[Effects of Shenmai Injection on serum concentration and pharmacokinetics of digoxin in dogs with heart failure].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of Shenmai Injection (SMI), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on pharmacokinetics and serum concentration of digoxin when applied together with digoxin. METHODS: Twenty dogs with heart failure were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group and low-, medium- and high-dose SMI groups, with 5 dogs in each group. After intravenous injection of digoxin injection at a dose of 7.41 µg/kg, dogs in the control group were administered intravenously with normal saline 20 mL daily for 5 d, and the other groups were intravenously administered with SMI at the doses of 0.517, 1.034 and 1.551 mL/kg respectively. After the administration, the blood was collected at designed time points. Serum concentration of digoxin was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS). RESULTS: The low-, medium- and high-dose SMI showed different effects on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin: the low-, medium- and high-dose SMI revealed a tendency to decrease the elimination half-life (T(1/2ß)) of digoxin. The low-dose SMI showed a tendency to decrease the digoxin concentration. Serum clearance (CL) in the low-dose SMI group was higher than that in the control, and also significantly higher than those in the medium- and high-dose SMI groups (P<0.05). The area under concentration-time curve (AUC(0→∞)) in the low-dose SMI group was lower than that in the control group (P=0.05); the AUC(0→72 h) and AUC(0→∞) in the low-dose SMI group were significantly lower than those in the medium- and high-dose SMI groups. Low-dose SMI accelerated the clearance of digoxin in blood. CONCLUSION: Low-, medium- and high-dose SMI shows different effects on pharmacokinetics of digoxin and reveals a tendency to shorten T(1/2ß) of digoxin. Low-dose SMI can accelerate the clearance of digoxin in blood.

[Pharmacokinetics of bromotetrandrin (W198) in rats and beagle dogs].

AIM: To study the pharmacokinetics of bromotetrandrine (W198) in rats and beagle dogs. METHODS: The concentrations of W198 in serum were determined using HPLC method with UV detection. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic parameters of W198 after single iv doses of W198 10, 20 and 40 mg x kg(-1) in rats were as follows: T1/2beta were 6.60, 7.36 and 6.77 h, AUC0-24 h were 3.797, 7.371 and 15.192 mg x h x L(-1), Vd were 7.14, 4.33 and 4.13 L x kg(-1), CL were 2.83, 2.60 and 2.71 L x (kg x h)(-1), respectively. The T1/2beta and AUCo-24 h of W198 after single im dose of W198 20 mg x kg(-1) in rats were 11.61 h and 12.646 mg x h x L(-1). The im bioavailability of W198 in rats was 56.9%. The T1/2beta, AUC0-24 h, Vd and CL of W198 after single iv dose of W198 5 mg x kg(-1) in beagle dogs were 11.72 h, 12.646 mg x h x L(-1), 0.70 L x kg(-1) and 0.46 L x (kg x h)(-1), respectively. The plasma protein binding ratio of W198 with human serum protein was 78.0%. CONCLUSION: The absorption of W198 in rats was of first order kinetics.