain to the circulating blood across the BBB via a carrier-mediated efflux transport system.     

NK-1 receptor desensitization and neutral endopeptidase terminate SP-induced pancreatic plasma extravasation

Substance P (SP) induces plasma extravasation and neutrophil infiltration by activating the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1-R). We characterized the mechanisms regulating this response in the rat pancreas. Anesthetized rats were continuously infused with SP, and plasma extravasation was quantified using Evans blue (EB) dye. Continuous infusion of SP (8 nmol. kg(-1). h(-1)) resulted in a threshold increase in EB at 15 min, a peak effect at 30 min (150% increase), and a return to baseline by 60 min. The NK1-R antagonist CP-96,345 blocked SP-induced plasma extravasation. After 60 min, the NK1-R was desensitized to agonist challenge. Resensitization was first detected at 20 min and increased until full recovery was seen at 30 min. Inhibition of the cell-surface protease neutral endopeptidase (NEP) by phosphoramidon potentiated the effect of exogenous SP; therefore endogenous NEP attenuates SP-induced plasma extravasation. Thus the continuous infusion of SP stimulates plasma extravasation in the rat pancreas via activation of the NK1-R, and these effects are terminated by both desensitization of the NK1-R and the cell-surface protease NEP.     

Tissue specific distribution, clearance and vascular effects of endothelin in the pig

Endothelin-like immunoreactivity (-LI) was detected in the kidney, spleen, skeletal muscle, lung and in plasma of the pig. The highest tissue levels were found in the lung (1.5 +/- 0.07 pmol/g) and the lowest in the muscle (0.08 +/- 0.02 pmol/g). I.v. infusion of endothelin (20 pmol/kg/min for 20 min) increased plasma endothelin-LI from 18 +/- 3 to 628 +/- 109 pM and renal, splenic and femoral vascular resistance by 570, 430 and 50%, respectively. There was a close correlation between the increase in plasma endothelin-LI and the vasoconstrictor effects. During the infusion 92, 82 and 76% of arterial endothelin-LI was removed by the kidney, spleen and hindlimb, respectively, whereas there was no clearance over the lung or degradation in plasma. After the infusion, arterial endothelin-LI decreased with a half life of 77 s, while the renal and splenic vasoconstriction persisted for 60 min. Characterization by reversed phase HPLC revealed that endothelin-LI in plasma and tissue co-eluted with synthetic endothelin. It is concluded that endothelin has tissue specific distribution, clearance and vascular effects in the pig.     

The time-course of appearance and net accumulation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) presented orally to rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri (Richardson)

1. A sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used in order to determine horseradish peroxidase (HRP) uptake from the rainbow trout gut. 2. HRP was detected in blood plasma and various tissues within 15 min of oral intubation. 3. The time-course of net accumulation (uptake-degradation) over a 75 min period was recorded. 4. The presence of HRP reached a maximum in the body tissues approximately 45 min after intubation and on a ng/g weight basis the order of accumulation within the tissues was liver greater than spleen = kidney greater than plasma greater than heart. 5. The total organ accumulation (net) was in the order liver greater than plasma greater than kidney greater than spleen greater than heart.     

The Application of MRI for Depiction of Subtle Blood Brain Barrier Disruption in Stroke

The development of imaging methodologies for detecting blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption may help predict stroke patient''s propensity to develop hemorrhagic complications following reperfusion. We have developed a delayed contrast extravasation MRI-based methodology enabling real-time depiction of subtle BBB abnormalities in humans with high sensitivity to BBB disruption and high spatial resolution. The increased sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption is obtained by acquiring T1-weighted MRI at relatively long delays (~15 minutes) after contrast injection and subtracting from them images acquired immediately after contrast administration. In addition, the relatively long delays allow for acquisition of high resolution images resulting in high resolution BBB disruption maps. The sensitivity is further increased by image preprocessing with corrections for intensity variations and with whole body (rigid+elastic) registration. Since only two separate time points are required, the time between the two acquisitions can be used for acquiring routine clinical data, keeping the total imaging time to a minimum.A proof of concept study was performed in 34 patients with ischemic stroke and 2 patients with brain metastases undergoing high resolution T1-weighted MRI acquired at 3 time points after contrast injection. The MR images were pre-processed and subtracted to produce BBB disruption maps. BBB maps of patients with brain metastases and ischemic stroke presented different patterns of BBB opening. The significant advantage of the long extravasation time was demonstrated by a dynamic-contrast-enhancement study performed continuously for 18 min. The high sensitivity of our methodology enabled depiction of clear BBB disruption in 27% of the stroke patients who did not have abnormalities on conventional contrast-enhanced MRI. In 36% of the patients, who had abnormalities detectable by conventional MRI, the BBB disruption volumes were significantly larger in the maps than in conventional MRI.These results demonstrate the advantages of delayed contrast extravasation in increasing the sensitivity to subtle BBB disruption in ischemic stroke patients. The calculated disruption maps provide clear depiction of significant volumes of BBB disruption unattainable by conventional contrast-enhanced MRI.     

Increased blood–brain barrier permeability and endothelial abnormalities induced by vascular endothelial growth factor

The early effects of intracerebrally infused vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to endogenous albumin were studied using a quantitative immunocytochemical procedure. In addition, transmission electron microscopy was used to observe morphological changes induced in brain vasculature. A solution of VEGF in saline (40 ng/10 μl) was infused into the parieto-occipital cortex of mice, which were killed 10 min, 30 min, and 24 h afterwards. Untreated mice and mice that received infusion of saline only were used as controls. For immunocytochemical evaluation, ultrathin sections of immersion-fixed brain samples embedded in Lowicryl K4M were exposed to anti-albumin antiserum followed by protein A-gold. Simultaneously, other brain samples embedded in Spurr resin were used for ultrastructural examination. Morphometric and statistical analysis indicated that as soon as 10 min after infusion of VEGF, 33% of vascular profiles were leaking albumin, and this value increased at 30 min to 92%. This effect of VEGF appears to be of rather short duration because after 24 h, only 27% of vascular profiles showed signs of leakage. The results of ultrastructural observations indicate that VEGF (30 min post-infusion) induces several changes in microvascular segments located in the area of intracerebral infusion of VEGF. These changes consist of the appearance of interendothelial gaps; fragmentation of the endothelium with formation of segmental, fenestrae-like narrowings; degenerative changes of the vascular basement membrane; and the appearance of fibrin gel in the vessel lumen. At 24 h post-infusion, solitary diaphragmed fenestrae appeared in attenuated segments of the endothelium in a few microvascular profiles. These changes, which are interpreted to be preparatory steps for angiogenesis, affect the structural integrity of the vascular segments, leading to extravasation of blood plasma proteins, including albumin. © 1998 Chapman and Hall     

Efflux of a suppressive neurotransmitter, GABA, across the blood-brain barrier

In this study, GABA efflux transport from brain to blood was estimated by using the brain efflux index (BEI) method. [3H]GABA microinjected into parietal cortex area 2 (Par2) of the rat brain was eliminated from the brain with an apparent elimination half-life of 16.9 min. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) efflux clearance of [3H]GABA was at least 0.153 mL/min/g brain, which was calculated from the elimination rate constant (7.14 x 10(-2) x min(-1)) and the distribution volume in the brain (2.14 mL/g brain). Direct comparison of the apparent BBB influx clearance [3H]GABA (9.29 microL/min/g brain) and the apparent efflux clearance (153 microL/min/g brain) indicated that the efflux clearance was at least 16-fold greater than the influx clearance. In order to reduce the effect of metabolism in the neuronal cells following intracerebral microinjection, we determined the apparent efflux of [3H]GABA in the presence of nipecotic acid, a GABA transport inhibitor in parenchymal cells, using the BEI method. Under such conditions, the elimination of [3H]GABA across the BBB showed saturation and inhibition by probenecid in the presence of nipecotic acid. Furthermore, the uptake of [3H]GABA by MBEC4 cells was inhibited by GABA, taurine, beta-alanine and nipecotic acid in a concentration-dependent manner. It is likely that GABA inhibits the first step in the abluminal membrane uptake by brain endothelial cells, and that probenecid selectively inhibits the luminal membrane efflux transport process from the brain capillary endothelial cells based on the in vivo and in vitro evidence. The BBB acts as the efflux pump for GABA to reduce the brain interstitial fluid concentration.     

Effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure on blood-brain barrier permeability in male and female rats

During the last several decades, numerous studies have been performed aiming at the question of whether or not exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) influences the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of RFR on the permeability of BBB in male and female Wistar albino rats. Right brain, left brain, cerebellum, and total brain were analyzed separately in the study. Rats were exposed to 0.9 and 1.8 GHz continuous-wave (CW) RFR for 20 min (at SARs of 4.26 mW/kg and 1.46 mW/kg, respectively) while under anesthesia. Control rats were sham-exposed. Disruption of BBB integrity was detected spectrophotometrically using the Evans-blue dye, which has been used as a BBB tracer and is known to be bound to serum albumin. Right brain, left brain, cerebellum, and total brain were evaluated for BBB permeability. In female rats, no albumin extravasation was found in in the brain after RFR exposure. A significant increase in albumin was found in the brains of the RF-exposed male rats when compared to sham-exposed male brains. These results suggest that exposure to 0.9 and 1.8 GHz CW RFR at levels below the international limits can affect the vascular permeability in the brain of male rats. The possible risk of RFR exposure in humans is a major concern for the society. Thus, this topic should be investigated more thoroughly in the future.     

Effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure on blood-brain barrier permeability in male and female rats

During the last several decades, numerous studies have been performed aiming at the question of whether or not exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) influences the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of RFR on the permeability of BBB in male and female Wistar albino rats. Right brain, left brain, cerebellum, and total brain were analyzed separately in the study. Rats were exposed to 0.9 and 1.8?GHz continuous-wave (CW) RFR for 20?min (at SARs of 4.26?mW/kg and 1.46?mW/kg, respectively) while under anesthesia. Control rats were sham-exposed. Disruption of BBB integrity was detected spectrophotometrically using the Evans-blue dye, which has been used as a BBB tracer and is known to be bound to serum albumin. Right brain, left brain, cerebellum, and total brain were evaluated for BBB permeability. In female rats, no albumin extravasation was found in in the brain after RFR exposure. A significant increase in albumin was found in the brains of the RF-exposed male rats when compared to sham-exposed male brains. These results suggest that exposure to 0.9 and 1.8?GHz CW RFR at levels below the international limits can affect the vascular permeability in the brain of male rats. The possible risk of RFR exposure in humans is a major concern for the society. Thus, this topic should be investigated more thoroughly in the future.     

Brain distribution of 6-mercaptopurine is regulated by the efflux transport system in the blood-brain barrier

6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) has been used clinically for 40 years to maintain remission in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, central nervous system (CNS) relapses frequently occur in patients with ALL who continuously receive anticancer drugs, including 6-MP, during remission maintenance therapy. The cause of such CNS relapse is not well understood. One possible reason may involve the restricted distribution of 6-MP in the brain. This study, therefore, investigates the blood-brain barrier (BBB) transport which largely regulates 6-MP distribution in the brain using a quantitative microdialysis technique and centers on the efflux transport of 6-MP across the BBB. The brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or hippocampal interstitial fluid (ISF) concentration of 6-MP was very low compared with the unbound plasma concentration, suggesting that 6-MP distribution in the brain is highly restricted. Kinetic analyses of this BBB transport showed that the efflux clearance from brain ISF to plasma across the BBB (CLout) is approximately 20-times greater than the influx clearance from plasma to brain (CLin). The CLout was significantly reduced by 1mM N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a sulfhydryl-modifying agent, suggesting the participation of transport protein in the efflux of 6-MP across the BBB. In addition, efflux transport was inhibited by an intracerebral infusion of probenecid (1.5 mM), p-aminohippuric acid (PAH, 3.0 mM), benzoate (3.6 mM), or salicylate (3.7 mM) administered through a microdialysis probe, but neither choline (0.8 mM) nor tetraethylammonium (TEA, 0.7 mM) had any effect. These data suggest that the restricted 6-MP brain distribution may be ascribed to efficient efflux from the brain, possibly via both the organic anion transport system, shared with probenecid and PAH, and the monocarboxylic acid transport system, shared with benzoate and salicylate.     

Vascular effects, formation, clearance and release of endothelin peptides in the pig

The formation, release, clearance and vascular effects of endothelin (ET)-like immunoreactivity (-LI) was studied in the pig in vivo. Intravenous infusion of ET-1, 2 and 3 (20 pmol/kg/min for 20 min) increased vascular resistance in the kidney, spleen and skeletal muscle. The most pronounced effects were evoked by ET-1 which caused increases in renal, splenic and skeletal muscle vascular resistance of 554, 528 and 38%, respectively, and a threshold response was observed at 80 pmol/l ET-LI in arterial plasma. During the infusion a large portion of arterial plasma, ET-LI was cleared over the kidney, spleen and skeletal muscle, whereby the most pronounced clearance was observed for ET-1 (73–93%). The ET-1 precursor Big-ET (1–39) given in a similar dose produced only a slight increase in renal vascular resistance (by 20%) and was cleared only over the kidney and not over the spleen or skeletal muscle. Using an ET-1 specific antiserum it was found that plasma ET-1 levels increased 11-fold during the infusion of Big-ET, indicating formation of ET-1 from Big-ET. The half-lives of circulating ET-1, 2 and 3 were 1.3–2.1 min and of Big-ET 8.9 min. Induction of asphyxia for 2 min increased the overflow of ET-LI from the spleen, suggesting local release, and caused splenic vasoconstriction. During i.v. administration of endotoxin for 4 h, arterial plasma ET-LI increased 7-fold and renal and splenic vasoconstrictor responses developed that correlated significantly with the arterial plasma ET-LI. Furthermore, a local release of ET-LI in the spleen was observed during endotoxin administration. Chromatographic characterization of the ET-LI in plasma during endotoxin administration revealed presence of ET-1 and Big-ET. It is concluded that there exists specificity both concerning the vasoconstrictor effects and removal from the circulation of ET peptides, both mechanisms being most prominent for ET-1 in the kidney. Furthermore ET-1 seems to be formed from circulating Big-ET and release of ET-LI can be detected during situations like asphyxia and sepsis.     

Quantitative determination of unchanged cisplatin in rat kidney and liver by high-performance liquid chromatography

A quantitative analytical method for measuring unchanged cisplatin (CDDP) and high- and low-molecular-mass metabolites (fixed and mobile metabolites) in rat kidney and liver was developed. Unchanged CDDP, separated from fixed and mobile metabolites in tissue homogenates by consecutive procedures of fractionation and ultrafiltration, was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with post-column derivatization. Although unchanged CDDP was found to be partly metabolized to fixed metabolites during the preparation of cytosolic ultrafiltrates, the recovery of unchanged CDDP gave a constant value (about 70%), which was independent of tissue type and CDDP concentration (from 1 to 10 μg/ml). The detection limit for unchanged CDDP in the cytosolic ultrafiltrate was 20 ng/ml, corresponding to a concentration detection limit of 65 ng Pt per g of tissue in the kidney and liver. The concentrations of fixed and mobile metabolites were determined as platinum concentrations in the tissue homogenate and in the cytosolic ultrafiltrate using atomic absorption spectrometry after correcting for transformation of unchanged CDDP to fixed metabolites. The distribution of unchanged CDDP, mobile metabolites and fixed metabolites in rat kidney and liver, after bolus injection of CDDP (5 mg/kg), was determined using this method.     

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of novel traditional Chinese medicine-platinum anticancer agents in rats

The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution profiles of a novel series of traditional Chinese medicine-platinum (TCM-Pt) compounds [Pt(C(8)H(8)O(5))(NH(2)R)(2)]: 1 (where R=H), 3 (R=CH(3)) and 5 (R=C(6)H(10)), were studied in Sprague-Dawley rats following a single bolus intravenous (i.v.) injection. Platinum concentrations in total plasma, plasma ultrafiltrate, urine and tissues were measured by flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that plasma concentrations of total and free platinum for the novel TCM-Pt compounds as well as cisplatin and carboplatin declined in a biexponential manner with a short distribution half-life (t(1/2alpha): 0.12-0.34h). Compared with cisplatin, the novel TCM-Pt compounds had a longer elimination half-life (t(1/2beta)), larger dose normalized area under the curve (AUC/D), larger volume of distribution at steady-state (V(ss)), slower clearance (CL) of free platinum and higher percentage of cumulative urinary excretion (CUE), which can be attributed to their lower chemical reactivities. In tissues, the highest Pt concentrations were found in the kidney, followed by the liver and the lowest in the heart; no Pt was detected in the brain. Twenty-four hours after drug administration, platinum concentrations in tissues were significantly lower for the novel TCM-Pt compounds. These findings suggest that the novel compounds might afford higher clinical efficacy and reduced systemic side effects, when compared with cisplatin.     

Blood-brain barrier is involved in the efflux transport of a neuroactive steroid, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, via organic anion transporting polypeptide 2

We have investigated the transport characteristics of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), a neuroactive steroid, at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in a series of functional in vivo and in vitro studies. The apparent BBB efflux rate constant of [(3)H]DHEAS evaluated by the brain efflux index method was 2.68 x 10(-2) min(-1). DHEAS efflux transport was a saturable process with a Michaelis constant (K:(m)) of 32.6 microM: Significant amounts of [(3)H]DHEAS were determined in the jugular venous plasma by HPLC, providing direct evidence that most of the DHEAS is transported in intact form from brain to the circulating blood across the BBB. This efflux transport of [(3)H]DHEAS was significantly inhibited by common rat organic anion-transporting polypeptide (oatp) substrates such as taurocholate, cholate, sulfobromophthalein, and estrone-3-sulfate. Moreover, the apparent efflux clearance of [(3)H]DHEAS across the BBB (118 microl/min-g of brain) was 10.4-fold greater than its influx clearance estimated by the in situ brain perfusion technique (11.4 microl/min-g of brain), suggesting that DHEAS is predominantly transported from the brain to blood across the BBB. In cellular uptake studies using a conditionally immortalized mouse brain capillary endothelial cell line (TM-BBB4), [(3)H]DHEAS uptake by TM-BBB4 cells exhibited a concentration dependence with a K:(m) of 34.4 microM: and was significantly inhibited by the oatp2-specific substrate digoxin. Conversely, [(3)H]digoxin uptake by TM-BBB4 cells was significantly inhibited by DHEAS. Moreover, the net uptake of [(3)H]DHEAS at 30 min was significantly increased under ATP-depleted conditions, suggesting that an energy-dependent efflux process may also be involved in TM-BBB4. RT-PCR and sequence analysis suggest that an oatp2 is expressed in TM-BBB4 cells. In conclusion, DHEAS efflux transport takes place across the BBB, and studies involving in vitro DHEAS uptake and RT-PCR suggest that there is oatp2-mediated DHEAS transport at the BBB.     

Comparison of the biodistribution of free or liposome-entrapped Crotalus durissus terrificus (South American rattlesnake) venom in mice

The local absorption rate, clearance and tissue distribution of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom, (Cdt) were examined using a two-antibody sandwich ELISA assay. We compared the biodistribution of both free or encapsulated Cdt in mice. Following subcutaneous injection of 10 microg/mouse of free Cdt (0.8 LD50), venom was detected in serum after 15 min, showed its highest level at 30 min (45+/-5 ng/ml) and was cleared from the circulation after 6 h. After 2 h of inoculation, venom was detected in the kidney (57+/-9 ng/g of tissue), spleen (18+/-4 ng/g of tissue) and brain (14+/-6 ng/g of tissue). For both subcutaneous or intravenous injection of free Cdt, venom was firstly detected in the kidney. No Cdt appeared either in the kidney, spleen, brain, or other tissues after subcutaneous inoculation of encapsulated venom even though a higher dose was used, 25 microg/mouse (2 LD50). Venom remained at the site of injection for a period of 1 week. Following intravenous injection of encapsulated venom (5 microg/mouse, 2 LD50), venom was detected in liver and spleen tissues. The biodistribution of encapsulated venom is discussed in relation to the effects of reduction of toxicity and increase of adjuvanticity.