Determinação do perfil farmacocinético e da biodisponibilidade sistêmica do ácido caurenoico em ratos

Abstract

Kaurenoic acid is a kaurane-type diterpene found in several plant species such as Mikania glomerata (guaco), Copaifera langsdorffi (copaíba) and Smallanthus sonchifolia (yacon). Previous studies described several biological activities for this substance such as antitrypanosomal, antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, smooth muscle relaxant, hypotensive, diuretic, hypoglycemic and cytotoxic. As this molecule represents a lead compound for the development of new drugs, the aim of our study is to determine the pharmacokinetics profile and oral bioavailability of kaurenoic acid in rats. Wistar rats (n = 6) received 50 or 100 mg/kg of kaurenoic acid by intravenous or oral routes. The insertion of a cannula into the right external jugular vein of Wistar rats allowed intravenous administration of kaurenoic acid and collection of blood samples within predetermined time intervals. Extraction procedures from plasma consisted of acidification with 1% acetic acid (v/v), followed by precipitation of proteins with acetonitrile. The supernatant was submitted to highperformance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV) for quantification of kaurenoic acid. The established analytical conditions were: C18 column (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm) maintained at 40 ° C, isocratic elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: acidified water with 0.1% orthophosphoric acid (70:30 v/v), a flow of 1 mL/min, UV detection at 200 nm and injection volume of 80 μL. The proposed methodology proved to be precise, accurate, robust and reliable. The linearity range is between 0.75 and 100 μg/mL. Plasma decay of animals receiving an intravenously dose of 50 mg/kg allowed the determination of the following pharmacokinetic parameters: Cmax = 22.2 ± 1.6 mg/L; Vd = 14.5 ± 1.5 L/kg; CL = 17.7 ± 1.5 mL/min/kg; AUC = 2859 ± 278 mg/L.h and T1/2 = 9.5 ± 0.6 h. Kaurenoic acid administered intravenously showed a linear and two-compartment kinetic behavior at the tested dose. As no measurable levels of substance were found in the samples from mice treated orally with kaurenoic acid, the determination of oral bioavailability was not possible, suggesting poor absorption through this route. This is the first pharmacokinetic study of this molecule and this preclinical assessment can contribute to the process of development of new drugs with this diterpene.