Duodenal Cannulation in Pigs (Sus scrofa) as a Drug Delivery Method

Currently available animal models for delivery of drug capsules and pharmacokinetic testing are limited by either intersubject variability in gastric emptying time or the need to sedate animals when using targeted delivery methods of drug capsules. With the increasing development of large-molecule biologics, better in vivo models for testing the pharmacokinetics of capsule-delivered drugs are urgently needed. To this end, we made engineering modifications to an existing bovine surgical cannula device, successfully implanted this modified cannula into pigs, and delivered drug capsules directly to the proximal duodenum. In our porcine model, capsule insertion and serial blood samples were all acquired without the use of sedatives. Furthermore, we were able to maintain cannulated pigs for weekly pharmacokinetic testing for more than 18 mo, with minimal postoperative complications. This study demonstrates a novel and effective porcine model of sedation-free drug delivery and blood collection that eliminates inconsistencies associated with models that require either gastric emptying or animal sedation.