AZD-3199

Modulating and optimizing the local pharmacokinetics of inhaled drugs by chemical design or formulation is challenged by the lack of predictive in vitro systems and in vivo techniques providing a detailed description of drug location in the lung. The present study investigated whether a new experimental setup of freshly prepared agarose-filled lung slices can be used to estimate lung retention in vitro, by comparing with in vivo lung retention after intratracheal instillation. Slices preloaded with inhaled β-adrenergic compounds (salbutamol, formoterol, salmeterol, indacaterol or AZD3199) were incubated in a large volume of buffer (w/wo monensin to assess the role of lysosomal trapping), and the amount remaining in slices at different time points was determined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The in vitro lung retention closely matched the in vivo lung retention (half-lives within 3-fold for 4/5 compounds), and monensin shortened the half-lives for all compounds. The results suggest that freshly prepared rat lungs slices can be used to predict lung retention and that slow kinetics of lysosomal trapping is a key mechanism by which retention in the lung and the effect duration of inhaled β-adrenergic bronchodilators are prolonged.