Intravenous pharmacokinetics, oral bioavailability, dose proportionality and in situ permeability of anti-malarial lumefantrine in rats

Abstract

Background Despite the wide spread use of lumefantrine, there is no study reporting the detailed preclinical pharmacokinetics of lumefantrine. For the development of newer anti-malarial combination(s) and selection of better partner drugs, it is long felt need to understand the detailed preclinical pharmacokinetics of lumefantrine in preclinical experimental animal species. The focus of present study is to report bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, dose linearity and permeability of lumefantrine in rats. Methods A single dose of 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg of lumefantrine was given orally to male rats (N=5 per dose level) to evaluate dose proportionality. In another study, a single intravenous bolus dose of lumefantrine was given to rats (N=4) at 0.5 mg/kg dose following administration through the lateral tail vein in order to obtain the absolute oral bioavailability and clearance parameters. Blood samples were drawn at predetermined intervals and the concentration of lumefantrine and its metabolite desbutyl-lumefantrine in plasma was determined by partially validated LC-MS/MS method. In-situ permeability study was carried in anaesthetized rats. The concentration of lumefantrine and desbutyl-lumefantrine in permeability samples were determined using RP-HPLC. Results For nominal doses increasing in a 1:2:4 proportion, the Cmax and AUC0-∞ values increased in the proportions of 1:0.6:1.5 and 1:0.8:1.8, respectively. For lumefantrine nominal doses increasing in a 1:2:4 proportion, the Cmax and the area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC0-t) values for desbutyl-lumefantrine increased in the proportions of 1:1.45:2.57 and 1:1.08:1.87, respectively. After intravenous administration the clearance (Cl) and volume of distribution (Vd) of lumefantrine in rats were 0.03 (±0.02) L/h/kg and 2.40 (±0.67) L/kg, respectively. Absolute oral bioavailability of lumefantrine across the tested doses ranged between 4.97% and 11.98%. Lumefantrine showed high permeability (4.37 x 10-5 cm/s) in permeability study. Conclusions The pharmacokinetic parameters of lumefantrine and its metabolite desbutyl-lumefantrine were successfully determined in rats for the first time. Lumefantrine displayed similar pharmacokinetics in the rat as in humans, with multiphasic disposition, low clearance, and a large volume of distribution resulting in a long terminal elimination half-life. The absolute oral bioavailability of lumefantrine was found to be dose dependent. Lumefantrine displayed high permeability in the in-situ permeability study.