Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Quantification of the Immunosuppressant Tacrolimus on Dried Blood Spots Using LC-MS/MS
Published on: November 8, 2015
Factors associated with changes in tacrolimus blood concentration after food initiation in patients with ulcerative
N Yoshikawa1, T Nagatomo1, Y Matsusaki1
1Department of Pharmacy, University of Miyazaki Hospital, Miyazaki, Japan.
Abstract:
The therapeutic effect of tacrolimus against ulcerative colitis (UC) is correlated with its trough blood concentration. Conventionally, oral tacrolimus for the treatment of UC is initiated under fasting conditions; once the symptoms improve, food intake is resumed. Tacrolimus blood concentration decreases with food intake compared with that under fasting conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of patients with UC whose tacrolimus blood concentrations tended to decrease after food initiation. Medical data of 13 patients with UC and treated with tacrolimus were retrospectively obtained. The participant characteristics associated with the changes in tacrolimus blood concentrations after food initiation were analyzed using regression analysis based on the rate of decrease in the concentration/dose (C/D) ratio after food initiation. Single regression analysis showed that the number of days required from tacrolimus initiation to food resumption (P = 0.0071) and individual differences in the increase in tacrolimus blood concentration after administration (P = 0.0247) were significantly associated with the rate of decrease in the C/D ratio after food initiation. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed a significant effect of the number of days to food resumption (P = 0.0004) and individual differences in the increase in tacrolimus blood concentration after administration (P = 0.0012). The results suggest that the degree of change in blood tacrolimus concentration after food initiation may be related to the severity of the symptoms and pathology of UC. Early identification of participant characteristics may help control tacrolimus blood concentration fluctuations after food initiation.
More Related Videos
08:58Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis
Published on: January 5, 2017
08:53Investigating the Alleviating Effects of Bacillus cereus Administration on Colitis through Gut Microbiota Modulation
Published on: July 27, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Disease States and Pharmacology
Substances such as alcohol and specific drugs, including antineoplastics, can also negatively impact drug absorption. For instance,...
Drugs for Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in IBD
Drug Absorption: Factors Affecting GI Absorption
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...
Drug Concentration Versus Time Correlation
Two pivotal parameters are the minimum effective concentration (MEC) and the minimum toxic concentration (MTC). The MEC is the...
Factors Influencing Drug Absorption: Anatomical Parameters