It is difficult to predict the pharmacokinetics and plasma concentration-time profiles of new chemical entities in humans based on animal data. Some pharmacokinetic parameters, such as clearance and volume of distribution, can be scaled allometrically from rodents, mammals, and nonhuman primates with good success. However, it is far more challenging to predict the oral pharmacokinetics of experimental drug candidates. In the present study, we used in situ estimates of intestinal permeability, obtained in silico and from rat, wild-type (WT), and humanized PepT1 (huPepT1) mice, to predict the systemic exposure of cefadroxil, an orally administered model compound, under a variety of conditions. Using the GastroPlus simulation software program (Simulations Plus, Lancaster, CA), we found that the C max and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to the last measurable concentration of cefadroxil were better predicted using intestinal permeability estimates (both segmental and jejunal) from huPepT1 than from WT mice, and that intestinal permeabilities based on in silico and rat estimates gave worse predictions. We also observed that accurate predictions were possible for cefadroxil during oral dose escalation (i.e., 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg cefadroxil), a drug-drug interaction study (i.e., 5 mg/kg oral cefadroxil plus 45 mg/kg oral cephalexin), and an oral multiple dose study [i.e., 500 mg (6.7 mg/kg) cefadroxil every 6 hours]. Finally, the greatest amount of cefadroxil was absorbed in duodenal and jejunal segments of the small intestine after a 5 mg/kg oral dose. Thus, by combining a humanized mouse model and in silico software, the present study offers a novel strategy for better translating preclinical pharmacokinetic data to oral drug exposure during first-in-human studies.
Copyright © 2019 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.