ArticleBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2025
Pharmacokinetics of betamethasone in pre-eclampsia: An in vivo and ex vivo study.
Article in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of Common Therapies for Threatened Preterm Labor on the Placental Inflammatory Response.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Article
- SUMOylation Inhibitor TAK-981 Alleviates Hallmark Features of Preeclampsia Related to High Glucocorticoid Exposure by Inhibiting Placental Oxidative Stress in Rats.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Pharmacokinetics of betamethasone in pre-eclampsia: An in vivo and ex vivo study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Article
- Drug-Drug Interactions and Individualized Clozapine Therapy in Patients with Depression: Insights from Real-World Data.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Article
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16 authors.
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Abstract
aimsTo enhance understanding of betamethasone and its metabolites' pharmacokinetics in pregnancy, specifically early-onset pre-eclampsia, through a population pharmacokinetic model. Additionally, to investigate the placental metabolism and transfer of betamethasone and its main metabolites.
methodsA prospective, single-centre pharmacokinetic study was conducted in pregnant women (n = 28) with imminent preterm birth treated with intramuscular betamethasone. Betamethasone serum concentrations were determined from serial venous blood samples (n = 194). Placental transfer and metabolism were studied using ex vivo human placental perfusion (healthy term; n = 3) and placental explant experiments (healthy term, n = 4; early-onset pre-eclampsia, n = 4). Additionally, placental mRNA expression of CYP3A4, CYP3A7, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) 1 and 11β-HSD2 were quantified in healthy and early-onset pre-eclampsia placentas.
resultsThe population pharmacokinetic model was best described by a 2-compartment nonlinear mixed effects model. Betamethasone clearance in early-onset pre-eclamptic women was 60% lower of that observed in women without pre-eclampsia (9.35 vs. 15.78 L/h), resulting in a 40% median increase in maternal betamethasone exposure (1567 vs. 1114 ng h/mL). Ex vivo experiments showed placental transfer of betamethasone to the foetal circulation (foetal-to-maternal ratio 0.76 ± 0.05 [in a perfused placental cotyledon]). The placenta only converted betamethasone into 11-ketobetamethasone, with similar ratios in early-onset pre-eclampsia and healthy placental explants (3.0 ± 2.2 vs. 1.4 ± 0.4 per mg tissue, P = .27). The expression of 11β-HSD1 mRNA was lower in early-onset pre-eclampsia placentas (P = .015), while placental CYP3A7 and 11β-HSD2 mRNA expression were similar.
conclusionWomen with early-onset pre-eclampsia have elevated betamethasone exposure. Betamethasone transfers freely into the foetal circulation, with placental metabolism resulting only in 11-ketobetamethasone. Decreased placental 11β-HSD1 expression may play a role in increased betamethasone exposure in early-onset pre-eclampsia.
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