Disposition and metabolism of pravastatin sodium in rats, dogs and monkeys.

Pravastatin sodium (pravastatin) is a potent inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, and was found to be highly effective in animals and humans, in lowering the plasma cholesterol level by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis selectively in the liver. In the present study the disposition and metabolism of pravastatin was studied in rats, dogs and monkeys using [14C]-labelled compound. The extent of absorption was approximately 70% in rats and 50% in dogs. Tissue distribution examined by both whole-body autoradiography and radioactivity measurement demonstrated that the drug was selectively taken up by the liver, a target organ of the drug, and excreted via bile mainly in unchanged form. Since pravastatin excreted by the bile was reabsorbed, the enterohepatic circulation maintained the presence of unchanged pravastatin in the target organ. The profiles of metabolites were studied in various tissues and excreta and a metabolic pathway of pravastatin was proposed.