Oral
drug absorption is known to be impacted by the physicochemical
properties of drugs, properties of oral formulations, and physiological
characteristics of the intestine. The goal of the present study was
to develop a mathematical model to predict the impact of particle
size, feeding time, and intestinal transporter activity on oral absorption.
A previously published rat continuous intestine absorption model was
extended for solid drug absorption. The impact of active pharmaceutical
ingredient particle size was evaluated with glyburide (GLY) as a model
drug. Two particle size suspensions of glyburide were prepared with
average particle sizes of 42.7 and 4.1 μm. Each suspension was
dosed as a single oral gavage to male Sprague Dawley rats, and concentration–time
(C–t) profiles of glyburide
were measured with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass
spectrometry. A continuous rat intestine absorption model was extended
to include drug dissolution and was used to predict the absorption
kinetics of GLY depending on particle size. Additional literature
datasets of rat GLY formulations with particle sizes ranging from
0.25 to 4.0 μm were used for model predictions. The model predicted
reasonably well the absorption profiles of GLY based on varying particle
size and varying feeding time. The model predicted inhibition of intestinal
uptake or efflux transporters depending on the datasets. The three
datasets used formulations with different excipients, which may impact
the transporter activity. Model simulations indicated that the model
provides a facile framework to predict the impact of transporter inhibition
on drug C–t profiles. Model
simulations can also be conducted to evaluate the impact of an altered
intestinal lumen environment. In conclusion, the rat continuous intestine
absorption model may provide a useful tool to predict the impact of
varying drug formulations on rat oral absorption profiles.