ABSTRACT
Since oligopeptidic drugs such as beta-lactam antibiotics share the same carriers in humans and animals, the absorption and elimination kinetics of cefuroxime (C) were investigated in rats. Plasma C concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of C in the rat were examined after intravenous (i.v.) administration at three doses (1.78, 8.9 and 17.8mg) of cefuroxime sodium and oral administration at two doses (2.02 and 8.9mg) of cefuroxime axetil (CA). Preliminary fits using data from intravenous administration of C showed that the drug disposition kinetics were clearly nonlinear, with an increase in plasma clearance as the intravenous dose increased. After oral administration of CA, normalized C(max) was higher for smaller dose than for the largest dose. The population pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by means of nonlinear mixed effect modelling approach according to a nonlinear elimination and nonlinear absorption two-compartment model. The nonlinear elimination could be attributed to a saturable renal tubular reabsorption of the antibiotic and nonlinear intestinal absorption of CA mediated by carrier system. The oral bioavailability of C, calculated by numeric integration of an amount of CA drug absorbed was 22 and 17% for 2.02 and 8.9mg of prodrug administered orally.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacokinetics , Cefuroxime/analogs & derivatives , Cefuroxime/pharmacokinetics , Administration, Oral , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Biological Availability , Cefuroxime/administration & dosage , Injections, Intravenous , Male , Models, Biological , Nonlinear Dynamics , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Time FactorsABSTRACT
The objectives of this study were to determine the oral bioavailability of cefuroxime (C) and to evaluate the pharmacokinetic model that best describes the plasma concentration behaviour following single intravenous (IV), intraperitoneal (IP) and oral single doses. The same dose of C was administered by IV, IP and oral routes to three separate groups of rats (2.02 mg of cefuroxime axetil (CA) by the oral route or 1.78 mg of cefuroxime sodium (CNa) by IV and IP route). A two-compartment open model without lag time can predict the C disposition kinetics. The influence of the administration route on the pharmacokinetic parameters and AUC values was investigated by means of a one-way analysis of variance test. The results indicated that the first-pass effect in the intestine and liver reduce oral bioavailability when the drug is administered orally. Cefuroxime bioavailability after oral and IP administration estimated from the plasma levels was nearly 24 and 75%, respectively.
