Hair analysis of flecainide for assessing the individual drug-taking behavior.
OBJECTIVE
The concentration of flecainide in hair was measured to determine its value as an index of individual drug-taking history.


METHODS
Hair samples obtained from 15 patients treated with flecainide for more than 1 month were cut into 1-cm-long portions successively from its scalp end. The concentration of flecainide in each hair portion was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography.


RESULTS
Flecainide was detected in the 1-cm-long hair portion at the scalp end in the concentration range of 38.0-411.9 ng x mg(-1), which significantly correlated with the area under the plasma flecainide concentration versus time curve. The axial centimeter-by-centimeter distribution of flecainide along the hair shaft well reflected the individual history of drug use.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests the usefulness of determining flecainide in hair to provide retrospective information on the individual drug-taking behavior qualitatively.
Takiguchi
Yoshiharu
Y
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokushima, 1-78 Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505, Japan. takiguti@ph2.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Ishihara
Rie
R
Torii
Mayumi
M
Kato
Rinya
R
Kamihara
Susumu
S
Uematsu
Toshihiko
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D005424:Flecainide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D005424:Flecainide