Gastric, intestinal and colonic absorption of a series of beta-blockers in the rat

Abstract

Gastric, intestinal and colonic absorption rates of a series of eleven beta-blockers (alprenolol hydrochloride, atenolol, bunolol hydrochloride, penbutolol sulphate, pronethalol hydrochloride, metoprolol, oxprenolol, bevantolol, bufuralol, propranolol hydrochloride and timolol maleate) were estimated using Doluisio's method. The gastric absorption rate was very low and the absorption rate constant could not be assessed accurately in all cases. In the small intestine, the absorption rate constants, Ka, at pH 6.2 ranged between 0.38 h-1 for atenolol and 4.28 h-1 for penbutolol. In the colon, the rate of drug absorption at pH 7.5 ranged between 0.12 h-1 for atenolol and 2.15 h-1 for penbutolol. In most cases, colonic absorption rate constants were of the same order as those obtained in the small intestine, demonstrating the good penetrability through colonic membrane of the series studied. The relationship between absorption rate constants found in the small intestine and colon and the partition constant ([1/Rf]-1), was studied for this non-homologous series of beta-blocker drugs. In both cases, the functional hyperbolic absorption model proposed by Wagner and Sedman [1973] was the most representative.