A. Hedman et Dkf. Meijer, STEREOSELECTIVE INHIBITION BY THE DIASTEREOMERS QUINIDINE AND QUININEOF UPTAKE OF CARDIAC-GLYCOSIDES INTO ISOLATED RAT HEPATOCYTES, Journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 87(4), 1998, pp. 457-461
The pharmacokinetic interaction between quinidine and digoxin in patie
nts is well-known, in general requiring a dose reduction of digoxin in
patients concomitantly treated with quinidine. Quinine, the diastereo
mer of quinidine, has not been as extensively studied in this respect.
In addition to an interaction with the renal clearance of digoxin by
quinidine, both diastereomers have been reported to inhibit the biliar
y clearance of digoxin in man. To further investigate the mechanisms o
f these hepatobiliary transport interactions at the cellular level, we
compared the effects of quinidine and quinine, as well as of the calc
ium antagonist verapamil, on the uptake of digoxin and ouabain in isol
ated rat hepatocytes. Initial uptake rates of digoxin and ouabain were
determined in the presence of various concentrations of quinine and q
uinidine. A concentration dependent inhibition of the cellular uptake
of both cardiac glycosides by quinine and quinidine was found, quinine
being a more potent inhibitor than quinidine. Our results indicate a
stereoselective inhibition of the hepatocellular uptake by the two dia
stereomers quinidine and quinine, the latter being about equipotent to
verapamil. This unequal inhibitory potency of the two basic drugs was
detected earlier in oocyte studies with the cloned organic cation tra
nsporter OCT1.