Abstract
The pharmacokinetics of propranolol have been studied in pentobarbitone-anesthetized dogs after both systemic and portal venous administration. The results confirm that after systemic venous administration hepatic extraction is high, averaging 69–92% at one circulation, and that hepatic clearance accounts for 74–102% of the whole body elimination; thus the clearance of propranolol is chiefly dependent on hepatic blood flow. The kinetics differed when propranolol was given into the hepatic portal vein in a logarithmically declining fashion. Extraction of propranolol was initially complete in some dogs, but subsequently more propranolol left the liver in venous blood than entering via arterial and portal venous blood. These findings are interpreted as evidence for saturation of propranolol extraction by the liver.
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George, C.F., Orme, M.L., Buranapong, P. et al. Contribution of the liver to overall elimination of propranolol. Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics 4, 17–27 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271441
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271441