Effect of Alcoholic Beverages on Drug Absorption: Blood Concentration Profile of Ibuprofen in Mice

Consumption of alcohol concomitantly with a drug may increase absorption of the active ingredients, leading to dose dumping. In this study, ibuprofen was administered to mice along with rice wine or beer. Blood concentrations of ibuprofen were lower when taken with alcohol than when taken with water. The ibuprofen formulation was suspended in rice wine, beer, 15% ethanol, or 20% mannitol, and then administered to male ddY mice. In a separate experiment, mice were pretreated with rice wine per os (p.o.) or loperamide (p.o.) 30 min before administering ibuprofen with water. Ibuprofen doses for oral administration and tail vein injection were 40 mg/kg and 0.75 mg/kg, respectively. Maximum blood concentrations (Cmax) were lower in mice pretreated with rice wine or beer. There were no significant differences in ibuprofen clearance between animals pretreated with rice wine by tail vein injection and controls. Pretreatment with 20% mannitol or loperamide lowered the blood concentration of ibuprofen. These results suggest that alcoholic beverages affect drug pharmacokinetics. In particular, absorption may be affected by an increase in osmotic pressure and inhibition of gastrointestinal transit.