Semisimultaneous Midazolam Administration to Evaluate the Time Course of CYP3A Activation by a Single Oral Dose of Efavirenz.

This study aimed to assess whether a single oral dose of the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz can alter CYP3A in vivo. In 12 healthy participants individual CYP3A activity was quantified using a semisimultaneous methodology (midazolam orally and 6 hours later intravenously) both alone and during a period of 22 days after a single oral dose of 400 mg efavirenz. Twelve hours after efavirenz administration, midazolam apparent oral clearance was significantly increased by 70%, and midazolam systemic clearance after intravenous administration was significantly increased by 27%. Similar effects were still present on day 6, after which midazolam clearances slowly returned to baseline on day 22. At least on day 1, the midazolam clearance increase is consistent with the in vitro observed CYP3A activation. The onset of an efavirenz treatment will almost immediately result in enhanced elimination of CYP3A substrates.

No evidence for induction of ABC transporters in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in humans after 14 days of efavirenz treatment.

Intracellular concentrations of antiretroviral drugs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are an important determinant of therapeutic success. In vitro data indicate that efavirenz induces several ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and pharmacogenetic studies found an association between ABCB1(C3435T) and efavirenz exposure and between this polymorphism and improved virological outcomes. We therefore aimed to clarify whether efavirenz also induces ABC transporters in vivo in PBMCs and whether intracellular concentrations might be altered after induction. Twelve healthy individuals received multiple oral doses of efavirenz over 14 days (400 mg once daily). Blood samples were drawn on study days 1 (single dose) and 14 (multiple dose), and efavirenz concentrations were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Expression of P glycoprotein (P-gp) and of the multidrug resistance-associated proteins 1 and 2 as well as P-gp activity was analyzed in PBMCs on day 1 and day 14 using real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and rhodamine 123 efflux. Although a clear autoinduction could be confirmed by a significant decrease of efavirenz exposure from day 1 to day 14, efavirenz did not change expression of the ABC transporters or P-gp activity in PBMCs. Moreover, intracellular concentrations of efavirenz were 1.3- to 1.8-fold higher than the corresponding plasma concentrations, and the intracellular/plasma concentration ratio remained constant during the treatment and did not correlate with ABC transporter expression or function. In conclusion, our study confirmed that intracellular concentrations of efavirenz are independent from these efflux transporters and demonstrated for the first time that the transporters are not induced in PBMCs in vivo after 2 weeks of treatment with efavirenz.