Ticarcillin administration to the equine: Intrauterine and intramuscular.

The research article examines how adult female horses absorb ticarcillin, a semi-synthetic penicillin, when administered intramuscularly or intrauterinely. The results suggest that little to no absorption occurs in the systemic circulation after intrauterine administration, which contrasts markedly with substantial absorption after intramuscular administration.

Research Methods

The research was carried out in two parts and involved multiple studies:

• In Part I, three seperate studies measured serum levels of ticarcillin following its administration in two different manners: intrauterine and intramuscular. Different dosages were used in each method.
• In Part II, serum levels of ticarcillin were measured following its intramuscular administration, dosages calculated based on the horse’s body weight. Three weight-specific doses were employed in this section of the research.

Research Findings

After testing, the results showed a clear difference in absorption rates of ticarcillin based on the delivery method:

• The research found very minimal, if any, absorption of the antibiotic into the horses’ systemic circulation following intrauterine adminstration. Even with variances in dosage, the serum levels remained very low.
• Contrarily, the intramuscular administration of ticarcillin resulted in substantial levels of the antibiotic within the horses’ systemic circulation. Increased dosages led to higher amounts of serum concentrations, with peak concentrations occurring between 20-45 minutes post administration.

Conclusion

Based on these results, the absorption of ticarcillin in horses greatly varies depending on the administration method. Intrauterine administration results in negligible absorption, whereas intramuscular administration leads to noteworthy absorption, allowing the antibiotic to enter the systemic circulation effectively. This indicates the intramuscular route is more efficient for administering this particular antibiotic in horses. Also, following an intramuscular administration of 6g ticaracilin, the average serum half-life was determined to be around 2.9 hours.