RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Elimination of the antiviral drug 5-ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine by the isolated perfused rat liver. JF Drug Metabolism and Disposition JO Drug Metab Dispos FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 1058 OP 1065 VO 19 IS 6 A1 J M Joly A1 W M Williams YR 1991 UL http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/19/6/1058.abstract AB The elimination of the antiviral drug 5-ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdUrd) by the isolated perfused rat liver was investigated. EdUrd (3.9-39 mumol) was injected into the perfusion reservoir and serial samples were collected for HPLC determination of EdUrd and its metabolites 5-ethyluracil (EUra) and 5-(1-hydroxyethyl)uracil (HEUra). At each dosage level, semilogarithmic plots of concentration vs. time showed apparent first order disappearance of EdUrd. However, with increasing dose, there was a progressive increase in EdUrd half-life from 18.9 to 36.4 min and decrease in total clearance from 5.5 to 2.5 ml/min, indicating dose-dependent elimination. Dose dependence was confirmed by the lack of superposition of logarithm concentration/dose vs. time plots obtained with different doses. After EdUrd administration, the concentration of EUra reached a peak value in about 1 hr, and then gradually decreased. The concentration of HEUra, which was initially much lower than that of EUra, increased throughout the experiment and appeared to approach a plateau at 2-3 hr. Biliary excretion of each ethylpyrimidine was negligible. 6-Benzyl-2-thiouracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor, slowed the disappearance of EdUrd and decreased the peak concentrations of EUra and HEUra. Cimetidine, a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor, had little effect on the rate of EdUrd disappearance, but caused a large increase in the peak EUra concentration and decrease in HeUra concentration. 3-Methylcholanthrene, a cytochrome P-450 inducer, increased the formation of HEUra but had little effect on the rate of EdUrd disappearance. The results indicate that the hepatic elimination of EdUrd is dose-dependent and involves an initial cleavage to EUra, which is then oxidized to HEUra.