Avoidance of hepatic first-pass effect in the rabbit via rectal route of administration.

To assess avoidance of hepatic first-pass effect of drugs, we undertook in situ experiments using rectal administration of lidocaine in the rabbit. We also employed in situ duodenal route to estimate first-pass metabolism across the gastrointestinal mucosa. Rabbits were administered lidocaine HCl intravenously (i.v., 50 mg/20 min) and portally (i.p.v., 33.3, 16.7, 8.3 mg/20 min) and avoidance of hepatic first-pass effect (Fh) was calculated from the area under curve (AUC). Fh was about 30% and did not vary with increasing i.p.v. dose. Intravenous and i.p.v. administration was followed by duodenal (i.d.) or rectal (i.r.) administration and the absorption (fa), Fh, and avoidance of first-pass effect in the duodenal mucosal membrane (Fm) were determined. With i.d. administration, lidocaine was absorbed completely with negligible first-pass effect in the mucosa (Fm=1). On the other hand, while lidocaine was also absorbed almost completely via the i.r. route, avoidance of first-pass effect was 60%, representing twice the bioavailability via i.d. administration. On the basis of these data, assuming that the first-pass effect in the rectal mucosa was negligible, we estimate the fraction of rectal venous drainage bypassing the portal circulation and thus hepatic metabolism (fnh) to be about 40%.

Urinary excretion of mefenamic acid and its metabolites including their esterglucuronides in preterm infants undergoing mefenamic acid therapy.

Urinary excretion of mefenamic acid (MA) and its two oxidative metabolites, M-I (3'-hydroxymethyl derivative) and M-II (3'-carboxyl derivative), and their glucuronides was investigated in preterm infants undergoing MA therapy. MA was given orally at a dose of 2 mg/kg and the dose was repeated every 24 h a maximum of three times. Urine was collected for up to 5 d after the last dose, and MA and the metabolites were determined by a newly developed HPLC. The cumulative amounts of MA and the metabolites excreted in the urine varied from 7 to 46% of the total dose administered, and were less than those reported in adults and children. Significant correlation was observed between the plasma half-life of MA and the cumulative amount of MA and the metabolites excreted in the urine. These results suggest that long plasma half-lives of MA observed in preterm infants are due mainly to low activity of drug metabolizing enzyme(s). In an infant who received the two regimens of MA therapy about 2 weeks apart, the plasma half-life of MA was shortened and the urinary excretion of the MA metabolites including their glucuronides was greatly increased during this period. It is suggested that the activities of both cytochrome P-450(s) and glucuronyltransferase(s) related to MA metabolism rapidly increased during the first month of the infant's life.

Pharmacokinetics of mefenamic acid in preterm infants with patent ductus arteriosus.

The pharmacokinetics of mefenamic acid (MA), 2 mg/kg, were studied in 17 preterm infants with symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus. They were given this dosage orally at 24 h intervals. There were marked inter-individual differences in some of the pharmacokinetic parameters after the first dose; peak plasma concentration (Cmax) varied from 1.2 to 6.1 micrograms/mL with a mean of 3.8 micrograms/mL, time to reach Cmax (tmax) varied from 2 to 18 h with a mean of 7.7 h and plasma half-life (t1/2) varied from 3.8 to 43.6 h with a mean of 18.7 h. The group of infants (10/17) who had ductus closure after the first dose had significantly lower clearance (P < 0.01), longer t1/2 (P < 0.01) and higher 24 h plasma concentration (P < 0.001) compared to the group of infants (7/17) who had no ductus closure after the first dose. It appeared that the plasma concentration of MA had to be above 2.0 micrograms/mL and maintained at this concentration for at least 12 h for MA associated with ductus closure in preterm infants to take effect. In view of the inter-individual variation of plasma MA concentration and the effective plasma concentration, we suggest that measurement of the plasma concentration should be done 24 h after the first dose. This might be useful for safe and effective therapy for infants with ductus closure failure after the first dose.

[Absorption and first-pass-effect of salbutamol after intraduodenal and intrarectal administration in rabbits].

To understand the previous result of higher bioavailability of rectal salbutamol (SB) compared with oral SB, in situ experiments using rabbit duodenal and rectal loop were carried out. After the intravenous (i.v.) and intraportal (i.p.) dosing of SB, fraction of dose which avoids the hepatic first-pass-effect (Fh) was calculated from the areas under the blood concentration-time curve (AUC). The Fh was about 10% and unchanged significantly with increasing i.p. dose (5-20 mg). Intraduodenal (i.d.) or intrarectal (i.r.) dosing of SB was made after the i.v. and i.p. dosing, and the AUC's and the residual amount in the loop were obtained to estimate the parameters. The results of the i.d. and i.r. dosing were as follows; for the extent of bioavailability (EBA), 7.7 +/- 1.5% and 14.5 +/- 2.3%, for the fraction of dose absorbed (fa), 93.9 +/- 3.7% and 33.8 +/- 3.3%, and for the fraction of absorbed SB which avoids first-pass-effects (F), 8.4 +/- 1.9% and 43.0 +/- 6.0% (mean +/- S. E., n = 4). Consequently, SB dosed i.d. was absorbed completely, and received first-pass-metabolism in the mucosa (about 20%) and then in the liver (about 90%), which caused the low bioavailability. While, in i.r. dosing, SB absorption was poor. However, higher bioavailability was obtained owing to about 40% of rectal venous blood flow which bypasses the liver and negligible first-pass-metabolism in the mucosa (about 4%).

Serum concentration and cardiovascular effects of salbutamol after oral and rectal administration in healthy volunteers.

In order to evaluate rectal administration of salbutamol (SB), five healthy volunteers were dosed orally and rectally with racemic SB (0.1 mg/kg) solution. Compared with the oral SB, the rectal SB gave significantly higher serum SB concentration immediately after dosing but slightly lower levels in the elimination phase. The Cmax following rectal administration was 17.9 ng/ml (17.0 ng/ml for oral administration), the tmax 0.67 h (1.5 h for oral administration) and the AUC 98.2 ng/ml/h (100 ng/ml/h for oral administration). Heart rate also rose more rapidly to a maximum of 70% above baseline values after rectal dosing. The rate continued to be twice larger than after oral dosing for up to 5 h. The concentration versus response curves indicated that rectal SB was more effective than oral SB at increasing heart rate at the same SB concentration in serum. A plausible explanation for this phenomenon might be a difference in the stereo-selective first-pass metabolism of the two enantiomers. Therefore, the rectal dose of SB administered as a suppository for prophylactic treatment of asthma should be lower than that used orally.

[Comparison of bioavailability of salbutamol between oral and rectal administration in rabbits].

In order to obtain a basic knowledge for developing the rectal dosage form of salbutamol (SB), a comparison of the bioavailability was made between oral and rectal administrations. After the intravenous, oral and rectal dosing of SB solution in rabbits, SB and its glucuronide (SBG) in plasma and urine were determined. The bioavailability estimated by the area under the blood concentration-time curve (AUC) of SB from 0 to 9 h after oral and rectal administrations were 1.1 +/- 0.5% and 7.8 +/- 2.2% (mean +/- S. E., n = 5), respectively. Percent of dose excreted in urine as total SB (SB+SBG) 10 h after oral and rectal administrations were 77.3 +/- 3.82% and 9.80 +/- 0.15% (mean +/- S. E., n = 3), respectively, which indicating relatively good oral and poor rectal SB absorption. A partial avoidance of first-pass-effects might contribute to higher bioavailability after the rectal administration.

Influence of usual intake of dietary caffeine on single-dose kinetics of theophylline in healthy human subjects.

The influence of usual multiple ingestions of dietary caffeine on oral single-dose pharmacokinetics of theophylline has been investigated in 6 healthy male subjects. The subjects consumed 2 to 7 cups of regular instant coffee during the 24 h study period. Their mean serum concentrations of caffeine varied from 1.2 to 3.1 mg/l. After their usual intake of dietary caffeine, the serum concentrations of theophylline from 3 to 24 h after administration were significantly higher than after deprivation of dietary caffeine. The apparent elimination of theophylline half-life was prolonged from 6.3 (0.61) h (mean with (SEM)) to 8.3 (0.47) h (32% increase, P < 0.01) and the total body clearance was reduced from 55.0 (1.31) ml.h-1.kg-1 to 42.5 (2.63) ml.h-1.kg-1 (23% decrease, P < 0.001). Saturation of theophylline metabolism and/or competition between theophylline and caffeine metabolism in addition to theophylline derived from caffeine may be the cause of the delayed elimination of theophylline. The present study has indicated that a significant reduction in theophylline metabolism may be caused by a conventional intake of dietary caffeine. In bronchodilator therapy with theophylline, therefore, the daily consumption of caffeine should be taken into consideration.

Single-dose kinetics of primidone in human subjects: effect of phenytoin on formation and elimination of active metabolites of primidone, phenobarbital and phenylethylmalonamide.

Effect of repetitive administration of phenytoin (PHT) on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of primidone (PRM) was investigated in 3 healthy male subjects. The peak concentration of unchanged PRM was achieved at 12 and 8 h after the administration of PRM in the absence and the presence of PHT, respectively. The elimination half-life of PRM was decreased from 19.4 +/- 2.2 (mean +/- S.E.) to 10.2 +/- 5.1 h (p < 0.05) and the total body clearance was increased from 24.6 +/- 3.1 to 45.1 +/- 5.1 ml/h/kg (p < 0.01) in the presence of PHT. No significant change was observed for the apparent volume of distribution between the two treatments. In the absence of PHT, the measurable amount (> or = 0.1 mumol/l) of phenobarbital (PB) and phenylethylmalonamide (PEMA) did not appear in the serum until 5.3 and 1.3 h after the PRM administration, and the peak concentrations of PB and PEMA were achieved at 52 and 36 h, but the concentrations of both metabolites were very low (PB 1.3 mumol/l; PEMA 1.7 mumol/l). In the presence of PHT, within 0.8 and 0.5 h after the administration of PRM, the derived PB and PEMA appeared in the serum. About a 6-fold increase in the peak concentrations of both the metabolites were observed (PB 8.2 mumol/l; PEMA 11.0 mumol/l). No significant changes were observed for the elimination half-lives of both PB and PEMA in the absence and presence of PHT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pharmacokinetics of diltiazem in patients with liver cirrhosis.

The pharmacokinetics of diltiazem (DTZ) was investigated in seven control subjects with normal liver function and in seven patients with liver cirrhosis. After long-term oral administration of diltiazem, 30 or 60 mg thrice daily, serum levels of DTZ and its active metabolites, deacetyl DTZ (DAD) and N-demethyl DTZ (DMD), were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean peak serum concentrations (nmol/L) in control patients were 280 for DTZ, 58 for DAD and 101 for DMD. In cirrhotic patients, the serum DTZ tended to increase and the DAD increased (p less than 0.05), while the DMD decreased (p less than 0.05) compared with that of the control (335 for DTZ, 133 for DAD and 77 for DMD, nmol/L). Pharmacokinetic analysis using a one-compartment model revealed no change in the absorption, but a decrease in the elimination for cirrhotic patients (t 1/2; 5.3 to 7.2 h, p less than 0.1). The elimination rate constant correlated with some biochemical indices for hepatocyte function. These results may be explained by the impaired oxidative metabolism of diltiazem in liver cirrhosis.

Rectal administration of nifedipine: haemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics in hypertensives.

The haemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of nifedipine suppositories, used mainly for hypertensive emergencies, were studied in 10 severely hypertensive patients. Following rectal administration, significant hypotensive effects occurred after 0.5 h and lasted until 7 h after administration. The mean (+/- SE) maximum decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures 1.5 h after administration were: systolic, 61.8 +/- 7.9 mmHg (P less than 0.001); and diastolic, 30.8 +/- 4.0 mmHg (P less than 0.001). No serious side-effects were reported and heart rate did not change significantly. Mean nifedipine concentration in the blood peaked at 52.4 ng/ml, 1 h after administration and, after 7 h, was still 14.3 ng/ml which is higher than the minimum plasma concentration required for hypotensive effects to occur. There was a close correlation between nifedipine concentration in the blood and hypotensive effects. These results indicate that rectal administration of nifedipine should be regarded as a useful alternative treatment in hypertensive emergencies.

Determination of streptomycin in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for monitoring the serum concentration of streptomycin. The method includes clean-up using a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and quantitation using dihydrostreptomycin as an internal standard. Streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin were separated by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography on LiChrosorb RP-18 and detected by UV absorption (195 nm). The calibration graph of serum streptomycin concentration was linear over the range 5-50 micrograms/ml. Streptomycin was added to serum at the level of 20.0 micrograms/ml and its concentration was determined to be 18.9 micrograms/ml with a coefficient of variation of 2.07% (n = 5). The clinical application of this method was confirmed by comparison with fluorescence polarization immunoassay.

Effects of diltiazem on plasma and tissue digoxin levels in mice.

Effects of diltiazem hydrochloride (DTZ) on digoxin (DX) concentrations in plasma and tissues (brain, heart, liver, and kidney) were studied in mice, and the effects were compared with those of quinidine sulfate (QD). When DX (0.2 mg/kg) was coadministered with DTZ (60 mg/kg) orally for 5 d to mice, plasma DX concentrations were increased significantly as with QD (100 mg/kg). Tissue DX concentrations were also increased in brain, heart, and liver. However, the DX tissue/plasma concentration (T/P) ratios for brain, heart, and kidney were rather decreased with DTZ or QD. The increased plasma and tissue DX concentrations and the decreased T/P ratios with DTZ might be responsible for both the displacement of tissue DX binding and reduced DX elimination as with QD.

Effects of diltiazem on plasma level and urinary excretion of digoxin in healthy subjects.

To evaluate a possible effect of diltiazem hydrochloride (DTZ) on digoxin (DX) kinetics, we performed a study in which a single oral dose of DX (0.5 or 0.75 mg) was given with and without DTZ (30 mg three times daily for 1 wk) to six healthy subjects. DTZ increased plasma DX concentrations at 3, 4, 6, and 12 hr and decreased renal clearance of DX from 3.05 +/- 0.126 to 2.31 +/- 0.234 ml/min/kg. There was no significant change in absorption t 1/2, peak concentration, peak concentration time, distribution t 1/2, biologic elimination t 1/2, or apparent volume of distribution with DTZ.

Effect of acetazolamide on barbiturate-induced sleeping time in mice. III. Pharmacokinetics of serum elimination and brain distribution.

Effects of acetazolamide (AZA) on the serum elimination and brain distribution of barbital (BA), phenobarbital (PHB), pentobarbital (PEB) and hexobarbital (HB) were studied in mice. When the barbiturates were administered intraperitoneally to mice, the pretreatment of AZA reduced the serum BA and PHB levels, and significantly increased these brain levels. While relatively small and no effects of AZA were observed for the PEB and HB levels, respectively. After the intravenous administration, the serum elimination of these barbiturates were described by the two compartment model. Although the pretreatment of AZA tended to increase the volumes of central compartment and decrease the elimination rate constants for BA, PHB and PEB, the elevated brain levels of the barbiturates could not be explained as the simulated peripheral concentrations. However, it appeared that the prolongation effect of AZA on the BA, PHB and PEB sleeps in mice was associated with the elevated brain barbiturate levels with AZA.

Effect of acetazolamide on the anticonvulsant potency of several antiepileptic drugs in mice.

Effect of acetazolamide (AZA) on the anticonvulsant potency of several antiepileptics was investigated in mice by maximal electroshock seizure test. By the coadministration of AZA, a remarkable increase in the anticonvulsant activity was brought about not only for the barbiturates including barbital (BA), mephobarbital (MB) and metharbital (MET), but also for the other antiepileptics such as phenytoin (PHT), valproic acid (VPA) and trimethadione (TMO). This potentiating effect of AZA, however, was relatively weak for PHT, MET and TMO (about 2.5 fold) in contrast to those for phenobarbital (PHB), BA, MB and VPA (4-5 fold). The brain-serum concentration ratio (B/S) of PHB was elevated by the coadministration of AZA, while the B/S of PHT was not changed. Thus it was inferred that the difference in the potentiating effect of AZA on the activity of the antiepileptics was due to the difference in its effect on the brain levels of the antiepileptic drugs. However, the potentiating effect of AZA was still observed for PHT, VPA and MET, as well as PHB, in reserpinized mice. Therefore, some pharmacodynamic effect of AZA other than its increasing effect on the brain levels of the antiepileptic drugs may partly contribute to the potentiation of the activity of the antiepileptic drugs.