Ex vivo study of bevacizumab transport through porcine nasal mucosa

IntroductionHereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a genetic disorder associated with abnormal angiogenesis and disabling epistaxis, for which bevacizumab is reported to be a new therapeutic option. In the present study, bevacizumab transport in porcine nasal mucosa was investigated to determine antibody bioavailability.Material and methodsTransmucosal absorption of bevacizumab was examined by using nasal mucosa specimens mounted onto static vertical diffusion cells then treated with bevacizumab solution (25 mg mL−1, 500 μg) for 2.5 h. Bevacizumab concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Mucosal integrity was examined by histological examination of treated mucosa.ResultsTransmucosal transport of bevacizumab followed a Fickian diffusion process (permeability coefficient: [0.63 ± 22] × 10−6 cm s−1; and steady-state flux: 56.4 ± 19.6 μg cm−2 h−1). Total recovery of bevacizumab throughout the 2.5 h experiment was 83% of the initial dose distributed (i) at the mucosal surface (263 ± 73 μg; ∼53%) and (ii) into (95 ± 14 μg; ∼19%) and through (56 ± 26 μg; ∼11%) the mucosa. There was no evidence of any noticeable histological effects, confirming the harmlessness of nasal bevacizumab delivery.ConclusionIn the present study, absorption of bevacizumab into nasal mucosa was demonstrated, providing new fundamentals that are mandatory for further clinical trials in HHT patients.

Bevacizumab recovery throughout 2.5 h experiment in nasal cavity porcine mucosa mounted onto static vertical diffusion cells. Transmucosal absorption of bevacizumab as a function of time.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide