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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Use of Rabbit Eyes in Pharmacokinetic Studies of Intraocular Drugs
Published on: July 23, 2016
Ocular pharmacokinetics of topically-applied ketoconazole solution containing hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin to
Junjie Zhang1, Liya Wang, Changfeng Gao
1Pharmaceutic and Pharmacology Department, Henan Eye Institute, Henan Key Laboratory of Keratopathy, Zhengzhou, China. zhangjj06@yahoo.com.cn
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to develop an aqueous ketoconazole (KET) eye drop in order to increase the corneal permeability and improve ocular bioavailability following topical application.
Methods:
Hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) was used to formulate an aqueous eye drop to improve the aqueous solubility of KET. A single dose of of either KET suspension (1.5%; KET-SP) or KET (1.5%)/HP-beta -CD (12.5%) solution (KET-CD) was applied to rabbits. Aqueous humor and cornea were collected after 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min. KET concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography after extraction.
Results:
After topically applying KET-CD, the KET concentrations in aqueous humor were significantly increased at 10 approximately 120 min, compared with those of KET-SP (P < 0.05), whereas KET concentrations became undectable at 180 min after topically applying KET-SP. The highest levels of KET in aqueous humor (Cmax, 2.67 microg/mL) were obtained after a 20-min application of KET-CD, 6.1 times greater than that corresponding to the KET-SP at 30 min. The KET concentrations in aqueous humor for post-120- and 180-min instillations of KET-CD were 57.9 and 34.5 times higher than that of KET-SP post-120 min, respectively. The KET-CD produced an over eightfold bioavailability (AUC(0-120), area under the concentration-time curve between 0 and 120 min) increase in aqueous humor over the KET-SP. Peak KET concentration in the cornea (118.24 microg/g) was achieved within 5 min after the instillation of KET-CD, 18.4 times higher than that of KET-SP at the same time point, whereas the highest KET level in cornea was only 8.57 microg/g after a 10-min application of KET-SP. The KET levels in corneas obtained after the application of KET-CD were all much higher than those obtained by KETSP (P < 0.01). The KET-CD produced an over twelvefold bioavailability (AUC(0-120)) increase in corneas over the KET-SP.
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