Salivary excretion of mexiletine in normal healthy volunteers

To investigate the kinetics and correlation between serum and saliva levels of mexiletine, serum (total and unbound) and saliva drug concentration-time courses have been analysed in five normal healthy volunteers after administration of a single oral dose (200 mg) of the drug. Mexiletine levels in saliva were always higher than those in serum. The drug concentration-time curve in each sample was analysed according to the non-linear least squares regression program MULTI, for a two-compartment model with first-order absorption. The saliva drug concentration in the post-absorption phase was found to be well correlated with either corresponding serum total or serum unbound drug level in four of the subjects. Although there was a large inter-individual variation in the ratio of saliva to serum drug concentrations as well as in the pharmacokinetic parameters, an almost consistent ratio was obtained in each individual.