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Effects of low-dose prednisolone on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in liver transplant recipients: radioimmunoassay with specific and non-specific monoclonal antibodies

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Summary

The following study of cyclosporine pharmacokinetics was performed to investigate the effects of withdrawal of low-dose maintenance prednisolone (0.3–0.6 mg/kg body weight) from the routine immunosuppressive regimen given to 10 liver transplant recipients with stable liver function tests.

After oral administration of cyclosporine (6.4–10.3 mg/kg) whole blood concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) with both a specific monoclonal antibody detecting parent drug and a non-specific antibody additionally detecting a cross-section of metabolites.

Withdrawal of prednisolone produced no significant change in the mean time and concentration of maximum blood cyclosporine (3.3 h and 1160 μg/l, respectively), the initial and terminal elimination half-life (3.5 h and 18.4 h, respectively) and the area under the blood concentration versus time curve (AUC) measured with either the specific or non-specific monoclonal antibody.

Measurements with these two antibodies indicated that the terminal elimination of cyclosporine metabolites was more rapid than for the parent drug (half-life: 14.5 vs 18.4, respectively).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Liver Unit, King's College Hospital and School of Medicine and Dentistry, Denmark Hill, SE5 9RS, London, UK

    J. C. Arnold, J. G. O'Grady, J. M. Tredger & R. Williams

Authors
  1. J. C. Arnold
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  2. J. G. O'Grady
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  3. J. M. Tredger
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  4. R. Williams
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Arnold, J.C., O'Grady, J.G., Tredger, J.M. et al. Effects of low-dose prednisolone on cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in liver transplant recipients: radioimmunoassay with specific and non-specific monoclonal antibodies. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 39, 257–260 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315106

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315106

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