Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase inactivation and 5-fluorouracil pharmacokinetics: allometric scaling of animal data,pharmacokinetics and toxicodynamics of 5-fluorouracil in humans

 The pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in different animal species treated with the dihy-dropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) inactivator, 5-ethynyluracil (776C85) were related through allometric scaling. Estimates of 5-FU dose in combination with 776C85 were determined from pharmacokinetic and toxicodynamic analysis. Method: The pharmacokinetics of 5-FU in the DPD-deficient state were obtained from mice, rats and dogs treated with 776C85 followed by 5-FU. The pharmacokinetics of 5-FU in humans were then estimated using interspecies allometric scaling. Data related to the clinical toxicity for 5-FU were obtained from the literature. The predicted pharmacokinetics of 5-FU and the clinical toxicity data were then used to estimate the appropriate dose of 5-FU in combination with 776C85 in clinical trials. Results: The allometric equation relating total body clearance (CL) of 5-FU to the body weight (B) (CL=0.47B^0.74) indicates that clearance increased disproportionately with body weight. In contrast, the apparent volume of distribution (V_c) increased proportionately with body weight (V_c=0.58 B^0.99). Based on allometric analysis, the estimated clearance of 5-FU (10.9 l/h) in humans with DPD deficiency was comparable to the observed values in humans lacking DPD activity due to genetic predisposition (10.1 l/h), or treatment with 776C85 (7.0 l/h) or (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2′-deoxyuridine (BVdUrd, 6.6 l/h). The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 5-FU in combination with 776C85 was predicted from literature data relating toxicity and plasma 5-FU area under the concentration-time curve (AUC). Based on allometric analysis, the estimated values for the MTD in humans treated with 776C85 and receiving 5-FU as a single i.v. bolus dose, and 5-day and 12-day continuous infusions were about 110, 50 and 30 mg/m² of 5-FU, respectively. Discussion: The pharmacokinetics of 5-FU in the DPD-deficient state in humans can be predicted from animal data. A much smaller dose of 5-FU is needed in patients treated with 776C85. Received: 6 October 1995/Accepted: 28 May 1996