PHARMACOKINETIC PROFILES OF GLYCYRRHIZIN IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS

The pharmacokinetics of glycyrrhizin (G) in eight patients with chroni c hepatitis receiving chronically i.v. administration of 120 mg dose o f G was investigated. The plasma concentration of G in the patients af ter dosing declined in a monophasic manner. However, the pharmacokinet ic profiles varied among patients. The mean elimination half-life (t1/ 2) and the total body clearance (CL(tot)) were 6.0 h (range 4.3-10.7 h ) and 7.9 ml h-1 kg-1 (4.5-12.7 ml h-1 kg-1), respectively. The variat ion of the CL(tot) for G was closely related to that of aspartate amin otransferase (r = - 0.739, p < 0.05) and alanine aminotransferase (r = - 0.783, p < 0.05) activities in the plasma.