This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bekersky, I.
Right arrow Articles by Walsh, T. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bekersky, I.
Right arrow Articles by Walsh, T. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2002, p. 834-840, Vol. 46, No. 3
0066-4804/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.3.834-840.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Plasma Protein Binding of Amphotericin B and Pharmacokinetics of Bound versus Unbound Amphotericin B after Administration of Intravenous Liposomal Amphotericin B (AmBisome) and Amphotericin B Deoxycholate

Ihor Bekersky,1* Robert M. Fielding,2 Dawna E. Dressler,1,{dagger} Jean W. Lee,3 Donald N. Buell,1 and Thomas J. Walsh4

Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc., Deerfield, Illinois,1 Biologistic Services, Boulder, Colorado,2 MDS Pharma Services, Lincoln, Nebraska,3 Immunocompromised Host Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland4

Received 2 March 2001/ Returned for modification 18 August 2001/ Accepted 12 November 2001

Unilamellar liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) (liposomal AMB) reduces the toxicity of this antifungal drug. The unique composition of liposomal AMB stabilizes the liposomes, producing higher sustained drug levels in plasma and reducing renal and hepatic excretion. When liposomes release their drug payload, unbound, protein-bound, and liposomal drug pools may exist simultaneously in the body. To determine the amounts of drug in these pools, we developed a procedure to measure unbound AMB in human plasma by ultrafiltration and then used it to characterize AMB binding in vitro and to assess the pharmacokinetics of nonliposomal pools of AMB in a phase IV study of liposomal AMB and AMB deoxycholate in healthy subjects. We confirmed that AMB is highly bound (>95%) in human plasma and showed that both human serum albumin and {alpha}1-acid glycoprotein contribute to this binding. AMB binding exhibited an unusual concentration dependence in plasma: the percentage of bound drug increased as the AMB concentration increased. This was attributed to the low solubility of AMB in plasma, which limits the unbound drug concentration to <1 µg/ml. Subjects given 2 mg of liposomal AMB/kg of body weight had lower exposures (as measured by the maximum concentration of drug in serum and the area under the concentration-time curve) to both unbound and nonliposomal drug than those receiving 0.6 mg of AMB deoxycholate/kg. Most of the AMB in plasma remained liposome associated (97% at 4 h, 55% at 168 h) after liposomal AMB administration, so that unbound drug concentrations remained at <25 ng/ml in all liposomal AMB-treated subjects. Although liposomal AMB markedly reduces the total urinary and fecal recoveries of AMB, urinary and fecal clearances based on unbound AMB were similar (94 to 121 ml h-1 kg-1) for both formulations. Unbound drug urinary clearances were equal to the glomerular filtration rate, and tubular transit rates were <16% of the urinary excretion rate, suggesting that net filtration of unbound drug, with little secretion or reabsorption, is the mechanism of renal clearance for both conventional and liposomal AMB in humans. Unbound drug fecal clearances were also similar for the two formulations. Thus, liposomal AMB increases total AMB concentrations while decreasing unbound AMB concentrations in plasma as a result of sequestration of the drug in long-circulating liposomes.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc., 3 Pkwy. North, Deerfield, IL 60015-2548. Phone: (847) 317-8696. Fax: (847) 317-5983. E-mail: ihor_bekersky{at}fujisawa.com.

{dagger} Present address: DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, Wilmington, Del.


Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, March 2002, p. 834-840, Vol. 46, No. 3
0066-4804/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.3.834-840.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Gubbins, P. O., Amsden, J. R., McConnell, S. A., Anaissie, E. J. (2009). Pharmacokinetics and Buccal Mucosal Concentrations of a 15 Milligram per Kilogram of Body Weight Total Dose of Liposomal Amphotericin B Administered as a Single Dose (15 mg/kg), Weekly Dose (7.5 mg/kg), or Daily Dose (1 mg/kg) in Peripheral Stem Cell Transplant Patients. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 53: 3664-3674 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gershkovich, P., Wasan, E. K., Lin, M., Sivak, O., Leon, C. G., Clement, J. G., Wasan, K. M. (2009). Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of amphotericin B in rats following oral administration in a novel lipid-based formulation. J Antimicrob Chemother 64: 101-108 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Serfling, A., Wohlrab, J., Deising, H. B. (2007). Treatment of a Clinically Relevant Plant-Pathogenic Fungus with an Agricultural Azole Causes Cross-Resistance to Medical Azoles and Potentiates Caspofungin Efficacy. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 3672-3676 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mohan, S., Ahmed, S., Alimohammadi, B., Jaitly, M., Cheng, J.-T., Pogue, V. A. (2007). Proteinuria lowers the risk of amphotericin B-associated hypokalaemia. J Antimicrob Chemother 60: 690-693 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lewis, R. E., Liao, G., Hou, J., Chamilos, G., Prince, R. A., Kontoyiannis, D. P. (2007). Comparative Analysis of Amphotericin B Lipid Complex and Liposomal Amphotericin B Kinetics of Lung Accumulation and Fungal Clearance in a Murine Model of Acute Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 1253-1258 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Meletiadis, J., Chanock, S., Walsh, T. J. (2006). Human Pharmacogenomic Variations and Their Implications for Antifungal Efficacy. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 19: 763-787 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Takemoto, K., Yamamoto, Y., Ueda, Y., Sumita, Y., Yoshida, K., Niki, Y. (2006). Comparative study on the efficacy of AmBisome and Fungizone in a mouse model of pulmonary aspergillosis. J Antimicrob Chemother 57: 724-731 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wiederhold, N. P., Tam, V. H., Chi, J., Prince, R. A., Kontoyiannis, D. P., Lewis, R. E. (2006). Pharmacodynamic Activity of Amphotericin B Deoxycholate Is Associated with Peak Plasma Concentrations in a Neutropenic Murine Model of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 50: 469-473 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wurthwein, G., Groll, A. H., Hempel, G., Adler-Shohet, F. C., Lieberman, J. M., Walsh, T. J. (2005). Population Pharmacokinetics of Amphotericin B Lipid Complex in Neonates. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 5092-5098 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pai, M. P., Norenberg, J. P., Telepak, R. A., Sidney, D. S., Yang, S. (2005). Assessment of Effective Renal Plasma Flow, Enzymuria, and Cytokine Release in Healthy Volunteers Receiving a Single Dose of Amphotericin B Desoxycholate. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 3784-3788 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lewis, R. E., Wiederhold, N. P., Klepser, M. E. (2005). In Vitro Pharmacodynamics of Amphotericin B, Itraconazole, and Voriconazole against Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Scedosporium spp.. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 945-951 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Groll, A. H., Mickiene, D., Petraitis, V., Petraitiene, R., Alfaro, R. M., King, C., Piscitelli, S. C., Walsh, T. J. (2003). Comparative Drug Disposition, Urinary Pharmacokinetics, and Renal Effects of Multilamellar Liposomal Nystatin and Amphotericin B Deoxycholate in Rabbits. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 3917-3925 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cheron, M., Petit, C., Bolard, J., Gaboriau, F. (2003). Heat-induced reformulation of amphotericin B-deoxycholate favours drug uptake by the macrophage-like cell line J774. J Antimicrob Chemother 52: 904-910 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Matthews, R. C., Rigg, G., Hodgetts, S., Carter, T., Chapman, C., Gregory, C., Illidge, C., Burnie, J. (2003). Preclinical Assessment of the Efficacy of Mycograb, a Human Recombinant Antibody against Fungal HSP90. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 2208-2216 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goldblum, D., Rohrer, K., Frueh, B. E., Theurillat, R., Thormann, W., Zimmerli, S. (2002). Ocular Distribution of Intravenously Administered Lipid Formulations of Amphotericin B in a Rabbit Model. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46: 3719-3723 [Abstract] [Full Text]