Effect of Casilan (R) on C-13-caffeine metabolism in overnight-fasted healthy Nigerian children

Objective: To determine the effect of Casilan r on C-13-caffeine metabolism in healthy Nigerian children. Materials and Methods: Twelve healthy Nigerian children (male: six, female: six) aged 3-8 years were studied on three occasions. After an overnight fast, the children were studied after ingesting Casilan (R) only (Week 1). They were restudied after ingesting 3 mg/kg of labeled caffeine only (Week 2), and further re-studied after ingesting both Casilan (R) and labeled caffeine (Week 3). Breath samples were collected by blowing via a straw into an exentainer bottle. The cumulative percentage of C-13-caffeine exhaled as (CO2)-C-13 was measured over 2 h. Results: The time courses of C-13-enrichments in exhaled CO2 for all the children, after they had ingested labeled caffeine only and after they had ingested both Casilan (R) and labeled caffeine, were identical. There was a gradual rise and peak of the enrichments at about 60-75 min, followed by a gradual fall (II) or a plateau (III). Contrarily, the time course of C-13-enrichments for all the children was consistently low and stable after they had ingested Casilan (R) only (I). The mean values of cumulative percent C-13-doses recovered in the CO2 exhaled over a 2-h period, after ingesting labeled caffeine only (8.59 +/- 1.10 delta%/ mg) and after ingesting both Casilan r and labeled caffeine (8.58 +/- 1.33 delta%/ mg), were identical, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.972). This suggests that Casilan (R) did not affect the CYP1A2 metabolic pathway. Conclusions: Casilan (R) is a safe, reliable and quantitative food supplement for overnight-fasted children undergoing caffeine breath test.