Enhancement of intestinal absorption of akebia saponin D by borneol and probenecid in situ and in vitro

Akebia saponin D is a typical bioactive triterpenoid saponin isolated the rhizome of Dipsacus asper Wall. Our previous studies demonstrated that the oral bioavailability of akebia saponin D was very low, but the underlying mechanisms remained unknown. The present study aims to investigate the intestinal absorptive characteristics of akebia saponin D as well as the absorptive transport behavior influenced by co-administration of three absorption-enhancing agents and three efflux protein inhibitors using an in vitro everted gut sac method and an in situ intestinal perfusion model. The results showed that akebia saponin D had a quite limited intestinal permeability, and there was a non-linear increase in transepithelial transportation with increasing concentrations of akebia saponin D. The absorption of akebia saponin D was intestinal segment selective and the small intestine was the best absorptive site. Among three absorption promoters, borneol could significantly improve the permeability of akebia saponin D across ileum, while Tween-80 and DMSO had almost no absorption-enhancing effect. In addition, verapamil, probenecid and pantoprazole in the perfusates were used in this study as modulators of transporters such as P-glycoprotein, MRPs and BCRP in the intestinal mucosa, respectively. The results exhibited that the ileal permeability of akebia saponin D was markedly elevated by the co-administration of probenecid, indicating that akebia saponin D may be likely a substrate of MRPs. The above-mentioned results suggest that akebia saponin D has a poor intestinal absorption not only due to its poor transepithelial permeability but also owing to the contribution of efflux transporters such as MRPs in the intestine. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.