A Comprehensive Mixed-Method Approach to Characterize the Source of Diurnal Tacrolimus Exposure Variability in Children: Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Application to an Existing Data Set

Tacrolimus is widely reported to display diurnal variation in pharmacokinetic parameters with twice-daily dosing. However, the contribution of chronopharmacokinetics versus food intake is unclear, with even less evidence in the pediatric population. The objectives of this study were to summarize the existing literature by meta-analysis and evaluate the impact of food composition on 24-hour pharmacokinetics in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. For the meta-analysis, 10 studies involving 253 individuals were included. The pooled effect sizes demonstrated significant differences in area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to 12 hours (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.52) and maximum concentration (SMD, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.35-1.15) between morning and evening dose administration. However, there was significant between-study heterogeneity that was explained by food exposure. The effect size for minimum concentration was not significantly different overall (SMD, -0.09; 95% CI, -0.27 to 0.09) or across the food exposure subgroups. A 2-compartment model with a lag time, linear clearance, and first-order absorption best characterized the tacrolimus pharmacokinetics in pediatric participants. As expected, adding the time of administration and food composition covariates reduced the unexplained within-subject variability for the first-order absorption rate constant, but only caloric composition significantly reduced variability for lag time. The available data suggest food intake is the major driver of diurnal variation in tacrolimus exposure, but the associated changes are not reflected by trough concentrations alone.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of food intake on 24-hour pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in pediatric kidney transplant recipients through meta-analysis. The results showed that food intake is the major driver of diurnal variation in tacrolimus exposure, but these changes are not reflected by trough concentrations alone.