Metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies following oral administration of famciclovir to the rat and dog.

1. Drug-related material was well absorbed following oral administration of 14C-famciclovir to the male rat at doses up to 4000 mg/kg and to the male dog at doses up to 250 mg/kg, as judged by the early onset of the peak blood or plasma concentrations of radioactivity (usually < or = 1.5h) and the rapid extensive excretion of radioactivity in the urine (57-76 and 86-89% of dose in rat and dog respectively). 2. Famciclovir underwent extensive first-pass metabolism in both species. In rat, following dosing at 40 mg/kg, famciclovir was rapidly and extensively metabolized to the active antiviral compound penciclovir, which reached peak concentrations in the plasma (mean 3.5 micrograms/ml) at 0.5 h. The 6-deoxy precursor of penciclovir, BRL 42359, was the only other major metabolite detected in rat plasma. Cmax values for BRL 42359 (mean 2.2 micrograms/ml) were also achieved at 0.5 h. In dog, extensive conversion of famciclovir to penciclovir, via BRL 42359, also occurred, but its rate of formation from BRL 42359 was somewhat slower than in rat. In dog, following dosing at 25 mg/kg, Cmax values for penciclovir (mean 4.4 micrograms/ml) occurred at 3 h and were lower than the Cmax values for BRL 42359 (mean 10.0 micrograms/ml) which were achieved at 1h. 3. A dose-dependent decrease in the conversion of BRL 42359 to penciclovir occurred in both species, resulting a changes in the ratios of the plasma concentrations of the two metabolites with increasing dose. In rat, the urinary excretion of penciclovir decreased from 36% of dose at 40 mg/kg to 21% at 4000 mg/kg, and was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the urinary excretion of BRL 42359. In dog, a similar decrease in the urinary excretion of penciclovir occurred on increasing the dose of famciclovir from 25 to 250 mg/kg. 4. Penciclovir and BRL 42359 were the major metabolites detected in urine and faeces. In rat, following dosing at 40 mg/kg, 54 and 22% of dose were recovered in the excreta as penciclovir and BRL 42359 respectively. Corresponding recoveries of the two metabolites in the dog were 34 and 50% of dose. The metabolic fate of famciclovir in these animal species is, therefore, similar to that reported previously in man.

Metabolic and pharmacokinetic studies following oral administration of 14C-famciclovir to healthy subjects.

1. Following oral administration of 14C-famciclovir (500 mg) to three healthy male subjects, drug-related material was rapidly absorbed as judged by peak plasma concentrations of radioactive material being achieved by 0.75 h (6.7 +/- 0.9 microgram equiv./ml (mean +/- SD). 2. Famciclovir underwent extensive first-pass metabolism and was only detected in the plasma of one subject at low concentrations (0.5 microgram/ml). Famciclovir was rapidly and extensively metabolized to the active antiviral compound penciclovir, which reached peak concentrations in the plasma of 3.6 +/- 0.7 microgram/ml (0.75 h). The plasma elimination half-life value for penciclovir was 2.1 +/- 0.1 h. The 6-deoxy precursor of penciclovir, BRL 42359, was the only other relatively major metabolite detected in plasma. Peak plasma concentrations of BRL 42359 (1.0 +/- 0.1 microgram/ml) were achieved at 0.5 h. 3. After 3 days, 73.0 +/- 6.1% of the radioactive dose was excreted in urine, showing that good absorption of drug-related material occurred. Renal excretion was rapid since 60.2 +/- 4.2 and 72.3 +/- 5.7% of the dose was recovered in the urine samples collected up to 6 and 24 h, respectively. A good recovery of the administered radioactive dose was obtained since a further 26.6 +/- 5.1% of the dose was excreted in the faeces over a 72-h period. 4. Penciclovir and BRL 42359 were the major metabolites detected in urine and faeces. Penciclovir accounted for 59.2 +/- 4.9 and 4.2 +/- 1.4% of the dose in 0-24 h urine and 0-48 h faeces, respectively. Corresponding values for BRL 42359 were 5.0 +/- 0.5 and 17.0 +/- 6.2%, respectively. These metabolites were identified in the biological samples using hplc-ms and ms-ms with thermospray ionization.

Disposition of the enantiomers of cromakalim in rat and cynomolgus monkey.

1. Disposition of the 3R,4S(+) and 3S,4R(-) enantiomers of the racemic antihypertensive drug cromakalim has been studied in rats and cynomolgus monkeys using the 14C-drug labelled in either the 3R,4S(+) or the 3S,4R(-) enantiomer. 2. After oral administration to rat, blood concentrations of the 3R,4S(+) enantiomer were up to fourfold higher than those of the 3S,4R(-) enantiomer. Metabolism of the former was not as extensive as that of the latter and consequently plasma and urinary radiometabolite patterns were quantitatively different. 3. In contrast to rat, there were much greater differences in the disposition of the two enantiomers following oral administration of cromakalim to the cynomolgus monkey. Plasma concentrations of the 3R,4S(+) enantiomer were approximately 100 x those of the 3S,4R(-) enantiomer and the rate of urinary 14C elimination for the 3R,4S(+) enantiomer was much faster than that for the 3S,4R(-) enantiomer. Plasma and urinary radiometabolite patterns were very different for the two isomers. Metabolic end products of the 3R,4S(+) enantiomer were predominantly phase I metabolites whereas the 3S,4R(-) enantiomer was almost entirely metabolized by glucuronidation. 4. A study of the racemic drug alone would have led to a misunderstanding of the fate of the compound in these species.

The disposition of clavulanic acid in man.

Following oral administration of potassium 14C-clavulanate to four human subjects, at least 73% of the radioactive dose was absorbed. The mean absolute bioavailability was 64%. Absorption was rapid with peak plasma concentrations of radioactivity and clavulanic acid (2-6 micrograms/ml) occurring between 45 min and three hours after dosing. Values for the volume of distribution at steady-state and terminal half-life of clavulanic acid in the plasma were 12.01 and 0.8 h respectively. Following intravenous administration of clavulanic acid to the same subjects, the clearance, and volume of distribution at steady-state were 0.21 l/min, and 12.01, respectively. Clavulanic acid was the major radioactive component present in 0-24 h urine following oral dosing (23% of the dose). The two major metabolites were 2,5-dihydro-4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-oxo-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid (15% of the dose) and 1-amino-4-hydroxybutan-2-one (8.8% of the dose). Clavulanic acid and 1-amino-4-hydroxybutan-2-one were the major components in plasma following oral administration (52 and 21% of plasma radioactivity respectively at two hours after dosing). The major route of excretion of radioactivity following oral administration was via the urine (73% of the dose). Most of this radioactivity was excreted in the first 24 h after dosing (68% of the dose). The renal clearance of clavulanic acid was 0.1 l/min. Elimination of radioactivity also occurred via the expired air (17% of the dose) and the faeces (8% of the dose).

Absorption, metabolism and excretion studies on clavulanic acid in the rat and dog.

At least one third of an oral dose of sodium [G-14C]clavulanate was absorbed by rat and dog. Excretion of radioactivity was rapid in both species. In addition to urinary and faecal excretion of radioactivity, appreciable elimination of 14CO2 occurred, particularly in the rat. This was produced in part by the action of the gut microflora. In the rat, only a small proportion of the radioactive dose was secreted in the bile. The major metabolite in urine was identified as 1-amino-4-hydroxybutan-2-one. Clavulanic acid was also a major component in urine.

A novel technique for assessment of biliary secretion and enterohepatic circulation in the unrestrained conscious rat.

1. A technique is described for the continuous collection of bile, for long periods, from unrestrained conscious rats housed in standard glass metabolism cages. 2. Bile is collected in cooled vessels outside the cage through a cannula which is exteriorized at the back of the neck and is protected from damage by an outer covering. 3. A minimum recovery period of three days is allowed after the operation, by which time liver function and intestinal motility are normal. 4. An extension of the technique can be used to assess enterohepatic circulation.

The availability of carfecillin and its phenol moiety in rat and dog.

1. Studies have shown that hydrolysis of carfecillin to carbenicillin and phenol in vitro occurs in blood, liver and gut tissues of rat and dog. Extremely rapid hydrolysis was observed in the blood and liver of the rat. 2. Absorption studies in intestinally-perfused rats showed that following administration of either [14C]phenol or [phenol-14C]carfecillin, the half-life values of radioactivity in the intestinal lumen were 6 min and 47 min respectively. 3. Following oral administration of phenol to rats and dogs at 300 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg respectively, maximum plasma concn. of phenol were 26 microgram/ml. However, following oral administration of carfecillin to rats and dogs at dose levels of 3000 and 800 mg/kg respectively, no significant amounts of free phenol or intact carfecillin were detected (< 1 microgram/ml). The very low concentrations of phenol found after carfecillin administration and the concomitant absence of acute phenol toxicity is explained by the slow absorption of carfecillin and its slow hydrolysis to phenol in the gut lumen. 4. In the dog, phenol which enters the portal circulation as carfecillin appears to undergo significant 'first pass' metabolism by the liver, while no such effect was observed if free phenol was administered.

The metabolism of carfecillin in rat, dog and man.

1. The absorption of the phenol moiety of [phenol-14C]carfecillin following oral administration to rat, dog and man was extensive, since 95%, 73% and 99% of the administered radioactivity respectively was recovered in the urine. In contrast, less than half of the carbenicillin moiety of carfecillin was absorbed after oral administration, as judged by excretion studies using [carbenicillin-14C]carfecillin in intact and bile-duct cannulated animals. 2. The patterns of radiometabolites in the urines of rat, dog and man following single oral administration of [phenol-14C]carfecillin were determined by chromatography and radioassay. In two men, the majority of a dose was excreted as phenylsulphate (71%) and phenylglucuronide (16%) with the sulphate and glucuronic acid conjugates of quinol representing small amounts of the urinary radioactivity. Similar metabolic patterns were observed in the rat and dog following oral administration of either [14C]phenol or [phenol-14C]carfecillin, although some saturation of sulphate conjugation was apparent at the dose levels employed.