PHARMACOKINETIC STUDY OF CIPROFLOXACIN IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES

Abstract

The liver is particularly concerned with drug metabolism and especially of drugs given orally. The hepatic clearance of drugs given by mouth depends on the efficiency of drug metabolizing enzymes, the hepatic blood flow and the extent of plasma protein binding.

Factors that affect hepatic blood flow and enzyme activity can substantially alter the pharmacokinetics and the therapeutic response to a drug. These changes can occur alone or in combination and when they co-exist, their effect on drug kinetics is synergistic and not simply additive . The impaired metabolism is proportional to the extent of hepatocellular failure and is greatest in cirrhosis. A correlation exists between the half-life of a drug and the prothrombin time, serum albumin level, hepatic encephalopathy and ascites. • Chronic liver diseases, which include schistosomiasis, hepatitis C and hepatic steatosis, constitute the major health problem among Egyptians.

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the development and clinical use of the newer quinolone agents. Ciprofloxacin is a quinolone derivative with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. Few studies, however, concerning the pharmacokinetic of ciprofloxacin in chronic liver diseases were carried out. The aim of this work was to study the pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in different stages of some chronic liver diseases.

The, pharmacokinetics studies were carried out on 36 volunteers and patients.