Barbiturate and Ethanol Sleeping Times and Pharmacokinetics of Propranolol in Mice after Intravenous Administration of Haem Arginate

Abstract

Haem arginate is a new haem compound recently introduced for treatment of porphyrias. Previously haematin has been reported to increase certain hydroxylase activities in extrahepatic tissues, but even in therapeutic doses it impairs the microsomal foreign substance metabolism in the liver. Haem arginate at a dose equivalent to haem 10 mg/kg (threefold therapeutic dose) did not prolong the hexobarbital sleeping time of mice, 20 mg/kg did prolong the hexobarbital and possibly also the ethanol sleeping time. Haem arginate administered in high doses prior to oral propranolol did not alter the bioavailability of the latter. With regard to drug interactions haem arginate may be safer than haematin.

The Effects of Haem Arginate and Haematin upon the Allylisopropylacetamide Induced Experimental Porphyria in Rats

“…Its disadvantages are the harmful effects on blood coagulation and the chemical thrombophlebitis caused by it (Glueck et al 1983;Pierach 1986;Goetsch & Bissell 1986). Recently, these have been shown to be due to the degradation products of haematin arising in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions from a reaction of the vinyl substituents of protoporphyrin with molecular oxygen (Goetsch & Bissell 1986 1986;Tokola 1987; Tenhunen c't a/., unpublished results). The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of haem arginate injections in the experimental AIA-induced porphyria of rats.…”