The serum concentration-time data for
ticarcillin (
TICAR) and
clavulanic acid (CLA) following intravenous and intramuscular administration of
Timentin (
TICAR, 50 mg/kg with CLA, 1.7 mg/kg) indicated that absorption of CLA following
intramuscular injection and its overall elimination from the body was faster than that of
TICAR. This is supported by comparison of certain pharmacokinetic parameters for
TICAR and CLA. These include the shorter value of Tmax for CLA (11.45 +/- 1.60 min) than that for
TICAR (29.93 +/- 1.94 min) and significant variation in the elimination rate constants (0.183 +/- 0.0018 min -1 for CLA vs. 0.0097 +/- 0.0006 min -1 for
TICAR) for the intravenous group of animals. The
biological half-life of CLA (approximately 39 min) was significantly shorter (P less than 0.01) than that of
TICAR (approximately 73 min). In spite of initial faster absorption, the intramuscular bioavailability of CLA (65.02%) was less than that of
TICAR (91.37%). Though the pharmacokinetic behaviour of
TICAR and CLA is not similar, yet based on the therapeutically optimal concentrations of CLA and
TICAR reached in serum,
Timentin at the dose used in the present study should be effective in treating most
TICAR-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae infections in dogs.
Timentin is not likely to be effective in the treatment of
infections caused by
TICAR-resistant pseudomonads, at the dose used in the present study.