The disposition of valpromide in rats and the isolated perfused rat liver.

The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of valpromide (VPD) were investigated in intact rats and in the isolated perfused rat liver (IPL). The rats and the IPLs were divided into three groups. One was a control (untreated) group. The second consisted of intact rats and IPLs obtained from rats pretreated with phenobarbital. A third group of rats received VPD by oral administration. VPD was partially hydrolyzed to valproic acid (VPA) by the IPL following iv administration to intact rats. The fraction of the total body clearance of VPD which furnished VPA as a metabolite (fm) in the rats was 63%. The rate and extent of this conversion were greater in the phenobarbital-pretreated rats and in the IPLs than in the control group. Our studies showed that phenobarbital can induce the hydrolytic biotransformation of VPD to VPA. This is in addition to its known effect on oxidative metabolic pathways. In rats, as in humans and dogs, VPD is biotransformed to VPA in the liver. The complete oral bioavailability of VPD and the fact that the AUC of VPA obtained after oral administration of VPD was not higher than that obtained after the iv injection of VPD indicates that the gastrointestinal tract is not one of the metabolic sites of VPD to VPA conversion.