Antipyrine clearance and metabolite excretion in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to study whether chronic hepatitis C affects the three metabolic pathways of the model drug antipyrine differently.


METHODS
We measured antipyrine clearance from saliva as well as urinary excretion of its main metabolites 4-hydroxy-antipyrine, 3-hydroxy-methyl-antipyrine, and nor-antipyrine in 24 patients with chronic hepatitis C and in 21 healthy control subjects. Due to incomplete urine collection, 12 liver patients and three controls were excluded.


RESULTS
Antipyrine clearance (mean +/- SD) was significantly lower in patients with chronic hepatitis C, 1.2 +/- 0.7 l.h-1 (n = 12), than in controls (n = 18), 2.2 +/- 1.0 l.h-1 (p = 0.006). The urinary excretion of each of the metabolites was depressed to an equal extent in liver patients. The severity of the liver disease, as assessed by Child Pugh score, serum albumin and bilirubin, correlated significantly with antipyrine clearance and urinary excretion of the metabolite 3-hydroxy-methyl-antipyrine. The hepatitis activity index (Knodell) correlated with 3-hydroxy-methyl-antipyrine and 4-hydroxy-antipyrine, only.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate-severe chronic hepatitis C does not seem to depress the three main metabolic pathways of antipyrine differently.
Ali
H A
HA
Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
el-Yazigi
A
A
Sieck
J O
JO
Ali
M A
MA
Raines
D A
DA
Saour
J
J
Ernst
P
P
Khan
B
B
Døssing
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000983:Antipyrine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000652:urine; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000077553:Edaravone; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values
C007983:4-hydroxyantipyrine; C031820:3-hydroxymethylantipyrine; D000077553:Edaravone; D000983:Antipyrine