Pharmacokinetics and Immune Reconstitution Following Discontinuation of Thiopurine Analogues: Implications for Drug Withdrawal Strategies.

Background and Aims: Discontinuation of thiopurine analogues is common prior to live vaccines, during infection or when de-escalating therapy. Data regarding clearance of active metabolites and immune re-constitution is scant. We aimed to determine drug elimination and immune re-constitution following thiopurine cessation.

Methods: The elimination kinetics of 6-thioguanine nucleotides (6-TGN) were determined in nine inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients discontinuing thiopurines. Immune reconstitution was evaluated by toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 [TSST1] or anti-CD3 [OKT3]-induced CD4+ T-cell proliferation, following an initial exposure to TSST1 and 6-mercaptopurine [6MP], separately or combined.

Results: All patients discontinuing thiopurines displayed first-order elimination kinetics of 6-TGN, with a median elimination half-life of 6.8 days [interquartile range 5.9-8.4]. Resting CD4+ T-cells exposed to 6MP preserved their response to subsequent polyclonal or Vβ2+-preferential stimulation. By contrast, exposure of TSST1-activated CD4+ T-cells to 6MP inhibited their subsequent Vβ2+clonal response to further stimulation [p = 0.008], whereas overall response to further non-Vβ2-selective stimulation with OKT3 was unaltered [p = 0.9].

Conclusions: Upon 6MP/azathioprine discontinuation, a 6-TGN elimination half-life of less than 10 days is expected in most patients. Immune reconstitution, however, may take longer for T-cell clones exposed to stimulation during thiopurine treatment. These findings may be useful when considering thiopurine cessation.