title: Acitretin excretion into human breast milk.
abstract: Retinoid transfer into breast milk was studied in a psoriatric woman receiving oral acitretin at a dosage of 40 mg once daily. Concentrations of the parent compound and its main metabolite, 13-cis acitretin, were measured in serum and mature milk during the initial nine days of therapy, using reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. At steady-state, trace amounts of the drug and metabolite (30-40 ng/ml) appeared in breast milk corresponding to a milk/serum concentration ratio of about 0.18. Acitretin was almost exclusively distributed in the fatty layers of the milk. Although the estimated amount of the drug consumed by a suckling infant would correspond to only 1.5% of the maternal dose, the toxic potential of acitretin justifies its avoidance in breast-feeding women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rollman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pihl-Lundin
mesh_terms: D017255:Acitretin; D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014212:Tretinoin; D017255:Acitretin