Pharmacokinetic study of copper (II) acetylsalicylate

This study was aimed at determination of pharmacokinetic parameters of copper (II) acetylsalicylate (CAS). Ten volunteers received a 60-mg dose of CAS. Blood samples were collected just before and after 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.5, 7.0, 10, and 12.0 h of administration of the drug. The plasma samples were analyzed for CAS and its metabolites by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method having a suitable lower limit of quantification. The dose of 60 mg was well tolerated without any adverse effect. The maximum plasma concentration of CAS was found to be 0.38 mg L(-1) with t (max) of 0.72 h. The plasma half-life, clearance, and volume of distribution of CAS were 8.67 h, 66.30 L h(-1) and 829 L kg(-1), respectively. The elimination of CAS, acetylsalicylic acid, copper salicylate, and salicylic acid follows the first order kinetics with r (2) 0.979, 0.880, 0.991, and 0.998, respectively. The study provided for the first time the pharmacokinetic data for CAS after oral administration of CAS. The data were found to be useful in understanding the claimed enhanced anti-inflammatory activity of the drug as compared with that of acetylsalicylic acid.