Pharmacokinetics of methotrexate and 7-hydroxy-methotrexate after methotrexate infusions.

Methotrexate was administered by IV infusion, 2g (1.19 +/- 0.05 g/m2) over 24 hours, to a homogeneous group of patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Three courses were given at three week intervals. Methotrexate and 7-hydroxy-methotrexate plasma and urine pharmacokinetics were investigated. The average terminal half-lives of methotrexate and 7-hydroxy-methotrexate in plasma were 15.02 and 15.19 hours respectively. The area under concentration-time curve was 723.8 +/- 196.4 microM x h for methotrexate and 598.1 +/- 212.5 microM x h for 7-hydroxy-methotrexate. The total average urinary excretions of methotrexate and 7-hydroxy-methotrexate over a 96 hour period were 52% and 5.4% respectively. Urinary clearance of methotrexate was 3.46 +/- 1.4 1/h. In contrast, urinary excretion of 7-hydroxy-methotrexate was not linear. These results confirm the protein binding of metabolite to serum albumin and may suggest that distribution of 7-hydroxy-methotrexate is different from unchanged drug or that the metabolite can be eliminated by another route, such as bile.