Comparative study of two in vitro methods for assessing drug absorption: Sartorius SM 16750 apparatus versus Everted Gut Sac

• Published in: Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences 2011-01, Vol.14 (1), p.117-127
• Main Authors: Lassoued, Mohamed Ali, Khemiss, Fathia, Sfar, Souad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Intestinal Absorption; Male; Models, Biological; Permeability; Pharmaceutical Preparations - chemistry; Pharmaceutical Preparations - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Solubility
• ISSN: 1482-1826; 1482-1826
• DOI: 10.18433/j3gc7r

Oral drug administration remains the most common and most convenient way used in clinical therapy. The availability of a simple, rapid, economic and reproducible in vitro method to assess the rate, extent and mechanism of intestinal drug absorption is a very helpful tool. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of Sartorius SM 16750 Absorption Simulator apparatus to Everted Gut Sac (EGS) technique in terms of predicting drug permeability. Permeation studies across these two in vitro models were performed with six drugs selected across the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) categories: tramadol (class I of BCS), doxycycline (class I of BCS), diclofenac (class II of BCS), clopidogrel (class II of BCS), metformin (class III of BCS) and chlorothiazide (class IV of BCS). Apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) and diffusion profiles obtained with EGS and Sartorius SM 16750 apparatus were similar for diclofenac and metformin, whereas, we noticed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05), for tramadol, doxycycline, clopidogrel and chlorothiazide. Compared to Everted Gut Sac model, Sartorius SM 16750 absorption simulator apparatus seems to have limited application for the assessment of intestinal drug absorption since it does not take into consideration the involvement of others processes than the passive transcellular pathway as mechanism of drug absorption.