Clinical chronopharmacology of oral sustained-release isosorbide-5-mononitrate in healthy subjects.

In 10 healthy male subjects the pharmacokinetics and haemodynamic effects of sustained-release isosorbide-5-mononitrate 60 mg (IS-5-MN) were studied after oral administration at two different times in the day (08.00 h and 20.00 h). Effects on blood pressure and heart rate after 3 min standing upright were measured in relation to the individual circadian control values. The pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, tmax, AUC, t 1/2) did not differ after morning and after evening dosing, tmax being 5.2 h and 4.9 h, respectively. In contrast, the cardiovascular effects of IS-5-MN were clearly circadian phase-dependent. The maximum decrease in blood pressure decrease and increase in heart rate occurred significantly earlier after the evening (BPsys 2.8 h; BPdia 2.9 h; HR 3.8 h) than after the morning dose (BPsys 5.0 h; BPdia 6.0 h; HR 5.2 h). Thus, the peak haemodynamic effects coincided with the peak drug concentration after the morning dose, whereas the peak effect was in advance of the peak drug concentration after the evening dose of IS-5-MN. The data provide evidence of circadian phase-dependency in the dose-response relationship of oral IS-5-MN.