ABSTRACT
Two strains of rats, Sprague-Dawley and Wistar, were assayed in order to determine which strain is the more suitable experimental model for the study of pharmacokinetic alterations inuced by spinal cord injury. Animals were submitted to spinal cord contusion at the T8-T9 level by the weight drop method. A single acetaminophen oral dose (100 mg/kg) was administered 24 h after injury and blood samples were drawn for a period of 4 h. Acetaminophen concentration in whole blood was determined by high performance liquid chromatography and pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. For both strains, Cmax and AUC were significantly lower, whereas tmax remained uchanged, in injured animals compared to sham-injured controls. Circulating acetaminophen concentrations were higher; therefore, pharmacokinetic alterations were more easily discerned, in Sprague-Dawley than in Wistar rats. It is concluded that the Sprague-Dawley strain is a more suitable model for the study of pharmacokinetic alternations induced by spinal cord injury