Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Profile, Bioavailability, and Withdrawal Time of Tylosin Tartrate Following a Single Intramuscular Administration in Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Fishes usually stop eating food when they are sick, and treating diseased fish with oral drugs is a serious hurdle in the aquaculture industry. Tylosin tartrate is a potent bacterial-killing agent useful against frequently occurring bacterial fish infections. We tested the effectiveness against pathogenic bacteria and the human safety of the drug for possible application to cultured olive flounder, one of the most important culture species in far eastern Asian countries. Tylosin tartrate was very effective in killing the pathogenic bacteria grown in artificial culture media, and it was also demonstrated that the drug reached body concentrations in olive flounder, high enough to kill the pathogen. In addition, we also determined how long to wait until the fish clears the injected drug out and it is possible for human consumption. These results will pave a new method for disease treatment useful for olive flounder farming. ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic profile, bioavailability, and withdrawal time of tylosin tartrate (TT) administered to olive flounder via intramuscular (IM, 10 or 20 mg/kg, n = 240) and intravascular (IV, 10 mg/kg, n = 90) injections. Serum concentrations of tylosin were determined using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. According to the non-compartmental analysis, the bioavailability of TT was 87%. After the IV injection, the terminal half-life, total body clearance, volume of distribution, and mean residence time of TT were 21.07 h, 0.07 L/kg/h, 2.15 L/kg, and 16.39 h, respectively. Rapid absorption (T(max) 0.25 h), prolonged action (terminal half-life, 33.96 and 26.04 h; MRT, 43.66 and 33.09 h), and linear dose–response relationship (AUC(0-inf), 123.55 and 246.05 µg/mL*h) were monitored following 10 and 20 mg/kg IM injection. The withdrawal time of TT from muscle (water temperature, 22 °C) was 9.84 days, rounded up to 10 days (220 degree days). Large C(max)/MIC(90), AUC(0-inf)/MIC(90), and T > MIC(90) values were obtained for Streptococcus isolates and these PK/PD indices satisfied the criteria required for efficacy evaluation. This study lays a foundation for the optimal use of TT and provides valuable information for establishing therapeutic regimens.