Differences in the pharmacokinetics of flumequine after single and continuous oral administration in non-fasted broiler chickens

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of feed on the pharmacokinetics of flumequine (FLU) administered to broiler chickens as follows: directly into the crop (10 mg/kg of BW) of fasted (group I/control) and non-fasted chickens (group II), or administered continu- ously with drinking water (1 g/L for 72 h) and with unlimited access to feed (group III). Plasma concentration of FLU was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluo- rescence detection. In group II, a significant decrease in the maximum concentration (Cmax = 2.13±0.7 μg/mL) and the area under the concentration curve from zero to infinity (AUC0→∞ = 7.47±2.41 μg·h/mL) was noted as compared to the control group (Cmax = 4.11±1.68 μg/mL and AUC0→∞ = 18.17±6.85 μg·h/mL, respectively). In group III, the decrease in AUC was signifi- cant only in the first 3 hours (AUC0→3 = 5.02±1.34 μg·h/mL) as compared to the control group (AUC0→3 = 7.79±3.29 μg·h/mL). The results indicate that feed reduced the bioavailability of FLU from the gastrointestinal tract by at least 50% after the administration of a single oral dose. However, continuous administration of FLU with drinking water could compensate for the feed-induced decrease in absorption after single oral dose.