Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic interaction between ritonavir
(RTV) and an anti-HIV agent 3-cyanomethyl-4-methyl-DCK (CMDCK). CMDCK was administered
orally (8 mg/kg) and intravenously (2 mg/kg) to rats in the absence or presence of
RTV (1 or 2.5 mg/kg). By comparing the pharmacokinetic parameters between the control
and the RTV treated groups, it was found that co-administration with RTV could significantly
increase the plasma exposure of CMDCK, through improving the hepatic and intestinal
availabilities. The AUCinf of CMDCK was increased by 2.4 or 8.7 times for intravenous or oral route, respectively.
The oral bioavailability of CMDCK was increased from 15% of the control group to 45%
of the RTV concomitant group (2.5 mg/kg). In the in vitro studies with liver and intestinal
microsomes, the K
i
values of RTV on the CMDCK metabolism were determined and found to be 0.22 and 0.48 µM
for human, 0.33 and 1.60 µM for rat, respectively. Caco-2 cells study showed that CMDCK is not a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate and its transepithelial
transport is mainly through passive diffusion. The in vitro and in vivo results indicate
that RTV could improve the bioavailability of CMDCK by inhibiting CYP3A mediated metabolism
in both liver and intestine.
Key words
antiviral drug - metabolism - pharmacokinetics - drug interaction