Objective:Plateau hypoxia exposure causes changes in pharmacokinetic parameters and cerebral-blood distribution of drugs,including many substrates of P-glycoprotein(P-gp).Levetiracetam,a kind of antiepileptic drugs,is a substrate of P-gp.Whether plateau hypoxia exposure changes its pharmacokinetic characteristics and cerebral-blood distribution remains unclear.This study aims to investigate the effects of plateau hypoxia on the pharmacokinetics and cerebra-blood distribution of levetiracetam. Methods:Wistar rats were divided into a low-altitude control group,a high-altitude group,a solvent group,and a P-gp induction group.After 24 h of exposure at altitude of 4 010 m,rats in the high-altitude group were given levetiracetam orally or intravenously.The plasma was respectively collected at 0.083,0.25,0.5,0.83,1.25,2,4,6,8,10,12,and 24 h after oral administration of the drug,while both plasma and brain were respectively collected at 5,45,60,120 and 240 min after intravenous injection.After 3 days administration of dexamethasone,plasma and brain of rats in the P-gp induction group were collected at 120 min after intravenously giving levetiracetam.Plasma and brain concentrations of the drug were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS).The expression of P-gp in blood-brain barrier was detected by Western blotting. Results:Compared with the low-altitude control group,the area under the curve(AUC)and mean residence time(MRT)of levetiracetam were respectively decreased by 14.69%(P<0.01)and 15.42%(P<0.01),while the clearance(CL)was increased by 16.67%(P<0.01)in the high-altitude group.The ratio of brain/blood plasma drug concentration was decreased by 22.82%(P<0.05),12.42%(P<0.05),17.40%(P<0.01),and 13.22%(P<0.01)at 5,45,120,and 240 min after injection,respectively.The expression of P-gp on the blood-brain barrier was increased by 86.3%(P<0.05).Compared with the solvent control group,the expression of P-gp on the blood-brain barrier in the P-gp induction group was increased by 56.3%(P<0.05),the ratio of brain/blood plasma drug concentration was decreased by 19.3%(P<0.05). Conclusion:After acute plateau hypoxia exposure,the pharmacokinetic of levetiracetam in rats are altered,and the cerebral-blood distribution of the drug in rats is decreased,which may be related to the up-regulation of P-gp expression on the blood-brain barrier.