Plasma concentrations of isosorbide dinitrate after cutaneous and sublingual doses to human subjects

A calculation of percutaneous drug absorption--I. Theoretical

Several theoreticals for simulating percutaneous drug absorption with a computer aid are proposed. By using our theoreticals, the simulation can be made for the process not only during an ointment application but also after its removal. The flow rate of drug from vehicle to skin and that from skin to blood also be estimated. In addition, we defined an apparent length of diffusion, ld and showed how to assess ld. The effect of a change in regional blood flow on drug flux from the skin at the quasi-steady-state is discussed.

Isosorbide dinitrate plasma concentrations and bioavailability in human subjects after administration of standard oral and sublingual formulations

The bioavailability of isosorbide dinitrate from formulations containing 5, 10, and 20 mg in tablets and 10 mg in solution for oral use and 5 mg in tablets for sublingual use, has been compared. When adjusted for dose, the peak mean plasma drug concentrations after oral administration were similar (e.g., 9.2 ng/mL after a 10-mg tablet) and about one-half that obtained after sublingual administration. Drug concentrations declined monoexponentially with mean half-lives ranging from 25-36 min. The relative bioavailability of isosorbide dinitrate from the oral formulations was not significantly different (p greater than 0.05) over the dose range studied, whereas the relative bioavailability after sublingual administration was about twice as great (p less than 0.01) as that after oral administration. The plasma drug concentration-time profile after administering the 5-mg sublingual tablet was similar to that obtained after administering orally a solution containing 10 mg, indicating that the latter should be as clinically effective as the former.

Bronchodilator effect of sublingual isosorbide dinitrate in asthma

The bronchodilating effect of 5 mg sublingual isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) was studied in 10 patients with bronchial asthma, using the double-blind randomised cross-over method with matched placebo. In a further 20 asthmatics the effect of sublingual ISDN was compared with that of metaproterenol given by a metered dose inhaler to a total dose of 2.25 mg, again using the cross-over method. The forced oscillation method was used to measure respiratory resistance (Rrs) and spirometry was used to measure vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). 5 minutes after administration of ISDN Rrs had decreased (p less than 0.05) and VC (p less than 0.01) and FEV1 (p less than 0.01) were significantly increased. The changes were still present after 15, 30 and 60 min. The placebo had no significant effect. ISDN increased FEV1 less than metaproterenol, and the difference between them was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between ISDN and metaproterenol in the improvement in Rrs and VC. Of the total of 30 patients, 11 experienced headache and 4 had transient hypotension after ISDN administration. These side effects subsided spontaneously. It was concluded that sublingual ISDN had a bronchodilating effect in stable asthmatics.

Clinical pharmacokinetics of organic nitrates

Plasma concentrations of glyceryl trinitrate (nitroglycerin), isosorbide dinitrate and isosorbide 2- and 5-mononitrates in man have been measured after administration via different routes. Appropriate precautions have to be taken in the administration of these agents (to avoid loss during intravenous infusion), and in their sampling and assay. Pharmacokinetic calculations based on plasma concentrations should be viewed with caution, as the data on which these calculations are based are often very limited, and the very rapid disappearance of for example glyceryl trinitrate from plasma makes the choice of an appropriate kinetic model and exact calculations difficult. Glyceryl trinitrate disappears from plasma within a few minutes, and a high apparent volume of distribution and a very high systemic clearance are found. After oral administration, plasma concentrations are very low; with sublingual or cutaneous administration, higher plasma concentrations can be obtained, suggesting a high first-pass extraction after oral administration, but quantitative data on bioavailability are lacking. For isosorbide dinitrate the systemic clearance, although high, is lower than for glyceryl trinitrate; disappearance from the plasma is slower and plasma concentrations after different routes of administration are much higher. Here too, quantitative data on bioavailability are lacking. High plasma concentrations of isosorbide 2-mononitrate and isosorbide 5-mononitrate are found in plasma after administration of isosorbide dinitrate. These metabolites have a good bioavailability, and half-lives of around 2.5 hours for isosorbide 2-mononitrate and 5 hours for isosorbide 5-mononitrate. Only very limited data are available about the influence of disease states and interactions with food and other drugs on the kinetics of the organic nitrates. It is very difficult to correlate the effects of the nitrates to their plasma concentrations; counter-regulation, development of tolerance, and the presence of metabolites could disturb the interpretation of such a relationship. It is at present impossible to predict the pharmacological effects or the efficacy of organic nitrates on the basis of their plasma concentrations.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of intravenous and topical nitroglycerin in the rhesus monkey: estimate of percutaneous first-pass metabolism

[14C]Nitroglycerin was administered intravenously and topically to three rhesus monkeys and the pharmacokinetics were determined. The rhesus monkey is an animal model for which percutaneous absorption is similar to that in the human. After intravenous administration the decline in plasma nitroglycerin concentration was biexponential with an initial half-life of 0.8 min (2-5 min postadministration) and a terminal half-life of 18 min (5-60 min postadministration). After topical application in an ointment, plasma concentrations of unchanged nitroglycerin were first detectable at 0.25 hr postapplication. Peak plasma nitroglycerin concentrations occurred between 4-6 hr, and nitroglycerin was still detectable at 24 hr postapplication. Plasma levels fit a biexponential curve with an alpha-phase half-life of 3.0 hr, a beta-phase half-life of 4.3 hr, and a lag time of 0.5 hr. The absolute bioavailability of topical nitroglycerin was 56.6 +/- 5.8%. The differences in bioavailability estimates between unchanged nitroglycerin and total carbon-14 is considered to be the amount of nitroglycerin which is metabolized as it is absorbed through the skin (percutaneous first-pass effect). This value for topical nitroglycerin was quite small, only 16-21% depending on the method of comparison.

A standard approach to compiling clinical pharmacokinetic data

A standard format for a Clinical Pharmacokinetic Summary is proposed. It consists of a heading, tables, notes, and references for each drug reviewed. The table presents a unified and logical set of clinically useful population pharmacokinetic parameters. They concern four major areas: absorption, distribution, elimination, and the relationship of concentration to effect. Within each major group, parameters dealing with extents and rates of processes are given. Each such parameter is really two: a population mea value (for example, average volume of distribution) and the standard deviation of individual values about this mean. The first value allows individual predictions of dosage or drug level to be made; the second allows computation of the likely proximity of subsequently observed quantities to those predictions. The table presents single consensus values for each population parameter, rather than a list of values. A procedure for computing these consensus values, and for revising them in the light of new data, or reinterpreted old data, is given. Examples of Summaries are given. The method appears applicable to a variety of drugs. We suggest our approach as a standard one for preparing Clinical Pharmacokinetic Summaries, and urge our colleagues to consider it for that purpose.

Fate of isosorbide dinitrate and mononitrates in patients with renal failure

Isosorbide dinitrate 10 mg, isosorbide 5-mononitrate 5 mg and isosorbide 2-mononitrate 5 mg were administered orally to subjects with and without renal failure, and the plasma concentrations of isosorbide dinitrate and of both the mononitrates were measured. There was no striking difference in plasma concentration as a function of time between subjects with and without renal failure, except for a somewhat higher isosorbide 5-mononitrate concentration after administration of this metabolite to uraemic patients.

Effects and pharmacokinetics of isosorbide dinitrate in normal man

18 subjects were given isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) 5 mg sublingually and serum concentrations of ISDN, 2-isosorbide mononitrate (2-ISMN) and 5-isosorbide mononitrate (5-ISMN) were measured, as well as changes in digital plethysmographic amplitude, heart rate, ECG, blood pressure and Schellong's test. ISDN was rapidly absorbed and metabolized, having an elimination half-life of 29 min. Its metabolites 2-ISMN and 5-ISMN had longer half-lives of 1.75 and 7.6 h respectively. The amplitude of the alpha-wave of the digital plethysmograph did not change significantly either in the pre-drug period or after placebo administration. It increased within 4 min of administration of ISDN, and reached a maximum after 14 min; the effect lasted for about 2 h. ISDN lowers blood pressure and increases heart rate in most volunteers, but in 3 of the 18 subjects severe hypotension occurred, accompanied by severe, reversible bradycardia, which was probably due to vagal reflexes initiated by the markedly diminished ventricular enddiastolic volume (LVEDV) and pressure (LVEDP). No correlation could be demonstrated between the serum concentration of ISDN and/or its vasoactive metabolites and changes in plethysmographic amplitude.

Measurement of plasma concentrations of isosorbide dinitrate

Concentrations of the vasodilator isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in human plasma can be measured with good sensitivity (about 0.2--0.5 ng ml-1) using electron-capture gas chromatography after a one-stage extraction. The mean recovery of ISDN from plasma was 83 per cent +/- 9 standard deviation (S.D.). The precision of the method for the measurement of ISDN in plasma ranged from +/- 14 per cent at 1 ng ml-1 to +/- 7 per cent at 5 ng ml-1 to +/- 4 per cent at 50 ng ml-1. The 95 per cent confidence limits of the least-squares regression calibration line forced through the origin were +/- 100 percent at 1 ng ml-1, +/- 11 per cent at 10 ng ml-1, and +/- 8 per cent at 30 ng ml-1. The method has been used to assay many samples withdrawn after doses of drug at therapeutic levels to normal subjects.

Pharmacokinetics of isosorbide dinitrate after intravenous infusion in human subjects

Plasma concentrations of isosorbide dinitrate have been measured after intravenous infusion of drug at a rate of 5.0 mg h-1 for 150 min and after single equal oral doses of 12.5 mg of drug in solution to two normal human subjects. During the infusion, uneven plateau concentrations were approached after 30 min. The calculated average steady-state plasma levels were 258 ng ml-1 and 514 ng ml-1 in the two subjects respectively. The half-life of elimination of isosorbide dinitrate after termination of the infusion was 9--10 min. After oral doses, peak plasma levels of 26.6 ng ml-1 and 12.7 ng ml-1 occurred at 10 min and 20 min in the two subjects respectively. The terminal half-life of drug after the oral doses was much longer than the elimination half-life (about 10 min), and was associated with the absorption phase. Fairly good agreement was obtained between the observed concentrations and those predicted by a one-compartment open model. The systemic availability of isosorbide dinitrate after the oral doses was up to only 3 per cent of the equal doses infused, indicating that presystemic elimination processes accounted for very large proportions of the oral doses. The systemic clearances of drug after infusion of 0.32 l min-1 and 0.16 l min-1 were unexpectedly low for a drug of reported high liver extraction ratio.