Secnidazole concentrations in plasma and crevicular fluid after a single oral dose

Metronidazole and related nitroimidazole derivatives, including ornidazole and tinidazole, have been used successfully in the treatment of periodontal diseases. The purpose of this study was to measure secnidazole (another nitroimidazole derivative) concentrations in plasma and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) after intake of a single oral dose. Secnidazole concentrations were estimated in 11 human healthy volunteers after a single dose of 2 g taken orally. Samples of blood and GCF were collected before intake and during the following 72 h. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the determination of secnidazole in microsamples (1 to 3 microliters) of GCF. The mean peak blood and GCF levels were equal to 40.5 +/- 9.4 micrograms ml-1 at 2 h in blood and 26.4 +/- 7.0 micrograms ml-1 at 1 h in GCF, respectively. Apparent elimination half-life was 28.8 h (blood) and 30.4 h (GCF), respectively. These results show that the rate and extent-absorption of secnidazole are slightly higher in blood than in GCF, but the elimination of the drug is similar in the two body fluids.