Summary
Deslanatoside C-3H was injected (i.p. 50 μg/kg) into rabbits of 1, 4, 10, 20 days and more than 1 year old. The rabbits were sacrificed 2 and 6 h after dosing.
Levels in all tissues were higher in newborn rabbits, decreased in the older animals and then in most tissues increased in adults to different degrees, showing the highest values in kidneys. Biliary excretion and above all urinary excretion increased with age. Levels in atria, ventricles, aorta and liver in rabbits 1 and 4 days old were consistently higher at the 6th h than those at the 2nd h, these tissues showing a particularly marked avidity with Deslanatoside C; in the older animals this behaviour was reversed.
These data and those of other Authors working on other glycosides (including Digoxin) and other species (including newborn children) lead to the conclusion that digitalis glycosides in newborn species are excreted at a lower rate and incorporated in the body tissues at a higher rate than in adults. They may also in part explain the large dosages employed in human infants in comparison with adults, as the higher distribution volume retains a large amount of the injected glycoside.
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This study was supported in part by Grant No. 73-01373.43.115.6057 from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (C.N.R.)
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Marzo, A., Ghirardi, P., Lorenzi, G. et al. Tissues concentration and excretion of Deslanatoside C-3H in newborn and growing rabbits. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 302, 73–76 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586600
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586600