Summary
Cyclosporin, a potent immunosuppressive agent used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, has a narrow therapeutic range and various toxic effects, mostly concentration-dependent. The kinetics of this drug present a large intra- and interindividual variability due to many factors resulting in marked variations of blood cyclosporin concentrations, and in a poor correlation between administered dose and concentrations. The knowledge of cyclosporin peculiarities and of factors affecting blood concentrations can provide a rational basis for establishing an adequate therapy for the individual patient, in conjunction with other laboratory and clinical data. Cyclosporin monitoring is a method of evaluating whether the therapeutic choice is correct. Cyclosporin concentrations can be measured in blood, plasma and serum using radioimmunoassay or high performance liquid chromatography. Different results are obtained, depending on the technique and on biological fluids used. Cyclosporin measurement presents many problems and difficulties. There is a need for standardisation and for quality assessment programmes. The recent development of monoclonal antibodies may represent a significant advance for cyclosporin monitoring. The most important factors affecting blood concentrations are: type of transplant, bile deficit, gastrointestinal dysfunction, food, variations of lipoprotein concentrations, impairment of liver function, age, drug coadministration. Therapeutic drug monitoring should be undertaken on a regular basis after the initiation of therapy with cyclosporin. After discharge from the hospital the patient and the attending physician should be aware of the factors which may require changes in cyclosporin therapy.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agarwal RP, McPherson RA, Threatte GA. Evidence of a cyclosporine-binding protein in human erythrocytes. Transplantation 42: 627–632, 1986
Andrews W, Fyock B, Gray S, Coln D, Hendrickse W, et al. Pediatric liver transplantation: the Dallas experience. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 3267–3276, 1987
Andrews W, Iwatsuki S, Shaw BW, Starzl TE. Letter. Transplantation 39: 338, 1985
Atkinson K, Biggs JC, Britton K, Short R, Mrongovius R, et al. Oral administration of cyclosporin A for recipients of allogeneic marrow transplants: implications of clinical gut dysfunction. British Journal of Haematology 56: 223–231, 1984
Atkinson K, Britton K, Pauli P, Farrell C, Concannon A, et al. Detrimental effect of intestinal disease on absorption of orally administered cyclosporine. Transplantation Proceedings 15 (Suppl. 1): 2446–2449, 1983
Ballantyne CM, Jones PH, Payton-Ross C, Patsch W, Short HD, et al. Hyperlipidemia following heart transplantation: natural history and intervention with mevinolin (Lovastatin). Transplantation Proceedings 19 (Suppl. 5): 60–62, 1987
Bowers LD, Canafax DM, Singh J, Seifedlin R, Simmons RL, et al. Studies of cyclosporine blood levels: analysis, clinical utility, pharmacokinetics, metabolites and chronopharmacology. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 137–143, 1986
Burckart G, Starzl T, Williams L, Sanghvi A, Gartner C, et al. Cyclosporine monitoring in pediatric liver transplant patients. Transplantation Proceedings 17: 1172–1175, 1985
Burckart GJ, Venkataramanan R, Ptachcinski RJ, Starzl TE, Gartner C, et al. Cyclosporine absorption following orthotopic liver transplantation. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 26: 647–651, 1986a
Burckart GJ, Venkataramanan R, Ptachcinski RJ, Starzl TE, Griffith BP, et al. Cyclosporine pharmacokinetic profiles in liver, heart and kidney transplant patients as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 129–136, 1986b
Burckart GJ, Wang CP, Zeevi A, Venkataramanan R, Ptachcinski RJ, et al. Cyclosporine metabolites in human bile: recovery and immunologic activity. Transplantation Proceedings 20 (Suppl. 1): 190–192, 1988
Busuttil RW, Goldstein LI, Danovitch M, Ament ME, Memsic LDF. Liver transplantation today. Annals of Internal Medicine 104: 377–389, 1986
Cabrol C, Gandjbakhch I, Pavie A, Cabrol A, Corcos T, et al. Indications and contraindications for cardiac transplantation: new trends in immunosuppressive therapy and results. Transplantation Proceedings 4 (Suppl. 3): 35–38, 1986
Calabresi P, Parks RE. Chemotherapy of neoplastic diseases. In Goodman & Gilman (Eds) The pharmacological basis of therapeutics, pp. 1240–1306, MacMillan Company, New York, 1985
Elston RA, Taylor J. Possible interaction of ciprofloxacin with cyclosporin A. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 21: 679–680, 1988
Follath F, Wenk M, Vozeh S, Thiel G, Brunner F, et al. Intravenous cyclosporine kinetics in renal failure. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 34: 638–643, 1983
Freed BM, Rosano TG, Lempert N. In vitro immunosuppressive properties of cyclosporine metabolites. Transplantation 43: 123–127, 1987a
Freed BM, Rosano TG, Quick C, Lempert N. Effect of cyclosporine metabolites M17 and M18 on proliferation and IL-2 production in the mixed lymphocyte culture. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 1223–1226, 1987b
Frey BM, Appenzeller M, Gautschi K, Keller B, Vadas L, et al. Measurement of cyclosporine A by RIA in different centers are not comparable. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 1713–1714, 1987
Hillebrand G, Castro LA, Van Scheidt W, Beukelmann D, Land W, et al. Valproate for epilepsy in renal transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine. Transplantation 43: 915–916, 1987
Holt DW, Marsden JT, Johnston A. Measurement of cyclosporine: methodological problems. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 101–110, 1986
Irschik E, Tilg H, Niederwieser D, Gastl G, Huber Ch, et al. Cyclosporin blood levels do correlate with clinical complications. Lancet 2: 692–693, 1984
Johnston A, Marsden JT, Hla KK, Henry A, Holt DW. The effect of vehicle on the oral absorption of cyclosporin. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 21: 331–333, 1986a
Johnston A, Marsden JT, Holt DW. The United Kingdom cyclosporin quality assessment scheme. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 8: 200–204, 1986b
Johnston A, Marsden JT, Holt DW. The influence of haematocrit on blood cyclosporin measurements in vivo. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 25: 509–513, 1988
Jones RJ, Lee SK, Beschorner WE, Vogel VG, Grochow LB, et al. Venocclusive disease of the liver following bone marrow transplantation. Transplantation 44: 778–783, 1987
Kahan BD. Individualization of cyclosporine therapy using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Transplantation 40: 457–476, 1985
Kahan BD, Kramer WG, Wideman C, Flechner SM, Lorber MI, et al. Demographic factors affecting the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine estimated by radioimmunoassay. Transplantation 41: 459–464. 1986a
Kahan BD, Kramer WG, Wideman CA, Frazier OH, Lorber MI, et al. Analysis of pharmacokinetic profiles in 232 renal and 87 cardiac allograft recipients treated with cyclosporine. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 115–119, 1986b
Kahan BD, Ried M, Newburger J. Pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine in human renal transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 15: 446–453, 1983
Kalayoglu M, Stratta RJ, Hoffmann RM, Sollinger HW, Beizer FO. Quadruple immunosuppressive therapy for liver transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 20 (Suppl. 1): 524–529, 1988
Kennedy MS, Yee GC, McGuire TR, Leonard TM, Crowley JJ, et al. Correlation of serum cyclosporine concentration with renal dysfunction in marrow transplant recipients. Transplantation 40: 249–253, 1985
Keogh A, Day R, Critchley L, Duggin G, Baron D. The effect of food and cholestyramine on the absorption of cyclosporine in cardiac transplant recipients. Transplantation Proceedings 20: 27–30, 1988
Keown PA, Stiller CR, Laupacis AL, Howson W, Coles R, et al. The effects and side effects of cyclosporine: relationship to drug pharmacokinetics. Transplantation Proceedings 14: 659–661, 1982
Keown PA, Stiller CR, Sinclair NR, Carruthers G, Howson W, et al. The clinical relevance of cyclosporine blood levels as measured by radioimmunoassay. Transplantation Proceedings 15 (Suppl. 1): 2438–2441, 1983
Keown PA, Stiller CR, Stawecki M, Freeman D. Pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine in solid organ transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 160–164, 1986
Klare B, Walter JV, Hahn H, Emmrich P, Und W. Cyclosporin in renal transplantation in children. Lancet 2: 692, 1984
Kreft-Jais C, Billaud EM, Gaudry C, Bedrossian J. Effect of josamycin on plasma cyclosporine levels. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 32: 327–328, 1987
Lemaire M, Maurer G, Wood AJ. Pharmacokinetics and metabolism. Progress in Allergy 38: 93–107, 1986
Lindholm A, Henricsson S, Lind M, Dahlqvist R. Intraindividual variability in the relative systemic availability of cyclosporin after oral dosing. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 34: 461–464, 1988
Lithell H, Odlind B, Selinus I, Lindberg A, Lindström B, et al. Is the plasma lipoprotein pattern of importance for treatment with cyclosporine? Transplantation Proceedings 18: 50–51, 1986
Mehta MU, Venkataramanan R, Burckart GJ, Ptachcinski RJ, Delamos B, et al. Effect of bile on cyclosporin absorption in liver transplant patients. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 25: 579–584, 1988
Mover TP. Measurement of cyclosporine: a challenge to the professional laboratory organizations. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 7: 123–124, 1985
Mover TP, Johnson P, Faynor SM, Sterioff S. Cyclosporine: a review of drug monitoring problems and presentation of a simple, accurate liquid Chromatographic procedure that solves these problems. Clinical Biochemistry 19: 83–89, 1986
Mraz W, Sido B, Knedel M, Hammer C. Concomitant immunosuppressive and antibiotic therapy: reduction of cyclosporine A blood levels due to treatment with imipenem/cilastatin. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 4017–4020, 1987
Mraz W, Zink RA, Graft A, Preis D, Illner WD, et al. Distribution and transfer of cyclosporine among the various human lipoprotein classes. Transplantation Proceedings 15 (Suppl. 1): 2426–2429, 1983
Neiberger R, Weiss R, Gomez M, Greifer J, Tellis VA, et al. Elimination kinetics of cyclosporine following oral administration to children with renal transplants. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 1525, 1987
Niederberger W, Lemaire M, Maurer G, Nussbaumer K, Wagner O. Distribution and binding of cyclosporine in blood and tissues. Transplantation Proceedings 15 (Suppl. 1): 2419–2421, 1983
Odlind B, Lindberg A, Tufveson G, Lindström B, Frödin L, et al. Longitudinal study of the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine before and after renal transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 18: 47–49, 1986
Ptachcinski RJ, Burckart GJ, Rosenthal JT, Venkataramanan R, Howrie DL, et al. Cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in children following cadaveric renal transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 18: 766–767, 1986a
Ptachcinski RJ, Venkataramanan R, Burckart GJ. Clinical pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine. Clinical Pharmacokinetics 11: 107–132, 1986b.
Ptachcinski RJ, Venkataramanan R, Rosenthal JT, Burckart GJ, Taylor RJ, et al. The effect of food on cyclosporine absorption. Transplantation 40: 174–176, 1985a
Ptachcinski RJ, Venkataramanan R, Rosenthal JT, Burckart GJ, Taylor RJ, et al. Cyclosporine kinetics in renal transplantation. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 38: 296–300, 1985b
Quesniaux V. The use of monoclonal antibodies to probe the surface of cyclosporine. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 111–114, 1986
Quesniaux V, Tees R, Schreier MH, Maurer G, van Regenmortel MHV. Potential of monoclonal antibodies to improve therapeutic monitoring of cyclosporine. Clinical Chemistry 33: 32–37, 1987
Rosano TG. Effect of hematocrit on cyclosporine (cyclosporin A) in whole blood and plasma of renal-transplant patients. Clinical Chemistry 31: 410–412, 1985
Rosano TG, Freed BM, Pell MA, Dybas MT, Lempert N. Involvement of cyclosporine metabolites in therapeutic monitoring and immunosuppression. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 1699–1703, 1987
Rosano TG, Freed BM, Pell MA, Lempert N. Cyclosporine metabolites in human blood and renal tissue. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 35–40, 1986
Schinella M, Perobelli L, Mazzi G, Determinazioni di ciclosporina e suoi metaboliti con anticorpi policlonali, monoclonali aspecifici e specifici (RIA) e con HPLC. Ligand Quarterly 6: 365–367, 1987
Scott JP, Higenbottam TW. Adverse reactions and interactions of cyclosporin Medical Toxicology 3: 107–127, 1988
Shaw LM, Bowers L, Demers L, Freeman D, Moyer T, et al. Critical issues in cyclosporine monitoring: report of the task force on cyclosporine monitoring. Clinical Chemistry 33: 1269–1288, 1987
Sheil AGR. Clinical organ transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 19: 2782–2786, 1987
Shulman HM, McDonald GB, Matthews D, Doney KC, Kopecky KJ, et al. An analysis of hepatic venocclusive disease and centrilobular hepatic degeneration following bone marrow transplantation. Gastroenterology 79: 1178–1191, 1980
Snyder DS. Interaction between cyclosporine and warfarin. Annals of Internal Medicine 108: 311, 1988
Sutherland DER, Goetz FC, Najarian JS. Improved pancreas graft survival by use of multiple drug combination immunotherapy. Transplantation Proceedings 18: 1770–1773, 1986
Tufveson G, Odlind B, Sjöberg O, Lindberg A, Gabrielsson J, et al. A longitudinal study of the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine A and in vitro lymphocyte responses in renal transplant patients. Transplantation Proceedings 18 (Suppl. 5): 16–24, 1986
Venkataramanan R, Burckart GJ, Ptachcinski RJ. Pharmacokinetics and monitoring of cyclosporine following orthotopic liver transplantation. Seminars in Liver Disease 5: 357–368, 1985a
Venkataramanan R, Burckart GJ, Ptachcinski RJ, Lee A, Hardesty RL, et al. Cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in heart transplant patients. Transplantation Proceedings 18: 768–770, 1986a
Venkataramanan R, Gray J, Ptachcinski RJ, Van Thiel DH, Burckart GJ, et al. Cyclosporine kinetics in liver disease. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 37: 234, 1985b
Venkataramanan R, Ptachcinski RJ, Burckart GJ, Yang SL, Starzl TE, et al. The clearance of cyclosporine by hemodialysis. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 24: 528–531, 1984
Venkataramanan R, Starzl TE, Yang S, Burckart GJ, Ptachcinski RJ, et al. Biliary excretion of cyclosporine in liver transplant patients. Transplantation Proceedings 17: 286–289, 1985c
Venkataramanan R, Yang S, Burckart GJ, Ptachcinski RJ, Van Thiel DH, et al. Diurnal variation in cyclosporine kinetics. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 8: 380–381, 1986b
Veremis SA, Maddux MS, Pollak R, Mozes MF. Subtherapeutic cyclosporine concentrations during nafcillin therapy. Transplantation 43: 913–915, 1987
Vine W, Bowers LD. Cyclosporine: structure, pharmacokinetics, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences 25: 275–311, 1987
Wadhwa NK, Schroeder TJ, O’Flaherty E, Pesce AJ, Myre SA, et al. The effect of oral metoclopramide on the absorption of cyclosporine. Transplantation 43: 211–213, 1987a
Wadhwa NK, Schroeder TJ, Pesce AJ, Myre SA, Clardy CW, et al. Cyclosporine drug interactions: a review. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring 9: 399–406, 1987b
Wang CP, Burckart GJ, Venkataramanan R, Ptachcinski RJ, Cuellar RE, et al. Cyclosporine metabolite profiles in the blood of liver transplant patients. Transplantation Proceedings 20 (Suppl. 1): 173–175, 1988
Wassef R, Cohen Z, Langer B. In vivo interaction of cyclosporine and Intralipid. Transplantation 41: 266–278, 1986
Wenk M, Follath F. Temperature dependency of apparent cyclosporin A concentrations in plasma. Clinical Chemistry 29: 1865, 1983
Whiting PH, Barnard N, Neilsch A, Simpson JG, Burke MD. Interactions between cyclosporin A, indomethacin and 16, 16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2: effects on renal, hepatic and gastrointestinal toxicity in the rat. British Journal of Experimental Pathology 68: 777–786, 1987
Yee GC, Kennedy MS, Storb R, Thomas ED. Effect of hepatic dysfunction on oral cyclosporine pharmacokinetics in marrow transplant patients. Blood 64: 1277–1279, 1984a
Yee GC, Kennedy MS, Storb R, Thomas ED. Pharmacokinetics of intravenous cyclosporine in bone marrow transplant patients. Transplantation 38: 511–513, 1984b
Yee GC, Lennon TP, Gmur DJ, Kennedy MS, Deeg HJ. Age-dependent cyclosporine: pharmacokinetics in marrow transplant recipients. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 40: 438–443, 1986
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodighiero, V. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Cyclosporin. Clin-Pharmacokinet 16, 27–37 (1989). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003088-198916010-00002
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003088-198916010-00002