title: An automated blood sampling system to measure lovastatin level in plasma and faeces.
abstract: The aim of this study was to develop an automated sampling method to measure lovastatin in a conscious and freely moving rat. The blood samples were collected by means of the automated blood sampling system DR-II and the faecal samples were collected using a metabolic cage. The concentration of lovastatin was determined by a reversed-phase liquid chromatographic system with a UV absorbance detector. The mobile phase contained acetonitrile and 10 mm NaH2PO4 in the proportions 60:40 (v/v) with a flow-rate of 1 mL/min. The calibration curve was linear in concentration ranges of 0.05-100 and 0.1-100 microg/mL for lovastatin in blood and faecal samples, respectively. Following pharmacokinetic analysis, we identified that the maximum plasma concentration was around 1.18 +/- 0.08 microg/mL at concentration peak time 120 min and almost 78% of loading dose was accumulated in the faeces within 48 h after lovastatin administration (500 mg/kg, p.o.).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 621, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shau-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Kai
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Jiin-Cherng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Tung-Hu
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001331:Automation; D002138:Calibration; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008148:Lovastatin