| Research Abstract |
Antipsychotic haloperidol, which may be used in psychiatric patients for a long period of time, was shown to be excreted into hair in proportion to the dose. In addition, the excreted drug was retained in haier for a long time and moved along the hair length at a pace of individual hair growth. However, there was no small inter-individual difference in hair growth rate. To overcome this, such a drug that may be used frequently and independently of the original disease, and excreted in hair to a large extent, was screened. Antimicrobial ofloxacin is proved to be the drug and the method to extract it from hair and to quantify it was developed. Using healthy male volunteers ofloxacin was shown to be detected in hair even after the administration of one tablet and to be excreted into hair in proportion to the dose. From patients who had taken on ofloxacin, hair samples were taken every month for three months. Using these hair sample, ofloxacin was also shown to move along hair length keeping the pace with the hair growth. Therefore, it is expected that we can know the individual rate of hair growth from the distribution of ofloxacin along hair length and the past history of ofloxacin uses. As an example of the application of drug analysis to the knowledge of patient compliance, the distribution of nicotine along hair growth was used to know the time course of refrainment from smoking habits in subjects who attended the 6-month course for smoking refrainment. The distribution of nicotine along hair length coincided exactly to the time course of smoking refrainment.
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