ABSTRACT
Many aspects of the handling of the salicylates by the body are rarely found with other drugs. These unusual features include the covalent binding of metabolites of aspirin and salicylate to tissues, the autoinduction of the metabolism of salicylate, and the saturable nature of both the protein binding and metabolism of salicylate. Despite these complexities of the disposition of the salicylates, they have been frequently used as model drugs because of the ease of assay of salicylate itself and the acceptability of large doses to volunteers. Although there has been a large amount of research on the salicylates, uncertainties still remain about the details and the clinical significance of several aspects of their absorption, distribution and elimination.
