Pharmacokinetic Study of Florfenicol Following Oral Administration in Broiler Poultry

The pharmacokinetics of Florfenicol was studied in broilers following its oral administration @30 mg.kg-1b.w. Blood samples were taken at various time intervals and the concentration of Florfenicol in plasma was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).The peak plasma concentration following Florfenicol administration at 1 hour was 3.314µg.ml-1.The calculated Cmax and Tmax were 3.130µg. mL-1 and 0.963 h, respectively. The distribution half-life(t1/2α) was 0.625 h and the elimination half-life (t1/2β) was 6.421 h. The mean area under the curve (AUC) was calculated as 13.352 µg.mL-1. Volume of distribution was (V/F) 7.934 L.kg-1 and the clearance from central compartment was (CL/F) 4.358 L.kg-1.h-1.Based on the study, an oral dosage regimen of Florfenicol with a priming dose of 6.94 mg.kg-1 with a maintenance dose of 3.864 mg.kg-1 at 8 h interval is recommended.