Panipenem does not alter the pharmacokinetics of the active metabolite of irinotecan SN-38 and inactive metabolite SN-38 glucuronide (SN-38G) in rats.

The present study has investigated the effect of panipenem, a widely used antibiotic, on the pharmacokinetics of an active metabolite of irinotecan (CPT-11), 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38) and SN-38 glucuronide (SN-38G) produced by uridine-diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A isoform-mediated glucuronidation in rats. Rats received a 1 h infusion with panipenem at a loading dose of 10 mg/kg and a maintenance dose of 15 mg/min/kg once a day for 5 days. When the effect of pretreatment with panipenem on glucuronidation activities of substrates for hepatic UGT1A isoforms was investigated using substrates 4-methylumbelliferone (4MU), estradiol and SN-38, the rate of 4MU glucuronide formation was significantly increased, but that of estradiol glucuronide formation was unchanged. However, the rate of SN-38G formation showed a tendency to increase. One hour after the final infusion of panipenem or saline, SN-38 (2 mg/kg) was administered intravenously in rats with or without bile duct cannulation. Pretreatment with panipenem had no effect on the plasma concentration-time curves and biliary excretion of SN-38 and SN-38G in rats with and without bile duct cannulation. There were also no significant differences in the relative extent of glucuronidation of SN-38 to SN-38G (AUC(2 h, SN-38G)/AUC(2 h, SN-38)) between panipenem-treated and untreated rats. These findings suggest that pretreatment with panipenem does not alter the pharmacokinetics of SN-38 and SN-38G, suggesting the possibility that panipenem can be used safely for cancer patients undergoing irinotecan chemotherapy.