Effects of two cations on gastrointestinal absorption of ofloxacin

A study was performed to establish the effect of Al3+ and Fe2+ cations on the absorption of ofloxacin when it is administered orally at a dose of 200 mg. The study was carried out with nine volunteers, who each received three treatments (A [200 mg of ofloxacin], B [200 mg of ofloxacin plus 11 g of colloidal aluminum phosphate], and C [200 mg of ofloxacin plus 1,050 mg of FeSO4]) according to a Latin square design; the washout period was 1 week. The analytical technique was a microbiological diffusion method. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from the cumulative urinary excretion data and from a sigma-minus plot. The total amount of ofloxacin excreted in urine had a mean value of 163.59 +/- 22.13 mg when ofloxacin was administered alone, 152.41 +/- 18.76 mg when it was administered with Al3+, and 146.49 +/- 14.85 mg when it was administered with Fe2+. No statistically significant differences were found in the F values (fractions of dose absorbed) obtained with ofloxacin alone and ofloxacin plus Al3+ (P = 0.341). When ofloxacin alone was compared with joint administration with Fe2+ the value of F decreased 10.85%; this difference is statistically significant (P = 2.623 x 10(-2)).