Table 3.
Fraction unbound, unbound concentration, dose and total concentration of tacrolimus and various biochemical parameters in stable liver transplant recipients and those experiencing rejection
| Parameters | Stable*(n = 25) | Mild*(n = 8) | Moderate*(n = 6) | Severe#(n = 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraction unbound‡ (%) | 0.53 | 0.32 | 0.43 | 0.43 |
| (0.48, 0.60) | (0.15, 0.44) | (0.33, 0.45) | ||
| Estimated unbound concentration (ng l−1)‡ | 0.43 | 0.21 | 0.25 | 0.22 |
| (0.35, 0.49) | (0.15, 0.27) | (0.19, 0.33) | ||
| Tacrolimus dose (mg day−1) | 5.0 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 6.0 |
| (4.4, 6.2) | (3.3, 6.3) | (3.2, 5.8) | ||
| Tacrolimus concentration (µg l−1) | 6.6 | 8.1 | 10.6 | 7.0 |
| (6.0, 8.5) | (5.9, 8.4) | (4.6, 9.0) | ||
| ALT (U l−1)$‡ | 26.9 | 70.0 | 156.0 | 68 |
| AST (U l−1)$‡ | 22.6 | 45.2 | 104.4 | 76 |
| GGT (U l−1)$‡ | 55.2 | 325.1 | 302.8 | 391 |
| Bilirubin (µmol l−1)$‡ | 12.7 | 18.9 | 26.4 | 233. |
*
Mean (95% confidence interval)
#
Mean (95% confidence interval not recorded due to low sample size)
‡
Significant difference between patients experiencing rejection and stable liver transplant recipients (P < 0.001)
$
Data were not normally distributed, Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare the groups.