JAC Advance Access originally published online on March 23, 2006
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2006 57(6):1244-1247; doi:10.1093/jac/dkl111
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penetration of didanosine in semen of HIV-1-infected men
1 Centre of Preventive Medicine & HIV Outpatient Clinic Via Germania, 2037135 Verona, Italy 2 National Institute for Infectious Diseases, L Spallanzani IRCCS Rome, Italy 3 III Division of Infectious Diseases, Ospedale Cotugno Napoli, Italy 4 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Turin Turin, Italy 5 Infectious Diseases Department, University of Genoa School of Medicine, San Martino Hospital Genoa, Italy
Received 23 November 2005; returned 2 February 2006; revised 9 March 2006; accepted 12 March 2006
*Corresponding author. Tel: +39-045-8076266; Fax: +39-045-8622239; E-mail: crucianimario{at}virgilio.it
Objectives: The disposition of antiretroviral agents into genital tissue and fluids is one of the factors implicated in the control of viral replication within the male genital tract and should be an objective of highly active antiretroviral therapy. We have investigated didanosine penetration in seminal plasma of 16 HIV-infected patients.
Patients and methods: A total of 16 patients on didanosine (200 mg every 12 h or 400 mg once daily) participated in the pharmacokinetic study. After the didanosine morning dose, peripheral blood plasma and semen plasma were collected within the intervals 04, 48 and 812 h in the twice-daily regimen and 04, 412 and 1224 h in the once-daily regimen.
Results: Within each sampling time interval didanosine concentrations in seminal plasma were higher than in blood. The interquartile range of concentrations in seminal plasma was 2921217 ng/mL, compared with 50150 ng/mL in blood plasma. Didanosine could be detected in 14 of the 16 semen samples analysed and in 8 of the 16 blood samples.
Conclusions: We have demonstrated that didanosine penetrates into the seminal plasma in higher concentrations than in blood plasma.
Keywords: antiretroviral therapy , pharmacokinetics , drug distribution , sanctuary site