Bioavailability and elimination of nitrendipine in liver disease

Twenty one patients with liver disease (cirrhosis 11, chronic hepatitis 5 and acute hepatitis 5) and 6 healthy volunteers were given a single i.v. dose of nitrendipine 5 mg. Afterwards nitrendipine 20 mg once daily were administered orally for seven days. With the intravenous injection a significant increase in the AUC and elimination half-life of nitrendipine was found in patients with cirrhosis as compared to the normal volunteers. After chronic oral dosing, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve, AUC (0-24), was 94.5 ng ml-1 h and the plasma clearance CL was 1380.6 ml/min in the healthy controls; in patients with cirrhosis the AUC (0-24) h was significantly greater at 309.4 ng ml-1 h and CL had fallen to 686.6 ml/min. Considerable accumulation of nitrendipine was also found in the patients with chronic hepatitis. Nitrendipine could not be detected in urine from any of the subjects. Blood pressure and heart rate were not significantly influenced by the treatment in the various groups investigated. Antipyrine clearance in the patients with cirrhosis was correlated with the nitrendipine plasma clearance. Thus, accumulation of nitrendipine has been demonstrated in the patients with cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis.