Pharmacokinetics of dilevalol and its conjugates in man. Assay method for plasma, blood, urine and bile samples and preliminary pharmacokinetic studies.

The renal and biliary excretion of the beta-adrenoceptor blocking agent dilevalol (CAS 75659-07-3) and its conjugates was examined in a preliminary pharmacokinetic study. Plasma, urine and bile dilevalol concentrations were determined with a simplified procedure that is based on alkaline liquid-liquid extraction using diethyl ether and subsequent reversed-phase HPLC separation of the reconstituted samples (on a PRP-1 stationary phase using a mixture of methanol and pH 9.8 carbonate buffer as mobile phase). Triamterene was used as internal standard. The quantification of the conjugates was accomplished indirectly via enzymatic hydrolysis (glusulase) with and without addition of the beta-glucuronidase inhibitor 1,4-saccharolactone (at a final concentration of 5.5 mmol/l). In the pharmacokinetic study healthy volunteers and cholecystectomised patients with a T-drain received a single oral dose of 200 mg dilevalol. Furthermore, to healthy volunteers an i.v. dose of 60 mg dilevalol was given in order to estimate the absolute bioavailability. From the obtained data the systemic plasma clearance was calculated to be 1708 ml/min. The oral bioavailability was calculated to be 16%. The log concentration-time curves of the metabolites paralleled those of dilevalol in the terminal section with average terminal half-lives of approx. 5 h. In volunteers the fractions of the dose excreted renally were 0.5% for parent drug, 23% for the glucuronide(s) and 8% for the sulfate. The corresponding values found for the patients were not significantly different. In the patients' bile only 1.2% of the total dose were found (0.03% dilevalol, 1.1% dilevalol glucuronide(s), 0.1% dilevalol sulfate).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)