Sex difference of the metabolic disposition of clioquinol in rats

The order of plasma levels of clioquinol and its conjugates in male rats after intraduodenal administration of 32.7 mumol/kg dose of clioquinol was clioquinol sulfate (C-Sul) greater than glucuronide (C-Glu) much greater than clioquinol, whereas that in female rats was C-Glu greater than C-Sul much greater than clioquinol. Total (urine + bile) recovery was almost the same among male and female rats. The percentage of excretion amounts of C-Sul (urine + bile) to the total excretion amounts for 24 h in male rats after intravenous administration of clioquinol was about twice that in female rats, while the percentage of excretion amounts of C-Glu to the total excretion amounts in male rats was smaller than that in female rats. In intravenous administration of 16.4 mumol/kg dose of C-Glu, C-Sul and clioquinol other than C-Glu were found in bile and urine of male and female rats. The percentage of excretion amounts of C-Sul and C-Glu (urine + bile) to the total excretion amounts was similar among male and female rats, respectively. In intravenous administration of 16.4 mumol/kg dose of C-Sul, C-Glu and clioquinol other than C-Sul were found in bile and urine of male and female rats, and the percentage of excretion amounts of C-Sul (urine + bile) to the total excretion amounts in male rats was 1.3 fold that in female rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)