Intraperitoneal administration of the antitumour agentN-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]acridine-4-carboxamide in the mouse: bioavailability,pharmacokinetics and toxicity after a single dose

Summary The pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and toxicity of the antitumour agentN-2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl]acridine-4-carboxamide (AC) were studied after i.p. administration of ³H]-AC (410 mol/kg) to mice. The latter is the optimal single dose for the cure of advanced Lewis lung tumours. AC was rapidly absorbed into the systemic circulation after i.p. administration, with the maximal concentration (C _max) occurring at the first time point (5 min). There was no reduction in bioavailability as compared with previous i.v. studies, but the shape of the plasma concentration-time profile was considerably different, reflecting a 3-fold lowerC _max value (20.9±3.6 mol/l) and a longert _1/2 value (2.7±0.3 h) as compared with that observed after i.v. administration (1.6±0.6 h). Model independent pharmacokinetic parameters after i.p. administration were: clearance (C), 17.5 l h^–1 kg^–1; steady-state volume of distribution (V_ss), 14.1 l/kg; and mean residence time (MRT), 1.46 h. High but variable tissue uptake of AC was observed, with tissue/plasma AUC ratios being 5.7 for heart, 8.4 for brain, 18.9 for kidney and 21.0 for liver but with similar eliminationt _1/2 values ranging from 1.3 to 2.7 h. All radioactivity profiles in plasma and tissues were greater than the respective parent AC profiles and showed prolonged eliminationt _1/2 values ranging from 21 h in liver to 93 h in brain. However, tissue/plasma radioactivity AUC ratios were near unity, ranging from 0.7 to 1.57, with the exception of the gallbladder (15.6), which contained greater amounts of radioactivity. By 48 h, approximately 70% of the total dose had been eliminated, with the faecal to urinary ratio being approximately 2:1. This i.p. dose was well tolerated by mice, with sedation being the only obvious side effect. No major change was observed in blood biochemistry or haematological parameters. Comparisons ofC _max,t _max and AUC values determined for AC in brain after its i.p. and i.v. administration suggest that the reduction in acute toxicity after i.p. administration is not due to reduced exposure of the brain to AC as measured by AUC but may be associated with the lowerC _max value or the slower rate of entry of AC into the brain after i.p. administration.This study was supported by the Cancer Society of New Zealand. The senior author (S.M.H.E.) is the recipient of a Health Research Council of New Zealand Junior Research Award