The influence of sustained release theophylline therapy on free fatty acids in serum.

The serum concentrations of theophylline, total free fatty acids (FFA) and subgroups were studied in ten healthy volunteers treated with sustained release theophylline twice daily during 9 days. Analyses were performed before and on day 1, 4 and 9 of treatment. Mean theophylline serum levels within the therapeutic range were obtained during the study, ranging from 62 +/- 7 to 82 +/- 10 mumol/l. The mean serum concentrations of total FFA and subgroups increased significantly during treatment, showing the highest levels on day 4. Comparing fasting total FFA concentrations, an increase of 123% and 48% from pretreatment levels were found on day 4 and 9, respectively. The subgroups were influenced to a different degree by theophylline intake. Arachidonic acid (20:4) was not increased, while among the others, saturated FFA increased less than the unsaturated.