Bioavailability of N-acetylprocainamide from mixed diet in rats

The purpose of this study was to determine the bioavailability of N-Acetylprocainamide (NAPA) from mixed diet in rats. Six groups of 8 male Charles River CD rats received NAPA-HCl as follows: Group I, an intravenous dose (mean 21 mg) of 14C-labelled drug. Group II, in a solution given by oral gavage with and without feed (50 mg) in a two-way crossover fashion. Groups III-VI, incorporated in diet (42-68 mg). Urine and feces were collected for 48 hours and assayed for NAPA and procainamide by a specific HPLC method. On the average, 73% of the drug was eliminated unchanged in urine. Only a small percentage (3-4%) of the intact drug was recovered in feces after intravenous or oral administration. There were no detectable levels of procainamide in urine and feces. The absolute bioavailability of NAPA from oral solution with and without feed was 87 and 90%, respectively, and from the mixed diet was 84-92%. There was no statistically significant difference between the bioavailability of NAPA from solution in fasted and fed rats or from NAPA-mixed diet, indicating that the absorption of the drug in rats was not affected by food. The relative bioavailability of the drug from mixed diet ranged from 94-103%.