Pharmacological disposition of 1,4-bis (2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-ethylamino)-9,10-anthracenedione diacetate in the dog.

1,4-Bis (2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethylamino)-9,10-anthracenedione (NSC 287513) (HAQ) may be selected for clinical trial based on its activity against a number of transplantable rodent tumors. Using a high-pressure liquid chromatograph assay, we have studied the pharmacological fate of HAQ in beagles. After i.v. administration of HAQ at 15 mg/kg (300 mg/sq m), the initial plasma t1/2 of the agent was 9.4 min, and the terminal t1/2 was 115.2 min. A maximal plasma concentration of 24.9 mg of HAQ per liter was attained. A high plasma clearance of 23.5 ml/kg/min was observed in these animals. The extrapolated apparent volume of distribution was 693.7 ml/kg, comparable to that of antipyrine in the dog. In 5 hr, 24.0% of the administered HAQ has been excreted in the urine unchanged, and a trace of a metabolite was detected, amounting to less than 2% of the UV-absorbing (254 nm) materials. However, hepatobiliary excretion constituted the primary route of drug elimination since 39.5% of the dose was found in the bile during the same period. An extraction procedure has been developed to quantify HAQ in tissue homogenates with 75 to 80% recovery. At autopsy, 5 hr after dosing, drug distribution in terms of percentage of the dose administered is as follows: liver, 7%; kidneys, 3.5%; pancreas, 3.1%; small intestine, 1.5%; stomach, 1.3%; spleen, 0.7%; lungs, 0.5%; heart, 0.4%; large intestine, 0.4%; and brain, 0.2%.