Chloroquine pharmacokinetics in pregnant and nonpregnant women with vivax malaria.
OBJECTIVE
We compared the pharmacokinetics of chloroquine in pregnant and nonpregnant women treated for Plasmodium vivax malaria.


METHODS
Twelve pregnant women and 15 nonpregnant women of child-bearing age with acute P. vivax malaria were treated with 25 mg chloroquine base/kg over 3 days on the northwestern border of Thailand. Blood concentrations of chloroquine and desethylchloroquine were measured using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection. Twenty-five women completed the pharmacokinetic study.


RESULTS
Although increasing gestational age was associated with reduced chloroquine AUC0-->infinity, there was no significant difference overall in the pharmacokinetics of chloroquine between pregnant and nonpregnant women. Fever was associated with lower chloroquine AUC0-->infinity values. Desethylchloroquine area under the curve (AUC) values were not significantly affected by pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy did not significantly affect blood concentrations of chloroquine or its metabolite, desethylchloroquine, in women with P. vivax malaria.
Lee
Sue Jean
SJ
Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, MORU, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
McGready
Rose
R
Fernandez
Christine
C
Stepniewska
Kasia
K
Paw
Moo Koo
MK
Viladpai-nguen
Samuel Jacher
SJ
Thwai
Kyaw Lay
KL
Villegas
Leopoldo
L
Singhasivanon
Pratap
P
Greenwood
Brian M
BM
White
Nicholas J
NJ
Nosten
François
F
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
D000962:Antimalarials; D002738:Chloroquine; C007278:desethylchloroquine