Methylprednisolone-hemisuccinate and its metabolites in serum, urine and bile from two patients with acute graft rejection.

Methylprednisolone-hemisuccinate (MPHS), methylprednisolone (MP), 20-alpha-hydroxy- (20 alpha HMP) and 20-beta-hydroxymethyl-prednisolone (20 beta HMP) concentrations were measured in serum, urine and bile from two liver transplant recipients who had received 1 g MPHS by a 1 h intravenous infusion for treatment of an acute rejection episode. These patients excreted similar total amounts of the dose in urine as patients with rheumatoid arthritis (historical controls) who had normal liver function. The transplant patients showed a ratio in urine of 'total metabolites'/MPHS that was one third that of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Less than 0.2% of the administered MPHS appeared in bile as MPHS, MP, 20 alpha HMP and 20 beta HMP during the 24 h following infusion. Liver transplantation did not affect the overall elimination of drug in urine. However, the impaired liver function following transplantation resulted in reduced conversion of MPHS to its active form (MP).