The effect of oral metoclopramide on the absorption of cyclosporine.

This study was performed to determine the effect of coadministered oral metoclopramide on the absorption of oral cyclosporine in 14 kidney transplant patients. The study was conducted on two consecutive days. Ten patients were studied twice, and 4 patients once, giving 24 studies. The total dosage of metoclopramide was 20 mg. The day on which metoclopramide was administered was chosen randomly. Whole-blood cyclosporine levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Coadministration of cyclosporine with metoclopramide resulted in a significant increase in mean maximum blood concentration (567 ng/ml versus 388 ng/ml) and mean area under the blood-concentration-versus-time curve (4120 ng X hr/ml versus 3370 ng X hr/ml); and a significant decrease in mean time to reach maximum concentration. The mean increase in area under the blood-concentration-versus-time curve was 29%. No significant changes were observed in the elimination of cyclosporine when it was coadministered with metoclopramide. These observations suggest that coadministered metoclopramide increased the total absorption of cyclosporine. Metoclopramide has been shown to hasten gastric emptying; since cyclosporine is absorbed predominantly in the small intestine, coadministration of metoclopramide resulted in increased bioavailability of cyclosporine.