Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

In vivo Liver Endocytosis Followed by Purification of Liver Cells by Liver Perfusion
Published on: November 10, 2011
Saliva and plasma clearance of antipyrine as reflectors of liver function
Abstract:
Antipyrine kinetics, after oral administration to patients with changes in liver function were determined from data obtained by measuring drug concentration in saliva and plasma. Antipyrine kinetics calculated from saliva concentrations did not diverge from values obtained from plasma antipyrine measurements. The saliva and plasma clearance rates were reduced in parallel in subjects with liver parenchymal disease, and showed similar increases in subjects with normal liver treated with enzyme inducing drugs as compared to values in subjects with normal liver and no inducing treatment. The clearance values were related to changes in liver histology. The area under the concentration/time curve was increased in subjects with altered liver histology, and reduced in subjects with normal liver and therapy with enzyme inducing drugs. Antipyrine saliva clearance seems to be a useful method for assessing hepatic drug metabolism and liver microsomal function in vivo in subjects with varying degrees of liver function damage.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Elimination: The Concept of Clearance
Drug clearance is not limited to renal excretion but encompasses all organs involved in drug elimination,...
Drug Elimination: Non-Renal Routes
Factors Affecting Renal Clearance: Drug's Physicochemical Properties and Plasma Levels
One important factor is the drug's molecular size. The kidneys readily excrete smaller molecules below 300 Daltons (Da). On the other hand, molecules weighing between 300 and 500 Da are excreted through both urine and bile. Larger molecules above 500 Da tend to be excreted less...
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Effect of Protein Binding
For low-extraction-ratio drugs that are less than 80% protein-bound, minor changes in protein binding...
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow

