• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.584-589
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• 2001

Isopropryl 2-(1-3-dithiethane-2-ylidene)-2 [N-(4-methyl-thiazole-2-yl) carbamoyl] acetate (YH439) is currently under phase ll clinical trials by the Yuhan Research Center for use as a hepatoprotective agent. Unfortunately, the oral bioavailbility of YH439, which is sparingly soluble in water (i.e., $0.3{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml{\;}or{\;}0.91{$\mu}M$ at room temperature), reportedly, is negligibleregardless of the dose administered to rats in the 10-300 mg/kg range. The bioavailability of the compound increased up to 24%, when administered in the form of a micellar solution ($700{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$or 2.1 mM for YH439) at a dose of 10 mg/kg, suggesting that its limited solubility is associated with its negligible bioavailability. In order to obtain additional informmation concerning the bioavailability of YH439, the mechanism(s) involved in gastrointestinal (Gl) absorption were investigated in the present study. For this purpose, the transport of YH430 across a Caco-2 cell monolayer was measured in a $Transwell^{\circledR}$. A permeability of $4.07{\times}10^{-5}{\;}cm/s$ was obtained for the absorptive (i.e., apical to basolateral direction) transport of $0.42{\mu}M$ YH439, implicating that the in vivo Cl absorption is nearly complete. The absorptive transport exhibited a slight concentration-dependency with an intrinsic clearance ($CL_{i}$) of $0.38{\mu}L/{\textrm{cm}^2}/sec$, which accounted for 28.1% of the total intrinsic clearance (i.e., $CL_i$ plus the intrinsic clearance for the linear component) of the transport. Thus, saturation of the absorption process appears to be a minor factor in limiting the bioavailability of the compound. The apparent permeability of YH439 from the basolateral to the apical direction (i.e., efflux, $6.67{\times}10^{-5}{\;}cm/s$) was comparable to that for absorptive transport, but, interestingly, a more distinct concentration-dependency was observed for this transport. However, the efflux does not appear to influence the bioavailability of the compound, as evidenced by the sufficiently high permeability in the absorption direction. Rather, a reportedly extensive first-pass hepatic metabolism appears to be a principal factor in limiting the bioavailability. In this respect, reducing the first-pass metabolism by some means would lead to a higher bioavailability of the compound. Thus, elevation of the absorption rate of YH439 becomes a necessity. From a practical point of view, increasing the concentration of YH439 in the Cl fluid appears to be a feasible way to increase the absorption rate, because the compound is primarily absorbed via a linear mechanism. In summary, the solubilization of YH439, as previously demonstrated for a micellar solution of the compound, appears to be a practical way to increase the oral bioavailability of YH439.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.510-517
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of eriodictyol compound against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells by measuring expression levels of antioxidant enzymes, liver function index enzyme activities, and inhibitory effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. HepG2 cell viability was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. In the concentration range of $10{\sim}50{\mu}g/mL$, eriodictyol displayed over 98% cell viability in HepG2 cells. The effects of increased gene expression on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress were analyzed by monitoring antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione peroxidase, GPx) gene expression levels using real-time PCR. Eriodictyol compound significantly increased gene expression levels of SOD, CAT, and GPx in a dose-dependent manner ($10{\sim}50{\mu}g/mL$). Hepatoprotective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress were analyzed by monitoring glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities in HepG2 cell culture medium using a biochemistry analyzer. Eriodictyol compound significantly reduced GOT, LDH, and GGT activities in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. ROS level in HepG2 cells was analyzed by 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence diacetate assay, and eriodictyol compound effectively reduced the intracellular ROS level in HepG2 cells. The results reveal that eriodictyol compound can be useful for development of effective antioxidant and hepatoprotective agents.