The uptake and elution of lignocaine and procainamide in the hindquarters of the sheep described using mass balance principles

Mass balance principles were used to describe the uptake and elution of lignocaine (lidocaine) and procainamide in the hindquarters of the sheep. Each of four sheep received a right atrial infusion of either lignocaine · HCl (2.7 mg/min) or procainamide · HCl (5.5mg/min) for 180 min. Paired arterial and inferior vena cava (draining the hindquarters) blood samples were taken at 20-min intervals during the infusion and for 180 min after the infusion. Lignocaine and procainamide mean total body clearances were 2.9 L/min (SD 1.1) and 1.3 L/min (SD 0.2), respectively. An index of the uptake and elution of these drugs in the hindquarters was estimated from the net drug mass per unit hindquarter blood flow;indirect evidence suggested that hindquarter blood flow was constant. All the net mass/flow of procainamide that was taken into the hindquarters during the infusion also eluted after the infusion, demonstrating reversible distribution into the tissues. However, uptake of procainamide was still occurring when blood concentrations were constant, indicating that the concentrations of procainamide in the hindquarters were not in equilibrium with the inferior vena cava concentrations. Lignocaine did not reach constant blood concentrations during the infusion and showed no tendency to reach arteriovenous equilibration; an arteriovenous difference of 22%(SD5%) across the hindquarters was measured during the last 60 min of the infusion. By 180 min after the lignocaine infusions, 79% (SD 8%) of the lignocaine net mass/flow had not eluted from the hindquarters when arterial and venous lignocaine concentrations were not significantly different. This drug could remain uneluted due to metabolism and/or avid tissue binding, and presents difficulties in the interpretation of pharmacokinetic data whether based on arterial or venous blood sampling.This work was funded by a grant from National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. RNU was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship.     

The uptake and elution of lignocaine and procainamide in the hindquarters of the sheep described using mass balance principles

Mass balance principles were used to describe the uptake and elution of lignocaine (lidocaine) and procainamide in the hindquarters of the sheep. Each of four sheep received a right atrial infusion of either lignocaine.HCl (2.7 mg/min) or procainamide.HCl (5.5 mg/min) for 180 min. Paired arterial and inferior vena cava (draining the hindquarters) blood samples were taken at 20-min intervals during the infusion and for 180 min after the infusion. Lignocaine and procainamide mean total body clearances were 2.9 L/min (SD 1.1) and 1.3 L/min (SD 0.2), respectively. An index of the uptake and elution of these drugs in the hindquarters was estimated from the net drug mass per unit hindquarter blood flow; indirect evidence suggested that hindquarter blood flow was constant. All the net mass/flow of procainamide that was taken into the hindquarters during the infusion also eluted after the infusion, demonstrating reversible distribution into the tissues. However, uptake of procainamide was still occurring when blood concentrations were constant, indicating that the concentrations of procainamide in the hindquarters were not in equilibrium with the inferior vena cava concentrations. Lignocaine did not reach constant blood concentrations during the infusion and showed no tendency to reach arterio-venous equilibration; an arterio-venous difference of 22% (SD 5%) across the hindquarters was measured during the last 60 min of the infusion. By 180 min after the lignocaine infusions, 79% (SD 8%) of the lignocaine net mass/flow had not eluted from the hindquarters when arterial and venous lignocaine concentrations were not significantly different. This drug could remain uneluted due to metabolism and/or avid tissue binding, and presents difficulties in the interpretation of pharmacokinetic data whether based on arterial or venous blood sampling.     

Analysis of vinyl acetate metabolism in rat and human nasal tissues by an in vitro gas uptake technique.

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models require estimates of catalytic rate constants controlling the metabolism of xenobiotics. Usually, these constants are derived from whole tissue homogenates wherein cellular architecture and enzyme compartmentation are destroyed. Since the nasal cavity epithelium is composed of a heterogeneous cell population measurement of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes using homogenates could yield artifactual results. In this article a method for measuring rates of metabolism of vinyl acetate, a metabolism-dependent carcinogen, is presented that uses whole-tissue samples and PBPK modeling techniques to estimate metabolic kinetic parameters in tissue compartments. The kinetic parameter estimates were compared to those derived from homogenate experiments using two methods of tissue normalization. When the in vitro gas uptake constants were compared to homogenate-derived values, using a normalization procedure that does not account for tissue architecture, there was poor agreement. Homogenate-derived values from rat nasal tissue were 3- to 23-fold higher than those derived using the in vitro gas uptake method. When the normalization procedure for the rat homogenate-derived values took into account tissue architecture, a good agreement was observed. Carboxylesterase activity in homogenates of human nasal tissues was undetectable. Using the in vitro gas uptake technique, however, carboxylesterase activity was detected. Rat respiratory carboxylesterase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were about three and two times higher than those of humans, respectively. Activities of the rat olfactory enzymes were about equivalent to those of humans. K(m) values did not differ between species. The results suggest that the in vitro gas uptake technique is useful for deriving enzyme kinetic constants where effects of tissue architecture are preserved. Furthermore, the results suggest that caution should be exercised when scaling homogenate-derived values to whole-organ estimates, especially in organs of cellular heterogeneity.     

The influence of amikacin on digoxin uptake by certain rabbit tissues in vitro

The influence of amikacin on digoxin uptake by various rabbit tissues was investigated in vitro. 125J-digoxin was used and radioactivity was counted in a gamma scintillation counter. Amikacin decreases digoxin uptake by the renal tissue and this action is probably due to a displacing effect. On the contrary, amikacin increases digoxin uptake by striated and cardiac muscle. It is suggested that the latter action is due to a vasodilating effect of the aminoglycoside antibiotic that favors the microcirculation of the above tissues.     

Quercetin uptake and metabolism by murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro

Quercetin (Q), a bioflavonoid ubiquitously distributed in vegetables, fruits, leaves, and grains, can be absorbed, transported, and excreted after oral intake. However, little is known about Q uptake and metabolism by macrophages. To clarify the puzzle, Q at its noncytotoxic concentration (44μM) was incubated without or with mouse peritoneal macrophages for different time periods. Medium alone, extracellular, and intracellular fluids of macrophages were collected to detect changes in Q and its possible metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that Q was unstable and easily oxidized in either the absence or the presence of macrophages. The remaining Q and its metabolites, including isorhamnetin and an unknown Q metabolite [possibly Q⁻ (O-semiquinone)], might be absorbed by macrophages. The percentage of maximal Q uptake by macrophages was found to be 2.28% immediately after incubation; however, Q uptake might persist for about 24 hours. Q uptake by macrophages was greater than the uptake of its methylated derivative isorhamnetin. As Q or its metabolites entered macrophages, those compounds were metabolized primarily into isorhamnetin, kaempferol, or unknown endogenous Q metabolites. The present study, which aimed to clarify cellular uptake and metabolism of Q by macrophages, may have great potential for future practical applications for human health and immunopharmacology.     

The uptake of [35S]methimazole by sheep thyroid slices in vitro

The uptake of [³⁵S]methimazole by sheep thyroid slices has been shown to be activated in the presence of iodide. The total uptake (Q) of [³⁵S]methimazole was shown to be the sum of a saturable process and a non-saturable process. The constants Q_max, K_s and P in the two-term equation were determined using a published statistical method and a Fortran IV computer programme. Diiodotyrosine (DIT) at a 0.1 mM concentration stimulated the saturable uptake of [³⁵S]methimazole appreciably in the absence of iodide, whilst thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) inhibited uptake in the presence of iodide and was of no effect in the absence of iodide. Propylthiouracil (PTU) inhibited the saturable uptake of [³⁵S]methimazole whilst perchlorate had no effect.     

A comparison of the covalent binding of clozapine, procainamide, and vesnarinone to human neutrophils in vitro and rat tissues in vitro and in vivo

Covalent binding of drug reactive metabolites to neutrophils or their precursors is thought to play a role in the development of drug-induced agranulocytosis. In this study, we used immunochemical techniques to compare the covalent binding of clozapine, vesnarinone, and procainamide (three drugs associated with agranulocytosis) to phorbol-12,13-myristate acetate (PMA)-activated human neutrophils in vitro and rat tissues in vivo. In PMA-activated human neutrophils in vitro, clozapine and procainamide modified neutrophil proteins with molecular masses ranging from 30 to 200 kDa, while vesnarinone predominately formed adducts with molecular masses greater than 70 kDa. All three drugs formed adducts at 126, 98, and 58 kDa, and they all covalently bound to human myeloperoxidase when incubated with this enzyme and H2O2 in vitro. Covalent binding to PMA-activated neutrophils was inhibited by nucleophiles, such as glutathione and N-acetylcysteine, but not by N-acetyllysine. In the presence of the PMA, all three drugs covalently bound to activated rat bone marrow cells in vitro, while in its absence only clozapine did. Covalently modified liver proteins were observed in rats treated for 6 weeks with clozapine (25 or 50 mg/kg/day), vesnarinone (300 mg/kg/day), or procainamide (50 mg/kg/day). Clozapine extensively modified proteins in all subcellular fractions; procainamide formed a 99 kDa adduct in a membrane-containing fraction and 57, 47, and 36 kDa adducts in a cytosolic fraction, while vesnarinone formed liver-protein adducts with molecular masses of 82, 62, 49, and 40 kDa in membrane, cytosolic, and S9 fractions. In addition, clozapine and procainamide, but not vesnarinone, formed a 49 kDa drug-protein adduct in the bone marrow of treated rats. Furthermore, procainamide covalently bound to a 58 kDa protein in neutrophils of a patient treated with the drug. We suspect that covalent modification of common targets in the neutrophils by these three drugs plays a role in the development of drug-induced agranulocytosis.     

The inhibition of histamine uptake and metabolism by burimamide in the guinea-pig atrium and in mouse neoplastic mast cells, in vitro

Burimamide, an H(2)-receptor blocking agent, has been shown capable of blocking the uptake and metabolism of [(14)C]-histamine, both in the guinea-pig isolated atrium and in murine neoplastic mast cells. This occurs even at concentrations far below the dose range capable of blocking the positive chronotropic effect of histamine in the isolated atrium. In the atrium, very low concentrations of burimamide were found capable of blocking histamine metabolism.     

The effects of pentobarbitone and pethidine on foetal breathing movements in sheep.

1 Small doses of pentobarbitone (4 mg/kg i.v.) administered to sheep in the last third of pregancy had little overt effect on the mothers. In the foetus they caused arrest of breathing movements, an alteration in the character of the electrocorticogram and cardiovascular changes which varied with gestational age. 2 In contrast, relatively large doses of pethidine (100-200 mg) admininstered to the mother had no consistent effect on normal foetal breathing movements, though they abolished the foetal response to hypercapnia. 3 The results are discussed in relation to feotal sleep state.     

Uptake and elution of chlormethiazole, meperidine, and minaxolone in the hindquarters of sheep: implications for clearance calculations

Mass balance principles were used to describe the uptake and elution of chlormethiazole, meperidine, and minaxolone in the hindquarters of sheep. Sheep received a right atrial infusion of either chlormethiazole (3.71 mg/min) or meperidine (2.70 mg/min) for 180 min, or minaxolone (0.37 mg/min) for 120 min. Paired arterial and inferior vena cava (draining the hindquarters) blood samples were taken during and after the infusion. The mean and SD (n = 4) of the time-averaged extraction ratios across the hindquarters (determined from the relevant arterio-venous area under blood concentration--time curves) were 0.12 (0.10), 0.36 (0.13), and 0.27 (0.05) for chlormethiazole, meperidine, and minaxolone, respectively. The rank order of the rate of uptake of the drugs into the hindquarters was the same as the rank order of their lipophilicity, and uptake still continued when both the arterial and inferior vena cava drug concentrations were essentially constant. For chlormethiazole, meperidine, and minaxolone, 48% (44), 4% (6), and 35% (17), respectively, of the drug taken into the hindquarters eluted from the hindquarters after the infusion. Drug uptake and retention in extravisceral tissues, represented here by the hindquarters, can result in the mean total body drug clearance being overestimated when determined by traditional systemic pharmacokinetic methods.     

Comparative metabolism and covalent binding of procainamide by human leukocytes.

Activated neutrophils and monocytes were found to metabolize procainamide to a reactive hydroxylamine. In contrast, there was little or no metabolism by lymphocytes or platelets. Therefore, it appears that only leukocytes that contain myeloperoxidase can metabolize procainamide to a significant degree. There was no difference in the degree to which neutrophils from males or females metabolized procainamide; however, monocytes from males formed significantly more hydroxylamine than did monocytes from females. By use of radiolabeled procainamide, covalent binding of procainamide to leukocytes was detected, and the degree of binding correlated with the cells' ability to oxidize procainamide. These findings suggest that myeloperoxidase is the major enzyme involved in the formation of reactive metabolites by leukocytes, a pathway that we propose may be responsible for procainamide-induced lupus and agranulocytosis.     

Effect of paraoxon on erythrocyte metabolism as measured by oxygen uptake in vitro

1. Oxygen consumption in vitro and persistence in the general circulation of rabbit erythrocytes treated with the cholinesterase inhibitor paraoxon were determined.2. Paraoxon in vitro reduced oxygen consumption below a measureable level within 2 hours. By contrast, the metabolic inhibitor N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) produced complete inhibition within 15 minutes.3. Erythrocytes from rabbits orally dosed with parathion also exhibited marked depression of oxygen consumption.4. Glutathione (GSH) restored oxygen uptake to pretreatment levels within 15 min in erythrocytes previously inhibited with NEM or paraoxon.5. Erythrocytes treated with NEM were rapidly removed from the general circulation while paraoxon treated cells were removed at a rate comparable to untreated cells.     

Inhibition of lignocaine metabolism by beta-adrenoceptor antagonists in rat and human liver microsomes

1. The inhibition of lignocaine metabolism by beta-adrenoceptor antagonists (beta-blockers) was investigated in rat and human liver microsomes. 2. Thirteen beta-blockers (concn. 50 microM) incubated with substrate (4.27 microM) and rat liver microsomes, showed a strong linear correlation between percentage inhibition of lignocaine metabolism and the distribution coefficients of the beta-blockers (r2 = 0.842, P less than 0.001). Similar results for four beta-blockers were obtained using human liver microsomes. 3. In rat liver, which metabolizes lignocaine by aromatic hydroxylation and N-dealkylation, inhibition was selective for the former route. Human liver microsomes metabolize the drug mainly by N-dealkylation and inhibition of this pathway was observed. 4. Liver microsomes from rats treated orally with beta-blockers (0.34 nmol kg per day for 5 days) showed impaired metabolism of lignocaine and impaired formation of 3-hydroxy-lignocaine, despite the absence of significant residues of beta-blocker. 5. 14C-Propanolol was bound irreversibly to rat liver microsomal protein; binding accounted for 4.1 +/- 0.3% (n = 4) dose after 30 min incubation. Exclusion of co-factors and addition of glutathione (GSH, 1 mM) lowered binding by 96% and 70%, respectively. Propanolol inhibited lignocaine metabolism to the same extent in the presence or absence of GSH. The 14C-propanolol bound to liver microsomes from propranolol-treated rats decreased in parallel with inhibition of lignocaine metabolism at 18 to 48 h after pretreatment. 6. These studies indicate at least two mechanisms for the inhibition of lignocaine metabolism by beta-blockers, namely, a 'lipid solubility hypothesis', where the effects may be related to the unchanged drug and a 'metabolite hypothesis', with the possible involvement of an irreversibly bound species.     

Postoperative course of plasma protein binding of lignocaine, ropivacaine and bupivacaine in sheep.

The plasma protein binding of the 2,6-xylidide local anaesthetic agents lignocaine, ropivacaine and bupivacaine enantiomers was determined by equilibrium dialysis in plasma obtained from chronically catheterized sheep before and up to 21 days after surgery. Three concentrations (1, 5 and 10 mg L-1), were used for each agent. Concentration-dependent binding was evident for each agent throughout the study period. R(+)-Bupivacaine was more extensively bound than S(-)-bupivacaine at the higher concentrations. Compared with pre-surgery, binding of each agent was less on the first postoperative day but did not differ significantly from days 8 to 21.