Determination of AL01576 concentration in rat lenses and plasma by bioassay for aldose reductase activity measurements.

Investigations on the disposition of the highly effective aldose reductase inhibitor AL01576 were carried out in pigmented rats after oral dosing and topical administration of a 0.1% ophthalmic suspension by means of an assay modified from a previously described method measuring aldose reductase activity. The crude enzyme extract of pig lenses was used as a test system. From the activity remaining after addition of the plasma or lens extracts, the concentration could be determined since the inhibition constant (IC50) of AL01576 is known. With this procedure, the concentration of AL01576 in plasma and lenses of Brown-Norway rats given different doses of the drug for 42 consecutive days were determined and compared with a gas chromatographic assay technique. These data indicate that AL01576 is absorbed into the lens with a substantial portion redistributing into the lens following systemic delivery. Drug concentrations were correlated with efficacy measurements, though they were lower in an animal group treated with naphthalene to provoke cataract formation. In a second animal series with Brown-Norway rats over 5 days, AL01576 was administered three times per day to the right eye only. During the washout period, AL01576 had a long persistence in plasma and lenses following this short-term topical ocular administration.