Concentration profiling in rat tissue by high-resolution magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy: Investigation of a model drug

The utility of high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR for studying drug delivery in whole tissues was explored by dosing female Sprague-Dawley rats with topical or injectable benzoic acid (BA). In principle, HR-MAS NMR permits the detection of both intra- and extracellular compounds. This is an advantage over the previous detection of topically applied BA using microdialysis coupled to HPLC/UV as microdialysis samples only the extracellular space. Skin and muscle samples were analyzed by H-1 HR-MAS NMR, and BA levels were determined using an external standard solution added to the sample rotor. One to two percent of the BA topical dose was detected in the muscle, showing that BA penetrated through the dermal and subcutaneous layers. Since BA was not detected in the muscle in the microdialysis studies, the NMR spectra revealed the intracellular localization of BA. The amount of BA detected in muscle after subcutaneous injection correlated with the distance from the dosing site. Overall, the results suggest that HR-MAS NMR can distinguish differences in the local concentration of BA varying with tissue type, dosage method, and tissue proximity to the dosing site. The results illustrate the potential of this technique for quantitative analysis of drug delivery and distribution and the challenges to be addressed as the method is refined.