Mexiletine kinetics in healthy subjects taking cimetidine

Cimetidine, a commonly used H2-receptor antagonist, was found to interact adversely with many drugs, including class I antiarrhythmics such as lidocaine and quinidine. To test the effect of cimetidine on the kinetics of mexiletine, a class I antiarrhythmic similar to lidocaine, the absorption and disposition of mexiletine were followed in six healthy subjects before and after 1 week of cimetidine, 300 mg by mouth four times a day. Cimetidine did not alter the distribution and elimination of mexiletine, as shown by similar mean kinetics including total body clearance, AUC, and the elimination t1/2 before and after cimetidine treatment. Cimetidine did have a significant effect on mexiletine absorption, as demonstrated by a longer mean absorption t1/2 (from 0.20 +/- 0.14 to 0.61 +/- 0.35 hours), a longer mean time to peak mexiletine concentration (from 1.13 +/- 0.31 to 1.88 +/- 0.83 hours), and decreased mexiletine plasma concentration (from 0.74 +/- 0.19 to 0.59 +/- 0.15 mg/ml). We conclude that cimetidine does not alter the disposition of oral mexiletine in normal subjects.     

Dose-response curve analysis of gastric secretory responses in the dog and man to impromidine: a new histamine-H2-receptor agonist

The new histamine-H2-receptor agonist, impromidine, was assessed for its effect on gastric acid secretion using a dose-response format. Maximal acid output and ED50 were calculated for infusions of impromidine in the Heidenhain pouch dog (0.05-1.6 x 10(-8) mol/kg/hr) and in man (0.39-6.22 x 10(-8) mol/kg/hr). Analysis of the responses was carried out by nonlinear regression using the logistic function. This allowed the data to be analyzed without making assumptions about the steepness of the curve which in man was almost twice that found in the dog (1.8:1). The ED50 in the dog was 0.26 +/- 0.029 x 10(-8) mol/kg/hr. The control dose-responses could be inhibited in a competitive manner by histamine-H2-receptor antagonists. Analysis of the control curve and three curves in the presence of increasing doses of antagonist was carried out by fitting all the curves simultaneously to calculate an in vivo ID50. In the dog, the antagonist was tiotidine (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 x 10(-6) mol/kg/hr) and the ID50 was 0.012 +/- 0.002 x 10(-6) mol/kg/hr. In man, cimetidine (1.05, 2.10 and 4.2 x 10(-6) mol/kg/hr) was used to inhibit secretion. The calculated ID50 was 0.63 +/- 0.085 x 10(-6) mol/kg/hr. Comparison of the effect of cimetidine and tiotidine against both impromidine and histamine showed that the ID50 was the same for both stimulants. Impromidine proved to be a potent stimulant of gastric acid secretion acting via the H2-receptor to produce readily definable dose-response curves in the dog and in man.     

Effect of single doses of cimetidine and ranitidine on the steady-state plasma levels of midazolam

H2-Receptor antagonists may interfere with the pharmacokinetics of concomitantly administered drugs. Our study was designed to investigate whether cimetidine or ranitidine influence the disposition and sedative effect of midazolam. The effect of single oral doses of 800 mg cimetidine, 300 mg ranitidine, or placebo on the steady-state concentrations of midazolam was examined in a randomized crossover study in eight healthy subjects. A midazolam steady-state concentration was achieved by an intravenous bolus (0.05 mg/kg)-infusion (0.025 mg/kg/hr) technique. Plasma concentrations of midazolam, cimetidine, and ranitidine and the pharmacodynamic response to midazolam (choice reaction time, sedation index) were monitored throughout the 10-hour infusion. Cimetidine significantly increased the mean (+/- SD) steady-state plasma concentration of midazolam from 56.7 +/- 7.8 to 71.3 +/- 19.6 ng/ml (P = 0.004). In contrast, the steady-state midazolam concentration after ranitidine dosing (61.8 +/- 6.8 ng/ml) did not differ significantly from that after placebo. No change in choice reaction time or sedation index was detected after cimetidine or ranitidine dosing. Nevertheless, in contrast to ranitidine, the recently advocated once-daily dosing of cimetidine has a potential for hepatic drug interaction that should be considered before its coadministration with drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index.     

Effect of cimetidine or ranitidine administration on nifedipine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

The effect of cimetidine or ranitidine administration on responses to single and multiple doses of nifedipine were studied in 11 subjects who received cimetidine (300 mg q.i.d.) and 12 who received ranitidine (150 mg b.i.d.) in combination with nifedipine. After single doses of nifedipine, cimetidine decreased apparent oral clearance (dose/AUC) from 66 +/- 32 L/hr to 33 +/- 14 L/hr (p less than 0.01); elimination half-life increased from 4.0 +/- 2.2 to 4.9 +/- 2.9 hours (p less than 0.07). Increases in heart rate were greater (26 +/- 13 vs 13 +/- 11 beats/min standing; 19 +/- 11 vs 9 +/- 9 beats/min supine) and lasted longer than after nifedipine alone. Hypotensive effects were similar (10 +/- 7 mm Hg decrease vs 9 +/- 9 mm Hg). During nifedipine multiple-dose administration, cimetidine decreased the apparent oral clearance from 76 +/- 39 to 43 +/- 20 L/hr (p less than 0.01). Blood pressure responses were not altered by cimetidine but heart rate increased more (18 +/- 9 vs 9 +/- 9 beats/min supine; 18 +/- 13 vs 13 +/- 14 beats/min standing). Ranitidine coadministration did not alter nifedipine elimination or dynamic responses. During administration of nifedipine alone, the ratio of oral clearances (multiple to single doses) was 1.1 +/- 0.5. Thus (1) cimetidine but not ranitidine alters responses to nifedipine and (2) nifedipine kinetics do not differ between single- vs multiple-dose conditions.     

The pharmacokinetics of etanercept in healthy volunteers

OBJECTIVE: To describe the pharmacokinetics of etanercept when administered by subcutaneous injection in single doses to healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twenty-six healthy volunteers between 19 and 50 years of age received single doses of etanercept 25 mg by subcutaneous injection into the abdomen. Serial serum samples were collected for 21 days. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a quantitation limit of 0.3 ng/mL was used to measure the drug concentrations. RESULTS: Etanercept was well tolerated by healthy volunteers. A one-compartment model was found to best describe the concentration-time data and was used to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters. Etanercept is slowly absorbed from the site of injection with a time of peak concentration (+/- SD) of 51 +/- 14 hours; peak concentration was 1.46 +/- 0.72 mg/L. The AUC was 235 +/-98 mg x h/L, apparent clearance was 132 +/- 85 mL/h, apparent volume of distribution was 12 +/- 6 L, and the half-life was 68 +/- 19 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Etanercept was slowly absorbed and slowly eliminated after subcutaneous administration. Dosing at the recommended rate of 25 mg twice weekly would be expected to result in concentrations of approximately 3 mg/L. Intersubject variability for apparent clearance in healthy volunteers was 64%.     

Lack of interaction between verapamil and cimetidine

Nine healthy normal subjects received verapamil, 10 mg iv, before (control) and during cimetidine dosing (300 mg every 6 hours), and verapamil, 120 mg po, twice in the same manner. After intravenous doses, the t1/2 (means +/- SE: control, 3.60 +/- 0.40 hours; cimetidine trial, 4.30 +/- 0.60 hours), volume of distribution (5.8 +/- 0.6 vs. 6.6 +/- 0.9 L/kg), and total clearance (19.2 +/- 1.5 vs. 18.4 +/- 1.6 ml/min/kg) did not change during cimetidine dosing. After oral doses, the t1/2 (4.25 +/- 0.57 vs. 4.60 +/- 0.70 hours), plasma AUC (585 +/- 113 vs. 506 +/- 82 ng/ml X hr) and absolute bioavailability (35% +/- 7% vs. 30% +/- 5%) did not differ between control and cimetidine trials, respectively. Five of the subjects also received lidocaine, 25 mg iv, once in the control state and once during the cimetidine regimen described above. Lidocaine clearance fell (665 +/- 216 vs. 527 +/- 134 ml/min; P less than 0.05) during cimetidine therapy, resulting in a trend toward a longer t1/2 (1.81 +/- 0.41 vs. 2.44 +/- 0.42 hours; 0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05) with no change in volume of distribution (1.77 +/- 0.66 vs. 1.99 +/- 0.81 L/kg). Verapamil pharmacodynamics (ECG PR interval, blood pressure, and heart rate) were evaluated after intravenous doses. A decrease in mean arterial pressure (8 +/- 1 vs. 9 +/- 2 mm Hg) and a reflex increase in heart rate (14 +/- 3 vs. 17 +/- 2 bpm) were no different in the control and cimetidine trials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interaction of verapamil and cimetidine: stereochemical aspects of drug metabolism, drug disposition and drug action

The pharmacokinetics, metabolism and pharmacodynamics of verapamil (160 mg p.o. of a pseudoracemic mixture) were evaluated in six healthy volunteers before and after coadministration of cimetidine (400 mg b.i.d.). Enantiomers of verapamil and enantiomers of three major urinary metabolites (norverapamil, D-617 and D-620) were determined in plasma and urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Coadministration of cimetidine led to a significant increase in the area under the plasma concentration vs. time curve of S-verapamil (29.2 +/- 31.8 min x nmol x ml-1 vs. 41.2 +/- 33.7 min x nmol x ml-1; P less than .003) and R-verapamil (124.7 +/- 112.2 min x nmol x ml-1 vs. 156.8 +/- 105.0 min x nmol x ml-1; P less than .01). The increase was significantly greater for the pharmacologically more potent S-enantiomer compared to R-verapamil (150.3 +/- 37 vs. 117.8 +/- 15%; P less than .05). As a consequence, coadministration of cimetidine increased the negative dromotropic effect of verapamil on atrioventricular conduction in five of six subjects. In addition, fractional metabolic clearance to D-620 and D-617 decreased for both enantiomers. Tubular secretion of S-D-617 was inhibited by cimetidine (342 +/- 104 vs. 238 +/- 52 ml x min-1; P less than .05) whereas secretion of the R-enantiomer remained unchanged (276 +/- 91 vs. 222 +/- 43 ml x min-1). Thus, cimetidine interacts with both hepatic and renal verapamil elimination in a stereoselective manner. The increase in total plasma concentration of verapamil combined with an increase in eutomer/distomer ratio produces a more pronounced pharmacological effect of verapamil when cimetidine is coadministered.     

Electroencephalographic effects of benzodiazepines. II. Pharmacodynamic modeling of the electroencephalographic effects of midazolam and diazepam

The comparative pharmacodynamics of midazolam and diazepam were examined by use of the electroencephalogram as a measure of drug effect on the central nervous system. Intravenous doses of 7.5, 15, and 25 mg midazolam and 15, 30, and 50 mg diazepam were given on repeated occasions to three volunteers. Arterial plasma concentration and electroencephalogram voltage were related with nonparameteric and parametric pharmacodynamic models. The peak increases in voltage (maximal effect) and the slopes of the plasma concentration versus effect curve were similar for both drugs. The half-time of blood:brain equilibration was significantly longer for midazolam than diazepam (4.8 minutes versus 1.6 minutes). Midazolam was found to have an intrinsic steady-state potency that was approximately five times greater than that of diazepam (152 ng/ml versus 958 ng/ml).     

Inhibition of drug metabolism by cimetidine in man: dependence on pretreatment microsomal liver function

The effect of cimetidine on hepatic microsomal drug metabolism was studied in six patients with normal liver and eleven patients with chronic liver disease using the aminopyrine breath test. Before administration of cimetidine, the elimination rate constant of 14CO2 from breath (Kb) was 28.3 +/- SD 1.3%/h in patients with normal liver and 13.5 +/- 7.7%/h in patients with liver disease (P less than 0.001). After 7 days of cimetidine therapy (1 g/day) Kb decreased to 23.3 +/- 5.2%/h (19.0 +/- 13.8% decrease; P less than 0.05) and 7.4 +/- 5.8%/h (50.5 +/- 14.4% decrease; P less than 0.001), respectively. Plasma levels of cimetidine were not significantly different (1.05 +/- 0.14% micrograms/ml v. 0.88 +/- 0.41; P greater than 0.05). The findings indicate that therapeutic doses of cimetidine lead to an inhibition of drug metabolism which is more pronounced in patients with impaired liver function than in liver normals. Therefore, patients with chronic liver disease may be at increased risk with respect to interactions between cimetidine and other drugs which are demethylated by the liver.     

Effect of cimetidine and probenecid on pilsicainide renal clearance in humans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of cimetidine and probenecid on the renal clearance of pilsicainide in healthy subjects. METHODS: Nine healthy men (age range, 21 to 38 years) were given oral doses of 50 mg pilsicainide hydrochloride alone, with coadministration of 800 mg oral cimetidine, or with coadministration of 1,500 mg oral probenecid on three occasions in a Latin-square order. Urine and venous blood samples were collected on a timely basis. The concentration of pilsicainide in plasma and urine were determined by an HPLC method. RESULTS: Concomitant administration of cimetidine significantly increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve of pilsicainide by a mean of 33%, prolonged elimination half-life by a mean of 24% (from 5 to 6.2 hours), reduced apparent oral clearance by a mean of 26% (from 14.7 +/- 0.1 to 10.8 +/- 0.8 L/h) and reduced renal clearance by a mean of 28% (from 196.8 +/- 53.9 to 141.8 +/- 25.9 mL/min). The net renal clearance by tubular secretion was significantly reduced by a mean value of 38%, from 151.4 +/- 62.9 to 93.0 +/- 31.1 mL/min. Coadministration of probenecid did not show any changes in plasma concentrations of pilsicainide, pharmacokinetics, or the net renal clearance by tubular secretion of pilsicainide. CONCLUSIONS: Pilsicainide appeared to be secreted by the active transport system for organic bases in the proximal tubule, and the excretion of pilsicainide was inhibited by cimetidine.     

Clinical comparison of cimetidine and ranitidine

Ranitidine is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist that differs structurally from cimetidine. We assessed its kinetics, potency, and duration of effect in patients with chronic duodenal ulcers. Ranitidine had an absorption lag time of approximately 30 min, an absorption half-life (t 1/2) of approximately 40 min, and an elimination t 1/2 of 3 hr, all differing from those of cimetidine. It is five times as potent, so that equal doses of ranitidine induce considerably longer suppression of both basal and food-stimulated gastric acid secretion than cimetidine.     

Disposition of S-1108, a new oral cephem antibiotic, and metabolic fate of pivalic acid liberated from [pivaloyl-14C]S-1108 in rats and dogs.

[pivaloyl-14C]S-1108, which is 14C labeled at the pivalic acid moiety of the pivaloyloxymethyl side chain of S-1108, was administered orally to rats and dogs, and the disposition of pivalic acid cleft from S-1108 was examined. Besides pivaloylcarnitine and pivaloylglucuronide, pivaloylglycine was identified in dog urine as a metabolite of pivalic acid by thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The concentrations in the plasma of rats to which doses of 6.65, 26.6, and 532 mg/kg of body weight were administered showed dose-proportionate levels. The radioactivity was eliminated rapidly, with a half-life of approximately 3 h until 24 h at both the 6.65- and 26.6-mg/kg doses. Free pivalic acid in plasma accounted for more than 80% of the concentration of radioactivity. Radioactivity was distributed throughout the body and was eliminated quickly at a rate similar to that of radioactivity from plasma. Most of the absorbed radioactivity was excreted in the urine, and it was completed within 24 h after administration. In dogs, the half-life of radioactivity in plasma was longer than that in the rats. The ratio of free pivalic acid in plasma was 60 to 70% of the radioactivity in plasma. The concentration of radioactivity in the liver, cortex of the kidney, and skeletal muscle 144 h after oral dosing was more than 10 times higher than the concentration in plasma for all doses. Urinary excretion in dogs was slower than that in rats. The differences in the disposition of pivalic acid between dogs and rats may account for differences in the degree of skeletal muscle disorders. The safety in humans of S-1108 given at 200 mg three times a day is discussed in relation to the metabolic formation of the carnitine conjugate of pivalic acid and the reduction of the carnitine concentration in plasma.     

Cimetidine-carbaryl interaction in humans: evidence for an active metabolite of carbaryl.

The influence of cimetidine on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic response to the insecticide carbaryl has been investigated in isolated human erythrocytes (red blood cells; RBC) and after oral administration of 1 mg/kg carbaryl to four normal subjects in the absence or presence of cimetidine (300 mg, 8/hr for 3 days). Carbaryl induced a concentration-dependent reduction of isolated RBC acetylcholinesterase activity requiring 1 microgram/ml to achieve 20% inhibition. Cimetidine also induced a dose-dependent inhibition of RBC acetylcholinesterase activity, but at 40-fold higher concentrations. At high concentrations, cimetidine was additive to carbaryl-induced inhibition of RBC acetylcholinesterase, but exhibited no effect at the therapeutically relevant concentrations (10 micrograms/ml). After oral carbaryl administration to normal subjects, plasma concentrations rapidly rose to a peak, then declined with a half-life of 0.79 +/- 0.47 hr. Oral carbaryl clearance was 5.4 +/- 2.0 l/min. Peak plasma carbaryl concentrations were associated with 27% inhibition of RBC acetylcholinesterase activity, and the concentration associated with a reduction of RBC acetylcholinesterase activity of 20% was 0.02 microgram/ml. The terminal half-life for the dynamic response was 2.6 +/- 1.5 hr. After pretreatment with cimetidine, peak plasma carbaryl concentrations doubled and clearance was reduced (to 2.5 +/- 1.5 l/min) (P less than .05). However, half-life remained unchanged. Despite increased carbaryl levels, the maximum inhibition of RBC acetylcholinesterase activity was significantly reduced, and the concentration of carbaryl required to achieve 20% inhibition of RBC acetylcholinesterase activity was increased to approximately 0.5 microgram/ml. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that carbaryl is metabolized by drug-metabolizing enzymes that can be inhibited by cimetidine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Serotonin and superior mesenteric artery resistance index

OBJECTIVE: Serotonin is a vasoactive neuroendocrine substance and serotonergic drugs are promising agents for the treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders. The effect of serotonin on superior mesenteric blood flow in humans is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of exogenous serotonin on superior mesenteric artery blood flow, as estimated by the resistance index with Doppler ultrasound, in healthy human volunteers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six fasting healthy adult volunteers of both genders were studied. Transabdominal Doppler ultrasound was used to evaluate the effects of either a standard meal or intravenous infusion of serotonin (2.5-20 nmol kg-1 min-1) on the superior mesenteric artery resistance index, platelet-depleted plasma levels of serotonin, blood pressure, heart rate and electrocardiogram. RESULTS: All subjects had the same patterns of response to meal and serotonin stimulation. Meal stimulation decreased the mean resistance index from 0.84+/-0.04 to 0.72+/-0.02 (p = 0.0004) and increased platelet-depleted-plasma levels of serotonin from 50+/-36 to 61+/-46 nmol L-1 (p = 0.04). Serotonin stimulation increased the mean resistance index from 0.82+/-0.04 to 0.88+/-0.03 (p = 0.006) and mean platelet-depleted-plasma levels of serotonin from 44+/-24 to 83+/-37 nmol L-1 (p = 0.03). Most subjects reported minor short-lived adverse effects. Electrocardiogram results were unchanged during all examinations. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that intravenous infusion of serotonin increases the resistance index of the superior mesenteric artery (increases downstream resistance) in healthy adult volunteers.     

Effects of four H2 histamine antagonists on bethanechol-stimulated acid and pepsin secretion in the dog

In five gastric fistula dogs, each of four H2-receptor antagonists was given (at doses roughly equal to the dose inhibiting histamine stimulation at 50%) as background infusion to graded doses of i.v. bethanechol. We measured acid and pepsin secretion and gastrin release. All four compounds noncompetitively inhibited acid secretion, reducing maximum acid outputs by 50 to 70%. Two compounds, tiotidine and cimetidine, shifted the bethanechol dose-response for pepsin secretion about 30% to the right at midpoint without reducing maximum output significantly, whereas the other two, ranitidine and metiamide, did not alter the dose-response. Dose-dependent gastrin release was unaffected by cimetidine, an imidazole compound, and augmented by tiotidine and ranitidine, the two nonimidazole compounds. Actions on pepsin and gastrin are thus not related to H2-receptor effects. The uniform effect of the four antagonists on acid secretion indicates an essential interaction between cholinergic and histamine effects on the parietal cell, although we could not distinguish between prereceptor, receptor and postreceptor sites for such interaction.     

Selective inhibition of acetaminophen oxidation and toxicity by cimetidine and other histamine H2-receptor antagonists in vivo and in vitro in the rat and in man.

Acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity results from hepatic enzymatic oxidation of acetaminophen to a toxic, electrophilic intermediate. Acetaminophen is ordinarily eliminated after conjugation with glucuronic acid and sulfate to nontoxic derivatives. Cimetidine has been shown to inhibit the hepatic oxidation of a number of drugs and to protect rats from acetaminophen-induced hepatic necrosis. The aim of this study was to define the mechanism by which cimetidine reduced acetaminophen-induced hepatic necrosis and to determine whether inhibition of formation of the reactive metabolite(s) of acetaminophen occurred also in man. In vivo cimetidine pretreatment decreased covalent binding of [3H]acetaminophen to the liver from 552 +/- 23.8 to 170 +/- 31.6 nmol/g protein 2 h after a toxic dose of acetaminophen in 3-methylcholanthrene pretreated rats (P less than 0.05). Cimetidine pretreatment also significantly reduced the rate of hepatic glutathione depletion. Both cimetidine and metiamide produced dose-dependent inhibition of acetaminophen oxidation in vitro, whereas inhibition by ranitidine and cimetidine sulfoxide was quantitatively less. Inhibition of acetaminophen oxidation by cimetidine and metiamide was primarily competitive with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 130 +/- 16 and 200 +/- 50 microM, respectively. By contrast, cimetidine inhibited acetaminophen glucuronidation minimally with a Ki of 1.39 +/- 0.23 mM. Similar results were obtained using human liver microsomes as a source of enzymes. In a dose-related fashion, cimetidine also reduced acetaminophen-induced toxicity to human lymphocytes when incubated with microsomes and NADPH. Pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen elimination were studied in normal volunteers with and without co-administration of cimetidine 300 mg every 6 h. In normal volunteers, cimetidine decreased the fractional clearance of the oxidized (potentially toxic) metabolites of acetaminophen more than the conjugated metabolites. This finding confirmed the hypothesis that cimetidine is a relatively selective inhibitor of the oxidation of acetaminophen to reactive metabolites in man as well as in animals. When considered together with the results of previous studies showing improved survival and decreased hepatoxicity in acetaminophen-poisoned animals, the present results provide a rational basis for assessing possible benefits of cimetidine treatment of acetaminophen overdoses in man.     

Effects of AIDS and gender on steady-state plasma and intrapulmonary ethionamide concentrations

Ethionamide, 250 mg every 12 h for a total of nine doses, was administered to 40 adult volunteers (10 men with AIDS, 10 healthy men, 10 women with AIDS, and 10 healthy women). Blood was obtained for drug assay prior to administration of the first dose, 2 h after the last dose, and at the completion of standardized bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage, which were performed 4 h after the last dose. Ethionamide was measured in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and alveolar cells (AC) using a new mass spectrometric method. The presence of AIDS or gender was without significant effect on the concentrations of ethionamide in plasma, AC, or ELF. Plasma concentrations (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]) were 0.97 +/- 0.65 and 0.65 +/- 0.35 microg/ml at 2 and 4 h after the last dose, respectively, and both values were significantly greater than the concentration of ethionamide in AC (0.38 +/- 0.47 microg/ml) (P < 0. 05). The concentration of ethionamide was significantly greater in ELF (5.63 +/- 3.8 microg/ml) than in AC or plasma at 2 and 4 h and was approximately 10 to 20 times the reported MIC for ethionamide-susceptible strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. For all 40 subjects, the ELF/plasma concentration ratios (mean +/- SD) at 2 and 4 h were 8.7 +/- 11.7 and 9.7 +/- 5.6, respectively. We conclude that the absorption of orally administered ethionamide, as measured in this study, was not affected by gender or the presence of AIDS. Ethionamide concentrations were significantly greater in ELF than in plasma or AC, suggesting that substantial antimycobacterial activity resides in this compartment.     

Pharmacokinetics of alafosfalin, alone and in combination with cephalexin, in humans.

Alafosfalin is a phosphonodipeptide with significant activity as an antibacterial agent and as a potentiator of beta-lactam antibiotics. Studies in humans showed that oral doses of 50 to 2,500 mg were well absorbed, but some metabolic hydrolysis occurred before the drug reached the general circulation. Oral bioavailability was approximately 50% and was largely independent of dose. Alafosfalin has an elimination half-life of about 60 min and does not accumulate during chronic administration. Healthy volunteers excreted intact phosphonodipeptide in the urine. The recovery was dose dependent and increase from 6 +/- 1% after 50-mg doses to 17 +/- 1% after 2,500-mg doses. This change with dose occurred because the human kidney has a small, saturable capacity for reabsorbing the phosphonopeptide. Less alafosfalin was excreted in the urine of subjects with impaired glomerular function. When alafosfalin was coadministered with cephalexin, both compounds wer absorbed, distributed, and eliminated at virtually identical rates. Oral administration of 500 mg of the phosphonodipeptide plus 250 mg of the beta-lactam antibiotic gave approximately equal concentrations of the drugs in plasma, with a fourfold excess of cephalexin in the urine. This 2:1 combination is being tested in the clinic.     

Cholecystokinin is a physiological hormonal mediator of fat-induced inhibition of gastric emptying in man

The effect of cholecystokinin-33 on gastric emptying was studied in eight healthy men. The test meal was a firm custard pudding, labelled with 99mTc-Chelex-100 particles. Gastric emptying rate was measured, using a dual-headed gamma camera, and was expressed as the half time of the emptying curve. Plasma cholecystokinin concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Subjects were studied three times: (i) during infusion of saline; during cholecystokinin infusion, (ii) 0.375 IDU kg-1 h-1 and (iii) 0.75 IDU kg-1 h-1. Furthermore, plasma cholecystokinin was determined after a regular meal. During saline, plasma cholecystokinin increased minimally. After the regular meal it increased from 1.6 to 6.5 pmol l-1 at 30 min, decreasing to 5.3 pmol l-1 at 60 min. During the lower and higher doses of cholecystokinin it increased from 1.0 and 1.4 to 4.5 and 7.3 pmol l-1, respectively. The lower and higher doses significantly (P less than 0.05) increased half emptying time, from 45 +/- 8 to 86 +/- 17 and 198 +/- 50 min, respectively. Cholecystokinin is most likely a physiological hormonal mediator of fat-induced inhibition of gastric emptying.     

Intravenous nizatidine kinetics and acid suppression

The effectiveness of intravenous nizatidine in suppressing gastric acid secretion was evaluated by different methods of inducing secretion in two single-blind studies. In study 1, seven subjects were given single, 20-min intravenous infusions of nizatidine (6.25, 25, 75, 150, or 250 mg) before modified sham feeding (MSF). Gastric acid suppression after nizatidine was contrasted with that after placebo and MSF. All doses of nizatidine reduced secretion; the 150- and 250-mg doses of nizatidine suppressed secretion for at least 2.5 hr. In study 2, eight subjects received one 5-min intravenous infusion of placebo, cimetidine (300 mg), or nizatidine (25, 50, 100, or 250 mg) weekly for 6 wk. Secretion was induced by infusing pentagastrin (2 micrograms/kg/hr) 45 min before the study drug was dosed and for 3.5 hr thereafter. Again, all doses of nizatidine reduced gastric acid, chiefly by decreasing volume. Nizatidine induced a clear dose-response effect; nizatidine (100 mg) and cimetidine (300 mg) had approximately equal suppressive effects. Nizatidine (100 mg) and cimetidine (300 mg) reduced acid output by 62% and 63% and reduced volume of secretion by 48% and 51% over the 3.5-hr period. Gastric acid suppression and plasma nizatidine concentrations were directly related. Nizatidine kinetics were linear and proportional to dose. The t1/2 was 1.3 hr (range 0.7 to 2.1 hr), the volume of distribution was 1.2 +/- 0.5 l/kg, and clearance was 0.6 +/- 0.2 l/kg/hr. Laboratory abnormalities and side effects were minor in both studies.