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Distribution of Psychotropic Drugs Into Lipoproteins
Trond T Serkland1, Jan Schjøtt1,2, Jon A Berg1
1Section of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Haukeland University Hospital.
Aim:
The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether psychotropic drugs frequently analyzed in a routine therapeutic drug monitoring laboratory bind to low-density lipoproteins/very-low-density lipoproteins (LDL/VLDL) in human serum.
Methods:
Drug concentrations in 20 serum sample pools containing one psychotropic drug each, and in the LDL/VLDL fractions extracted from the same samples, were measured by triple quadrupole liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The membrane permeability of the drugs was measured using a Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay.
Results:
Of the 20 antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antiepileptics examined, 7 drugs were detected in both the pooled serum samples and in the LDL/VLDL fraction. Binding of drugs to LDL/VLDL significantly correlated with high octanol: water partition coefficient (logP), high degree of protein binding, and a low polar surface area. The drugs found in LDL/VLDL, with the exception of aripiprazole, were also characterized by high or intermediate membrane permeability.
Conclusions:
The present results indicate that psychotropic drugs with certain characteristics bind to LDL/VLDL in blood. This further implies that lipoproteins could play an important role in drug transport.
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