Disposition of nitrendipine in patients with chronic liver diseases

Metabolism of nitrendipine occurs principally in the liver. Therefore, an alteration of pharmacokinetics has to be discussed in patients with hepatic impairment. To evaluate steady-state plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetics, a low dose of nitrendipine (5 mg/day for 3 weeks) was administered orally to patients with different chronic liver diseases (fatty liver, n = 3; chronic hepatitis, n = 2; and cirrhosis of the liver, n = 5). Nitrendipine plasma concentrations were analyzed by using a gas-liquid chromatography procedure. Twenty-two days after beginning the study, steady-state plasma concentrations were lower than 1.0 microgram/L in one patient without liver disease and in seven patients with chronic liver diseases, in contrast to three patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (5.5, 1.3, and 2.9 micrograms/L). The maximum concentration (Cmax) was 2.3 micrograms/L in the patient without liver disease and 8.3 +/- 3.9 micrograms/L in the hepatic patients. The elimination half-life was prolonged in three of five patients with cirrhosis of the liver (35, 67, and 43 h), whereas in the other patients the half-life was in a normal range (4.2-21.3 h). The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was enhanced in three patients with liver cirrhosis (387, 69, and 126 h/micrograms/L); in the other seven hepatic patients, results were normal (35-49 h/micrograms/L). There were no alterations observed in any patient in blood pressure and laboratory data. Oral administration of a low dose of nitrendipine resulted in slightly enhanced steady state plasma concentrations only in patients with advanced cirrhosis of the liver. The half-life, AUC, and bioavailability also seem to be altered only in a more severe state of liver disease.