An evaluation of the effect of repeated doses of oral activated charcoal on the depletion of enrofloxacin residual levels in chicken breast muscles

The purpose of this study was to determine whether concurrent oral administration of activated charcoal has an affect on the depletion of the residual concentrations of enrofloxacin (ENRO) in chicken breast muscles. Sixty-four broiler chickens were divided into four groups (n = 16 per group), one given a daily oral dose of enrofloxacin with feed at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days (control group) and the others given the same dose of enrofloxacin simultaneously with activated charcoal at a dose rate of 0.5, 1, and 2 % of daily feed for 5 days (treatment groups). At the end of treatment, 2 hens were sacrificed at each of the sampling time points (6,12, 18,48, 72,96,120 and 144 h after completion of dosing), breast muscles were collected and analyzed. Supercritical fluid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography methods were used to determine the enrofloxacin residue levels in chicken breast muscles.The limit of quantification (LOQ) 16.5 microg/kg, was lower than the maximum residue levels (MRL) fixed by the Commission of the European Union. For all the time periods, charcoal treatment did not affect enrofloxacin tissue concentrations except at 12 and 48 h post treatment.To our knowledge, no studies on the depletion of enrofloxacin in the presence and absence of activated charcoal in chicken muscles have been performed. Although our current understanding is incomplete, multiple dose activated charcoals may play a role in the therapy of overdose.To prove this, further investigation is warranted.