Comparative pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of meloxicam in the California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal
- Medicine
Abstract
Pharmacokinetics studies have investigated meloxicam, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug, dosing strategies in a wide variety of non-domestic animals; however, there is no prior study examining well-founded dosing for pinnipeds. To develop dosing protocols, pharmacokinetic information is needed, with an examination of differences between pinniped species. Apparently, healthy California sea lions (Zalophus californianus: CSL; n= 13) and Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii: PHS; n= 17) that had completed rehabilitation were enrolled into a population-based pharmacokinetic study. Each animal was administered a single oral dose of meloxicam at 0.1 mg/ kg, and two blood samples were collected from each animal at varying intervals during a 96-h study period. Plasma concentrations of meloxicam were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Data were analyzed with nonlinear mixed effects modeling (Phoenix® NLME™, Certara, St. Louis, MO 63105, USA). The results indicated that in PHS, peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 0.33 μg/mL with an elimination half-life (Ke t½) of 31.53 h. In CSL, Cmax was 0.17 μg/mL with Ke t½ of 32.71 h. All animals enrolled completed the study without outward adverse clinical signs. The elimination half-life was longer than previously recommended dosing intervals for pinnipeds; however, we cannot speculate in the optimum clinical dose from these results.
Trumbull, E.J., Papich, M.G., Peters, M., Whitmer, E.R., Rivard, M. and Field, C.L., 2024. Comparative pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of meloxicam in the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) and Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii). Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 47(6), pp.485-491.
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