Pharmacokinetic interaction of pioglitazone hydrochloride and atorvastatin calcium in Beagle dogs

The object of this study is to investigate the pharmacokinetic interaction of pioglitazone hydrochloride and atorvastatin calcium in healthy adult Beagle dogs following single and multiple oral dose administration.  A randomized, cross-over study was conducted with nine healthy adult Beagle dogs assigned to three groups.  Each group was arranged to take atorvastatin calcium (A), pioglitazone hydrochloride (B), atorvastatin calcium and pioglitazone hydrochloride (C) orally in the first period, to take B, C, A in the second period, and to take C, A, B in the third period for 6 days respectively.  The blood samples were collected at the first and the sixth day after the administration, plasma drug concentrations were determined by LC-MS/MS, a one-week wash-out period was needed between each period.  The pharmacokinetic parameters of drug combination group and the drug alone group were calculated by statistical moment method, calculation of C_max and AUC_0−t was done by using 90% confidence interval method of the bioequivalence and bioavailability degree module DAS 3.2.1 software statistics.  Compared with the separate administration, the main pharmacokinetic parameters (C_max and AUC_0−t) of joint use of pioglitazone hydrochloride and atorvastatin calcium within 90% confidence intervals for bioequivalence statistics were unqualified, the mean t_max with standard deviation used paired Wilcoxon test resulted P > 0.05.  There was no significant difference within t_1/2, CL_int, MRT, V/F.  Pioglitazone hydrochloride and atorvastatin calcium had pharmacokinetic interaction in healthy adult Beagle dogs.