The effect of feed quality on the kinetic disposition of orally administered triclabendazole in sheep

The effect of two qualities of feed on the kinetic disposition of triclabendazole (TCBZ) metabolites was investigated in sheep (n = 4) following oral administration of TCBZ at 10 mg/kg body weight. The same sheep were given sequentially two qualitatively different diets: a low-quality (LQ) diet based on wheat straw ad libitum, and a high-quality (HQ) diet based on barley+alfalfa. The triclabendazole sulphoxide (TCBZSO) and triclabendazole sulphone (TCBZSO₂) concentrations were determined in blood samples taken serially from the jugular vein between 5 min and 9 days after TCBZ administration. The parent drug TCBZ was not detected in any of the samples. The quality of feed affected the kinetics of both TCBZ metabolites. The rate of appearance (T_lag and T_max) in the jugular blood was slower and the formed amount (AUC) of TCBZSO was slightly higher when the sheep were on the LQ diet (T_lag = 7.74 h; T_max = 27.91 h; AUC = 1042 g.h/ml) than when they were offered the HQ diet (T_lag = 1.90 h; T_max = 16.01 h; AUC = 832.4 g.h/ml). The MRT of TCBZSO was about 40% longer with the LQ diet than with the HQ diet. Similarly, the rate of appearance of TCBZSO₂ in plasma of sheep was slower when they were on the LQ diet than when they were on the HQ diet, suggesting an impairment of the hepatic enzymatic activity involved in the oxidation of TCBZSO to TCBZSO₂.