IAM CHROMATOGRAPHY - AN IN-VITRO SCREEN FOR PREDICTING DRUG MEMBRANE-PERMEABILITY

Fluid cell membranes are the main barrier to drug absorption when diff usion limits uptake. Immobilized artificial membranes (IAMs) are solid phase models of fluid membranes that predicted oral drug absorption i n mice for a homologous set of cephalosporins. IAMs also predicted dru g permeability through Caco-2 cells. Since drug permeability in Caco-2 cells is known to correlate with the oral absorption of drugs in huma ns, IAMs may also model drug absorption in humans. IAM analysis is exp erimentally simple, and large-volume screening of experimental compoun ds for drug absorption is possible.