title: Pharmacokinetics and hepatotoxicity of diclofenac using an isolated perfused rat liver.
abstract: Pharmacokinetics and hepatotoxicity of diclofenac was studied in a recirculating model of isolated perfused rat liver. Ten male Sprague-Dawley rat (weighing 230-330 g) livers were perfused for 2 h with 250 mL Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer that contained 10.75 mg (group A, n = 5) and 1.075 mg (group B, n = 5) of diclofenac (approximately 100 and 10 times the therapeutic dose in man, respectively). Samples were collected from the efflux at regular time intervals for the determination of diclofenac concentrations by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Pharmacokinetic analyses were carried out using a computer program. To establish viability of the liver and toxicity of the drug, enzyme activity measurements of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT) and piruvate aminotransferase (SGPT) were performed by a spectrophotometric method. Oxygen consumption was also recorded during the entire perfusion period. Both groups presented bicompartmental kinetics. Concentration profiles showed that group B had a better metabolizing capacity, reflected in a 85.54 +/- 37.05 min half-life, a 0.52 +/- 0.19 mL min-1 g-1 liver clearance and a 0.517 +/- 0.188 extraction ratio, compared to group A, which presented a 123.95 +/- 88.13 min half-life, a 0.1164 +/- 0.067 mL min-1 g-1 liver clearance (P < 0.002) and a 0.116 +/- 0.680 extraction ratio (P < 0.002). LDH activity showed a significant increase in group A at 90 min in comparison with the control group, while in group B this increase was significantly higher at 10 min (P < 0.004). The aminotransferase levels did not show a significant increase. According to these results, diclofenac would not have a direct hepatotoxic effect, even at doses 100 times higher than therapeutic ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: González-Martin
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guevara
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D004008:Diclofenac; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase