Dependence of the renal excretion of theophylline on its plasma concentrations and urine flow rate in asthmatic children

The dependence of the renal excretion of theophylline on its plasma concentration and urine flow rate has been investigated in asthmatic children of either sex. One group (age 12.25 +/- 0.80, mean +/- s.d. n = 8) was given aminophylline intravenously (i.v.), while another (age 10.00 +/- 3.64 n = 14) was given a sustained release preparation of theophylline orally (single dose and repeated doses). Unchanged drug (11.6% +/- 1.75) was excreted in the urine corresponding to a renal clearance of 10.6 +/- 1.6 mL h-1kg-1. Time dependence of the renal clearance of theophylline was found only after i.v. administration. Dependence of the renal clearance on urine flow rate was found both after i.v. administration and at steady state, but not after a single oral dose of theophylline. After oral administration, renal clearance of theophylline was higher at steady state than after a single dose (0.58 +/- 0.06 L h-1 kg-1 vs 0.23 +/- 0.03 L h-1 kg-1), while urine flow rate was lower (1.1 +/- 0.5 mL min-1 vs 1.8 +/- 0.9 mL min-1). High correlation of theophylline plasma concentration and theophylline excretion rate was obtained in 10 of 14 patients after administration of a single oral dose of the preparation (r = 0.8567 to 0.9830). There was no dose dependence of the renal clearance of the drug either after a single dose, or at steady state.     

The disposition of 14C-labeled tacrolimus after intravenous and oral administration in healthy human subjects.

Tacrolimus is a macrolide lactone with potent immunosuppressive properties. It has been shown in clinical studies to prevent allograft rejection. The pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in healthy subjects and transplant patients has been described in earlier studies using immunoassay methods; however, detailed information on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of tacrolimus using a radiolabeled drug is lacking. The objective of the present study was to characterize the disposition of tacrolimus after single i.v. (0.01 mg/kg) and oral (0.05 mg/kg) administration of 14C-labeled drug in six healthy subjects. Tacrolimus was absorbed rapidly after oral dosing with a mean Cmax and Tmax of 42 ng/ml and 1 h, respectively. The oral bioavailability was about 20%. After i.v. and oral dosing, most of the administered dose was recovered in feces, suggesting that bile is the principal route of elimination. Urinary excretion accounted for less than 3% of total administered dose. In systemic circulation, unchanged parent compound accounted for nearly all the radioactivity; however, less than 0.5% of unchanged drug was detectable in feces and urine. The excretion of the metabolites was formation-rate-limited. The mean total body clearance at 37.5 ml/min was equivalent to about 3% of the liver blood flow. Renal clearance was less than 1% of the total body clearance. The mean elimination half-life was 44 h.     

Pharmacokinetic studies in man of the selective beta1-adrenoceptor agonist,prenalterol

Summary The pharmacokinetics of prenalterol, a selective ₁-adrenoceptor agonist, has been studied in healthy subjects, by following the plasma concentration and urinary excretion of the unchanged compound and its total radioactive metabolites after oral and intravenous administration. Each of six healthy subjects received a single i. v. dose (2.5 mg) and three oral doses (2.5, 5.0 and 10 mg) of prenalterol. The oral dose was administered as a solution. Three of the subjects received the intravenous and oral doses of 2.5 mg as tritiated drug. Prenalterol was rapidly and completely absorbed after oral administration. The peak plasma concentration was attained after about 0.5 h. About 25% of prenalterol reached the systemic circulation. Prenalterol was extensively distributed to extravascular tissues with a half-life of the distribution phase close to 7 min. About 90% of the dose was excreted in urine within 24 h irrespective of the route of administration, indicating complete absorption of the drug. On average 60% of the i. v. and 13% of the oral doses were excreted as unchanged drug. The elimination half-life of the compound was 1.8 h, and the decline in the plasma concentration of the metabolites indicated a slower elimination rate than for the unchanged drug. Dose-dependent kinetics were not observed after the oral doses examined.     

Metformin kinetics in healthy subjects and in patients with diabetes mellitus

1 The kinetics of metformin were studied after i.v. and oral administration in four healthy subjects and after oral administration in twelve maturity onset (Type II) diabetic patients.

2 After i.v. administration most of the dose was rapidly eliminated but with a mean `terminal' T_1/2 of 4 h measured up to 12 h in plasma and of 16 h measured up to 60 h from the urinary excretion rate. On average, 80% of the dose was recovered as unchanged drug in the urine with none detected in the faeces.

3 After single oral doses (0.5 and 1.5 g), maximum plasma concentrations and urinary excretion rates were observed at about 2 h with urinary recoveries of unchanged drug of 35-50% and faecal recoveries of about 30%. Urinary recoveries were significantly lower after the higher dose. Absolute oral bioavailability was 50-60% of the dose.

4 Deconvolution analysis showed that after a short lag-time, the available oral dose was absorbed at an exponential rate over about 6 h. Implications for the design of prolonged release dosage forms are discussed.

5 Plasma metformin concentrations measured throughout the seventh and fourteenth days of continuous 0.5 g twice daily treatment were accurately predicted from single dose data, although a discrepancy between observed and predicted trough levels reflected the existence of a slow elimination phase. Implications of the latter for a gradual accumulation of metformin in peripheral tissues and a possible association with lactic acidosis are discussed.

6 Renal clearance of metformin was highly correlated with creatinine clearance. However, a weaker relationship between total oral clearance of the drug and creatinine clearance suggests that the latter may not always be a reliable indicator of potential metformin accumulation owing to variability in absorption and possibly non-renal clearance of the drug,

     

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ciramadol,a new analgesic

Healthy male volunteers participated in two studies of the pharmacokinetics of ciramadol, an investigational analgesic. For the dose-proportionality study, subjects received single i.v. doses of 15, 30, or 60 mg of ciramadol on three separate occasions. Serum samples and urine were collected 48 hr after each dose. Overall mean kinetic values for ciramadol were: volume of distribution, 1.5 liters/kg; elimination half-life, 3.7 hr; total clearance, 4.9 ml/min/kg. Clearance did not change systematically with dose. Mean 48-hr urinary excretion was 40% of the dose as the intact drug, with another 24% excreted as ciramadol conjugates; these were dose-independent. For the bioavailability study, subjects received a 30-mg dose of ciramadol i.v., i.m., or orally on three separate occasions. The mean absolute systemic availability of the i.m. dose was 98%; the absolute availability of the oral dose was 82%. Peak serum concentration of 235 and 155 ng/ml were attained at 0.27 and 1.5 hr after the i.m. and oral doses, respectively.     

Pharmacokinetics of pafenolol after i.v. and oral administration of three separate doses of different strength to man

The pharmacokinetics of pafenolol were evaluated in 12 healthy subjects after administration of three single IV doses (5, 10, and 20 mg) and three oral single doses (25, 50, and 100 mg). The drug was discontinuously absorbed. A first peak was observed 0.5 to 1.5 h after dosing and a second higher maximum concentration was noted 3 to 5 h after the administration in the majority of the experiments. The mean systemic availability increased from 27 +/- 5 per cent for the oral 25 mg dose to 46 +/- 5 per cent for the 100 mg dose, i.e., an increase of about 70 per cent (p less than 0.05). The half-life of distribution varied between 5 and 6 min and the apparent volume of distribution (Vz) was about 1.11 kg-1. The distribution was linear in the IV dose range studied. Total body clearance was about 300 ml min-1. About 50 per cent of the systemically available dose was excreted unchanged via the kidneys. Total body clearance decreased by about 13 per cent (p less than 0.05) by increasing the dose from 5 to 20 mg IV possibly because of reduced renal elimination. Mean terminal t1/2 of the IV dose was approximately 3.5 h. The corresponding t1/2 of the oral dose was approximately 6 h indicating absorption rate-limited kinetics of the oral dose.     

Absolute bioavailability,pharmacokinetics, and urinary excretion of the novel antimigraine agent almotriptan in healthy male volunteers

Absolute bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and urinary excretion of almotriptan, a novel 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist, were studied in 18 healthy males following single intravenous (i.v.) (3 mg), subcutaneous (s.c.) (6 mg), and oral (25 mg) doses. Volunteers received each dose in a randomized sequence separated by a 7-day washout. Blood and urine samples for pharmacokinetic evaluations were taken for up to 24 hours after dosing. The disposition kinetics of almotriptan after i.v. and s.c. administration showed biphasic decline described by a two-compartment model. The fastest disposition phase was well observed, although estimates of the rate constant showed high variability. After s.c. administration of almotriptan, the bioavailability was 100% with a time to maximum plasma concentration (tmax) of 5 to 15 minutes, whereas after oral administration, the bioavailability was about 70% with a tmax of 1.5 to 3.0 hours. No significant differences were observed between administration routes in the elimination half-life (t(1/2), obtaining mean values ranging from 3.4 to 3.6 hours. The volume of distribution, total clearance, and t(1/2) indicated that almotriptan was extensively distributed and rapidly cleared from the body irrespective of dose or route of administration. The primary route of elimination was renal clearance (approximately 50%-60% of total body clearance). About 65% of the i.v. and s.c. dose and 45% of the oral dose were excreted unchanged in urine in 24 hours, with nearly 90% of this in the first 12 hours. Renal clearance was approximately 2- to 3-fold that of the glomerular filtration rate in man, suggesting that almotriptan is eliminated in part by renal tubular secretion.     

The pharmacokinetics of cimetidine and its sulphoxide metabolite in patients with normal and impaired renal function.

1 The pharmacokinetics of cimetidine and its sulphoxide metabolite was studied after a single intravenous dose of 200 mg cimetidine in nine patients with normal renal function and ten patients with severe renal failure on regular haemodialysis and during continuous oral cimetidine treatment in ten patients with normal renal function and 31 patients with different degrees of renal failure. 2 In normal renal function a mean of 47.3% of the single intravenous dose was excreted as unchanged drug and 12.8% as cimetidine sulphoxide. The mean plasma elimination half-life (T1/2) of cimetidine was 2.0 h and of cimetidine sulphoxide 1.7 h. 3 In severe renal failure a mean of 2.2% of the single intravenous dose was excreted as unchanged drug and 0.5% as cimetidine sulphoxide. The mean plasma T1/2 of cimetidine was 3.9 h. The plasma concentrations of the sulphoxide metabolite increased successively with time after dosing and no elimination phase was observed still 9 h after dose. The mean non-renal clearance of cimetidine was 210 ml/min and lower than in normal renal function, suggesting decreased metabolism of cimetidine in uraemia. 4 During continuous oral cimetidine treatment in patients with normal renal function and in patients g and no elimination phase was observed still 9 h after dose. The mean non-renal clearance of cimetidine was 210 ml/min and lower than in normal renal function, suggesting decreased metabolism of cimetidine in uraemia. 4 During continuous oral cimetidine treatment in patients with normal renal function and in patients g and no elimination phase was observed still 9 h after dose. The mean non-renal clearance of cimetidine was 210 ml/min and lower than in normal renal function, suggesting decreased metabolism of cimetidine in uraemia. 4 During continuous oral cimetidine treatment in patients with normal renal function and in patients with different degrees of renal failure given reduced doses of cimetidine the plasma concentrations of the sulphoxide metabolite were higher with decreasing renal function. The mean plasma T1/2 of cimetidine was 3.1 h in mild renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance 50-75 ml/min) and 4.5 h in severe renal failure (creatinine clearance 5-15 ml/min) and of cimetidine sulphoxide 5.3 and 14.4 h respectively. 5 Toxicity studies of cimetidine sulphoxide may be needed to assess if high plasma concentrations of the sulphoxide metabolite in severe renal failure are of clinical significance.     

Elimination of azlocillin in patients with biliary t-tube drainage

Summary The pharmacokinetic of azlocillin was followed in five elderly patients after biliary surgery. Total clearance was 138.6±17.7 ml/min when 2.0 g was given as an i.v. bolus injection. The half-life of the -phase averaged 110 min. The total clearance and the half-life of azlocillin were influenced by slight impairment of renal function (creatinine clearance 59.4±13.6 ml/min). In patients with normal liver function biliary excretion of the drug amounted to 5.3±2.8% of the dose (n=3) and the kinetics of biliary excretion were linear. In contrast, in two patients with impaired liver function biliary excretion was 0.2% and 0.5% of the dose, and kinetic analysis of biliary excretion rates revealed at least one zero order step in the excretion process. Renal excretion of the drug amounted to 45.0±17.7% of the dose, which means that 50% of the total clearance of azlocillin has to be accounted for by metabolic clearance.     

Oral cadmium chloride intoxication in mice: effects of dose on tissue damage, intestinal absorption and relative organ distribution

The acute toxicity of soluble cadmium salts has almost exclusively been studied experimentally after parenteral exposures, where acute mortality is caused by hepatic necrosis. This report describes an alternative experimental model using oral exposure. A single oral toxic dose of CdCl2 to mice induced toxic gastroenteritis; subsequent hepatic and renal lesions were also observed. Whole-body gamma-counting after a single oral toxic 109CdCl2 dose to mice showed a dose-dependent delay of the fecal excretion of non-absorbed cadmium. This delay was absent when a low, non-toxic dose was administered. This effect is most likely due to decreased peristalsis and, at higher doses, intestinal atony due to oral cadmium toxicity. After fecal elimination of non-absorbed cadmium, the residual body burden of cadmium expressed as percent of initial dose reflects the fractional intestinal cadmium absorption due to slow reexcretion of absorbed cadmium. The fractional absorption increased with increasing doses of cadmium. The relative cadmium deposition in brain, testes and intestines decreased with increasing dose, whereas the relative liver deposition increased with dose. The delayed fecal elimination and increased fractional absorption of cadmium may significantly contribute to the development of both local and systemic toxicity in oral cadmium intoxication.     

Flecainide: single and multiple oral dose kinetics, absolute bioavailability and effect of food and antacid in man.

The kinetics of flecainide after single intravenous (2 mg kg-1) and oral (200 mg) dosing, absolute bioavailability, effects of food and aluminium hydroxide on flecainide absorption and steady-state kinetics following twice daily oral dosing (200 mg) have been evaluated in ten healthy subjects. Absolute bioavailability of oral flecainide averaged 70% (range 60-86%). Rate and extent of flecainide absorption were not significantly affected by food nor by concomitantly administered aluminium hydroxide. The apparent volume of distribution of 5.5 +/- 0.3 l kg-1 indicates wide distribution of flecainide in tissues. Estimated elimination half-lives from plasma data averaged 9.3 to 12.4 h (single oral dose studies), 11.8 h (single i.v. dose), and 11.5 h (multiple oral dose). Half-lives calculated from urinary excretion data corresponded well with those calculated from plasma data. Flecainide elimination takes place both by nonrenal (metabolic) clearance and renal excretion of the intact drug involving glomerular filtration and active tubular secretion. Following i.v. dosing CLNR and CLR averaged respectively 3.24 +/- 0.80 and 2.38 +/- 0.49 ml min-1 kg-1. After 200 mg twice daily oral treatment steady state was reached within 3-4 days with trough and peak plasma levels on day 8 of 457 and 662 ng ml-1, which are well within the therapeutic range.     

Lack of effect of cimetidine on the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of a single oral dose of metronidazole

Summary The time course of the effect of cimetidine on the pharmacokinetics of metronidazole was investigated in 6 healthy volunteers.Cimetidine 1.0 g/day was administered for 9-days and metronidazole 500 mg was administered orally on the second and eighth days, and in a control experiment.During cimetidine treatment the plasma kinetics of metronidazole and its partial clearance by renal excretion of the unchanged compound, glucuronidation, hydroxylation and oxidation to its acetic acid metabolite were not significantly different from the control values.The results indicate that cimetidine does not influence the pharmacokinetics or metabolism of a single oral dose of metronidazole.     

The pharmacokinetics of d-sotalol and d,l-sotalol in healthy volunteers

Summary The pharmacokinetics of d-sotalol has been studied in six healthy volunteers given single doses of 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2 mg·kg^–1 i.v. and one 100 mg oral dose in comparison with the kinetics of 1 mg·kg^–1 i.v. of dlsotalol.There was no significant difference in the disposition of the d-enantiomer and the racemate.The terminal half-life averaged 7.2 h, and the kinetics was linear, with a mean total clearance of 0.13 l·h^–1·kg^–1. Renal clearance of d-sotalol represented 56 to 77% of total clearance. The absolute systemic availability of oral d-sotalol was close to 100% and the elimination half-life of the oral-d-enantiomer was similar to that of the i.v. form (7.5 h).     

Pharmacokinetics of a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, apicidin, in rats

This study is the first report of the pharmacokinetics of a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, apicidin, in rats after i.v. and oral administration. Apicidin was injected intravenously at doses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg. The terminal elimination half-life (t1/2), systemic clearance (Cl) and steady-state volume of distribution (Vss) remained unaltered as a function of dose, with values in the range 0.8-1.1 h, 59.6-68.0 ml/min/kg and 2.4-2.7 l/kg, respectively. Whereas, the initial serum concentration (C0) and AUC increased linearly as the dose was increased. Taken together, the pharmacokinetics of apicidin were linear over the i.v. dose range studied. The extent of urinary and biliary excretion of apicidin was minimal (0.017%-0.020% and 0.049% +/- 0.016%, respectively). Oral pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in fasting and non-fasting groups of rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The Tmax, Cl/F and Vz/F were in the range 0.9-1.1 h, 520.3-621.2 ml/min/kg and 67.6-84.4 l/kg, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the oral absorption profiles between the two groups of rats. Apicidin was poorly absorbed, with the absolute oral bioavailability of 19.3% and 14.2% in fasting and non-fasting rats.     

Oral bioavailability of omeprazole before and after chronic therapy in patients with duodenal ulcer.

1. This study investigated the mechanism of the increase in oral bioavailability of omeprazole during repeated oral dosing. Eight patients with duodenal ulcer received an i.v. dose of omeprazole before and after a 4-week course of oral omeprazole, 20 mg daily, given as enteric-coated granules. 2. AUCoral and oral bioavailability (F) increased during omeprazole treatment by 50% (P less than 0.01) and 35% (P less than 0.05), respectively. 3. There was no change in the systemic clearance of omeprazole after i.v. dosage following the course of treatment. 4. We conclude that the increased omeprazole AUC observed on repeated administration of enteric-coated granules is due to increased systemic availability rather than decreased systemic elimination. The increased availability appears to be due to increased gastrointestinal absorption rather than decreased first-pass hepatic extraction.     

The Kinetics of Citalopram: Single and Multiple Dose Studies in Man

Abstract: The kinetics of citalopram were studied in a group of volunteers after oral (8 subjects) and intravenous (4 subjects) single doses and repeated oral administration (7 subjects). Inter- and intraindividual variation was limited and linearity of kinetics indicated. Systemic and apparent oral clearance estimates (mean 0.42 1 plasma/min.) were similar, indicating roughly complete systemic availability. The presence of unchanged drug in urine, corresponding to 1/7 of the dose, suggests elimination by renal as well as hepatic processes. The data from the intravenous test revealed two compartment kinetics; the total volume of distribution was estimated to about 11501 and that of the central compartment to 1751. Upon repeated administration steady-state conditions were generally achieved after one week in agreement with the 33 hrs half-life of elimination. Citalopram peak concentrations were reached within 2–4 hrs after the daily dose and maximally two-fold variation was recorded in the 24 hrs dose interval. The levels of a main pharmacodynamically active metabolite were roughly half as high as the drug levels.     

Pharmacokinetics of l-propranolol during repetitive dosing in normal and uranyl nitrate-induced renal failure rats

The effect of experimental renal failure on the intravenous and oral pharmacokinetics of l-propranolol was studied in rats. Renal failure was induced by a single intravenous injection of uranyl nitrate (5 mg/kg). Pharmacokinetic studies were carried out on the fifth day after injection of the renal toxin (renal failure group) or saline (control group). Serum concentration time course of l-propranolol was characterized after a single intravenous or oral dose as well as after five consecutive doses of the drug given at 3-hr intervals. During repetitive intravenous drug administration, steady state was reached by the second dose, i.e., within 6 hr after initiation of repetitive dosing. No significant difference in the serum concentration time course of l-propranolol was observed between control and renal failure animals. In both groups the AUC over the steady-state dosing interval was on the average 21-27% higher than the AUC after a single dose, indicating a slight decrease in the systemic clearance of l-propranolol during repetitive intravenous drug administration. An approximately two- to three-fold higher serum l-propranolol concentration was observed in renal failure animals as compared to the normal controls after both single or repetitive oral dosing. The apparent reduction in oral clearance probably reflected an inhibition of the hepatic first-pass metabolism of l-propranolol in the renal failure rat. An unexpectedly high and protracted accumulation of serum l-propranolol concentration was observed during repetitive oral drug administration. Continuing accumulation was still evident after the fifth oral dose, i.e., a period of 15 hr or approximately 10 half-lives. The mean AUC over the last dosing interval was 32.0 and 17.8 times higher than the predicted steady-state estimate based on single oral dose data for control and renal failure rats, respectively. The substantial reduction in the oral clearance during repetitive drug administration may be due to an auto-inhibition of l-propranolol metabolism.     

Absolute bioavailability of chlorthalidone in man: A cross-over study after intravenous and oral administration

Summary Seven normal human volunteers each received a constant-rate infusion of chlorthalidone for 2 h, and the same (commonly 50 mg) single oral dose on separate occasions. The concentration of unchanged chlorthalidone was analyzed over a 100 to 220 h period in plasma, red blood cells, urine and faeces after both dosage forms. A three compartment model was required to describe the intravenous plasma concentrations in five of the subjects. A two compartment model sufficed to account for the decay of the oral plasma concentrations in all seven subjects. The mean plasma t_1/2 after i.v. dosing was 36.5 h (±10.5 SD), and the mean plasma t_1/2 after oral doses was 44.1 h (±9.6 SD). The mean red blood cell concentration t_1/2 after i.v. doses was 46.4 h (±9.9 SD), and the mean red blood cell t_1/2 after the oral doses was 52.7 h (±9.0 SD). The shorter i.v. half-live was not equally manifest in all subjects, being mainly apparent in three of them. In all cases the urinary excretion rate plots were parallel to the plasma concentration curves. As the faster decay after i.v. administration was not accompanied by increased renal clearance, the difference must have been due to non-renal mechanism. The mean total of 65.4 (±8.6 SD) % of the intravenous dose was excreted in urine over infinite time, whereas the mean total excretion after the oral dose was 43.8 (±8.5 SD) %. Faecal excretion ranged from 1.3–8.5% of dose in the i.v. study to 17.5–31.2% of dose in the oral study. The sum of the amounts present in urine plus faeces pointed strongly to an important metabolic route of elimination of chlorthalidone. Bioavailability estimates (F) from three sets of data were — a mean F of 0.61 from plasma concentrations, 0.67 from urinary excretion measurements and 0.72 from the erythrocyte concentrations. Simulations with a non-linear model indicated lesser validity of the estimate from erythrocyte concentrations. It was concluded that the average of plasma and urine data, F=0.64, yielded the best estimate of the oral availability of chlorthalidone 50 mg in man.     

Pharmacokinetics and excretion of phenol red in the channel catfish.

1. Disposition of phenol red was examined in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) after oral or intravascular (i.v.) dosing at 10 mg/kg body weight. 2. Phenol red was not detectable in plasma, urine, or bile after oral administration. 3. After i.v. dosing, plasma concentrations of phenol red were best described by a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with distribution and elimination half-lives of 2.3 and 21 min, respectively. The apparent volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) was 225 ml/kg and total body clearance (Clb) was 658 ml/h per kg. Plasma protein binding was 19%. 4. Biliary excretion was the primary route of elimination of phenol red; in 24 h, 55% of the i.v. dose was excreted in bile compared with 24% in urine. No metabolites were detected in these fluids. 5. The use of anaesthesia during dosing had no effect on the quantitative excretion of phenol red by renal or biliary routes.     

Dose-dependent biliary and renal excretion of paracetamol in the rat.

In rats, the biliary and renal excretion of paracetamol changed in a dose-dependent manner. After an oral nonhepatotoxic dose of 200 mg/kg paractamol, the drug excreted in the bile amonted to only 5.5% within 24 h, whereas 72% of the dose were excreted into the urine. Following an oral hepatoxic dose (1,000 mg/kg), the biliary excretion of thotal paracetamol was enhanced to 13.5% whereas the renal elimination was reduced to 51% of the dose. After a nontoxic intravenous treatment with paracetamol (25-100-400 mg/kg), both the excretion of paracetamol conjugates into the bile and the elimination of free paracetamol into the urine were augmented in a dose-dependent manner. Hepatic damage due to carbon tetrachloride pretreatment (0.5 ml/kg i.p. 24 h before 100 mg/kg paracetamol i.v.) diminished both the bile flow and the biliary excretion of paracetamol conjugates, whereas the renal elimination was not affected.