Blood partition and protein binding of a new neuroprotective agent for ischemia-reperfusion damage, KR-31378

The blood partition of KR-31378 between plasma and blood cells and the factors influencing the binding of the drug to 4% human serum albumin (HSA) using an equilibrium dialysis technique were evaluated. KR-31378 reached an equilibrium rapidly between plasma and blood cells of rabbit blood. The equilibrium plasma/blood cells concentration ratios were independent of initial rabbit blood concentrations of KR-31378, 1, 10 and 50 microg/ml; the values were in the range of 1.42-2.33. It took approximately 12-h incubation to reach an equilibrium between plasma and isotonic Søresen phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 containing 3% dextran ('the buffer'). The binding of KR-31378 to 4% HSA was dependent on HSA concentrations (the binding values were 25.3 and 32.0% for HSA concentrations of 2 and 5%, respectively), incubation temperature (the binding values were 48.8, 29.0 and 25.8% for 4, 22 and 37 degrees C, respectively), pHs of isotonic Sørensen phosphate buffer containing 3% dextran (the binding values were 17.7, 20.6, 22.8, 25.6 and 29.5% for buffer pHs of 5.8, 6.4, 7.0, 7.4 and 8.0, respectively) and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) concentrations (the binding values were 25.6, 29.9, 34.4 and 50.3% for AAG concentrations of 0, 0.08, 0.16 and 0.32%, respectively).