Circadian changes in the bioavailability and effects of indomethacin in healthy subjects

Nine subjects, 19 to 29 years old (2 females) synchronized with activity from 07.00 to 00.00 received a single daily oral dose (100 mg) of indomethacin at fixed hours: 07.00, 11.00, 15.00, 19.00 and 23.00, in random order and at weekly intervals. 1) Chronopharmacokinetics: Venous blood (sampled at: 0, 0.33, 0.67, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 and 10.0 h post ingestion) was used for plasma drug determination. Circadian changes in peak height, time to peak, area under the concentration-time curve and the disappearance rate were used to characterize indomethacin chronopharmacokinetics. A circadian rhythm of both peak height and time to peak was validated. An evening ingestion led to smallest peak height and longest time to peak. 2) Circadian changes in a set of effects: Eleven physiologic variables were investigated (post absorption) at delta t = 2 h. Circadian rhythms were detected: i) on control day and ii) with evening ingestion for ten of the eleven variables indicating that the subjects' temporal structure did not become altered by an evening ingestion, whereas it did become so by morning ones. Transient changes (n minutes post absorption) measured as T240 min post absorption/Tcontrol day, same clock hour ratio were also circadian rhythmic for most variables. Again, evening ingestion appeared least disturbing.