Influence of serum protein binding on hepatic clearance of S-disopyramide in the rabbit

Alpha‐1‐acid glycoprotein directly affects the pharmacokinetics and the analgesic effect of methadone in the rat beyond protein binding

Methadone is a basic drug highly bound to alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), a plasma protein that increases in several pathological situations. Our aims were to evaluate the processes (pharmacokinetics-PK and/or pharmacodynamics-PD) associated with changes of methadone analgesia under conditions of increased AGP, and whether these changes are dependent on binding, secondary to a pathology, or directly attributable to AGP. AGP levels, in rats, were increased by two different methods: (a) experimental inflammation with turpentine oil (TP), and (b) by directly infusing the protein (exo-AGP). Both had a corresponding control group. Tail-flick analgesia and PK were evaluated after methadone dose (0.35 mg/kg i.v.). Bicompartmental PK parameters as well as interanimal and assay variabilities were estimated using NONMEM. The relationship between Cp and analgesic effect (PD) was analyzed with WINNONLIN. AGP levels in both pretreated groups (TP and exo-AGP) were significantly increased, and the unbound fraction (fu) was decreased, compared to controls. All PK parameters were lower in the pretreated groups, but in exo-AGP the difference was maintained even when corrected by fu. Paradoxically, also in exo-AGP the analgesic effect was practically nonexistent, although the unbound Cp remained high, possibly associated to a change in the PD. AGP appears responsible for alterations in both PK and PD, beyond protein binding and inflammatory processes.

Human alpha-1-glycoprotein and its interactions with drugs

For about half a century, the binding of drugs to plasma albumin, the "silent receptor," has been recognized as one of the major determinants of drug action, distribution, and disposition. In the last decade, the binding of drugs, especially but not exclusively basic entities, to another plasma protein, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), has increasingly become important in this regard. The present review points out that hundreds of drugs with diverse structures bind to this glycoprotein. Although plasma concentration of AAG is much lower than that of albumin, AAG can become the major drug binding macromolecule in plasma with significant clinical implications. Also, briefly reviewed are the physiological, pathological, and genetic factors that influence binding, the role of AAG in drug-drug interactions, especially the displacement of drugs and endogenous substances from AAG binding sites, and pharmacokinetic and clinical consequences of such interactions. It can be predicted that in the future, rapid automatic methods to measure binding to albumin and/or AAG will routinely be used in drug development and in clinical practice to predict and/or guide therapy.

Kinetic interaction between fluoxetine and imipramine as a function of elevated serum alpha-1-acid glycoprotein levels

The effect of elevated serum alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) levels on the pharmacokinetic interaction between imipramine and fluoxetine has been examined by utilizing a novel strain of transgenic mice which express serum AAG levels several times greater than normal. Before fluoxetine treatment, serum imipramine levels were approximately three times greater in transgenic mice than in control mice. Despite higher serum imipramine levels in transgenic mice, brain drug levels were lower than those found in control mice. Fluoxetine pre-treatment (20 mg kg(-1) for 5 days) resulted in an increase in serum imipramine levels in both groups of mice and the extent of the increase was greater in transgenic mice than in control mice (4.5-fold increase compared with 3.1-fold). Similarly, fluoxetine pre-treatment resulted in an increase in brain levels of imipramine in both groups of mice and the extent of the increase was greater in transgenic mice than in control mice (3.0-fold increase compared with 2.0-fold). Similar trends were observed for levels of desipramine in the serum and brain. Serum imipramine and desipramine levels did not correlate with their respective brain levels in the presence of elevated serum AAG levels before and after pre-treatment. These findings indicate that the extent of increases in imipramine and desipramine serum and brain levels are greater during elevated serum AAG states than during normal AAG states when imipramine is co-administered with fluoxetine.

Models of hepatic drug elimination

The liver is, by nature, heterogeneous. It contains a complex vascular network for blood flow and a stationary phase consisting of enzymes within parenchymal cells. Several physiological processes, therefore, may combine to give observed ranges in drug elimination. Net changes in concentration are a consequence of a series of steps: uptake of substrate into liver cells, enzymatic reactions within the cells, release of metabolites and unconverted substrate from the cells into the sinusoids, and the net flow of the perfusing medium in the vasculature. In addition, substrate binding to proteins in the blood and in the liver can influence hepatic elimination. An understanding of each of these processes is necessary to fully comprehend the overall process of drug elimination, and these processes must be accounted for, either individually or by grouping and approximation, if a model for drug elimination is to be developed. Existing models of hepatic elimination may be classified according to their treatment of mixing within the vasculature and whether or not the model explicitly accounts for mass transfer between the heterogeneous phases of the liver. Four major classes may be defined: 1. Nonparametric homogeneous models, which assume that either complete mixing or no mixing occurs within the vasculature of the organ. 2. Homogeneous mixing models, which allow for a range of mixing phenomena. 3. Heterogeneous micromixing models, which allow for mass transport between the cells and vasculature and describe mixing within the vasculature on a microscopic level. 4. Heterogeneous compartmental models, which also describe interphase mass transfer but assume complete mixing on a microscopic level, and therefore use a time and spatially averaged approach to model mixing. The utility of these models of hepatic elimination will be critically assessed based upon (1) their ability to account for the influence of the aforementioned physiological processes upon elimination; (2) the data requirements of the model, in addition to its mathematical complexity and ease of use; and (3) the range of compounds and metabolites which may be described using the model.

Stereoselective gastrointestinal clearance of disopyramide in rabbits treated with activated charcoal

The ability of activated charcoal to enhance the drug elimination of two enantiomers, R- and S-disopyramide, was compared in rabbits. Orally administered activated charcoal significantly decreased the area under the serum concentration curve of R-disopyramide, whereas the same treatment had no effect on that of S-disopyramide. The difference could be explained by the difference in the hepatic extraction ratio of two enantiomers in rabbits. S-Disopyramide is a drug of high hepatic extraction ratio in rabbits and R-disopyramide is of intermediate hepatic extraction ratio. Equations were derived to illustrate the influence of the hepatic extraction ratio on the apparent gastrointestinal clearance. A higher hepatic extraction ratio decreases the apparent gastrointestinal clearance of a drug. This phenomenon may explain some unsuccessful experiments of gastrointestinal dialysis. When considering the use of activated charcoal to enhance systemic drug elimination, the hepatic extraction ratio of the drug should be included.