Radioimmunoassay for the 7-hydroxy metabolite of trifluoperazine and its application to a kinetic study in human volunteers

Ultraviolet B (UVB) light-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells and its augmentation by certain phenothiazine compounds

When rat peritoneal mast cells were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light (UVA, UVB and UVC), histamine release was evoked in a dose (intensity X time) dependent manner. The potency order of UV light in inducing the histamine release was UVC > UVB >> UVA. In this study, we focused on the effect of ultraviolet B (UVB) on histamine release from rat mast cells. The UVB-induced histamine release occurred at doses higher than 7.8 kJ m(-2), even at 4 degrees C. At a UVB dose of 18.8 kJ m(-2), where a 51.9+/-4.8% histamine release and a 58.8+/-6.8% degranulation took place, Trypan blue-stained cells accounted for 14.4+/-1.3% of the cells, and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release was about 4.9+/-2.8%. This suggests that the membrane permeability to low molecular weight substances was increased by UVB exposure. The UVB-induced histamine release was inhibited by ascorbic acid at concentrations higher than 500 microM, suggesting the involvement of a radical reaction in the process. The UVB-induced histamine release was enhanced by some phenothiazine compounds, i.e., promethazine, trimeprazine, mequitazine, chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine, ethopropazine and thioridazine. We conclude that the phototoxicity of phenothiazine compounds may be due in part to an enhancement of UVB-induced histamine release from mast cells.

A pharmacokinetic study of trifluoperazine in two ethnic populations

The single dose pharmacokinetics of trifluoperazine (5 mg, Stelazine) were investigated in black (n = 25) and white (n = 32) healthy male subjects. Plasma samples were harvested over 24 h and analysed by a GLC-MS method. There were wide intersubject variations in all pharmacokinetic parameters examined, including Cmax, AUC, apparent oral volume of distribution at steady state, and elimination half-life. For each of these parameters the distribution was positively skewed in both blacks and whites and the geometric mean gave a better estimate of central tendency than the corresponding arithmetic mean. In all pharmacokinetic parameters examined there was no significant difference detected between black and white subjects or between smokers and non-smokers.