Pharmacokinetics
The propranolol plasma concentrations peaked at 2.0 hours in normal
subjects, 1.9 hours in CAH patients, and 1.6 hours in cirrhotic
patients, respectively, after drug administration (Figure 1). The
Cmax and AUClast of propranolol in
patients with cirrhosis were higher than those in patients with CAH.
However, there were no statistically significant differences between CAH
patients and normal subjects or between cirrhosis patients and normal
subjects in both Cmax and AUClast of
propranolol (Table 2). The plasma concentrations of 4-OH-propranolol, a
major metabolite of propranolol, peaked at 1.3 hours in normal subjects,
1.3 hours in CAH patients, and 1.4 hours in cirrhotic patients,
respectively (Figure 2). Consistent with the pharmacokinetics of
propranolol, the Cmax and AUClast of
4-OH-propranolol in patients with cirrhosis were significantly lower
than those in patients with CAH. However, there were no statistically
significant differences between CAH patients and normal subjects or
between cirrhosis patients and normal subjects in both
Cmax and AUClast of 4-OH-propranolol
(Table 3).