Pharmacodynamic monitoring of the biological effect of immunosuppressive drugs provides an alternative to traditional therapeutic drug monitoring. We chose this method to investigate mycophenolic acid (MPA), an immunosuppressive drug that mediates its effect by inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase (IMPDH), a key enzyme in the de novo biosynthesis of purines. Using an assay developed for measuring IMPDH activity in whole blood, we found the concentration of MPA required for 50% inhibition of enzyme activity to be in the range of 2.0-5.0 mg/L for both human and rabbit blood. The amount of enzyme activity in whole blood depended on the concentration of the leukocytes, was unaffected by the type of anticoagulant used, and was stable in blood specimens stored for as long as 48 h at 4 degrees C. An inverse relationship was found between plasma MPA concentrations and IMPDH activity in rabbits administered a single dose of RS-61443, the prodrug of MPA. Maximal inhibition of IMPDH activity (by approximately 60%) occurs at peak concentrations of MPA; as the concentration of the drug decreases postdose, the enzyme activity gradually increases with little or no inhibition being observed 24 h postdose.