The application of clearance concepts to propranolol disposition in man

Toxicity of beta-blockers in a rat whole embryo culture: concentration-response relationships and tissue concentrations

Beta-adrenoceptor blockers are widely used drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Since beta-blockers cross the placenta, it is essential to consider possible adverse effects on the embryo. Six beta-adrenoceptor blockers were tested at various concentrations (10-5000 microM) in a rat whole embryo culture. Although inducing a very similar pattern of dysmorphogenetic effects (incomplete flexure, disturbed development of the neural tube, the head, the heart and the tail bud), the compounds exhibited a wide range of embryotoxic potency. Estimation of the EC50 (median-concentration producing dysmorphogenesis in 50% of the embryos) for the six compounds revealed differences of more than two orders of magnitude: propranolol 25 microM, alprenolol 30 microM, metoprolol 100 microM, pindolol 150 microM, acebutolol 500 microM, atenolol 4000 microM. Measurements of the concentrations of the various drugs in the cultured embryos at corresponding EC50 levels showed differing values: metoprolol 4.5 microM, propranolol 5.2 microM, alprenolol 8.4 microM, pindolol 9.0 microM, acebutolol 12.5 microM and atenolol 77.0 microM. With regard to the EC50 and the degree of substance transfer to the embryo it can be stated that propranolol and metoprolol show a much higher intrinsic potency to interfere with normal in vitro embryonic development than, e.g. atenolol.

Effect of increased bile flow and bile acid secretion on the hepatic elimination of sodium valproate in the cat

The effect of increased bile flow and hepatic bile acid flux on the systemic clearance and hepatic elimination of intravenously administered sodium valproate was studied in the bile fistula cat. Taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDC), tauro-3 alpha, 7 beta-dihydroxy-12-keto-5 beta-cholanoic acid (T12K), SC-2644, and secretin were infused intravenously to vary bile flow and biliary bile acid secretion. Control animals were infused with 0.15 mol/l NaCl. Less than 1% of the drug administered to controls appeared as unchanged valproate in the bile over 6 h. Although SC-2644, T12K, and secretin significantly increased biliary excretion of valproate, it did not exceed 2% of the intravenous dose. Biliary clearance was directly related to the rate of bile flow, but not to the bile acid flux. By contrast, 18-19% of the dose appeared in bile as metabolite in controls, and none of the choleretic agents significantly increased this percentage. As a result, systemic clearance of valproate was unaltered. We conclude that the movement of unchanged valproate into bile is consistent with a process of simple diffusion. The fact that choleretic agents do not increase metabolite excretion into bile suggests that metabolite formation may be the rate-limiting step in the hepatic elimination of valproate, rather than transport and excretion of metabolites into bile.

Regeneration of beta-adrenergic receptors in senescent rats: a study using an irreversible binding antagonist

The drug used in this study, bromoacetylalprenololmenthane, has the ability to bind and block irreversibly beta-adrenergic receptors. The drug was bound to membranes prepared from hearts, lungs, and brains of both senescent and young rats with a similar affinity. When this drug was injected into rats in nontoxic doses (up to 70 mg/kg), up to 90% of beta-adrenergic receptors were irreversibly blocked 4 hr after injection, whereas the injection of similar amounts of (+/-)-alprenolol was without effect on receptor number. In senescent animals this blockade lasted considerably longer than in young animals; receptor numbers in hearts and lungs of senescent rats returned to control levels only 1 month after injection. The number of beta-adrenergic receptors in brains of senescent rats was unaffected by this drug. Thus, based upon the long-lasting blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors in therapeutically important organs, it appears that irreversible binding blockers may have potential in the treatments of senescent organisms.