Pharmacokinetic studies of norfloxacin in laboratory animals

Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted with norfloxacin administered by the oral and subcutaneous routes to mice and rats, and by the oral route to rhesus monkeys. The compound was moderately well absorbed following oral dosing in these animal species. Serum levels in monkeys ranged from 1.0 to 2.35 micrograms/ml after an oral drug dose of 25 mg/kg of animal body weight and were similar to those in mice. Serum half-life of norfloxacin in rodents and monkeys was similar to that in humans. Concentrations of norfloxacin in tissues of mice, rats and monkeys were greater than those in serum suggesting a large volume of distribution for the drug.