Disposition of penicillin G sodium following intravenous and oral administration to Equidae

The present study was designed to determine and compare the plasma disposition and pharmacokinetics of penicillin G sodium following intravenous (i.v.) administration to horses, ponies and donkeys. The plasma disposition and pharmacokinetics of penicillin G was similar in horses, ponies and donkeys (elimination half-lives--39.0, 27.3 and 31.5 min, respectively) and a dosage interval of 6-8 h would be suitable to treat infections caused by susceptible bacteria. Although penicillin G was absorbed rapidly following nasogastric administration, the systemic availability was low (0.12-0.34%), therefore oral administration would be unsuitable for systemic antimicrobial therapy in the equine. The elimination of penicillin G into the gastrointestinal tract following i.v. administration and the absorption of penicillin G from the gastrointestinal tract following oral administration were studied in two ponies with cannulated caecal fistulas. A low concentration of penicillin G (< or = 0.6 micrograms ml-1) was measured in caecal liquor following i.v. administration, however the risk of development of antimicrobial-associated colitis would be high following oral administration of penicillin G since high concentrations of drug (4.96-157.12 micrograms ml-1) were measured in caecal liquor.

Stability of penicillin G, ampicillin, amikacin and oxytetracycline and their interactions with food in in vitro simulated equine gastrointestinal contents

Penicillin G was extensively (84.7 per cent) and amikacin moderately (14.4 per cent) degraded when incubated for one hour in a chloride buffer at pH 1.9 designed to mimic the equine gastric pH. Ampicillin and oxytetracycline were stable at pH 1.9. Penicillin and ampicillin were moderately stable (more than 90 per cent) when incubated in equine caecal liquor for three hours but were degraded by about 65 per cent after 24 hours. More than 80 per cent of the initial concentrations of amikacin and oxytetracycline were recovered after 24 hours' incubation in equine caecal liquor. The concentrations of short chain fatty acids in equine caecal liquor were not affected by incubation with penicillin G, ampicillin, amikacin or oxytetracycline. More than 84 per cent of penicillin G and amikacin became bound to hay in buffers at pH 1.9 and pH 7.0. Ampicillin did not become bound to hay at pH 1.9, but more than 60 per cent became bound at pH 7.0.

Plasma disposition of amikacin and interactions with gastrointestinal microflora in Equidae following intravenous and oral administration

Amikacin was detectable (> 0.02 micrograms/ml) in plasma for 12 h in horses and donkeys and for 8 h in ponies following intravenous (i.v.) administration at a dose rate of 6 mg/kg bodyweight. The elimination half-life (harmonic mean) of amikacin was 2.8, 1.6 and 1.9 h in horses, ponies and donkeys, respectively, and the mean body clearance was relatively slow (45.2, 82.4 and 58.0 ml/h.kg, respectively). A suitable dosage interval for the i.v. administration of amikacin sulphate to horses, ponies and donkeys, at a dose rate of 6 mg/kg, would be every 8 h in horses, and every 6 h in ponies and donkeys. Following i.v. administration there were no marked alterations in caecal liquor pH, the number of viable bacteria isolated, or the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in caecal liquor and faeces. Amikacin was not detected (< 0.02 micrograms/ml) in plasma following administration by nasogastric tube to ponies with cannulated caecal fistulae; however, there were high concentrations of amikacin measured in caecal liquor (maximum 16.2-99.4 micrograms/ml). Despite the high drug concentrations in caecal liquor, there were only slight alterations in the number of viable bacteria isolated. However, there was a reduction in caecal liquor pH to < 6.6, but few changes in caecal liquor SCFA concentrations. Faecal SCFA concentrations, dry matter content and consistency did not alter markedly.

Effect of changes in urine pH on plasma pharmacokinetic variables of ampicillin sodium in horses

The effect of urine pH on plasma disposition of ampicillin sodium was evaluated. A single dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight was administered IV to Thoroughbreds with alkaline (pH greater than 8.0) or acidic (pH less than 4.5) urine. Urine alkalinity was achieved and maintained by oral administration of up to 400 mg of sodium bicarbonate/kg/d, and acidity was achieved and maintained by oral administration of up to 400 mg of ammonium chloride/kg/d. Ampicillin sodium was measured in the plasma of horses by use of an agar diffusion microbiological assay with Bacillus subtilis as the test organism. The plasma disposition kinetics of ampicillin sodium best fitted a 2-exponential decay pattern, and statistically significant differences were not evident in elimination half-life, area under the plasma concentration time curve, volume of distribution, or body clearance rate between horses with alkaline or acidic urine. Results indicate that changes in urine pH over a range encountered in clinically normal horses are unlikely to affect plasma pharmacokinetic variables of ampicillin sodium after IV administration of the drug.

Determination of short-chain fatty acids in equine caecal liquor by ion exchange high performance liquid chromatography after solid phase extraction

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of seven short-chain fatty acids in equine caecal liquor. Samples were cleaned up on a Sep-pak (C18) cartridge, and the analyte was eluted from the extraction cartridge and filtered through a 0.45 micron cellulose nitrate filter. The analyte was chromatographed by ion exchange HPLC. Detection was by UV at 210 nm. Recovery from phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.0) and equine caecal liquor was 76.95% (lactic), 76.76% (valeric). The limit of (propionic), 89.35% (isobutyric), 88.73% (butyric), 80.33% (isovaleric) and 72.61% (valeric). The limit of detection of the short-chain fatty acids in phosphate buffer was 0.00006 M (lactic), 0.0001 M (acetic), 0.0002 M (propionic), 0.0001 M (isobutyric), 0.0002 M (butyric), 0.0002 M (isovaleric) and 0.0003 M (valeric). The specificity and sensitivity of this method was sufficiently high to allow the characterization of the pattern of these short-chain fatty acids in equine caecal liquor following intravenous administration of oxytetracycline at the recommended dose rate in a pony.