Relationship between serum and saliva chloramphenicol concentrations

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Drug Monitoring

Background:

• Chloramphenicol (CAP) is an antibiotic used for serious infections.
• Monitoring drug concentrations is crucial for effective and safe therapy.
• Saliva is a potential non-invasive matrix for drug monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between serum and saliva chloramphenicol concentrations.
• To determine if saliva CAP levels can predict serum CAP levels.
• To assess the variability in saliva/serum CAP concentration ratios.

Main Methods:

• Collected 27 paired serum and saliva specimens from 20 hospitalized patients receiving chloramphenicol therapy.
• Analyzed chloramphenicol concentrations in both serum and saliva.
• Evaluated serum protein binding of chloramphenicol.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation (R = 0.80, P < 0.001) was observed between serum and saliva CAP concentrations.
• The relationship was highly variable, indicating significant differences in individual patient ratios.
• Serum protein binding of CAP (43.7 +/- 5.7%) did not fully explain the observed variability in saliva/serum ratios.

Conclusions:

• Saliva chloramphenicol concentrations exhibit a significant but unpredictable relationship with serum concentrations.
• Saliva CAP levels are not a reliable indicator for predicting serum CAP concentrations in patients.
• Further research may be needed to explore other factors influencing saliva CAP levels.