Airway Epithelial Lining Fluid and Plasma Pharmacokinetics of Inhaled Fluticasone Propionate and Salmeterol Xinafoate in Mechanically Ventilated Pigs

Background: The lower respiratory tract of the landrace pig has close anatomical and physiological similarities with that of the human, and hence, for inhalation studies this species is well suited for biopharmaceutical research. Methods: The objective of this study was to evaluate pharmacokinetics in pigs following one dose of Diskus (TM) Seretide (TM) forte device, labeled 500/50 fluticasone propionate (FP) and salmeterol xinafoate (SX), respectively. The PreciseInhale (TM) (PI) instrument was used to actuate the inhaler for in vitro testing and aerosol dosing to pigs. In vitro, the aerosol was characterized with a cascade impactor with respect to mass median aerodynamic diameter, geometric standard deviation, and fine particle dose. In vivo, dry powder inhalation exposure was delivered as a short bolus dose, to anesthetized and mechanically ventilated landrace pigs. In addition to plasma PK, PK assessment of airway epithelial lining fluid (ELF) was used in this study. ELF of the depth of three to fourth airway generation of the right lung was accessed using standard bronchoscopy and a synthetic absorptive matrix. Results and Conclusions: Dry powder inhalation exposures with good consistency and well characterized aerosols to the pig lung were achieved by the use of the PreciseInhale (TM) instrument. Drug concentrations of ELF for both FP and SX were demonstrated to be four to five orders of magnitude higher than its corresponding systemic plasma drug concentrations. Clinical PK following inhalation of the same dose was used as benchmark, and the clinical study did demonstrate similar plasma PK profiles and drug exposures of both FP and SX as the current pig study. Two factors explain the close similarity of PK (1) similiar physiology between species and (2) the consistency of dosing to animals. To conclude, our study demonstrated the utility and translational potential of conducting PK studies in pigs in the development of inhaled pharmaceuticals.