title: Acitretin (Neotigason). A review of pharmacokinetics and teratogenicity and hypothesis on metabolic pathways.
abstract: Acitretin was introduced as a replacement for etretinate, the ethyl ester of acitretin. Acitretin is eliminated at a much faster rate than etretinate. Although both drugs are teratogens, the replacement was important especially as it allowed for a much shorter post-medication period in which pregnancy should be precluded. Recent findings showed the presence of etretinate in the plasma of acitretin-treated patients. This article gives a review of known metabolic pathways of the retinoids and tries to elucidate the possible conversion of acitretin into etretinate after acitretin ingestion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, University Centre for Pharmacy, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bouvy
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sturkenboom
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cornel
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: De Jong-Van den Berg
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Stricker
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wesseling
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D017255:Acitretin; D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D005050:Etretinate / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014212:Tretinoin; D005050:Etretinate; D017255:Acitretin