David P. Aucoin

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of enrofloxacin and its primary metabolite ciprofloxacin in canine serum and prostatic tissue

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in canine serum and prostatic tissue. Sample preparation consisted of mixing canine serum with a 1:1 dilution of acetonitrile and 0.1 M sodium hydroxide followed by ultrafiltration through a 10,000 molecular mass cut-off filter. Prostatic tissue was sonicated with the same solution prior to ultrafiltration. Separation of these two quinolones in the ultrafiltrate was accomplished by ion-paired liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase analytical column eluted with an acetonitrile-methanol-water solution. Enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were detected by a photometric ultraviolet-visible detector set at 278.6 nm and confirmed by a photodiode array detector operating from 230 to 360 nm. The limits of detection for enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were 4 and 2 ng/ml, respectively.

Comparison of the disposition of carbimazole and methimazole in clinically normal cats

The oral disposition of the antithyroid drugs methimazole and carbimazole were compared in nine clinically normal cats. After the administration of 5 mg of methimazole, serum concentrations of methimazole increased in all the cats, with mean drug concentrations reaching peak values (1.37 micrograms ml-1) at 30 minutes. After administration of 5 mg carbimazole, serum concentrations of carbimazole remained low, but serum methimazole became readily measurable, with mean drug concentrations reaching peak values (0.79 microgram ml-1) at 120 minutes. When serum concentrations of methimazole attained after administration of the two antithyroid drugs were compared, the mean maximum serum methimazole concentration achieved after administration of methimazole was approximately twofold higher than peak concentrations measured after administration of carbimazole. In addition, the mean area under the serum concentration curve (AUC) after administration of methimazole was approximately twofold higher than the mean AUC determined after administration of carbimazole. When the differences in molecular weight between the two drugs was taken into consideration, however, these methimazole:carbimazole ratios of 2:1 were nearly equivalent to the molar ratio of the 5 mg doses of the drugs given (1.63). Results of this study indicate that carbimazole is nearly totally converted to methimazole after oral administration to cats, similarly to the findings in man. The finding of less available serum methimazole after administration of a 5 mg tablet of carbimazole than after methimazole is also consistent with published antithyroid drug dosages needed to control hyperthyroidism in cats.

Pharmacokinetics of methimazole in normal cats and cats with hyperthyroidism

The intravenous and oral disposition of the antithyroid drug methimazole was determined in 10 clinically normal cats and nine cats with naturally occurring hyperthyroidism. After intravenous administration of 5 mg methimazole, the mean residence time was significantly (P less than 0.05) shorter in the cats with hyperthyroidism than in the normal cats, but there was no significant difference between the mean values for total body clearance (CL), steady state volume of distribution (Vdss), terminal elimination rate constant (ke), or serum terminal half-life (t1/2) in the two groups of cats. After oral administration, the mean bioavailability of methimazole was high in both the normal cats (77.6 per cent) and cats with hyperthyroidism (79.5 per cent). The values for mean residence time, ke and serum terminal t1/2 after oral dosing were significantly shorter in the cats with hyperthyroidism than in the normal cats. However, after oral administration of methimazole there were no significant differences between the mean values for CL, Vdss, bioavailability and maximum serum concentrations or the time for maximal concentrations to be reached in the two groups of cats. Overall, most pharmacokinetic parameters for methimazole were not altered by the hyperthyroid state. However, the cats with hyperthyroidism did show a trend toward faster elimination of the drug compared with the normal cats, similar to what has been previously described for the antithyroid drug propylthiouracil in cats. These results also indicate that methimazole is well absorbed when administered orally and has a higher bioavailability than that of propylthiouracil in cats with hyperthyroidism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ion-Paired Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Cefazolin in Canine Serum and Tissues

Abstract Cefazolin is commonly used as a prophylactic antibiotic in dogs undergoing total hip arthroplasty. A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of cefazolin in canine serum and tissues. The tissues were those in contact with the hip prothesis; namely, the coxofemoral joint capsule, cancellous bone from the acetabulum and bone marrow from the femoral canal. The method involved filtration of diluted serum or tissue extracted with ethanol:acetonitrile:water (40:10:50) through a 30,000 molecular weight cut-off filter. Separation of cefazolin from other components was by ion-paired (dodecanosulfonate) high performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column eluted with acetonitrile/water solution. The ultraviolet absorbance of the column effluent was monitored at 230 nm. Recovery of cefazolin spiked at 10 μg/ml from serum was 89.8% with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 5.3% (n=10). Recovery of cefazolin spiked at 5 μg/ml from tissue extra...

Rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of ketamine and its metabolite dehydronorketamine in equine serum

A simple, rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination of ketamine and dehydronorketamine in equine serum. Sample preparation consisted of mixing equal volumes of serum and acetonitrile-phosphoric acid (85%)-water (20:2:78, v/v/v), followed by ultrafiltration through a 10,000 molecular mass cut-off filter. Separation of these two analytes in the ultrafiltrate was accomplished on a reversed-phase phenyl column eluted with methanol-acetonitrile-phosphate buffer solution. Ketamine and dehydronorketamine were detected by a variable photometric UV-Vis detector set at 215 nm, and confirmed by a photodiode array detector operated in the 200-320 nm range. The limit of detection for ketamine was 5-15 ng/ml in equine serum. Additionally, the dehydronorketamine peak identity was tentatively confirmed by thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Analysis of taurine in feline plasma and whole blood by liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection and confirmation by thermospray mass spectrometry.

A liquid chromatographic method with fluorimetric detection was developed to measure taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) in feline plasma and whole blood. Plasma or lysed whole blood was diluted with a mixture of acetonitrile-methanol-triethylamine-water (25:22:3:50, v/v), filtered through a 10,000 dalton exclusion filter and derivatized with dansyl chloride for 30 min at room temperature. Dansyl taurine was separated from other compounds by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using an octadecyl column and a methanol-acetic acid-triethylamine (30:0.5:0.025, v/v) aqueous mobile phase. The effluent was monitored fluorimetrically at an excitation wavelength of 329 nm and an emission wavelength of 530 nm. The presence of mono-dansylated taurine in feline plasma was confirmed by thermospray mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was 16 nmol/ml and the detector response was linear from 40 to 4000 nmol/ml taurine.

Determination of ceftazidime in dolphin serum by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet—visible detection and confirmation by thermospray liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of therapeutic levels of ceftazidime in dolphin serum. The method involved an ultrafiltration of diluted serum with an equal amount of acetonitrile-ethanol-water (40:40:20, v/v/v) through a 10,000 daltons molecular mass cut-off filter. Separation of ceftazidime from the other serum components was performed by ion-paired (dodecanesulfonate) liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column eluted with acetonitrile-water solution. The ultraviolet absorbance of the column effluent was monitored in the 200-340 nm range of a photodiode-array detector or at 258.8 nm on a variable-wavelength ultraviolet-visible detector. Recoveries of ceftazidime from dolphin serum spiked with 20 and 2 micrograms/ml were 92.9 and 91.1% with coefficients of variation of 5.5 and 5.7%, respectively. A correlation coefficient of 0.9994 occurred with ceftazidime in aqueous solutions (n = 6, in duplicates). The limit of detection for this antibiotic was estimated to be approximately 50 ppb (ng/ml). The unbound ceftazidime concentrations in dosed dolphin serum were determined to calculate the protein bindings of this antibiotic which yielded 32 +/- 2%. The ceftazidime peak identity in dosed dolphin serum was confirmed by thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The thermospray mass spectrum of ceftazidime exhibited only the fragment ions, involving the opening of the beta-lactam ring, at m/z 237, 255 and 315 when positive-ion detection mode was employed and the fragment ions at m/z 235, 253 and 313 when negative-ion detection mode was used.

Rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of propranolol levels in canine and feline plasma

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method that does not require organic extraction has been developed for the determination of propranolol levels in canine and feline plasma. Equal volumes of plasma and a mixture of methanol-acetonitrile-0.1 M sodium hydroxide (3:3:4, v/v/v) were added to a microseparation unit with a 10,000 molecular mass cut-off filter. The ultrafiltrate was analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. The consistency of the recoveries obtained eliminated the need for an internal standard (coefficients of variation less than 4%). Linear regressions for the standard curves (2.5-100 ng/ml) gave correlation coefficients above 0.9955. The detection limit was 1 ng/ml. The assay retains high sensitivity while eliminating laborious sample preparation.