An investigation of the pharmacological response to vitamin K1 in the rabbit.

1. The relationship between pharmacological response and disposition of a dose of vitamin K1 (10 mgkg-1, i.v.) in normal rabbits and in rabbits treated with the coumarin anticoagulant brodifacoum, has been studied. 2. High performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.) with electrochemical detection (EC) was used to determine concentrations of vitamin K1 in plasma, whole liver homogenate, and liver microsomes. 3. After intravenous administration of vitamin K1, plasma concentrations of the vitamin declined in a tri-exponential fashion. There were no differences between the two groups over the first 24 h of the experiment. However, between 24 h and the end of the study, plasma concentrations of vitamin K1 in the presence of brodifacoum were significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) below those of vehicle-treated rabbits. 4. Seventy-two hours after administration of vitamin K1, plasma concentrations of the vitamin were not different from normal. 5. Three hours after administration of vitamin K1, the concentrations of the vitamin in whole liver were 46.6 +/- 4.3 micrograms g-1 in the presence of brodifacoum, and 32.8 +/- 6.4 micrograms g-1 in the absence of brodifacoum; and were significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) greater than normal (127.7 +/- 44.3 ng g-1). Likewise, microsomal concentrations of vitamin K1 (4.00 +/- 2.38 micrograms mg-1 protein, and 2.65 +/- 1.01 micrograms mg-1 protein, in the presence and absence of brodifacoum, respectively) were significantly (P less than or equal to 0.01) greater than normal (16.0 +/- 3.5 ng mg-1 protein). 6 In conclusion, there appears to be no direct effect of coumarins on clearance of vitamin K1 from either plasma or liver; the need for large doses of vitamin K1 during coumarin poisoning is due to a greatly increased requirement for the vitamin.