The effect of grapefruit juice on cyclosporine and prednisone metabolism in transplant patients

Abstract

Grapefruit juice inhibits the metabolism of cyclosporine for a brief period after administration, which may be explained by the inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the gut wall and to a lesser extent by inhibition of these enzymes in the liver. Grapefruit juice can be one of the factors leading to intraindividual variability in the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine. Grapefruit juice had no significant effect on the metabolism of prednisone or prednisolone.