Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Aliskiren is an antihypertensive drug approved for clinical use in 2007. It acts by inhibiting renin, the first enzyme in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Marked interindividual variability exists in the pharmacokinetics of aliskiren. Interestingly, the pharmacokinetic properties of aliskiren suggest an important role for drug transporters in its pharmacokinetics. Aliskiren is poorly absorbed, and therefore, its oral bioavailability is only 2-3%. The elimination of aliskiren occurs mainly as an unchanged drug by biliary and renal excretion, and only a small proportion is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4. Organic anion-transporting polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1) influx transporter is thought to facilitate the intestinal absorption and hepatic uptake of aliskiren. Based on a more recent finding, OATP1A2 may also contribute to aliskiren absorption. Moreover, aliskiren is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux transporter, which can reduce the intestinal absorption of its substrates and enhance their elimination into bile, urine, and intestine. Furthermore, P-gp limits the passage of its substrates across many blood-tissue barriers such as the blood-brain barrier. In previous studies, cyclosporine (an inhibitor of P-gp, OATP2B1, and CYP3A4) as well as ketoconazole and atorvastatin (inhibitors of P-gp and CYP3A4) have raised the area under the plasma aliskiren concentration-time curve (AUC) 5-fold, 1.8-fold, and 1.5-fold, respectively. Considering the interindividual differences in aliskiren pharmacokinetics, information on related pharmacokinetic interactions and genetic variations may improve the safety of aliskiren therapy. This thesis comprises four randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over pharmacokinetic interaction studies and two prospective genotype panel studies in healthy volunteers to assess the potential pharmacokinetic interactions and genetic variations affecting the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of aliskiren. The effects of induction and inhibition of P-gp and CYP3A4 were investigated by using rifampicin and itraconazole as a model inducer and inhibitor, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of grapefruit juice, orange juice, and apple juice, all of which have inhibited OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 in vitro, were also examined. Genetic variations of P-gp and OATP2B1 for the pharmacogenetic studies were selected on the basis of previous studies reporting their associations with altered plasma concentrations of the substrates of respective drug transporters, and on the basis of their frequencies in the Finnish population. Therefore, the effects of common haplotypes of the ABCB1 gene encoding P-gp, c.1236C-c.2677G-c.3435C and c.1236T-c.2677T-c.3435T, as well as the effects of c.935G>A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the SLCO2B1 gene encoding OATP2B1 were evaluated. In all studies, aliskiren was administered as a single dose. Furthermore, in pharmacokinetic interaction studies, the potentially interacting substances were administered according to relevant dosing schemes. Blood and urine samples were collected for the determination of drug concentrations and plasma renin activity, in addition to which blood pressure was measured. Rifampicin, grapefruit juice, orange juice, and apple juice markedly reduced the plasma concentrations of aliskiren, and the reductions in the AUC values of aliskiren were 56%, 61%, 62%, and 63%, respectively (P < 0.001). In addition, the reduced exposure to aliskiren by rifampicin, orange juice, and apple juice led to the attenuation of the renin-inhibiting effect of aliskiren. During the rifampicin, orange juice, and apple juice phases plasma renin activity 24 hours after aliskiren ingestion was 61% (P = 0.008), 87% (P = 0.037), and 67% (P = 0.036) higher, respectively, than during the placebo or water phases. Itraconazole raised the AUC of aliskiren considerably, 6.5-fold (P < 0.001), and also enhanced the renin-inhibiting effect of aliskiren. Plasma renin activity 24 hours after aliskiren ingestion was 68% lower during the itraconazole phase, than during the placebo phase (P = 0.011). The ABCB1 c.1236C-c.2677G-c.3435C and c.1236T-c.2677T-c.3435T haplotypes and the SLCO2B1 c.935G>A SNP were not significantly associated with the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of aliskiren. In conclusion, aliskiren was found to be susceptible to transporter-mediated pharmacokinetic interactions of clinical significance. The interactions of rifampicin and itraconazole with aliskiren probably resulted from induction and inhibition of P-gp in the small intestine, respectively, with a minor contribution from a parallel effect on CYP3A4. Grapefruit, orange, and apple juices reduced the absorption of aliskiren from the gastrointestinal tract, possibly by inhibiting intestinal OATP transporters. The genetic variations of P-gp and OATP2B1 examined did not explain the large interindividual differences in aliskiren pharmacokinetics. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility that rifampicin may reduce the antihypertensive efficacy of aliskiren. Itraconazole can markedly raise the plasma concentrations of aliskiren and enhance its renin-inhibiting efficacy, and thus, should not be used with aliskiren. In addition, the inhibition of P-gp by itraconazole may alter the tissue distribution of aliskiren and potentially produce adverse reactions not observed with higher doses of aliskiren alone. Moreover, the concomitant use of aliskiren with grapefruit, orange, or apple juices is best avoided because of the risk of therapeutic failure due to reduced aliskiren exposure.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Tuija Tapaninen
Language: English
Subfield: Pharmacology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Helsingin Yliopisto
OpenAlex ID: W1527638317