Twenty study horses were confirmed free of ophthalmic disease by complete ophthalmic examination.
Seventy microliters of 0.3% ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan™) was placed in the ventral cul-de-sac of each eye using a microliter syringe and 19-g cannula.
Population kinetics were carried out by sampling the tear film from the lower cul-de-sac of each eye with tear test strips at 5, 10, 15 and 30 min and 1, 2, 4 and 6 h post administration for a total of five samples at each time-point. Sample collection time was 15 s. Concentrations of ciprofloxacin were determined using high performance liquid chromatography.
Results: Mean (±SD) of the Schirmer tear test results from all eyes was 23.4 ± 4.8 mm wetting in 1 min. Mean concentration of ciprofloxacin in the tears at 5 min post administration was 498.4 ± 266.8 µg/g.
Mean concentration rapidly declined and began to plateau at 30 min. The mean tear concentrations of ciprofloxacin at 30 min and at 1, 2, 4 and 6 h were 66.6 ± 56.0, 60.25 ± 55.7, 42.25 ± 30.9, 36.25 ± 32.0, and 45.5 ± 46.5 µg/g, respectively.
Conclusions: The pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in normal horses are similar to those in rabbits and humans. Topical application of ciprofloxacin resulted in a mean tear concentration of ciprofloxacin that remained above the MIC90 levels for most pathogenic bacteria for 6 h post administration.
Source: Diane V. H. Hendrix, Jamie L. Stuffle, Sherry K. Cox (2007): Pharmacokinetics of topically applied ciprofloxacin in equine tears. In: Veterinary Ophthalmology 10 (6), 344–347.
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