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Updated: May 27, 2026

Construction of Cyclic Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Enhanced Penetration of Biological Barriers
Published on: September 19, 2022
Tigecycline penetration into skin and soft tissue
Gary E Stein1, Curtis L Smith, Anne Missavage
1Department of Medicine, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan, USA. steing@msu.edu
Background:
Tigecycline, a derivative of minocycline, has antibacterial activity against common pathogens associated with complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. At present, there is a paucity of data concerning its penetration into skin and soft tissue (SST).
Methods:
This study evaluated the penetration of tigecycline into SST in 25 patients (mean age, 52 years) with cSSTIs requiring surgical intervention. After a 100-mg loading dose, each patient received 50 mg of tigecycline infused intravenously over 1 h every 12 h. Blood samples were obtained on the day of surgery at 1 h (peak), during surgery, and 12 h (trough) after the beginning of a 50-mg infusion. A viable SST sample was harvested at the infection site. Tissue and concomitant serum concentrations were grouped into three time intervals: 2-4 h (median, 3 h), 5-7 h (median, 7 h), and 8-10 h (median, 9h), and analyzed for tissue penetration.
Results:
Tissue and blood samples were obtained one to six days (mean 2.5 days) after initiation of tigecycline treatment. The mean serum peak and trough concentrations of tigecycline were 0.56±0.25 mg/L and 0.26±0.12 mg/L, respectively. The mean tissue:serum ratios at the three study time periods were 3.8 (range 0.7-5.5), 5.2 (range 0.8-7.1), and 2.8 (range 0.8-8.8).
Conclusions:
In general, we found higher concentrations of tigecycline in SST than in the serum at the same time point.
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