STUDIES ON ANTIMALARIALS

THE ACCUMULATION AND EXCRETION OF ATABRINE

¹ From the Department of Pharmacology, University of Chicago

The excretion of atabrine in the urine and feces was studied throughout a period of four weeks of daily atabrine administration. The average daily excretion soon reached a level of less than 4% of the daily dose.

Determinations of the atabrine concentration in various tissues of the dog 48 hours after the last of a series of small daily oral doses showed the maximum concentrations in most tissues to be reached within two weeks.

Higher tissue levels are attained with larger doses, those reached with 50 mgm./kgm. being about ten times those reached with 5 mgm./kgm.

Cellulose-acetate-phthalate is a satisfactory enteric coating for administering relatively large doses of atabrine since no vomiting occurs and about 80% of the administered drug is absorbed.

The administration of atabrine with either sulfathiazole or sulfadiazine did not affect the blood levels of the sulfonamides, but the concentration of atabrine in the tissues was lowered.