The effect of smoking on the bioavailability of metronidazole in plasma and saliva

Author(s)

Montalli, Victor Angelo ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Bergamaschi, Cristiane de Cassia ^[4] ; Ramacciato, Juliana Cama ^{[1, 2]} ; Nolasco, Fabiana Pinchefti ^[5] ; Groppo, Francisco Carlos ; de Brito, Jr., Rui Barbosa ^{[1, 2, 6]} ; Haas, Daniel A. ; Lopes Motta, Rogerio Heladio ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Leopoldo Mand Inst, Dept Pharmacol Anesthesiol & Therapeut, BR-13414903 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Res Ctr, BR-13414903 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Sao Leopoldo Mand Inst, Dept Oral Pathol, BR-13414903 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sorocaba, Dept Pharmaceut Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Piracicaba Dent Sch, Dept Physiol Sci, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[6] Sao Leopoldo Mand Inst, Dept Mol Biol & Histol, BR-13414903 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION; v. 143, n. 2, p. 149-156, FEB 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Background. Cigarette smoking is considered to be a major risk factor for periodontal disease, and the antimicrobial agent metronidazole is commonly used for treatment of periodontitis. The authors evaluated the effect of cigarette smoking on the bioavailability of metronidazole in plasma and saliva. Methods. Thirteen smokers and 13 nonsmokers received a single oral dose of 750 milligrams of metronidazole. Study personnel collected blood and saliva samples at baseline and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after metronidazole administration. The authors quantified plasmatic and salivary metronidazole concentrations by means of high-performance liquid chromatography, and they determined the pharmacokinetic parameters and analyzed them statistically by using the Mann-Whitney test and nonpaired t test (alpha = 5 percent). Results. The authors detected a significant reduction in plasmatic metronidazole concentrations in smokers at 1 hour, 1.5 hours and 2 hours compared with nonsmokers (P < .05). They also found a significant reduction in the maximum concentration in plasma in smokers as compared with that of nonsmokers (P < .05). The authors observed no statistically significant differences in the salivary concentration or pharmacokinetics between the two groups, however (P >.05). Conclusion. Cigarette smoking interfered with the bioavailability of metronidazole in plasma but not in saliva. Practice Implications. The clinical significance of these findings needs to be investigated further to verify the effectiveness of metronidazole in smokers. (AU)