Interspecies differences in the pharmacokinetics of kanamycin and apramycin

Comparative studies on some selected pharmacokinetic parameters for kanamycin in sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens and pigeons, and for apramycin in sheep, rabbits, chickens and pigeons were carried out after intravenous administration of the two drugs at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The results revealed that a two-compartment open model was most suitable for kanamycin, while for apramycin a one-compartment open model was usually optimal. The log distribution rate constant (alpha) of kanamycin was significantly correlated to the log of the body mass (r = 0.919, n = 5, p < 0.05). Interspecies differences in the apparent volume of distribution (Vda) of kanamycin were small. These differences were larger for apramycin, as were the variations in the area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) and in the total body clearance (ClB) of both kanamycin and apramycin, both having almost a threefold difference depending on the species but without any correlation to body mass. The values of the log half-life of kanamycin in the mammals in this study and also those from data in the literature revealed a significant correlation with log body mass between animal species according to the equation: t1/2 beta = 38.47W0.21 (r = 0.7648, n = 10, p < 0.05).