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FW Ossenberg, M Peignoux, D Bourdiau and JP Benhamou
The pharmacokinetics of pentobarbital, a barbiturate metabolized by the liver, was compared in normal and in hepatectomized rats. The blood concentration time curve following a single intravenous injection of pentobarbital was fitted to a two-compartment open model. Both the volume of the central compartment and the elimination rate constant were significantly reduced in hepatectomized rats. It is concluded that the liver plays a role both in the metabolism and the distribution of pentobarbital.