1,549
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of 16-dehydropregnenolone liposome in female mice after intravenous administration

, , , , , & show all
Pages 2787-2795 | Received 17 Jun 2015, Accepted 26 Aug 2015, Published online: 14 Sep 2015
 

Abstract

Objective: 16-Dehydropregnenolone (16-DHP) is a potential antitumor compound with poor solubility. A liposome entrapped 16-DHP (16-DHP-LM) formulation was developed to surmount its solubility obstacle. The aim of this study is to investigate the pharmacokinetics of 16-DHP-LM and 16-DHP solution in female mice and tissue distribution of 16-DHP-LM in female tumor-bearing nude mice.

Methods: Rotary-evaporated film method was used to prepare 16-DHP-LM. The comparison of pharmacokinetics between 16-DHP-LM and 16-DHP solution in female mice was investigated after intravenous administration at a single dose of 15 mg/kg. The dose proportionality of 16-DHP-LM was also evaluated after intravenous administration of 16-DHP-LM at the doses of 7.5, 15.0 and 30.0 mg/kg. The tissue distribution of 16-DHP-LM in female tumor-bearing nude mice was evaluated after intravenous administration of 16-DHP-LM at a single dose of 30.0 mg/kg.

Results: The pharmacokinetic study indicated that the 16-DHP-LM group had higher area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), lower apparent volume of distribution (Vz) and smaller systemic clearance (CL) than the 16-DHP solution group. For dose proportionality, good linearity of the pharmacokinetics of 16-DHP after intravenous administration of 16-DHP-LM was observed in the regression analysis of the AUC-dose plot (r = 0.99) and the Cmax-dose plot (r = 0.98). The tissue distribution study showed that the main tissue depots for 16-DHP in tumor-bearing nude mice were plasma, liver, spleen and tumor, which was benefit to anti-tumor effect. All these results provided a significant basis for the design of clinical trial of 16-DHP-LM.

Declaration of interest

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

This work was supported by the Project of Liaoning Distinguished Professor (2014), the Program for Liaoning Innovative Research Team in University (No. LT 20121018) and Shenyang Office of Science and Technology (No. F11-148-9-00).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.