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. 2002 Mar 28;4(1):19–26. doi: 10.1208/ps040104

Protein binding predictions in infants

Patrick J McNamara 1,✉, Jane Alcorn 1
PMCID: PMC2751289  PMID: 12049488

Abstract

Plasma binding protein levels are lower in the newborn than in the adult and gradually increase with age. At birth, human serum albumin (HSA) concentrations are close to adult levels (75%–80%), while alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) is initially half the adult concentration. As a result, the extent of drug binding to HSA is closer to that of the adult than are those drugs bound largely to AAG. A model that incorporates the fraction unbound in adults and the ratio of the binding protein concentration between infants and adults successfully predicted the fraction unbound in infants and children.

KeyWords: plasma protein binding, fraction unbound, infants, children, newborn, albumin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein

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