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Effects of an oral contraceptive on hepatic size and antipyrine metabolism in premenopausal women
Author(s) -
Homeida Mamoun,
Halliwell Michael,
Branch Robert A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt1978242228
Subject(s) - medicine , discontinuation , microgram , ethinylestradiol , drug , endocrinology , oral administration , drug metabolism , population , physiology , metabolism , pharmacology , research methodology , chemistry , in vitro , environmental health , biochemistry
Liver volume and antipyrine disposition have been investigated in healthy premenopausal women who received 30 µg ethinyl oestradiol + 500 µg dl‐norgesterol as an oral contraceptive. Six months‐ treatment was associated with a 17% increase in liver volume while no change occurred in age‐matched control subjects. In the same subjects the contraceptive decreased antipyrine clearance by 21%. Thus the contraceptive markedly reduced drug‐metabolizing activity per unit volume of liver by 33%. In additional subjects, discontinuation of the contraceptive resulted in a 30% increase in antipyrine clearance. These observations confirm that conventional oral contraceptive therapy to premenopausal women increases hepatic size and that it is a potent inhibitor of drug‐metabolizing activity.