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Biomedical subjects

J Kvĕtina

Publications and source records attributed to J Kvĕtina.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of ursodeoxycholic acid after solid phase extraction of blood serum and detection-oriented derivatization.

Ursodeoxycholic acid (3 alpha,7 beta-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholanoic acid, UDCA) is a therapeutically applicable bile acid widely used for the dissolution of cholesterol-rich gallstones and in the treatment of chronic liver diseases associated with cholestasis. UDCA is more hydrophilic and less toxic than another therapeutically valuable bile acid, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), the 7 alpha-epimer of UDCA. Procedures for sample preparation and HPLC determination of UDCA in blood serum were developed and validated. A higher homologue of UDCA containing an additional methylene group in the side chain was synthetized and used as an internal standard (IS). Serum samples with IS were diluted with a buffer (pH=7). The bile acids and IS were captured using solid phase extraction (C18 cartridges). The carboxylic group of the analytes was derivatized using 2-bromo-2'-acetonaphthone (a detection-oriented derivatization), and reaction mixtures were analyzed (HPLC with UV 245 nm detection; a 125--4 mm column containing Lichrospher 100 C18, 5 microm; mobile phase: acetonitrile--water, 6:4 (v/v)). Following validation, this method was used for pharmacokinetic studies of UDCA in humans.

Adult↗

Determination of enzyme (angiotensin convertase) inhibitors based on enzymatic reaction followed by HPLC.

For determination of levels of plasmatic inhibitor of ACE (angiotensin convertase) a simple method was used based on a combination of enzymatic reaction followed by an HPLC determination of its product. The inhibitor (e.g. enalaprilat) was at first separated from the biological material by deproteination (methanol). Then, an aliquot of the sample was added to the reaction mixture containing a commercial ACE enzyme, its specific substrate FAPGG (N-(3-[2-furyl]acryloyl)-Phe-Gly-Gly) and buffer (Tris--HCl, pH 7.5). Degree of inhibition of the conversion of this substrate to FAP (desGlyGlyFAPGG) by the inhibitor present in the sample is related to its amount by a simple dose-response relationship. The amount of the FAP was determined by an HPLC on a RP-18 column with an acetonitril--nonylamine buffer (pH 2.4, adjusted with phosphoric acid) as a mobile phase with detection at 305 nm. Alternatively, the activity of the endogenous ACE present in the plasma was measured. The substrate FAPGG was added to the plasmatic sample containing both the inhibitor and endogenous ACE (as the sample was not deproteinized in this case) and the reaction product was determined as above. Inhibitor concentration has been obtained from a dose--response curve expressing the interaction with inhibitor with an ACE enzyme.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Study of the biotransformation of benfluron using the isolated perfused rat liver.

The isolated perfused rat liver method (IPRL) was used to find, isolate and identify further metabolites of Phase I and Phase II biotransformation of the potential cytostatic agent benfluron with special regard to the conjugation processes. Its pharmacokinetic profile during the perfusion was also estimated. The rat liver was isolated from the body and perfused in vitro using a recirculating perfusion system. Benfluron was added to the reservoir as a bolus in doses of 200, 100, 30 mg/kg of body weigh and 1 mg/perfusate volume and also as a continual infusion in a dose of 0.1 mg/min in separate series of experiments. The following metabolites formed during Phase I biotransformation were found in the perfusion liquid as well as in the bile: benfluron N-oxide, 9-hydroxy benfluron, demethylated 9-hydroxy benfluron, demethylated benfluron, and reduced benfluron. The major Phase II metabolite found in the bile samples was the glucuronide of 9-hydroxy benfluron. The pharmacokinetic profile of benfluron in IPRL indicated its main disposition and metabolic pathway, i.e. its rapid extraction from perfusate by the liver (t1/2 alpha = 3.76 min), 9-hydroxylation followed up O-glucuronidation and excretion to the bile. It was revealed that 12% of the total dose of the parent compound was excreted to the bile in the form of conjugates during the first hour of perfusion, 32% during 1.5 hour, and 70% during 2 hours after the administration of benfluron. The conjugates with glucuronic acid represented 96-98% of all metabolites found in the bile.

Animals↗

[From Purkinje's pharmacologic observations to molecular drug interactions].

The 650th anniversary of the foundation of Charles University (7 April 1348) in Prague has initiated a number of historical surveys of the subjects which has been taught at the University for a longer period of time. The disciplines connected with pharmacotherapy were being developed in an empirical conception at the University from the second half of the 14th century but the beginnings of experimental drug research date as late as the mid-19th century. The present survey of the history of "the sciences of medicaments" therefore attempts to outline in short entries the developmental stages of pharmaceutical and pharmacological investigations in the territory of Bohemia and Moravia in about recent 150 years. The arrangement of data is chronological; in the part covering the second half of the 20th century the research of a predominantly exploratory character (universities and academic institutions and their representatives) and research aimed primarily to innovate medicaments (research institutions of pharmaceutical industry and clinical pharmacology and some of their representatives) are treated separately.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗

Presence and activity of cytochrome P450 isoforms in minipig liver microsomes. Comparison with human liver samples.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) of the 3A family (CYP3A) has been detected in minipig liver microsomes by immunochemical screening (Western blotting), revealing bands that co-migrate with human CYP3A4 and 3A5. The nifedipine oxidase activity and testosterone 6beta-hydroxylating activity (specific markers for CYP3A enzymes) of the human liver microsomal and minipig liver microsomal samples were comparable, as were the results of specific inhibition of this activity by triacetyloleandomycin. The presence of CYP1A, 2A, 2C, 2D, and 2E1 marker activities in minipig liver microsomes was found by testing with the respective specific substrates (7-ethoxyresorufin, coumarin, tolbutamide, bufuralol, and chlorzoxazone). 7-Pentoxyresorufin O-depentylase activity (indicative of CYP2B) was absent from minipig as well as human liver microsomal samples. The results indicate that minipigs might be, in many cases, the most suitable experimental animals to predict biotransformation pathways in humans, because the activity of the most important CYP isoform in humans (CYP3A, metabolizing the majority of known drug substrates) is present in minipigs, with comparable levels and activities. Moreover, there is no need to induce CYP enzyme levels.

Animals↗

Preclinical comparison of bis-diketopiperazine-propane (dexrazoxane) and bis-diketopiperazine-ethane (antimet) on the adriamycin-cardiotoxic effect.

A cardiotoxic effect induced by adriamycin (by repeated i.v. administration to experimental rats in 7-day intervals of administration) begins to be manifested in the ECG record by prolongation of the S alpha T segment between days 14 and 20, on day 30 it is statistically significant. By means of this index, the known protective effect of dexrazoxane (the preparation Cardioxan) against adriamycin cardiotoxicity has been successfully confirmed in a four-week experiment. A comparative study (using the identical frequency of the dosing scheme and S alpha T segment as the decisive parameter) has revealed that antimet-as another original substance of the diketopiperazines group-also involves (though less significantly) protective effects against the toxic action of adriamycin.

Administration, Oral↗

Study of the biotransformation of a potential benzo[c]fluorene antineoplastic using high-performance liquid chromatography with high-speed-scanning ultraviolet detection.

As the sum of benfluron metabolites found was only a part of the total amount applied, a search for undiscovered metabolites was undertaken in the extracts from isolated rat hepatocytes and in the bile and perfusate in the experiments with an isolated perfused rat liver. To identify the metabolites, high-performance liquid chromatography with UV spectral analysis was used, as benfluron derivatives exhibit characteristic absorption spectra. Administration of known metabolites to experimental animals and selective induction of certain metabolic pathways led to the finding of new metabolites and of the respective conjugates. Fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the newly found metabolites and conjugates.

Animals↗

Distribution of subcutaneously administered inulin between blood and peripheral lymph in the rabbit.

In experiments on rabbit peripheral lymph, the contribution of the blood and lymphatic system to the whole-body distribution of inulin after subcutaneous administration has been investigated and the effects of hyaluronidase and of thermal stimulus at the administration site examined. Inulin concentrations in lymph exceeded plasma concentrations by more than 100-fold. At the end of the experiment (90 min) the amount of drug in the total lymph collected was about one-seventh the amount found in urine. The blood system, as a result of higher circulation at the administration site distributes inulin from the subcutis more rapidly than does lymph. Hyaluronidase did not influence inulin concentrations in blood and lymph but thermal stimulus significantly decreased both concentration and total distribution. The decrease resulted from a developed oedema and vasoconstriction in the skin and subcutis of the cannulated extremity.

Animals↗

N-demethylation activity of renal and hepatic subcellular fractions: an interspecies comparison.

The enzymatic activity of the mixed-function oxidase system in the kidney and liver was evaluated by means of an in vitro N-demethylation activity assay with aminopyrine as the substrate. Renal and hepatic demethylation activity of 9000 x g supernatant fraction was determined in the rat, rabbit, and guinea-pig. In terms of interspecies comparison, the renal tissue demethylation activities were on a similar level with a slight increase in the order guinea-pig, rabbit and rat. In relation to hepatic activity, these relative demethylation activities of renal tissue had the same values in the rat and rabbit, whereas that in the guinea pig was significantly lower. The distribution of demethylation activity in the kidney was determined by comparing the cortex and medullary activity in relation to the total kidney tissue activity in the rabbit and guinea-pig. Although the higher demethylation activities were obtained in rabbit renal preparations and low demethylation activity was detected in the guinea-pig renal medulla only, no significant interspecies differences were found by the statistical evaluation. It may be concluded that the mixed-function oxidase system responsible for renal demethylation activity seems to be concentrated in the renal cortex and its distribution coincides in the rabbit and guinea-pig kidney.

Animals↗

Changes in the toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of daunorubicin linked with a biodegradable carrier.

The effects of the linkage of daunorubicin (DNR) and the synthetic biodegradable polymer polyhydroxyethyl-L-glutamine (PHEG) on general toxicity, therapeutic efficacy, and acute organ toxicity were investigated. General toxicity was assessed by means of mortality, or body weight changes of male CBA mice weighing 22-25 g after a single-dose i.p. administration of 5 or 2.5 mg/kg DNR, free or bound. Linked DNR at a larger lethal dose significantly increased mean survival time (18 versus 12 days). Surprisingly, free DNR at a smaller dose produced larger increases in body weight as compared with linked DNR. The linkage of DNR and PHEG did not markedly change the therapeutic activity in three murine hemoblastoses--plasmacytoma MOPS 406, leukemia P388 and hemoblastosis La. Acute (24 h) changes in cardio- and hepatotoxicity were studied on female Wistar rats weighing 208 +/- 5 g after a single dose of 5 mg/kg i.v. both free and linked DNR, as well as after an administration of the PHEG polymer alone (200 mg/kg i.v.). Free DNR caused a three-fold increase in creatine kinase (CK) activity, the identical dose of linked DNR caused only a 1.7-fold increase. Free DNR administration resulted in a decrease in heart rate, other tested drugs did not significantly change either blood pressure or heart rate. Free DNR did not change the kinetics of bromsulphalein (BSP) except for a decrease in extraction effectivity. Both linked DNR and polymer alone significantly changed some kinetic parameters of BSP. The results showed that the biodegradable polymer PHEG cannot be clinically used due to its hepatotoxic action. On the other hand, a decrease in total toxicity and cardiotoxicity resulting from the linkage of DNR and PHEG, the therapeutic efficacy being preserved, stimulates the efforts to find a suitable polymer carrier of anthracyclines without more serious side-effects.

Animals↗

Interspecies pharmacokinetic scaling of some iodinated organic acids.

We have investigated the possibility of interspecies scaling of relationships between the structure and total plasma clearance in a group of nine organic acids (iododerivatives of benzoic, phenylacetic and hippuric acids) in rabbits, rats and mice. The intercompound comparison established the dependence of total plasma clearance predominantly on the molecular structure in all the animals under study, but the dependence on drug lipophilicity was also meaningful. For interspecies scaling of total plasma clearance, the use of a biological clock with an effective renal plasma flow as the unit seemed most suitable and is probably connected with the principal role of the kidney in the elimination of the compounds under study.

Animals↗

Influence of the composition of rat central lymph on the pharmacokinetics (the steady state during infusion, bioavailability, absorption) of diazepam, studied in the blood and lymph.

Diazepam was administered by infusion to three groups of rats with an induced differentiated total lipid content in their lymph (unfed, fed, oil-fed) and its lymph/blood concentration ratios in the steady state were determined. Ratio values were highest in the group with the highest lymph lipid content (the oil-fed group, 2.20 +/- 0.08) and fell significantly in the other groups (fed group 1.46 +/- 0.09, unfed group 1.15 +/- 0.05). The areas under the blood and lymph concentration curves after the intravenous (i.v.) and intraduodenal (i.d.) administration of diazepam were used to determine absolute (F) and lymphatic (FL) bioavailability. The F value in the blood can be raised by increasing the amount of lipids, whereas in the lymph, under the same conditions, it falls. During the i.v. and i.d. administration of diazepam, FL always rises with an increase in the amount of lipids in the lymph. The role played by the lymphatic system in total diazepam absorption was determined from the experimental results of its i.d. administration. The absolute values are very low (0.043-0.316%), but are significantly influenced by the presence of lipids.

Animals↗

[The role of the kidney and liver in the total metabolism of (125I) ortho-iodobenzoate in rats].

The contribution of the kidney and liver to the total metabolism of (125I)ortho-iodobenzoate (OIB) was studied in rats with the aim considering the suitability of the use of this radiopharmaceutical as a diagnostic agent of the conjugation function of the liver. For the analysis of OIB metabolism (formation of conjugates with glycine and glucuronic acid) in rats, the techniques of the perfused rat kidney "in situ" and the isolated perfused rat livers were used. A comparison of the relative representation of OIB metabolites in the urine of intact rats with the results obtained in the urine from the perfused kidney and the perfusion fluid from the isolated perfused liver gives evidence of preferential biotransformation of OIB in the kidney. As shown in a biodistributional study of OIB in rats, OIB concentration in the renal tissue and thus the supply for the metabolic processes in the kidney is higher by orders than it is in the liver tissue, which could explain the above-mentioned finding. Assuming that the biotransformational organ capacity for this drug in man is similar to that in the experimental rat, the use of OIB for quantification of the detoxicating function of the liver in man is debatable.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗

Changes in cardiac output, hepatic and renal functions in rats with isoprenaline-induced heart damage.

A model of acute rat heart damage by a large single dose of isoprenaline (ISO) (100 mg.kg-1 s.c.) was assessed for its suitability to evaluate changes in drug kinetics in acute heart failure. Within 24h after the administration of the above dose the colorimetric dilution method revealed a decrease in cardiac output by more than 20% and mild increase in total peripheral resistance in anaesthetized female Wistar rats. At the same time, marked hypotension developed with a decrease in mean arterial blood pressure by nearly 20%. An acceleration of both depolarization and repolarization of the atrial and ventricular musculatures and a surprising bradycardia were demonstrated electrocardiographically. ECG failed to demonstrate any signs of myocardial ischaemia. Determination of bromsulphalein and inulin clearance values revealed decreased liver and kidney function. Mild anaesthesia-induced respiratory and metabolic acidosis was improved by ISO administration. The described model at least partially corresponds to the manifestations of acute heart failure with hypotension in man.

Animals↗

[The mechanisms of elimination of o-125I-benzoate in rabbits].

An analysis of the mechanisms of elimination of o-125I-benzoate in the rabbit kidney on the basis of the inhibition of the secretionary transport by probenecid has shown that o-125I-benzoate is eliminated in the kidneys not only by glomerular filtration but by tubular secretion as well. An effect on the total amount of the drug excreted in the urine is exerted by tubular resorption (apparently by the process of passive diffusion), which exceeds tubular secretion. A comparison of the chromatograms of the plasma and urine before and after the competitive inhibition of the tubular active transport by probenecid revealed a higher share of o-125I-benzylglucuronide in the urine in the case of inhibition. The results suggested a partial share of the kidneys in total biotransformation of o-125I-benzoate. Excretion of the original drug and metabolites in the bile forms a negligible share (less than 1%) of total clearance in rabbits.

Animals↗

Analysis of elimination mechanisms of some 99mTc-complexes.

The biological behaviour of complexes of 99mTc with aminopolycarboxylic and aminocarbohydroxamic ligands EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid), EDTAH (ethylenediaminetetraacetohydroxamic acid) and HIDAmH (N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-carboxymethyl-aminoacetohydroxamic acid) was studied in rabbits. The pharmacokinetic parameters determined in intact rabbits were compared with the results obtained in the study of renal and hepatic clearance of the complexes under study. Hepatobiliary excretion, which in [99mTc]EDTA forms 20-30% of the total excreted amount, is of negligible magnitude in the other 99mTc-complexes studied (less than 2%). Their renal clearance is not influenced by the inhibition of tubular secretion with probenecid. Binding to plasma proteins increases in the order [99mTc]DTPA less than [99mTc]EDTA less than [99mTc]HIDAmH less than [99mTc]EDTAH and the elimination half-life increases in the same order. The value of renal clearance of the complexes studied related to inulin clearance correlates well with the fraction of the free drug in the plasma. In rabbits the complexes under study are excreted mainly by the mechanism of glomerular filtration in the kidney.

Animals↗

The pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered diazepam in the rat influenced by composition of the lymph.

Diazepam, a drug with hydrophobic properties, was used as a model drug for the study of its distribution after i.v. administration into the central lymph of the rat. The intestinal lymph, which prevails in the central lymph, was modified for the presence of total lipids chylomicrons by fasting and a normal or an artificial diet (olive oil). Lymphatic levels of diazepam in all three experimental conditions exceeded the corresponding blood levels, being lowest in the fasted group, higher in the normally fed animals and highest in the oil-fed group. Experimental blood and lymphatic data were subjected to pharmacokinetic analysis. The changes in the parameters were found to depend quantitatively upon the presence of chylomicrons in the lymph. Lymphatic availability of diazepam in the central lymph is stimulated by an increased content of the chylomicrons fraction of the lymph.

Animals↗

The pharmacokinetics of intraduodenally administered diazepam in rats as influenced by composition of the central lymph.

Diazepam, a drug with hydrophobic properties, was used as a model for studying its distribution (after intraduodenal administration) into the central lymph of rats. The intestinal lymph, which prevails in the central lymph, was modified for the presence of total lipids (chylomicrons) by means of fasting, a normal or an artificial diet (olive oil). The lymphatic levels of diazepam exceeded the corresponding blood levels in the fed and oil-fed group; the levels were steady in the fasted group with the exception of the absorption phase of the curves. The kinetic parameters assessed in the blood and lymph of the individual groups obtained by mathematical evaluation of the concentration curves differed because of quantitative differences in the presence of chylomicrons in the lymph. Lymphatic bioavailability in comparison with i.v. administration was found to be substantially lower.

Animals↗