Enprostil, in contrast to cimetidine, does not inhibit propranolol metabolism

Enprostil, an orally active prostaglandin E2 analog, is undergoing clinical trials in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Because results of animal studies suggested that prostaglandins might affect both hepatic drug metabolizing ability and hepatic blood flow, the effects of enprostil on drug elimination were studied and compared with those of the standard antiulcer drug cimetidine in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study of nine normal subjects. Cimetidine reduced the oral clearance of propranolol by 50%, consistent with the inhibition of drug metabolism reported in previous studies. On the other hand, enprostil had no effect on propranolol elimination. Neither drug altered liver blood flow as assessed either by the clearance of indocyanine green or by the technique of dual route of administration of propranolol. Thus in contrast to cimetidine, enprostil had no effect on hepatic drug metabolism.