Pharmacokinetic interaction between oral lovastatin and verapamil in healthy subjects: role of P-glycoprotein inhibition by lovastatin.

Article Details

Citation

Copy to clipboard

Choi DH, Chung JH, Choi JS

Pharmacokinetic interaction between oral lovastatin and verapamil in healthy subjects: role of P-glycoprotein inhibition by lovastatin.

Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2010 Mar;66(3):285-90. doi: 10.1007/s00228-009-0757-x. Epub 2009 Dec 12.

PubMed ID

20012601 [ View in PubMed

]

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Lovastatin is an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 isoenzyme. Verapamil is a substrate of both P-gp and CYP3A4. It is therefore likely that lovastatin can alter the absorption and metabolism of verapamil. METHODS: The pharmacokinetic parameters of verapamil and one of its metabolites, norverapamil, were compared in 14 healthy male Korean volunteers (age range 22-28 years) who had been administered verapamil (60 mg) orally in the presence or absence of oral lovastatin (20 mg). The design of the experiment was a standard 2 x 2 crossover model in random order. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic parameters of verapamil were significantly altered by the co-administration of lovastatin compared to the control. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC (0-infinity)) and the peak plasma concentration of verapamil were significantly increased by 62.8 and 32.1%, respectively. Consequently, the relative bioavailability of verapamil was also significantly increased (by 76.5%). The (AUC (0-infinity)) of norverapamil and the terminal half-life of verapamil did not significantly changed with lovastatin coadministration. The metabolite-parent ratio was significantly reduced (29.2%) in the presence of lovastatin. CONCLUSION: Lovastatin increased the absorption of verapamil by inhibiting P-gp and inhibited the first-pass metabolism of verapamil by inhibiting CYP3A4 in the intestine and/or liver in humans.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Transporters

Drug	Transporter	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Lovastatin	P-glycoprotein 1	Protein	Humans	Unknown	Inhibitor	Details