ABSTRACT
To guide the reasonable clinical application of modafinil (MOD), pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of MOD in mice and the correlation between them were investigated. Male mice (Kunming strain) were given a single oral dose of MOD (120 mg x kg(-1)). The plasma concentration of MOD was measured by HPLC and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with DAS 3.0 software. For another batch of male Kunming strain mice, their locomotor activities were recorded by an infrared ray passive sensor after a same oral dose of MOD, and the synchronization and correlation between the changes of MOD plasma concentration and the locomotor activity induced by MOD were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the plasma concentration-time curve of MOD was fitted to two-compartment open model with a first order absorption. The main pharmacokinetic parameters t1/2alpha, t1/2beta, t(max), C(max) and AUC(0-inifinity) were 0.42 h, 3.10 h, 1.00 h, 41.34 mg x L(-1) and 142.22 mg x L(-1) x h, respectively. MOD significantly increased locomotor activity and the effect lasted for about 4 h. The changes of MOD plasma concentration and the locomotor activity induced by MOD were synchronous. In conclusion, there is a significant correlation between the effect of MOD and its plasma concentration after administration of 120 mg x kg(-1) in mice.