Effects of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism on the pharmacokinetics of tolperisone in healthy subjects

Tolperisone hydrochloride is a centrally-acting muscle relaxant used for relieving spasticities of neurological origin and muscle spasms associated with painful locomotor diseases. It is metabolized to the inactive metabolite mainly by CYP2D6 and, to a lesser extent, by CYP2C19 and CYP1A2. In our previous study, the pharmacokinetics of tolperisone was significantly affected by the genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6, but the wide interindividual variation of tolperisone pharmacokinetics was not explained by genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6 alone. Thus, we studied the effects of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphism on tolperisone pharmacokinetics. Eighty-one subjects with different CYP2C19 genotypes received a single oral dose of 150 mg tolperisone with 240 mL of water, and blood samples were collected up to 12 h after dosing. The plasma concentration of tolperisone was measured by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system. The CYP2C19PM group had significantly higher C_max and lower CL/F values than the CYP2C19EM and CYP2C19IM groups. The AUC_inf of the CYP2C19PM group was 2.86-fold and 3.00-fold higher than the CYP2C19EM and CYP2C19IM groups, respectively. In conclusion, the genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 significantly affected tolperisone pharmacokinetics.