Pharmacokinetics of neothramycin in animals and man.

The pharmacokinetics of neothramycin (NTM) was performed in mice, rabbits and man. Biological half-life of NTM in man after a 20 mg bolus injection produced an alpha phase half-life of 3.63 minutes, a beta phase half-life of 84.5 minutes and a volume of distribution at a steady state of 50.3 liters/body. Its human half-life was longer than those of adriamycin, mitomycin C and neocarzinostatin, and a little shorter than that of bleomycin. In mice and rabbits, NTM was well distributed in the kidney, urinary bladder, squamous tissues, lung, spleen and gastrointestinal tract and it was rapidly excreted in urine and bile. It was partially absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Concentrations of NTM in ascites and pleural fluids in man were also reported.