title: Effects of low-dose prednisolone on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in liver transplant recipients: radioimmunoassay with specific and non-specific monoclonal antibodies.
abstract: The following study of cyclosporine pharmacokinetics was performed to investigate the effects of withdrawal of low-dose maintenance prednisolone (0.3-0.6 mg/kg body weight) from the routine immunosuppressive regimen given to 10 liver transplant recipients with stable liver function tests. After oral administration of cyclosporine (6.4-10.3 mg/kg) whole blood concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) with both a specific monoclonal antibody detecting parent drug and a non-specific antibody additionally detecting a cross-section of metabolites. Withdrawal of prednisolone produced no significant change in the mean time and concentration of maximum blood cyclosporine (3.3 h and 1160 micrograms/l, respectively), the initial and terminal elimination half-life (3.5 h and 18.4 h, respectively) and the area under the blood concentration versus time curve (AUC) measured with either the specific or non-specific monoclonal antibody. Measurements with these two antibodies indicated that the terminal elimination of cyclosporine metabolites was more rapid than for the parent drug (half-life: 14.5 vs 18.4, respectively).
authors: Liver Unit, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, UK.
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Arnold
authors: J G
authors: JG
authors: O'Grady
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Tredger
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D011239:Prednisolone