Isosorbide, isomannide and isoidide dinitrate: urinary excretion in the rat

Pharmacokinetics of isosorbide dinitrate in healthy volunteers after 24-hour intravenous infusion

No studies have examined the pharmacokinetics of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) after infusion of long duration, even though such infusions are used in patients. We therefore measured ISDN and its active metabolites, isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS5MN) and isosorbide-2-mononitrate (IS2MN), in plasma of 9 healthy volunteers who received a continuous intravenous infusion of ISDN for 24 hours at a dose rate that lowered diastolic blood pressure by 10% during the first 30 minutes of infusion. All subjects tolerated the infusion except one who experienced intolerable headache. Five subjects received 1 microgram.min-1.kg-1, one 2 micrograms.min-1.kg-1, and two 4 micrograms.min-1.kg-1 ISDN, whereas the full rate of 6 micrograms.min-1.kg-1 was used continuously in one subject. At all infusion rates the plasma concentrations of ISDN were higher at 24 hours than at earlier times, suggesting that a steady-state condition had not been reached at that time. The same was true for the mononitrate metabolites, which reached higher plasma concentrations and were cleared more slowly than the parent compound after the end of the infusion. Apparent elimination half-lives of ISDN, IS2MN, and IS5MN were 67 +/- 10 minutes, 115 +/- 13 minutes, and 272 +/- 38 minutes, respectively. Comparison of low-rate infusions (1 and 2 micrograms.min-1.kg-1) with high-rate infusions (4 and 6 micrograms.min-1.kg-1) showed that the plasma concentration ratios at 24 hours of mononitrate metabolites to parent drug and apparent plasma clearance of ISDN were almost halved at the higher infusion rates.

Gas chromatographic analysis of isomeric organic mononitrates in plasma

A specific, sensitive and precise capillary gas chromatographic method using electron-capture detection was developed for the determination of four isomeric vasodilating organic mononitrates, viz. L-isoidide mononitrate (L-IIMN), isosorbide-2-mononitrate (IS-2-MN), isomannide mononitrate (IMMN) and isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN), in rat plasma. With a sample size of 100 microliters of rat plasma, the detection limits were found to be between 0.5 and 2 ng/ml for these mononitrates, and the absolute recovery was found to range from 83 to 90%. The within-day coefficients of variation for the assay of the four isomers were less than 5%, while the between-day coefficients of variation were less than 10%. Because of the short retention times of these isomers in this assay, routine analyses of about sixty plasma samples per day can be carried out. The possibility of in vivo interconversion among these four isomers in rats was investigated after individual administration of each isomer. No interconversion was found based on examination of plasma samples. The gas chromatographic method was applied to the pharmacokinetic studies of these four isomers in rats; at an intravenous dose of 2 mg/kg, the biological half-lives of L-IIMN, IMMN, IS-2-MN and IS-5-MN were found to be 13.2, 25.2, 54.6 and 112 min, respectively.

Determination of isosorbide dinitrate biotransformation in various tissues of the rabbit by capillary column gas-liquid chromatography

A selective and sensitive capillary column gas-liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the simultaneous determination of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) and its mononitrate metabolites in rabbit blood and tissue homogenates. The method has a limit of detection of 0.1 ng ml-1 for ISDN, 1 ng ml-1 for isosorbide 5-mononitrate (5-ISMN), and 2 ng ml-1 for isosorbide 2-mononitrate (2-ISMN). The day-to-day coefficients of variation were 2.5, 6.8, and 11.3 per cent for ISDN, 5-ISMN, and 2-ISMN, respectively. The within-day coefficients of variation were 2.7, 4.9 and 6.5 per cent for ISDN, 5-ISMN, and 2-ISMN, respectively. The procedure was used to determine the biotransformation of ISDN (2 X 10(-7) M) to 5-ISMN and 2-ISMN by various rabbit tissue homogenates. The relative rate of biotransformation of ISDN was liver greater than lung approximately equal to intestine greater than kidney greater than blood approximately equal to skeletal muscle, with the lung and intestine homogenates being about two-thirds as active as liver homogenates. These results indicate that extrahepatic biotransformation of ISDN, especially by lung and intestine, may contribute to the systemic clearance of ISDN in the rabbit.

Isosorbide-5-mononitrate in the treatment of acute left ventricular failure following acute myocardial infarction

Eleven patients with acute left ventricular failure following acute myocardial infarction (mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure [PCW] greater than 20 mmHg) were entered into an open, haemodynamic study of oral isosorbide-5-mononitrate (ISMN). Left ventricular failure was resistant to intravenous diuretic therapy. No patient received concurrent cardioactive drugs nor further diuretic therapy during the study period. Haemodynamic data were acquired via a flow-directed thermodilution catheter placed in the pulmonary artery. Baseline data were acquired prior to the intravenous administration of an ISMN challenge. Thereafter, oral ISMN (20 mg, 8 hourly) was administered over 48 h. Following intravenous ISMN challenge, mean PCW fell from 26.2 to 17.5 mmHg. Cardiac index fell from 2.4 to 2.3 l/min/m2 due to a fall in heart rate (103 to 96.8 beats/min) as stroke volume and blood pressure were unchanged. At 8 h following ISMN, two patients were withdrawn due to hypotension (systolic pressure less than 85 mmHg). In the remainder, PCW remained acceptable throughout 48 h (13.1 mmHg at 48 h), cardiac output, systemic blood pressure and heart rate showed no further significant change. These data suggest that ISMN is effective in the treatment of acute left ventricular failure following acute myocardial infarction.

Determination of the two mononitrate metabolites of isosorbide dinitrate in human plasma and urine by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

This paper describes a sensitive method for the determination of 2-isosorbide mononitrate and 5-isosorbide mononitrate as metabolites of isosorbide dinitrate at concentrations down to 2 ng/ml of 2-isosorbide mononitrate in both plasma and urine, and 5 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml of 5-isosorbide mononitrate in plasma and urine, respectively. The two mononitrate metabolites are extracted at basic pH into ethyl acetate, which is then evaporated to dryness. The residue is dissolved in a basic aqueous solution, which is washed with heptane and then re-extracted into ethyl acetate. The metabolites are quantitated by gas chromatography, using a 63Ni electron-capture detector. Conjugates of 2- and 5-isosorbide mononitrate are determined in urine after enzymatic hydrolysis.

Differences in the nitrite ion formation and the toxicological findings between isosorbide dinitrate and isosorbide-5-mononitrate

In the metabolism of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), fast denitration with the formation of nitrite ions and a mononitrate plays an important role. In contrast, the denitration of isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN) to isosorbide is very slow. Accordingly po administration of high doses of ISDN (92.5 and 236 mg/kg) in conscious dogs led to maximum nitrite concentrations in the blood of 0.9 and 3.3 mg/liter, respectively. In contrast, with equimolar doses of IS-5-MN (75 and 191 mg/kg) we were able to detect nitrite ions reliably only at the higher dose and this gave a maximum blood concentration of 0.4 mg/liter. The rise in nitrite ion concentration is followed by the formation of methemoglobin. As is known from the literature, there is a rise in the activity of alkaline phosphatase in the serum of rabbits in addition to methemoglobin formation following repeated administration of sodium nitrite. So we have specifically investigated whether this is also the case following ISDN and IS-5-MN administration. On po administration of 236 mg/kg ISDN/day to dogs, there was a continuous rise in alkaline phosphatase from about the 20th day onward which we did not observe after the equimolar dose of IS-5-MN (191 mg/kg). NaNO2, 35 mg/kg po, led to a comparable maximal rise in methemoglobin to that obtained with 236 mg/kg ISDN. Repeated po administration of 35 mg/kg NaNO2/day also caused a rise in alkaline phosphatase. It is concluded that the formation of nitrite ions from ISDN is the reason for the rise in methemoglobin and alkaline phosphatase. The lower formation of nitrite ions from IS-5-MN can also be of clinical importance, at least in certain cases.

Determination of isosorbide as a metabolite of isosorbide dinitrate in human urine by capillary gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

A method for the determination of isosorbide as a metabolite of isosorbide dinitrate at concentrations down to 200 ng/ml in human urine is described. After addition of a known amount of isomannide as internal standard to 50 microliter of urine, both compounds are extracted at basic pH into chloroform-isopropanol (4:1, v/v), which is then evaporated to dryness. They are then derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride, and isosorbide is quantitated by capillary gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. A conjugate of isosorbide is determined in urine after enzymatic hydrolysis.

Pharmacokinetics of isosorbide dinitrate in rhesus monkey, cynomolgus monkey, and baboon

At 2 min after intravenous injection of isosorbide dinitrate (1 mg/kg), mean plasma drug concentrations were 565 +/- 66 (SD), 586 +/- 43, and 1572 +/- 253 ng/ml in the rhesus monkey, cynomolgus monkey, and baboon, respectively. Following a relatively short distribution phase, mean plasma concentrations declined with half-lives of 62, 23, and 24 min in these three species, respectively. The time course of plasma concentrations could be described by a two-compartment open model, although a one-compartment open model was adequate for obtaining some pharmacokinetic parameters. Statistically significant differences among the species were observed in areas under the plasma concentration-time curves, plasma half-lives, and volumes of distribution. The pharmacokinetics kinetics of isosorbide dinitrate in baboons most closely resembled those in humans.

Isosorbide 5-mononitrate pharmacokinetics in humans

When isosorbide 5-mononitrate was intravenously infused at a rate of 4 mg h-1 for 2.5 h to five human subjects, its concentrations in plasma increased slowly to 185 ng ml-1 +/- 5 per cent C.V. at 2.5 h and a steady-state plasma level was not reached during the infusion. When the infusion was discontinued, plasma drug concentrations declined with an elimination half-life of 4.2 h +/- 6 per cent C.V. The systemic clearance after the infusion doses was 132 ml min-1 +/- 18 per cent C.V. and the volume of distribution was 48.4 +/- 16 per cent C.V. After equal oral doses of 10 mg, the peak plasma isosorbide 5-mononitrate concentration of 191 ng ml-1 +/- 16 per cent C.V. was reached at 1.1 h +/- 30 per cent C.V., and plasma levels declined with a terminal half-life of 4.9 h. The complete systemic availability of isosorbide 5-mononitrate indicated that pre-systemic elimination after the oral doses was negligible. A one-compartment open model appeared adequate to describe the plasma level data after intravenous infusion and oral dose. After single oral doses of 10 mg isosorbide dinitrate, the peak plasma concentration of the 5-mononitrate metabolite of 72 ng ml-1 +/- 27 per cent C. V. occurred at 1.7 h +/- 41 per cent C.V. Approximately 50 per cent (range 22--68 per cent) of the oral dose of isosorbide dinitrate circulated in plasma as the 5-mononitrate metabolite. The pharmacokinetics of isosorbide mononitrates are markedly different to those of the parent dinitrate and these differences follow from the greater systemic availability and volume of distribution of the mononitrates.

Simultaneous determination of isosorbide dinitrate and its mononitrates in human plasma by capillary column GLC

A previously described electron-capture GLC method for determination of isosorbide dinitrate in human plasma was adapted for the simultaneous determination of isosorbide dinitrate, isosorbide 2-mononitrate, and isosorbide 5-mononitrate using a capillary column. Quantitation was done with two internal standards. The lower limits of detection were approximately 0.5 ng/ml of plasma for isosorbide dinitrate, 2 ng/ml for isosorbide 2-mononitrate, and 20 ng/ml for isosorbide 5-mononitrate.