Evaluation of the Impact of Orange Juice on Apixaban Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Rats

Juice derived from the "sweet orange" cultivar is widely consumed and is considered one of the most popular juices globally. It contains many bioactive compounds that can interact with pharmaceutical agents. This study aimed to assess the impact of oral co-ingestion of orange juice (OJ) and Apixaban (AP) on the fundamental pharmacokinetic characteristics of AP, Cmax, and AUC0-t. Two groups of Wistar rats were used in this study: one was given the drug alone, and the other was given the drug with OJ. Each animal was given 10 ml of freshly squeezed orange juice two hours before the administration of AP at a dose of 5 mg/kg and 10 ml concurrently with it. The plasma samples were withdrawn up to 72 hours later and analyzed using the LC/MS technique, and pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed using Winnonlin version 8.3. The findings indicated a statistically significant increase in Cmax of AP from 28.12±3.78 ng/mL to 56.97±9.8 ng/mL, as well as an increase in AUC0-12 levels from 285.04±24.5 ng. hr/mL to 827.17±46.58 ng.hr/mL when ingested with OJ, without a significant change in Tmax and half-life (t1/2). The results determined that consuming sweet OJ exhibits a noteworthy interaction with orally administered AP.