Transbuccal delivery of 5-aza-2 -deoxycytidine: effects of drug concentration, buffer solution, and bile salts on permeation

Delivery of 5-aza-2 -deoxycytidine (decitabine) across porcine buccal mucosa was evaluated as an alternative to the complex intravenous infusion regimen currently used to administer the drug. A reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and optimized for the quantitative determination of this drug. Decitabine showed a concentration-dependent passive diffusion process across porcine buccal mucosa. An increase in the ionic strength of the phosphate buffer from 100 to 400 mM decreased the flux from 3.57 +/- 0.65 to 1.89 +/- 0.61 microg/h/cm2. Trihydroxy bile salts significantly enhanced the flux of decitabine at a 100 mM concentration (P > .05). The steady-state flux of decitabine in the presence of 100 mM of sodium taurocholate and sodium glycocholate was 52.65 +/- 9.48 and 85.22 +/- 7.61 microg/cm2/h, respectively. Two dihydroxy bile salts, sodium deoxytaurocholate and sodium deoxyglycocholate, showed better enhancement effect than did trihydroxy bile salts. A 38-fold enhancement in flux was achieved with 10 mM of sodium deoxyglycocholate.