The effect of finasteride, a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, on scalp skin testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations in patients with male pattern baldness.

The effects of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, finasteride, on scalp skin testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels were studied in patients with male pattern baldness. In a double blind study, male patients undergoing hair transplantation were treated with oral finasteride (5 mg/day) or placebo for 28 days. Scalp skin biopsies were obtained before and after treatment for measurement of T and DHT by high pressure liquid chromatography-RIA. In 10 male subjects studied at baseline, mean (+/- SEM) DHT levels were significantly higher in bald (7.37 +/- 1.24 pmol/g) compared to hair-containing (4.20 +/- 0.65 pmol/g) scalp, whereas there was no difference in mean T levels at baseline. In bald scalp from 8 patients treated with finasteride, the mean DHT concentration decreased from 6.40 +/- 1.07 pmol/g at baseline to 3.62 +/- 0.38 pmol/g on day 28. Scalp T levels increased in 6 of 8 subjects treated with finasteride. Finasteride decreased the mean serum DHT concentration from 1.36 +/- 0.18 nmol/L (n = 8) at baseline to 0.46 +/- 0.10 nmol/L on day 28 and had no effect on serum T. There were no significant changes in scalp or serum T or DHT in placebo-treated patients. In this study, male subjects treated with 5 mg/day finasteride for 4 weeks had significantly decreased concentrations of DHT in bald scalp, resulting in a mean level similar to the baseline levels found in hair-containing scalp.

Inhibition of theophylline clearance by coadministered ofloxacin without alteration of theophylline effects.

The influence of multiple doses of ofloxacin (ORF 18489) on the disposition of theophylline was studied in 15 male volunteers. Subjects were confined in the Clinical Research Unit for 13 days and given a xanthine-free diet. A single dose (3 mg/kg) of theophylline was given orally, and blood samples were collected at fixed time intervals for 36 h. The concentrations of theophylline were measured with TDX (Abbott Diagnostics, Irving, Tex.), and clearance was calculated. Theophylline clearance was used to individualize subsequent doses to achieve average steady-state theophylline concentrations in plasma of 10 mg/liter. Individualized theophylline doses were administered every 8 h until steady-state conditions were reached. Theophylline clearance was determined again at steady state and on days 7 and 8. On day 8, ofloxacin (400 mg every 12 h) was given concomitantly with theophylline. Theophylline clearance was measured again on day 12, after the last theophylline dose. Administration of ofloxacin for 1 day did not change theophylline clearance, but coadministration for 4 days significantly decreased theophylline clearance by 12.1% (P less than 0.05). The area under the concentration-time curve for theophylline increased 9.9% (P less than 0.05), and average steady-state concentrations in plasma increased 10.3% (P less than 0.05). Despite changes in clearance, adverse effects of theophylline did not increase during coadministration of ofloxacin. Although statistically significant, the interaction between ofloxacin and theophylline is unlikely to be of major clinical importance.

Disposition and pharmacokinetics of [14C]finasteride after oral administration in humans.

The disposition of [14C]finasteride, a competitive inhibitor of steroid 5 alpha-reductase, was investigated after oral administration of 38.1 mg (18.4 microCi) of drug in six healthy volunteers. Plasma, urine, and feces were collected for 7 days and assayed for total radioactivity. Concentrations of finasteride and its neutral metabolite, omega-hydroxyfinasteride (monohydroxylated on the t-butyl side chain), in plasma and urine were determined by HPLC assay. Mean excretion of radioactivity equivalents in urine and feces equaled 39.1 +/- 4.7% and 56.8 +/- 5.0% of the dose, respectively. The mean peak plasma concentrations reached for total radioactivity (ng equivalents), finasteride, and omega-hydroxyfinasteride were 596.5 +/- 88.3, 313.8 +/- 99.4, and 73.7 +/- 11.8 ng/ml, respectively, at approximately 2 hr; the mean terminal half-life for drug and metabolite was 5.9 +/- 1.3 and 8.4 +/- 1.7 hr, respectively. Of the 24-hr plasma radioactivity, 40.9% was finasteride, 11.8% was the neutral metabolite, and 26.7% was characterized as an acidic fraction of radioactivity. Binding of [14C]finasteride to plasma protein was extensive (91.3 to 89.8%), with a trend suggesting concentration dependency (range 0.02 to 2 micrograms/ml). Little of the dose was excreted in urine as parent (0.04%) or omega-hydroxyfinasteride (0.4%). Urinary excretion of radioactivity was largely in the form of acidic metabolite(s)--18.4 +/- 1.7% of the dose was eliminated as the omega-monocarboxylic acid metabolite. Finasteride was scarcely excreted unchanged in feces. In humans, finasteride is extensively metabolized through oxidative pathways.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)