Binding of imipramine to plasma proteins: effect of hyperlipoproteinemia.

The binding of imipramine to plasma proteins was studied by equilibrium gel filtration. Imipramine was highly bound to lipoproteins as well as to other plasma proteins. The binding to the lipoproteins was higher in hyperlipoproteinemic patients than in normal subjects and correlated well with both plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The overall percent binding of imipramine was also higher in hyperlipoproteinemic patients than in normal subjects. It is concluded that the varying degree of binding of imipramine to plasma proteins as a result of varying lipoprotein concentrations, as well as the special nature of the binding to lipoproteins, may be of kinetic and possibly clinical significance in hyperlipoproteinemic individuals.