The effect of liver dysfunction on colchicine pharmacokinetics in the rat.

Recent work has shown that colchicine may benefit patients with primary biliary or alcoholic cirrhosis. However, very little is known about its pharmacokinetics in the presence of impaired liver function. To study this we examined the effects of three models of experimental liver dysfunction and one of cytochrome P-450 inhibition on colchicine elimination in the rat. The models of experimental liver dysfunction included bile duct ligation (with sham-operated controls), alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate-induced intrahepatic cholestasis and galactosamine-induced diffuse hepatocellular necrosis. The control group had a colchicine clearance of 77.33 ml/min.kg +/- 8.27 ml/min.kg, a half-life of 16.68 min +/- 0.97 min and a volume of distribution of 1.84 L/kg +/- 0.15 L/kg. Cimetidine administration, 120 mg/kg intraperitoneally 15 min before colchicine administration, caused clearance to decrease by 32% (p less than 0.05) and half-life to increase by 38% (p less than 0.05). Volume of distribution did not change. At 48 hr after bile duct ligation, colchicine clearance decreased by 84% (p less than 0.05), terminal half-life increased to 513.7 min +/- 106.6 min (p less than 0.05) and volume of distribution increased by 175% (p less than 0.05). Colchicine pharmacokinetics in sham-operated rats were not statistically different from the above mentioned controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)