Single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin after oral administration to rabbits

Objective-To determine the pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin after oral administration every 24 hours to rabbits during a 10-day period. Animals-8 healthy 9-month-old female New Zealand White rabbits. Procedures-Marbofloxacin (5 mg/kg) was administered orally every 24 hours to 8 rabbits for 10 days. The first day of administration was designated as day 1. Blood samples were obtained at 0, 0.17, 0.33, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours on days 1 and 10 of marbofloxacin administration. Plasma marbofloxacin concentrations were quantitated by use of a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay. Pharmacokinetic analysis of marbofloxacin was analyzed via noncompartmental methods. Results-After oral administration, mean +/- SD area under the curve was 10.50 +/- 2.00 mu g.h/mL and 10.90 +/- 2.45 mu g.h/mL, maximum plasma concentration was 1.73 +/- 0.35 mu g/mL and 2.56 +/- 0.71 mu g/mL, and harmonic mean terminal half-life was 8.0 hours and 3.9 hours for days 0 and 10, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Marbofloxacin administered orally every 24 hours for 10 days appeared to be absorbed well and tolerated by rabbits. Administration of marbofloxacin at a dosage of 5 mg/kg, PO, every 24 hours is recommended for rabbits to control infections attributable to susceptible bacteria. (Am J Vet Res 2009;70:522-526)