The effect of fasting on the plasma disposition of triclabendazole following oral administration in goats

This study was designed to investigate the effect of feeding on the plasma disposition of triclabendazole (TCBZ) in goats following oral administration. A total of eight goats, aged 14–16 months and weighing 20–30 kg were used in this study. The animals were allocated into two groups (fasted and fed groups) of four animals each. The goats in fed group were fed ad libitum but the animals in fasted group were not fed 24 h before and 6 h after drug administration. Commercial oral drench formulation of TCBZ (Endex-K, 5%) was administered orally to animals in two groups at dose of 10 mg/kg bodyweight. Heparinized blood samples were collected between 1 and 192 h after treatment and the plasma samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for TCBZ, TCBZ sulphoxide (TCBZ–SO), and TCBZ sulphone (TCBZ–SO₂). Relatively very low concentration of TCBZ parent drug was detected between 2 and 48 h, but TCBZ–SO and TCBZ–SO₂ metabolites were present between 2 and 192 h in the plasma samples of fed and fasted animals. Fasting significantly enhanced the plasma concentration of TCBZ and its metabolites. The availability of TCBZ, TCBZ–SO and TCBZ–SO₂ in the plasma samples of fasted goats were markedly greater compared to those of fed goats. It was concluded that fasting decreases the digesta flow rate and prolongs the retention of the drug into the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in enhanced quantitative gastrointestinal absorption or systemic availability of TCBZ and its metabolites in fasted goats.