The membrane permeabilities of acetaminophen glucuronide and sulfate produced through conjugative metabolism were examined in isolated rat hepatocytes. The glucuronide formed in hepatocytes was gradually released into the medium and its intracellular level decreased. Release of the sulfate formed in hepatocytes occurred more rapidly and its intracellular level remained almost constant. The permeability of acetaminophen was so rapid that it caused instantaneous equilibrium between hepatocytes and the medium. Its intracellular level thus decreased by conjugation reactions, but compensation for this decrease from the medium was soon made so that a constant intracellular level was resumed. The uptake of both preformed glucuronide and sulfate into hepatocytes indicated carrier-mediated transport. From these results, a pharmacokinetic model is proposed in which conjugative metabolism occurs in two consecutive steps: conjugative reactions of the parent compound taken up instantaneously into hepatocytes and membrane transport of conjugates into the medium. Changes in the amount of acetaminophen, its glucuronide, and its sulfate in the hepatocytes and medium as a function of time simulated according to the model closely agreed with those actually observed. Consequently, membrane permeability of the conjugates was concluded to be essential for conjugative metabolism.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of product inhibition on elimination kinetics of ethoxybenzamide in rabbits. Analysis by physiological pharmacokinetic model.

In our previous study [Lin, Sugiyama, Awazu, and Hanano: J. Pharmacokin. Biopharm. 10,649 (1982)], we successfully applied a physiological pharmacokinetic model to quantitative prediction of the elimination and distribution kinetics of ethoxybenzamide in rats and rabbits. The predictions of the time course of ethoxybenzamide concentrations in plasma were good at lower doses (10 and 20 mg/kg), whereas those at high dose (80 mg/kg) were poor. In the present study, therefore, product inhibition was suspected and examined. Product inhibition of ethoxybenzamide deethylation by its metabolite, salicylamide, was demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro studies. The plasma disappearances of ethoxybenzamide after a 20 mg/kg iv injection were determined both in the control and the salicylamide-treated rabbits. In the salicylamide-treated rabbits, the plasma disappearance of ethoxybenzamide was significantly delayed compared to that in control rabbits. This delay was quantitatively explained by the physiological pharmacokinetic model taking the competitive-type of product inhibition into consideration. The apparent dissociation constant for the salicylamide-enzyme complex in vivo was estimated as 0.14 mM. The inhibition of ethoxybenzamide de-ethylation by salicylamide was observed also in in vitro study using liver microsome of rabbits.

Animals↗