Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P H Rowe

Publications and source records attributed to P H Rowe.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Phenobarbitone interaction with oral contraceptive steroids in the rabbit and rat.

1 The effect of phenobarbitone on the single dose pharmacokinetics of the synthetic steroids, ethinyloestradiol (EE2) and norethisterone, has been studied in the rabbit and rat. 2 EE2 is subject to an extensive first pass effect (96%). The plasma clearance of EE2 approaches total hepatic blood flow. It is suggested that a secondary peak in EE2 plasma concentration time curves at 5 h is due to enterohepatic recycling. Phenobarbitone had no effect on plasma EE2 concentrations following intravenous administration and produced a variable decrease after oral administration. 3 In phenobarbitone-treated rabbits, following intravenous administration of norethisterone there was no significant change in the area under the curve (AUC) compared to controls. In contrast, following oral administration of norethisterone to treated rabbits, the AUC was 20% and the peak plasma concentration 17% of that in controls. 4 The data in rabbits are consistent with drugs which are highly extracted by the liver. 5 In rats, phenobarbitone had no effect on plasma norethisterone concentrations following intravenous or hepatic portal (bolus) administration, but caused a decrease in systemic availability after both infusion into the portal vein (over a period of 5 min) and oral administration. 6 It is concluded that the rate of delivery of norethisterone to the liver is important in determining whether or not enzyme induction will cause an increased first pass effect. 7 Phenobarbitone caused an increase in conjugation of norethisterone in the gastrointestinal tract of rats.

Animals↗

The effect of rifampicin on norethisterone pharmacokinetics.

The pharmacokinetics of norethisterone have been studied in 8 women during and one month after treatment with rifampicin (450--600 mg/day). Rifampicin caused a significant reduction in the A.U.C. of a single dose of 1 mg norethisterone from 37.8 +/- 13.1 to 21.9 +/- 5.9 ng/ml X h (p less than 0.01). The plasma norethisterone half life (beta-phase) was also reduced from 6.2 +/- 1.7 to 3.2 +/- 1.0 h (p less than 0.0025). In one additional woman on long term oral contraceptive therapy the 12 hour plasma norethisterone concentration was reduced by rifampicin from 12.3 ng/ml to 2.3 ng/ml. Rifampicin caused a significant increase in antipyrine clearance, 6 beta-hydroxycortisol excretion and plasma gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity but there was no significant correlations between changes in these indices of liver microsomal enzyme induction. There was a significant correlation between the percentage increase in antipyrine clearance and the percentage decrease in norethisterone A.U.C. during rifampicin. The changes in norethisterone pharmacokinetics during rifampicin therapy are compatible with the known enzyme inducing effect of rifampicin.

Adolescent↗

An investigation of the pharmacokinetics of ethynylestradiol in women using radioimmunoassay.

A radioimmunoassay for ethynylestradiol (EE) which is applicable to plasma samples obtained from women, who have taken a combination type oral contraceptive, has been developed and fully validated. Plasma concentration of EE rise to a peak of 128 pg/ml following the oral administration of 50 microgram EE. Following the intravenous administration of the same dose of EE, plasma concentrations of the steroid declined biexponentially, the two half-lives being 0.83 and 6.75 hours. Comparison of the results of the intravenous and oral administration of the steroid suggested that its oral bioavailability is 42%. Although EE thus has a lower bioavailability than norethindrone, the pharmacokinetics of the two steroids, as reflected by half-lives, plasma clearance and volume of distribution, are very similar. The occurrence of a secondary peak in plasma at around 12 hours after dosing gave strong evidence that EE undergoes enterohepatic circulation in women; an event that may have considerable clinical significance.

Administration, Oral↗

Neuroblastoma in adults.

Two cases of neuroblastoma are described in patients who were both more than 25 years old when their symptoms first appeared. The behaviour of this tumour appears less aggressive in adults than in children, but the cases presented illustrate its resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and surgery is suggested as the first line of treatment in adults, even if the growth cannot be removed completely.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

The pharmacokinetics of tritiated ethinylestradiol in the rabbit.

The disappearance of ethinylestradiol from the blood of rabbits has been studied, following the intravenous administration of this steroid. The disappearance followed two exponentials, the first having a half life (t1/2) of 5.5 min and the second, apparently terminal exponential was also rapid (t1/2-69 min). The plasma clearance was 150 ml/min which suggests almost total clearance of this steroid during a single passage through the liver. Bile contained a significant concentration of EE conjugates and thus this steroid could undergo enterophepatic recirculations. A large oral dose of unlabelled EE, given prior to intravenous administration of tritiated EE, considerably altered the pharmacokinetics of the latter by saturating both phase one metabolism (changes of the steroid nucleus) and the secretion of conjugates into bile. It was not clear whether phase two metabolism (conjugation) was also saturated.

Animals↗

First-pass effect of norethindrone in rabbits and rats.

The influence of the route of administration on the pharmacokinetics of the synthetic progestogen norethindrone was studied in the rabbit and rat. In the rabbit, the area under the curve (AUC) after oral administration was 54% of that after i.v. administration. In the rat, the AUC after administration into the hepatic portal vein was 32% of AUCi.v.; after oral administration the AUCoral was 13.7% of AUCi.v. and 57.6% of AUCportal. Therefore, in both the rabbit and rat norethindrone is subject to a first-pass effect. Using the technique of constant withdrawal of blood from the hepatic portal vein after drug administration into the gastrointestinal tract, it was shown the norethindrone is metabolized in the gut wall. Hence, in the rat at least, there are both intestinal and hepatic components of the overall first-pass effect. In addition, increasing the time of intraportal injection from 15 sec to 2 min (thereby reducing the rate of drug delivery to the liver) resulted in the AUC being reduced by 40%. Dose-dependent kinetics were observed with doses of norethindrone greater than 500 microgram/kg.

Administration, Oral↗