Theophylline distribution in the premature neonate

Dev Pharmacol Ther. 1981;3(2):65-73. doi: 10.1159/000457424.

Abstract

Theophylline (T) tissue distribution was studied in 11 premature newborns treated with T for prematurity apnea, who had died from severe pathology. To investigate the pattern of distribution of T, in particular the role of the blood-brain barrier in this period of life, two animal species were employed (rat and guinea pig), differing widely in their postnatal development. T was administered to the animals acutely and chronically and the resulting data were compared to human findings. In human prematures no specific accumulation and a wide variety in tissue concentrations, as in tissue/blood ratios, were observed. In the rat, unlike the guinea pig, brain/blood ratios of T concentration declined as postnatal age rose, suggesting that development of the blood-brain barrier plays a major role.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Apnea / drug therapy
  • Apnea / metabolism*
  • Blood-Brain Barrier
  • Female
  • Gestational Age
  • Guinea Pigs
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Newborn, Diseases / drug therapy
  • Infant, Newborn, Diseases / metabolism
  • Infant, Premature
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Species Specificity
  • Theophylline / metabolism*
  • Theophylline / pharmacology

Substances

  • Theophylline