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Domestic pigs received single intravenous and oral doses of lorazepam or clonazepam (1 mg/kg), benzodiazepine derivatives biotransformed by glucuronide conjugation and nitroreduction, respectively. Blood samples were simultaneously drawn from portal venous and systemic venous sampling sites during 8 h after dosage. After intravenous dosage with either drug, the area under the serum concentration curve (AUC) for the intact drug, as well as for the principal metabolites (lorazepam glucuronide and 7-aminoclonazepam, respectively), was nearly identical between portal and systemic serum. After oral dosage, absolute systemic availability (relative to intravenous administration) of both lorazepam and clonazepam was incomplete (mean values: 29 and 49%, respectively); however, metabolite levels were also correspondingly lower between oral and intravenous dosages. First-pass hepatic extraction also occurred for both drugs, with mean systemic/portal AUC ratios of 0.60 for lorazepam and 0.74 for clonazepam. Pretreatment with neomycin (1.0 g) had a minimal effect on portal or systemic AUC for intact clonazepam after oral dosage, but 7-aminoclonazepam concentrations were reduced by neomycin pretreatment. Thus incomplete absorption, together with first-pass hepatic biotransformation, appears to explain the incomplete systemic availability of orally administered lorazepam or clonazepam. Biotransformation within the gastrointestinal tract or during absorption through the gastrointestinal mucosa contributes minimally.

Nanogram quantities of flunitrazepam and its major metabolite, desmethylflunitrazepam, can be reliably quantitated in human plasma using electron-capture gas-liquid chromatography. After addition of methylnitrazepam as the internal standard, plasma samples are extracted with an organic solvent (benzene:isoamyl alcohol). The organic extract is separated, evaporated to dryness, reconstituted, and injected onto the chromatograph using an automatic sampling system which allows up to 100 analyses/24 h. The sensitivity limits are 0.5 ng/ml for flunitrazepam and 1-2 ng/ml for desmethylflunitrazepam. Use of the method is illustrated in a study of the pharmacokinetic properties of flunitrazepam following a single 1.0-mg intravenous dose.

Factors influencing hepatic oxidation of antipyrine and conjugation of acetaminophen were evaluated in volunteers who received 1.0 g of antipyrine intravenously and on a different occasion a 650 mg intravenous dose of acetaminophen. In study one, subjects received both drugs in the control state and at another time during coadministration of isoniazid (INH), 180 mg daily. In control versus INH conditions, mean clearance of antipyrine was reduced from 0.67 to 0.60 ml/min/kg as was clearance of acetaminophen from 4.97 to 4.23 ml/min/kg, but these differences were not statistically significant. In study two, females on low-dose estrogen oral contraceptives (OC) and drug-free controls matched for age received both drugs. Compared to controls, OC users had reduced total clearance of antipyrine (0.71 vs. 0.50 ml/min/kg; p less than 0.005) and prolonged antipyrine t1/2 (9.6 vs. 13.3 h; p less than 0.005). For acetaminophen, however, OC users had higher clearance (5.2 vs. 6.1 ml/min/kg) and shorter t1/2 (2.2 vs. 1.9 h) although differences did not attain statistical significance. Clearance of antipyrine and acetaminophen across both studies was not statistically significantly correlated within individuals (r = 0.22). The capacities for drug oxidation and conjugation appear to be controlled by different mechanisms.

Twelve normal subjects aged 24-41 years, and 12 subjects aged 62-79 years, received single 50-mg doses of chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride by mouth and by intravenous injection on two occasions. Chlordiazepoxide volume of distribution was significantly correlated with body weight (r = 0.63, p less than 0.001), but was not related to age or sex. Among male subjects, elimination half-life was prolonged (20 vs. 8 h, p less than 0.025) and clearance reduced (20 vs. 43 ml/min, p less than 0.05) in elderly as opposed to young volunteers. Among women, there was no significant difference between elderly and young subjects in elimination half-life (12 vs. 13 h) or clearance (29 vs. 22 ml/min). Absolute bioavailability of oral chlordiazepoxide was not less than 100%, and was unrelated to age or sex. Among 20 subjects who received a single 1.0- to 1.2-gram intravenous dose of antipyrine on another occasion, clearance of chlordiazepoxide and of antipyrine were significantly correlated (r = 0.62, p less than 0.01). Like many other low-clearance oxidatively metabolized compounds, chlordiazepoxide clearance is reduced and half-life prolonged in elderly men, but not elderly women. Individual variations in chlordiazepoxide clearance are significantly correlated with those of antipyrine, a drug commonly used as an index of hepatic oxidizing capacity.

27 male volunteers aged 20 to 91 years, and 13 female volunteers aged 21 to 33 years, received single 5 to 10 mg doses of diazepam intravenously. Diazepam pharmacokinetics were determined from concentrations measured in multiple plasma samples drawn during 7 days after each dose. Diazepam elimination half-life among males (mean: 66 h) increased significantly with age (r = 0.53, p less than 0.005). Volume of distribution (mean: 1.39 liters/kg) also increased significantly with age (r = 0.67, p less than 0.001). Clearance of total diazepam in males (mean: 0.42 ml/min/kg) tended to decline with age (r = 0.32), but the association was of borderline significance (p = 0.1). Diazepam was extensively bound to plasma protein, with a mean free fraction among male subjects of 1.34%. Free fraction tended to increase with age (r = 0.14). Correction of volume of distribution and clearance for individual differences in binding did not alter the conclusions. Compared to young males, young females had larger volumes of distribution (1.87 vs. 1.34 liters/kg) and higher total clearance (0.63 vs. 0.49 ml/min/kg). These differences were even greater after correction for sex-related changes in protein binding. Elimination half-life did not differ between sexes. Since both age and sex can influence diazepam disposition, both should be considered as independent variables in studies of diazepam pharmacokinetics.

The relation of serum digoxin concentrations (SDC) to subjective manifestations of toxicity was evaluated in 300 patients with permanent transvenous pacemakers. All had been receiving the same daily d

Anesthetized dogs received a single 1.0-mg/kg intravenous dose of flurazepam hydrochloride, following which multiple blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were taken over the next 8 h. Concentrations of flurazepam and its metabolite, desalkylflurazepam, were determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Mean kinetic variables for flurazepam were: volume of distribution 7.9 l/kg, elimination half-life 2.3 h, clearance 37 ml/min/kg, serum free fraction 25% unbound. The metabolic product desalkylflurazepam appeared in serum in low concentrations, and was eliminated with a half-life of 4.9 h. Flurazepam rapidly entered CSF, then was eliminated in parallel with flurazepam in serum. However, the extent of entry into CSF was limited, with the mean ratio of area under the curve for CSF versus serum (0.24) nearly identical to the serum free fraction. Thus, intravenous flurazepam in dogs is characterized by extensive distribution, high clearance, and short half-life. Entry into CSF is rapid, and appears governed by passive diffusion. The extent of CSF entry is limited by protein binding in serum.

5 healthy volunteers received 4–5 mg/kg of quinidine base by 15-min intravenous infusion on two occasions separated by at least 1 week. Multiple venous blood samples and all urine was collected during the 48 h after each dose and were analyzed for concentrations of total and unbound quinidine (following separation by equilibrium dialysis) by a double-extraction spectrophotofluorometric technique. The first quinidine administration was a ‘control’; for the second quinidine administration, propranolol (40 mg orally every 4–6 h) was given, starting 12 h before the quinidine dosage and continuing for the the duration of the trial. A high degree of β-blockade, assessed by intravenous isoproterenol sensitivity, was achieved by propranolol treatment. Mean (± SE) kinetic variables for quinidine during control and propranolol trials, respectively, were: volume of distribution, 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 2.9 ± 0.5 1/kg (NS); elimination half-life, 7.8 ± 1.1 versus 7.6 ± 0.7 h (NS); total clearance, 4.5 ± 0.6 versus 4.3 ± 0.6 ml/min/kg (NS); renal clearance, 1.58 ± 0.2 versus 1.57 ± 0.2 ml/min/kg (NS); percent unbound, 23.0 ± 1.1 versus 23.6 ± 1.3% (NS). Intravenous quinidine produced tachycardia, T-wave flattening, and prolongation of the QT-interval; none of the changes were influenced by propranolol coadministration. Thus propranolol did not significantly alter the pharmacokinetics or acute electrocardiographic effects of intravenous quinidine in healthy volunteers.