Plasma protein-binding rate and saliva concentration of artemether in rabbits
Abstract
The plasma protein binding rate (fb) determined by equilibrium dialysis amounted to about 93% when the concentration of artemether was 1.1-6.9 microg/mL. The binding parameter beta(4.28 micromol/g) and Kdp(20.3 microM) were obtained by Woolf plot. The concentration of artemether in saliva(S) was directly proportional to that in plasma(P), the linear regression: P=0.960+11.1S. When the concentration of artemether was 1.1-6.9 microg/mL, the S/P ratio was 7±4%, which was very close to the unbound drug % in plasma. It is possible to estimate fb in vivo from S/P ratio.
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