Biodistribution Study of Pantoprazole Sodium in Rodent Tissues: A Tool for Pharmacokinetic Study

Background: Pantoprazole sodium is one of the most widely used drugs for treating gastric acid– related disorders as well as is the most popular drug among various cancer therapy protocols for treating gastric disturbances pertained to the chemotherapy. The present study aims to validate high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the quantification of pantoprazole sodium in mice plasma and various tissue homogenates including kidney, heart, prostate, lung, pancreas, liver, and brain. Pantoprazole sodium estimation was done using 100 μL aliquot, which was injected into HPLC system, and the separation was achieved using Shimadzu C18 column at 40°C. Mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/dibasic phosphate buffer (40:60, v/v), pH = 7.4 was isocratically pumped at 1.0 mL min-1, and detection was performed at wavelength of 290 nm. 
Material and Methods: All the samples including tissues and plasma were collected after 4 h of oral administration of pantoprazole sodium to Swiss albino mice (10 mg/kg, p.o.). 
Results: Bioanalytical method was further validated according to the standard guidelines and portrays to be selective as well as linear (r2 ≥ 0.999) over the concentration range of 10–50 ng/injection. The intraday (% relative standard deviation [RSD] = 0.29%–1.21%) and inter-day precision (%RSD = 0.52%–2.88%) was found to be within the layout standards by International Council for Harmonization. Pantoprazole sodium extraction recovery was achieved between 64.15% and 78.17% demonstrating the suitability of the method. 
Conclusion: Bio-distribution study so carried out by bioanalytical technique can be used as an aiding tool for the quantification of pantoprazole sodium in all the studies involving the pharmacokinetic profiling of drug in various tissues of rodents.