Pharmacokinetic behaviour of albendazole sulphoxide enantiomers in male and female sheep

Vet Res Commun. 2000 Jul;24(5):339-48. doi: 10.1023/a:1006496122684.

Abstract

Benzimidazole anthelmintic drugs are widely used in veterinary practice. Albendazole sulphoxide (ABZSO) is a benzimidazole drug with two enantiomers, as a consequence of a chiral centre in the sulphoxide group. The kinetics of these enantiomers were studied in male and female sheep. Plasma samples were obtained from the animals between 0.5 and 72 h after oral administration of 7.5 mg/kg of a racemic formulation of ABZSO (total-ABZSO). After a liquid-liquid extraction, the samples were analysed by HPLC to determine the concentrations of total-ABZSO and of the sulphone metabolite (ABZSO2). During the chromatographic analysis, the ABZSO peak was collected and reanalysed by an HPLC technique using a Chiral AGP column to quantify the enantiomeric proportion therein. After kinetic analysis, the AUCs obtained for the (+)-ABZSO were 5.8 and 4.0 times higher than those for the (-)-ABZSO in male and female animals, respectively. The mean residence times were 23.4 and 16.1 h for (+)-ABZSO and 22.2 and 17.4 h for (-)-ABZSO for male and female animals, respectively. The only significant difference between the sexes (p < 0.05) was in the Tmax of the (-)-ABZSO. Comparing both enantiomers within each sex, significant differences were found in all the kinetic parameters. Finally, no kinetic differences were found between sex for total-ABZSO or ABZSO2.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Albendazole / administration & dosage
  • Albendazole / analogs & derivatives*
  • Albendazole / blood
  • Albendazole / pharmacokinetics
  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / administration & dosage
  • Anthelmintics / blood
  • Anthelmintics / pharmacokinetics*
  • Area Under Curve
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / veterinary
  • Female
  • Male
  • Sex Characteristics*
  • Sheep / metabolism*
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Anthelmintics
  • Albendazole
  • albendazole sulfoxide