Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

An Intestine/Liver Microphysiological System for Drug Pharmacokinetic and Toxicological Assessment
Published on: December 3, 2020
Evaluation of promotility agents to limit the gut bioavailability of extended-release acetaminophen
Christopher S Amato1, Richard Y Wang, Robert O Wright
1Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, New Jersey, USA.
Background:
Erythromycin and neostigmine have both been shown to act as gastrointestinal promotility agents.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether either erythromycin or neostigmine, administered parenterally, would result in lower serum levels of a recently ingested drug, when compared with placebo.
Methods:
Ten volunteers ingested 1300 mg of extended-release acetaminophen on each of three occasions. They were then given an intravenous dose of erythromycin (200 mg), neostigmine (2 mg), or placebo. Each volunteer received all three treatments in a counterbalanced fashion, each separated from the next by at least two weeks. Blood for serum acetaminophen concentration was drawn at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h after treatment, and the serum acetaminophen elimination curves were compared for the three treatments.
Results:
The elimination phase of the curves did not differ among the treatments as a result of administration of the prokinetic agents.
Conclusions:
Under the present conditions, administration of erythromycin and neostigmine as prokinetic agents failed to alter the kinetics of an ingested dose of sustained-release acetaminophen.
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