Comparative Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Concentrations of Flunixin Meglumine and Meloxicam in Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)

Evidence of pain perception in fish is well established, but analgesic use aquaculture limited. The objective was to investigate the comparative pharmacokinetics flunixin administered intramuscularly (IM) and meloxicam IM or orally (PO) tilapia. Two hundred seventy were assigned 1 3 treatment groups: meglumine (2.2 mg/kg); (1 PO mg/kg). Blood tissue samples collected from 6 per at 14 time points for 10 days. Drug concentrations determined using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy. Plasma concentration versus data analyzed a non-compartmental approach commercially available software. Flunixin reached mean maximum (Cmax) 4826.7 ng/mL 0.5 h, had terminal half-life (T1/2) 7.34 an area under concentration–time curve extrapolated infinity (AUCINF_obs) 25,261.62 h·ng/mL. Meloxicam T1/2 9.4 h after reaching Cmax 11.3 2 AUCINF_obs 150.31 1.9 72.2 400.83 Tissue both drugs undetectable by 9 h. sufficient plasma potentially have effect, while meloxicam, when given dosage, likely would not.