title: Thalidomide levels in patients with erythema nodosum leprosum.
abstract: Thalidomide is used for the acute treatment and suppression of the cutaneous manifestations of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). In this study, comparisons were made regarding the plasma concentrations of thalidomide in patients with ENL on the course or after leprosy therapy in a prospective clinical trial. Thalidomide concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography on days 1, 3, and 14 of treatment. After 100 mg/d, the thalidomide concentrations ranged from 0.82 to 1.03 and 0.43 to 0.80 microg/mL, on the course or after leprosy therapy, respectively. No differences were observed in thalidomide concentrations between and within the groups. Our results suggested that leprosy multidrug therapy does not seem to affect the plasma concentrations of thalidomide in patients with ENL.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Toxicologia da Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade Federal do Pará, Augusto Corrêa Street 01, Belém, Para, Brazil. jvieira@ufpa.br
authors.forename: José Luiz Fernandes
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Maria do Socorro da Silva
authors.initials: Mdo S
authors.lastname: Valente
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D013792:Thalidomide