Jr. Kambam et al., ALCOHOL PRETREATMENT ALTERS THE METABOLIC PATTERN AND ACCELERATES COCAINE METABOLISM IN PIGS, Drug and alcohol dependence, 36(1), 1994, pp. 9-13
We investigated whether alcohol pretreatment would affect the disposit
ion and metabolic pattern of intravenously (i.v.) administered cocaine
in pigs. Six pigs (Group A) received alcohol (1 g/kg/day) and six pig
s (control; Group D) received an equal volume of isocaloric dextrose 4
4% in water for 10 days via an intragastric tube. On day 11, arterial
samples were taken for five hours following an intravenous administrat
ion of cocaine hydrochloride (4 mg/kg). Plasma concentrations of cocai
ne and its major metabolites were analyzed by HPLC method. Significant
decrease in plasma half-life (10 +/- 1.2 vs. 18.7 +/- 1.4 min), and s
ignificant increases in apparent volume of distribution (73 +/- 6 vs.
51 +/- 31) and clearance (5.37 +/- 0.6 vs. 1.82 +/- 0.1 l/min) were se
en in alcohol pretreated pigs as compared with control pigs (P < 0.05)
, Significant increases in plasma concentrations of benzoylecgonine (P
< 0.05), and insignificant differences in ecgonine methyl ester and n
orcocaine levels were seen between the two groups. Neither ecgonine no
r cocaethylene was detected in the blood samples. Our data show that a
lcohol administration for ten days accelerated the elimination of i.v.
administered cocaine and altered its metabolic pattern in pigs.