Interspecies differences in systemic drug availability following subcutaneous pulsatile administration in cattle, sheep, dogs, and rats.

Rats, dogs, sheep, and cattle were implanted subcutaneously with stainless-steel tissue cages. Bolus injections of cefoxitin and ivermectin were administered to the interiors of the tissue cages 11, 32, and 60 days after implantation to simulate pulsatile drug release from an implanted device. Plasma drug levels were determined for 6 h for cefoxitin and up to 8 days for ivermectin. Tissue cages were retrieved 3 and 6 months after implantation for macroscopic and microscopic examination. In dogs and rats, plasma levels of both drugs following administrations to the tissue cages were significantly lower than those following subcutaneous injection, suggesting that the tissue growth around and in the cages posed a barrier to systemic drug availability in those species. In cattle and sheep, the tissue cages and associated tissue did not inhibit systemic availability of either drug as compared with routine subcutaneous administration.

Enhanced bioavailability of cefoxitin using palmitoyl L-carnitine. I. Enhancer activity in different intestinal regions.

The conditions under which the absorption enhancer palmitoyl L-carnitine chloride (PCC) improved the bioavailability of the poorly absorbed antibiotic cefoxitin throughout the rat intestine has been studied. Cefoxitin alone was appreciably absorbed only in the duodenum (31% vs less than 7% elsewhere). PCC solutions (3 mg/rat, pH 4.0) enhanced cefoxitin bioavailability (F) by 0-, 22-, 16-, and greater than 32-fold in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon regions, respectively. The inability of PCC to improve F in the duodenum could not likely be attributed to enzymatic degradation of the enhancer, since coadministration with protease and esterase inhibitors produced similar results (F = 30%). Coadministration of PCC solution with cefoxitin in the unligated or ligated colon, increased F to 33 and 76%, respectively. Qualitatively similar results were seen with PCC suspensions (3 mg/rat, pH 6.0). Maintaining a high concentration of cefoxitin and PCC in a restricted region (i.e., by ligating a 2- to 3-cm section of the colon) afforded a two- to threefold advantage over an unligated colon section. The difference in cefoxitin bioavailability between ligated and unligated colon was probably due to sample spreading and subsequent/simultaneous dilution.