ABSORPTION AND RENAL EXCRETION OF BISMUTH FROM 6 DIFFERENT PHARMACEUTICAL BISMUTH SALTS FOLLOWING A SINGLE ORAL DOSE

The absorption and renal excretion of bismuth from seven pharmaceutica l bismuth preparations was studied in five healthy volunteers. Followi ng a single oral dose of colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS), basic bis muth salicylate (BSS), basic bismuth gallate (BSG), basic bismuth carb onate (BSC), bismuth aluminate (BA) and two different basic bismuth ni trate (BSN) preparations, ingested one hour prior to the breakfast, co ntaining 350 mg bismuth in all but one bismuth subnitrate compound, th e latter was given in a 1480 mg dose laid on granulated gum karaya, th e bismuth serum concentrations (0 to 6 h) and urinary excretion (for 2 days) were measured. Slight amounts of bismuth were rapidly absorbed in all experiments with low transient mean peak concentrations between 0.6 (BSN) and 9.1 mug/l (CBS) - reached within 20-60 min - with a wid e intra- und interindividual variability. The highest peak serum bismu th concentration was 18 mug/l in response to CBS. The median integrate d 6-hour serum bismuth concentration after dosing with CBS and BSG was 49 and 32 ng h/ml, respectively, after dosing with BSC, BA, BSS, BSN and BSN1480 13,11, 3, 0 and 5 ng h/ml, respectively. The values for CB S were significantly greater than after BSS and BSN350. There was a ve ry strong overall correlation between 48-h urinary bismuth excretions and the corresponding integrated 6-hour serum bismuth concentrations ( p < 0.001).