The pharmacokinetic parameters of ondansetron were evaluated after its intravenous (at doses of 1, 4, 8 and 20 mg/kg) and oral (4, 8 and 20 mg/kg) administration to rats. The gastric, intestinal and hepatic first-pass effects of ondansetron were also evaluated after its intravenous, oral, intraportal, intragastric and intraduodenal administration at a dose of 8 mg/kg to rats. After intravenous and oral administration of ondansetron, the drug exhibits dose-independent pharmacokinetics in rats. After oral administration of ondansetron at a dose of 8 mg/kg, the unabsorbed fraction was 0.0158 of the dose, the extent of absolute oral bioavailability (F) value was 0.0407, and the hepatic and intestinal first-pass effects were 40.0% and 34.2% of the oral dose, respectively. The low F of ondansetron in rats was mainly due to considerable hepatic and intestinal first-pass effects. The lower F of ondansetron in rats (4.07%) than that in humans (62+/-15%) was mainly due to greater hepatic metabolism of the drug in rats. Ondansetron was stable in the rat gastric juices and various buffer solutions having pHs ranging from 1 to 13. The equilibrium plasma-to-blood cells partition ratio of ondansetron was 1.74-5.31. Protein binding of ondansetron to fresh rat plasma was 53.2%.

It has been reported that ondansetron is primarily metabolized via hepatic CYP2D and 3A1/2 in male Sprague-Dawley rats, and CYP2D1 and 3A2 are male dominant and male specific isozymes, respectively, in rats. Thus, it could be expected that the pharmacokinetics of ondansetron would be changed in male rats compared with those in female rats. Thus, gender-different ondansetron pharmacokinetics were evaluated after its intravenous or oral administration at a dose of 8 mg/kg to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. After intravenous administration of ondansetron to male rats, the AUC and time-averaged non-renal clearance (Clnr) of the drug were significantly smaller (22.6% decrease) and faster (27.3% increase), respectively, than those in female rats. This probably could be due to faster hepatic blood flow rate in male rats. After oral administration of ondansetron to male rats, the AUC of the drug was also significantly smaller (58.8% decrease) than that in female rats, and this could have been due mainly to increased intestinal metabolism of ondansetron in addition to increased hepatic metabolism of the drug in male rats.