• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.366-368
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• 1995

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.118-123
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fluvastatin on the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem and its active metabolite, desacetyldiltiazem, in rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem and desacetyldiltiazem were deter-mined after an oral administration of diltiazem (15 mg/kg) to rats pretreated with fluvastatin (0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg). Compared with the control (given diltiazem alone), the pretreatment of fluvastatin significantly (p<0.05) increased the area under the plasma concentration (AUC), peak plasma concentration $(C_{max})\;and\;K_a$ of diltiazem. Relative bioavailability $(RB\%)$ of diltiazem increased from 1.36- to 1.55-fold. However there were no significant changes in $t_{max},\;K_{el}\;and\;t_{1/2}$ of diltiazem. The pretreatment of fluvastatin also altered the pharmacokintic parameters of desacetyldiltiazem. The pretreatment of fluvastatin (1.5 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) increased the AUC of desacetyldiltiazem, whereas the metabolite parent ratio (MR) of desacetyldiatlazem was decreased significantly (p<0.05), suggesting that fluvastatin might inhibit the metabolism of diltiazem. The pretreatment of fluvastatin enhanced the bioavailability of diltiazem in a dose dependent manner at doses ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg. further studies for the drug Interaction will be needed in the clinical trials when dilitazem is administrated concomitantly with fluvastatin in humans.