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Thursday, 11 September 2014

Physiological factors influence gastrointestinal absorption


1.    Surface area of the gastrointestinal absorption sites:
The biological environments and the areas of membrane available for absorption are the stomach, small intestine & large intestine.
The presence of

a.     folds in the mucosa
b.     villi &
c.     microvilli are responsible for absorption in the small intestine which having the largest surface area for absorption i.e. the small intestine is the location of highest carrier density.
But some drugs such as sulfasalazine absorbed in large intestine which degraded by bacterial flora in this region before absorption therefore absorb from large intestine.
2.    pH of gastrointestinal fluids:
The pH of the fluids varies along the length of the GIT
pH in fasted state
                           • Stomach
1→ 3.5
                           • Small intestine
5→ 8
                             Duodenum
5→ 6
                           • Lower ileum
about  8
                           • Large intestine
8
Gastric fluid pH generally increases when food is ingested and then slowly decreases over the following few hours.
GI pH depending on such factors as:
                                                                                                          1.        The general health of the individual
                                                                                                          2.        The presence of localized disease condition  (e.g. gastric & duodenal ulcer )
                                                                                                          3.        The type &amount of food ingested
                                                                                                          4.        Drug therapy  e.g. anticholinergic drugs →↓gastric secretion                               
                                     & antacid →↑ gastric pH for short time

pH is major influence on the dissolution rate and hence the overall absorption rate of such drug administered in a solid dosage form such as tablet or a hard gelatin capsule
3.    Gastric emptying rate (GER)
Most drugs are absorbed from the small intestine following peroral administration.

↑GER→ ↓ rate at which drug in solution →↓rate of drug absorption → delay the onset of the therapeutic response of the drug.
↓GER →chemical degradation in the stomach by low pH or enzyme activity →conc.→↓ bioavailability.

·       Factors promoting GER include: hunger ,anxiety ,the patient's body position (i.e. lying in the right side) the intake of liquids & antiemetic drug (metoclopramide)
·       GER is retarded by factors such as fatty foods, a high bulk diet, gastric ulcer, pyloric stenosis, the patient's body position (lying in the left side) & drugs such as antichlinergics.
Note: unless a drug is irritating to the gastric mucosa , a drug should not be administered with or immediately after a bulky meal.

4.   Intestinal motility
The small intestine is the primary site of drug absorption.
There are two types of Intestinal movements,


 

a. Propulsive                                           b.  Mixing  
 Determined the                   ↑the area of contact between drug in 
intestinal transit rate&          solution& the GI membrane→ 
the residence time of                  ↑ absorption
a drug.
  
  Note: ↑propulsive motility → ↓ residence time →↓dissolution                       →↓absorption.
Intestinal residence time (IRT) important for:
          1.        dosage form which release drug slowly (e.g. sustained & prolonged release dosage form)
          2.        Enteric-coated dosage forms which release drug only when they reach the small intestine
          3.      Drugs which are absorbed by intestinal carrier-mediated transport system.
5.   Presystemic metabolisms   
Drug may be chemical degraded &/or metabolized in GIT
     Mean incomplete bioavailability                                      
Chemical degradation such as hydrolysis by effect of pH or enzymes located in the intestinal mucosa e.g. erythromycin.
Many pro drugs such as erythromycin stearate & chloramphenicol
palmitate depend on gradation in the GIT in order to release the therapeutically active parent molecule.
v epatic metabolism: first pass of absorbed drug through the liver may result in metabolism of the drug intact drug may never reach the systemic circulation this phenomenon is known as the first pass effect and results in the a decrease bioavailability             e.g. pethidine
6.   Influence of food and diet
The rate of absorption can be influenced by the presence of food in GIT. Food may influence drug bioavailability by the following mechanisms.
                                                                1.        Alteration in the rate of gastric emptying
                                                                2.        Competition between food component & drugs for absorption                                                
                                                                3.        stimulation of GI secretions







↓Bioavailability                                     or  ↑ Bioavailability
(Degradation & formed complex)          (↑ Dissolution by bile salt)


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