The disposition of primaquine in the isolated perfused rat liver. Effect of dose size.

The disposition of 14C-radiolabeled primaquine in the isolated perfused rat liver preparation was investigated after the administration of 0.5-, 1.5-, and 5.0-mg doses of the drug. The pharmacokinetics of primaquine in this experimental model were dependent on dose size. Increasing the dose from 0.5 to 5.0 mg produced a significant reduction in clearance from 11.6 +/- 2.5 to 2.9 +/- 1.0 ml X min-1. This decrease was accompanied by a disproportionate increase in the value of AUC from 25.4 +/- 5.9 to 1128.6 +/- 575.7 micrograms X min X ml-1, elimination half-life from 33.2 +/- 10.7 to 413.0 +/- 239.3 min, and volume of distribution from 547.7 +/- 153.1 to 1489.0 +/- 249.0 ml. Furthermore, primaquine exhibited dose dependency in its pattern of metabolism. While the carboxylic acid derivative of primaquine was not detected in perfusate after the 0.5-mg dose, it was the principal perfusate metabolite after the 5.0-mg dose. Primaquine was subject to extensive biliary excretion at all doses; the total amount of 14C radioactivity excreted in the bile decreased from 60 to 30% as the dose of primaquine was increased from 0.5 to 5.0 mg. The metabolite composition of radioactivity excreted in the bile was also examined. Total recovery of the administered radioactivity from bile, perfusate, and liver was essentially complete at all doses. The perfusate concentrations at the conclusion of each experiment (i.e. 5 hr) did not differ among dosage groups. By contrast, increased dose size produced a reduction in the amount of 14C radioactivity recovered in bile which was associated with increased levels of 14C in the liver.