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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Surg / Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after in...
Veterinary surgery : VS2020; 50(2); 410-417; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13545

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after intramuscular and subcutaneous administration in horses.

Abstract: To describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after IM and subcutaneous administration in horses. Methods: prospective, randomized, blinded, crossover trial. Methods: Six adult horses weighing 494 ± 33 kg. Methods: Treatments included meperidine 1 mg/kg IM with saline 6 mL subcutaneously, meperidine 1 mg/kg subcutaneously with saline 6 mL IM, and saline 6 mL subcutaneously and 6 mL IM, with a 7-day washout between treatments. Plasma meperidine concentrations and pharmacodynamic values (thermal and mechanical thresholds, physiological variables, fecal production) were collected at various time points for 24 hours. Accelerometry data were obtained for 8 hours to measure locomotor activity. Data were analyzed with a mixed effects model, and α was set at .05. Results: Meperidine terminal half-life (T ), maximal plasma concentrations, and time to maximal concentration were 186 ± 59 and 164 ± 56 minutes, 265.7 ± 47.2 and 243.1 ± 80.1 ng/mL at 17 ± 6, and 24 ± 13 minutes for IM at subcutaneous administration, respectively. No effect of treatment or time was observed on thermal or mechanical thresholds, heart rate, respiratory rate, locomotor activity, frequency of defecations, or fecal weight (P > .2 for all). Conclusions: Maximum meperidine concentrations were achieved quickly with a short T in both treatment groups. Neither IM nor subcutaneous meperidine influenced thermal or mechanical threshold or physiological variables. Conclusions: The short half-life and lack of detectable antinociceptive effect do not support IM or subcutaneous administration meperidine at 1 mg/kg for analgesia in horses.
© 2020 American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
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Publication Date: 2020-11-26 PubMed ID: 33242227DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13545Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the efficiency and impact of two delivery methods — intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous — of the drug meperidine in horses. The study found that neither method significantly affected the pain threshold or physiological variables in horses, with the drug having a short half-life, leading the researchers to suggest that meperidine administered at 1 mg/kg may not be effective for pain relief in horses.

Study Design

  • The study was a prospective, randomized, blinded, crossover trial involving six adult horses with an average weight of 494 ± 33 kg.
  • Three treatments were used – 1 mg/kg of meperidine administered through intramuscular injection with a placebo subcutaneous injection, 1 mg/kg of meperidine subcutaneously with a placebo intramuscular injection, and placebo injections both intramuscularly and subcutaneously. A break of seven days was observed between different treatment administrations (referred to as washouts).

Data Collection

  • Over a 24-hour period, data such as plasma meperidine concentrations and pharmacodynamic values were collected. These pharmacodynamic values included thermal and mechanical thresholds, physiological variables such as heart and respiratory rates, fecal production, and locomotor activity, the latter measured using accelerometry for eight hours.
  • The data analysis was done using a mixed effects model with a significance level (α) set at .05.

Results and Conclusions

  • Meperidine’s terminal half-life, maximal plasma concentrations, and time to reach these concentrations were observed to be similar for both IM and subcutaneous administration.
  • No significant effect on the horses’ thermal or mechanical thresholds, heart rate, respiratory rate, locomotor activity, or frequency of defecations was noted due to the treatments.
  • The observed short half-life and lack of a detectable painkilling (antinociceptive) effect led the researchers to conclude that intramuscular or subcutaneous administration of meperidine at the dose of 1 mg/kg might not be effective in providing pain relief in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Hanafi AL, Reed RA, Trenholme HN, Sakai DM, Ryan CA, Barletta M, Quandt JE, Knych HK. (2020). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after intramuscular and subcutaneous administration in horses. Vet Surg, 50(2), 410-417. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13545

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 50
Issue: 2
Pages: 410-417

Researcher Affiliations

Hanafi, Amanda L
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Reed, Rachel A
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Trenholme, Heather N
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Sakai, Daniel M
  • Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Ryan, Clare A
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Barletta, Michele
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Quandt, Jane E
  • Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Knych, Heather K
  • K. L. Maddy Equine Analytical Pharmacology Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California.
  • Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California.

MeSH Terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid / pharmacokinetics
  • Analgesics, Opioid / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Horses / metabolism
  • Injections, Intramuscular / veterinary
  • Injections, Subcutaneous / veterinary
  • Male
  • Meperidine / pharmacokinetics
  • Meperidine / pharmacology

Grant Funding

  • N/A / UGA For Love of the Horse Equine Endowment

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