Validated capillary electrophoretic method for the analysis of ivermectin in plasma after intragastric administration in pigs and horses.

This research developed and validated a method for determining levels of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin in pig and horse blood plasma. This method was then used to study how the drug behaves in the body (pharmacokinetics) after oral administration in these animals.

Development of Analytical Method

• The researchers designed a capillary electrophoretic (CE) method for testing levels of ivermectin – a drug used to treat parasitic infections – in the plasma of pigs and horses.
• Capillary electrophoresis is a technique that separates ionic species by their charge and frictional forces in an electric field. It’s often used in drug analysis due to its speed, efficiency, and low sample requirement.

Validation of Analytical Method

• The validity of this developed method was tested for various characteristics including linearity, precision, accuracy, and selectivity.
• The linear range (the range within which the method’s output is directly proportional to its input) was from 1 to 30 ng mL(-1) with strong correlation coefficients of over 0.999.
• The limit of detection (the smallest quantity of the substance that can be reliably measured) was 0.3 ng mL(-1).
• The quantitative limit (the lowest concentration of analyte in a sample which can be quantitatively determined with suitable precision and accuracy) was 1 ng mL(-1).

Application in Pharmacokinetic Studies

• Using this validated procedure, the scientists were also able to study the pharmacokinetics, or how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes the drug.
• The dosage used for the study was 0.1 mg for pigs and 0.2 mg per kg body weight for horses.
• The study group for this analysis included eight pigs and six horses.
• The results showed no significant differences between pigs and horses in any of the measured pharmacokinetic parameters. This indicates that the drug’s behavior in the body is similar in both species.