Salbutamol was administered to sixteen healthy male volunteers intravenously and by mouth in liquid, tablet, and capsule form using a Latin-Squares design. Pharmacokinetic parameters from intravenous data were similar to previously reported values obtained with oral administration, with a mean terminal half-life of 3.8 h and a mean clearance of 439 ml X min-1 X 1.73 m-2. Peak plasma concentrations of 10-20 ng X ml-1 were obtained 1-3 h following oral administration. The absolute bioavailability of each of the oral preparations was 44%. While statistically significant differences in lag time and time to peak concentration were noted among the various oral preparations, the drug is rapidly absorbed in all three dosage forms and the observed differences are unlikely to be of clinical significance.

We investigated the possible interference of smooth muscle cells with monocyte response to LDL as well as with their adhesion and transmigration in a coculture of porcine endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), a component of oxidized LDL (oxLDL), stimulated the adhesion of THP-1 cells to endothelial cells both in mono- and in coculture with smooth muscle cells. When THP-1 cells were incubated with endothelial cells in the presence of copper oxLDL, their adhesion was increased, but only in coculture. The addition of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) together with oxLDL markedly increased the adhesion of THP-1 cells in coculture. Close proximity between endothelial and smooth muscle cells was necessary to observe that effect. Furthermore, this increase in adhesion of THP-1 cells can, at least in part, be attributed to the augmented production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) observed in coculture under the influence of oxLDL and SNP. The passage of THP-1 cells through the coculture was stimulated by MCP-1 and LPC. These results show that physical contacts or close proximity between endothelial and smooth muscle cells play a key role in the adhesion of monocytes and their infiltration into the intima in response to oxLDL.

No abstract