Enhancing Intestinal Absorption of a Model Macromolecule via the Paracellular Pathway using E-Cadherin Peptides

Membrane permeation enhancers have received significant attention in recent years for enabling the oral absorption of poorly permeable drug molecules. In this study, we investigated the ability of His-Ala-Val (HAV) and Ala-Asp-Thr (ADT) peptides derived from the extracellular-1 (EC1) domain of E-cadherin proteins to increase the paracellular permeation and intestinal bioavailability of the poorly permeable model macromolecule, fluorescein-isothiocyanate dextran with average molecular weight 4000 (FD4). The in vitro enzymatic stability of linear and cyclic E-cadherin peptides was characterized under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, and the cyclic E-cadherin peptides, HAVN1 and ADTC5, which demonstrated excellent stability in vitro, were advanced to in vivo intestinal instillation studies and compared against the established surfactant membrane permeation enhancer, sodium caprate (C₁₀). Cyclic HAVN1 and ADTC5 peptides increased FD4 bioavailability by 7.2- and 4.4-fold compared to control, respectively (not statistically significant). In contrast, C₁₀ provided a statistically significant 10.7-fold relative bioavailability enhancement for FD4. Importantly, this study represents the first report of cyclic E-cadherin peptides as intestinal membrane permeation enhancers. The findings described herein demonstrate the potential of enzymatically stabilized cyclic E-cadherin peptides for increasing poorly permeable drug absorption via the oral route.