Pulmonary uptake of chiral antiepileptic drugs

Abstract

Lungs have important pharmacokinetic functions and arterial concentrations of drugs administered intravenously, even antiepileptic drugs, may be modulated by first pass pulmonary uptake. It may result in altered duration of effect for the drug and could also lead to errors in estimating pharmacokinetic parameters. Possible stereoselective differences in such lung uptake have not yet been carried out. A 6 mg intravenous bolus dose of a racemic antiepileptic drug, racethosuximide, was administered to 20 New Zealand white rabbits. Under anaesthesia, the rabbits were cannulated in the left and right jugular vein and an angiographic balloon catheter passed through the introducer kit into the right ventricle. [excerpt]