Disposition in the rat of buprenorphine administered parenterally and as a subcutaneous implant

Abstract

1. Disposition of [15, 16(n)-³H]buprenorphine in the rat has been investigated after a single 0·2 mg/kg i.v. bolus dose and continuous administration via a s.c. implantable long-acting delivery system.

2. After the i.v. injection, the tri-exponential decay of drug from brain occurred with t_1/2 values of 0·6, 2·3 and 7·2 h, respectively (plasma t_1/2 0·5, 1·4h, third phase not estimated due to sustained concn.) Decay of drug from another high-affinity binding site in brain occurred with t_1/2 values of 1·1 and 68·7 h, respectively. Fat and lung had higher concn. than other tissues and plasma. No metabolites of drug were detected in brain.

3. Unmetabolized drug excreted in urine and faeces one week after i.v. injection were 1·9 and 22·4% of dose, respectively, and 92% of the dose was accounted for in one week. Urinary metabolites (%) were: conjugated buprenorphine 0·9; norbuprenorphine (free 9·4, conjugated 5·2); tentative 6-O-desmethylnorbuprenorphine (free 5·4, conjugated 15·9).

4. Peak plasma concn. of buprenorphine occurred four weeks after s.c. implantation of a long-acting 10 mg ³H-buprenorphine pellet, and apparent dissociation half-lives of drug from low- and high-affinity binding sites in brain were 4·6 and 6·8 weeks, respectively. Fat, spleen and skeletal muscle had higher concn. than other tissues and plasma. No significant difference in brain morphine concn. was observed in placebo and nonlabelled buprenorphine-pelleted animals after a 2 mg/kg i.v. challenge dose of ³H-morphine.

5. This study emphasizes the importance of high-affinity binding of buprenorphine in brain and subsequent slow dissociation as a prime factor in its prolonged agonist/antagonist effects and higher potency than other narcotic agonists.