Multiple dose study of interactions between artesunate and artemisinin in healthy volunteers

S-Q. Zhang, T.N. Hai, Kenneth Ilett, D.X. Huong, Timothy Davis, T.M.E. Davis, M. Ashton

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27 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aims To investigate whether coadministration of the antimalarials artesunate and arternisinin alters the clearance of either drug.Methods Ten healthy Vietnamese males (Group AS) were randomized to receive a single dose of 100 mg oral artesunate (pro-drug of dihydroartemisinin) on day -5 and then once daily for 5 consecutive days (days 1-5). Oral artemisinin (500 mg) was coadministered on days 1 and 5. Another 10 subjects (Group A-M) were given 500 mg oral arternisinin on day -5 and then further doses on days 1-5. Artesunate 100 mg was given on days 1 and 5. Artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin plasma concentrations on days -5, 1 and 5 were quantified by h.p.l.c. with on-line postcolumn derivatization and u.v. detection.Results In Group AS, dihydroartemisinin oral clearance values (mean (95% Cl)) were similar on day 1 (32 (22, 47)) l h(-1) and day 5 (38 (28, 51)) l h(-1) of daily artesunate administration but these mean values were approximately three fold higher compared with day -5 after a single dose (95 (56, 159)). In this group, arternisinin oral clearance increased from 196 (165, 232) l h(-1) on day 1-315 (241, 410) l h(-1) on day 5. In Group AM, dihydroartemisinin oral clearance on day 1 was 39 (34, 46) l h(-1) and increased 1.6 fold to 64 (48, 85) l h(-1) on day 5. In this group, artemisinin oral clearance increased sequentially (1.5 and 4.7 fold, respectively) from 207 (151, 285) l h(-1) on day -5-308 (257, 368) l h(-1) on day 1 and to 981 (678, 1420) l h(-1) on day 5. The increase in arternisinin oral clearance between days -5 and 1 (in the absence of artesunate) was similar to that between days 1 and 5 in Group AS subjects who took daily artesunate. Dihydroartemisinin was not a significant metabolite of arternisinin.Conclusions Artesunate (dihydroartemisinin) did not alter the elimination of arternisinin. However, dihydroartemisinin elimination was inhibited by artemisinin. Artemisinin induced its own elimination even 5 days after a single oral dose. There was no evidence for the formation of dihydroartemisinin from artemisinin.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)377-385
JournalBritish Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2001

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