How Does the Benzamide Antipsychotic Amisulpride get into the Brain?—An In Vitro Approach Comparing Amisulpride with Clozapine

This study evaluated the disposition of the two atypical antipsychotics, amisulpride (AMS) and clozapine (CLZ), and its main metabolite N-desmethylclozapine (DCLZ), to their target structures in the central nervous system by applying an in vitro blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier based on monolayers of porcine brain microvessel endothelial cells (PMEC) or porcine choroid plexus epithelial cells (PCEC). Permeation studies through PMEC- and PCEC-monolayers were conducted for 60 min at drug concentrations of 1, 5, 10, and 30 muM applied to the donor compartment. PMEC were almost impermeable for AMS (permeation coefficient, P1 x 10(-7) cm/s) in the resorptive direct…