Table 2.
Content of phenacetin and its metabolites in plasma and urine ( ± SD)
| Hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 148) | Chronic hepatitis B (n = 41) | Cirrhosis (n = 106) | Healthy participants (n = 82) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plasma phenacetin (μg/mL) | 3.88 ± 2.67††,‡ | 5.62 ± 1.79* | 7.93 ± 2.41**,‡‡ | 3.64 ± 2.56 |
| Plasma‐free acetaminophen (μg/mL) | 4.74 ± 2.01†† | 3.80 ± 1.21* | 2.44 ± 1.46**,‡‡ | 5.06 ± 1.83 |
| Plasma‐conjugated acetaminophen (μg/mL) | 3.90 ± 2.11††,‡ | 2.42 ± 1.50 | 1.35 ± 1.06**,‡‡ | 3.44 ± 1.65 |
| Plasma total acetaminophen (μg/mL) | 8.64 ± 3.34††,‡ | 6.22 ± 2.17* | 3.79 ± 2.18**,‡‡ | 8.50 ± 3.33 |
| Ratio of plasma total acetaminophen to phenacetin | 3.44 ± 2.92††,‡ | 1.90 ± 1.74* | 0.52 ± 0.35**,‡‡ | 5.88 ± 6.59 |
| Urine acetaminophen (%) | 7.30 ± 6.12 | 7.05 ± 7.23 | 11.67 ± 11.83 | 6.80 ± 1.92 |
| Urine glucuronide acetaminophen (%) | 14.28 ± 3.89**,††,‡‡ | 54.42 ± 21.25 | 47.19 ± 18.80 | 58.02 ± 14.52 |
| Urine sulfate acetaminophen (%) | 78.42 ± 3.64**,††,‡‡ | 38.53 ± 17.40 | 41.14 ± 16.32 | 35.18 ± 8.75 |
| Ratio of glucuronide acetaminophen: sulfate acetaminophen | 0.18 ± 0.05**,††,‡‡ | 1.78 ± 0.97 | 1.55 ± 1.03 | 1.93 ± 0.54 |
*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs healthy participants; †P < 0.05, ††P < 0.01 vs cirrhosis patients; ‡P < 0.05, ‡‡P < 0.01 vs chronic hepatitis B patients.