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Effects of age and cigarette smoking on propranolol disposition
Author(s) -
Vestal R. E.,
Wood A. J. J.,
Branch R. A.,
Shand D. G.,
Wilkinson G. R.
Publication year - 1979
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/cpt19792618
Subject(s) - propranolol , medicine , volume of distribution , cigarette smoking , age groups , disposition , physiology , pharmacokinetics , demography , psychology , social psychology , sociology
The effects of age and cigarette smoking on the disposition of propranolol have been investigated in 27 normal men, aged 21 to 73 yr. The drug was administered orally (80 mg) every 8 hr and 40 µCi intravenous 3 H‐propranolol were administered simultaneously with the seventh dose. Labeled and unlabeled propranolol concentrations were determined in serial blood samples obtained over the next 8 hr. Subgrouping the oral blood concentration/time data according to age (younger or older than 35 yr) showed that the mean levels in the older group were as much as twofold those in the younger group, and that the terminal half‐life (t½β) was prolonged with age (4.19 ± 1.38 vs. 5.05 ± l.36 hr, mean ± SD; p = 0.03). Substratification of cigarette smokers (>10 cigarettes daily) from nonsmokers indicated that the mean levels in the nonsmokers were 200% higher but there was no t½β difference. Despite the considerable interindividual variability, there was a trend for the weight‐normalized, average steady‐state levels to be lower in smokers than in nonsmokers, with the difference becoming smaller with increasing age. Analysis of the data indicated that the intrinsic total clearance of propranolol decreased with age only in the smokers, and toward the constant value of the nonsmokers, while apparent liver blood flow declined equally with age in both groups. Consequently, systemic‐clearance correlated negatively with age in the smokers and in the group as a whole. No age relationships were found in the volume of distribution and, thus, correlations of age and t½β were of the same order as those of systemic clearance. No changes were observed in systemic availability or plasma binding with aging in either group. It, therefore, appears that cigarette smoking habits are important in the altered steady‐state kinetics of propranolol that develops with aging. The results are consistent with a decreased induction of drug‐metabolizing enzyme with aging.