Residue depletion of valnemulin in swine tissues after oral administration

UPLC-MS/MS Method for Simultaneous Determination of Valnemulin and Its Metabolites in Crucian Carp: In Vivo Metabolism and Tissue Distribution Analyses

Valnemulin (VML) is a semi-synthetic pleuromutilin derivative widely used to treat animal bacterial diseases. However, no study has comprehensively evaluated VML metabolism in aquatic animals, including crucian carp. This study aimed to investigate VML metabolism in crucian carp. VML metabolites in crucian carp were quantified via intraperitoneal injection and analyzed via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Three VML metabolites were detected in crucian carp via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) structural analysis. The enrichment and metabolism rules of the metabolites were summarized based on tissue distribution and concentration changes of the three metabolites. The metabolites were mainly found in the liver at 0.1 h after VML injection. The levels of the metabolites were abundant in the bile from 4 h to 12 h and in the skin after 72 h. The levels of the metabolites in the bile first increased, then decreased. The metabolism in the liver was completed at 72 h. The metabolites were detected in the skin following a 72 h period, which increased with time.

A highly sensitive monoclonal antibody-based paper sensor for simultaneously detecting valnemulin and tiamulin in porcine liver

Valnemulin (VAL) and tiamulin (TIA) are pleuromutilin antibiotics used primarily for treating bacterial infections in swine or other food animals. Furthermore, VAL and TIA are also employed as feed additives to promote animal growth. However, the illegal use of VAL and TIA could cause a series of hazards to consumers. Here, VAL was designed to be conjugated with bovine serum protein to prepare immunogen. A highly sensitive monoclonal antibody that recognized both VAL and TIA has been successfully produced. Moreover, an immunochromatographic strip assay for rapidly screening VAL and TIA in porcine liver was established with visual detection limits (cutoff values) of 50 and 25 ng/g, respectively. The IC₅₀ values calculated from the equation of the standard curve were 6.06 and 3.45 ng/g and the limits of detection were 0.96 and 0.29 ng/g for VAL and TIA. According to the recovery experiment results, the test strip exhibited acceptable accuracy and precision. Generally, the proposed strip provided a practical tool for the detection of VAL and TIA. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We produced a highly sensitive monoclonal antibody and developed an immunoassay strip for simultaneously monitoring TIA and VAL. Additionally it was preliminarily confirmed that the rapid detection tool was suitable for screening TIA and VAL in porcine liver.

Effect of Solid Forms on Physicochemical Properties of Valnemulin

To improve the physicochemical properties of valnemulin (VLM), different solid forms formed by VLM and organic acids, including tartaric acid (TAR), fumaric acid (FUM), and oxalic acid (OXA), were successfully prepared and characterized by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The excess enthalpy Hex between VLM and other organic acids was calculated by COSMOthermX software and was used to evaluate the probability of forming multi-component solids between VLM and organic acids. By thermal analysis, it was confirmed that multi-component solid forms of VLM were thermodynamically more stable than VLM itself. Through dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) experiments, it was found that three multi-component solid forms of VLM had lower hygroscopicity than VLM itself. Furthermore, the intrinsic dissolution rate of VLM and its multi-component forms was determined in one kind of acidic aqueous medium by using UV-vis spectrometry. It was found that the three multi-component solid forms of VLM dissolved faster than VLM itself.

Unraveling the Metabolic Routes of Retapamulin: Insights into Drug Development of Pleuromutilins

Retapamulin, a semisynthetic pleuromutilin derivative, is exclusively used for the topical short-term medication of impetigo and staphylococcal infections. In the present study, we report that retapamulin is adequately and rapidly metabolized in vitro via various metabolic pathways, such as hydroxylation, including mono-, di-, and trihydroxylation, and demethylation. Like tiamulin and valnemulin, the major metabolic routes of retapamulin were hydroxylation at the 2β and 8α positions of the mutilin moiety. Moreover, in vivo metabolism concurred with the results of the in vitro assays. Additionally, we observed significant interspecies differences in the metabolism of retapamulin. Until now, modifying the side chain was the mainstream method for new drug discovery of the pleuromutilins. This approach, however, could not resolve the low bioavailability and short efficacy of the drugs. Considering the rapid metabolism of the pleuromutilins mediated by cytochrome P450 enzymes, we propose that blocking the active metabolic site (C-2 and C-8 motif) or administering the drug in combination with cytochrome P450 enzyme inhibitors is a promising pathway in the development of novel pleuromutilin drugs with slow metabolism and long efficacy.

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro release performance of the pegylated valnemulin prodrug

Valnemulin, successfully developed by Sandoz in 1984, is a new generation derivative of pleuromutilin related to tiamulin. Valnemulin has low water-solubility, a short half-life period, low bioavailability, and instability. The application of valnemulin was restricted. Therefore, finding a more moderate delivery system is necessary to improve the shortcomings of valnemulin. The purpose of the study was to improve the strong stability and the irritation caused by of valnemulin hydrochloride power through pegylated-valnemulin prodrug mode. The prepared pegylated-valnemulin prodrug was characterized and evaluated by in vitro release performance under buffer solutions with pH levels of 7.4 and 3.6. The loading rate of valnemulin in PEG-succinic-valnemulin prodrug was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometer and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC with evaporative light scattering detector was applied to determine the amount of PEG-succinic acid. The loading rate of valnemulin in PEG-succinic-valnemulin prodrug was 6.46%. PEG-succinic-valnemulin prodrug demonstrated a satisfactory solubility of valnemulin with 523 mg·ml⁻¹ and excellent stability verified by the stability experiment. The result of the in vitro release test showed that the prepared PEG-valnemulin prodrug has controlled release ability and the release rate of valnemulin from PEG-valnemulin prodrug with a pH of 7.4 was 64.98%, which was higher than that of pH3.6 with release rate of 31.90%. Therefore, the prepared PEG-succinic-valnemulin prodrug has great application potential.

A New Combination of a Pleuromutilin Derivative and Doxycycline for Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most difficult Gram-negative bacteria to treat and eradicate. In a cell-based screening of pleuromutilin derivatives against a drug sensitive A. baumannii strain, new molecules (2-4) exhibit bacteriostatic activity with 3.13 μg/mL concentration and 1 shows bactericidal activity with an MBC of 6.25 μg/mL. The pleuromutilin derivative 1 displays strong synergistic effects with doxycycline in a wide range of concentrations. A 35/1 ratio of 1 and doxycycline (1-Dox 35/1) kills drug susceptible A. baumannii with the MBC of 2.0 μg/mL and an MDR A. baumannii with the MBC of 3.13 μg/mL. In vitro anti-Acinetobacter activity of 1-Dox 35/1 is superior to that of clinical drugs such as tobramycin, tigecycline, and colistin. The efficacy of 1-Dox 35/1 is evaluated in a mouse septicemia model; treatment of the infected C57BL/6 mice with 1-Dox 35/1 protects from lethal infection of A. baumannii with an ED50 value of <2.0 mg/kg.

Pharmacokinetics of valnemulin after intravenous, intramuscular, and oral administration in layer chickens

The pharmacokinetic characteristics of valnemulin in layer chickens were studied after single intravenous, intramuscular, and oral administration at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight. Plasma samples at certain time points were collected and the drug concentrations in them by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The concentration-time data for each individual were plotted by noncompartmental analysis for the whole three routes. Following intravenous administration, the plasma concentration showed tiny fluctuation. The elimination half-life (T1/2λz), total body clearance (Cl), and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) were 1.85 ± 0.43 h, 2.2 ± 0.9 L/h, and 7.52 ± 2.46 μg·h/mL, respectively. Following intramuscular administration, the peak concentration (C_max , 1.40 ± 0.43 μg/mL) was achieved at the time of 0.34 h. A multiple-peak phenomenon existed after oral administration, and the first peak and secondary peak were at 10 min and during 2-4 h, respectively, while the tertiary peak appeared during 5-15 h. The bioavailability (F %) for intramuscular and oral administration was 68.60% and 52.64%, respectively. In present study, the detailed pharmacokinetic profiles showed that this drug is widely distributed and rapidly eliminated, however has a low bioavailability, indicating that valnemulin is likely to be a favorable choice in the clinical practice.

Application and microbial preparation of D-valine

D-Valine is an important organic chiral source and has extensive industrial application, which is used as intermediate for the synthesis of agricultural pesticides, semi-synthetic veterinary antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs. Its derivatives have shown great activity in clinical use, such as penicillamine for the treatment of immune-deficiency diseases, and actinomycin D for antitumor therapy. Fluvalinate, a pyrethroid pesticide made from D-valine, is a broad-spectrum insecticide with low mammalian toxicity. Valnemulin, a semi-synthetic pleuromutilin derivative synthesized from D-valine, is an antibiotic for animals. Moreover, D-valine is also used in cell culture for selectively inhibiting fibroblasts proliferation. Due to its widespread application, D-valine is gaining more and more attention and some approaches for D-valine preparation have been investigated. In comparison with other approaches, microbial preparation of D-valine is more competitive and promising because of its high stereo selectivity, mild reaction conditions and environmental friendly process. So far, microbial preparation of D-valine can be mainly classified into three categories: microbial asymmetric degradation of DL-valine, microbial stereoselective hydrolysis of N-acyl-DL-valine by D-aminoacylase, and microbial specific hydrolysis of DL-5-isopropylhydantoin by D-hydantoinase coupled with D-carbamoylase. In this paper, the industrial application of D-valine and its microbial preparation are reviewed.

Development of a modified QuEChERS method for the determination of veterinary antibiotics in swine manure by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) based methodology was developed for the rapid, simultaneous quantification and identification of 26 veterinary drugs in swine manure by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The selected antibiotics included tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, lincosamides and pleuromutilins. This is the first study to determine pleuromutilin levels in manure. The QuEChERS process involved two simple steps. First, sample extraction with methanol: acetonitrile: 0.1M EDTA-McIlvaine buffer followed by phase separation with MgSO4: NaCl addition. The supernatant was then extracted and cleaned by dispersive solid-phase extraction using a primary-secondary amine (PSA) and octadecylsilane (C18) support. The proposed method provides a linearity in the range of 1-500ngmL-1 and linear regression coefficients (r) were greater than 0.996. MDL and MQL ranged between 0.01-1.86μgkg(-1) and 0.05-5.91μgkg(-1), respectively. Recoveries ranged from 61.39 to 105.65% with the exception of sulfaquinoxaline (55.7-56.8%) and valnemulin (33.7-37.7%). This method resulted in good precision (repeatability and reproducibility) and relative standard deviations less than 17% within the same day, and lower than 20% between days. The method was then applied to study the swine manure samples collected from Guangdong, China. Chlortetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, sulfadimidine and tilmicosin were detected in all samples indicating high residuals in manure. In fact tilmicosin was detected at 14400μgkg(-1) suggesting that prudent treatment of manure should be conducted to prevent environmental contamination. In conclusion, this workflow can provide a simpler and more cost-effective alternative to conventional methods and is compatible with processing large sample numbers over a short time period.

Veterinary drug residues in domestic and imported foods of animal origin in the Republic of Korea

The Korean National Residue Programme comprises three different approaches for evaluating domestic and imported foods of animal origin: monitoring, surveillance/enforcement and an exploratory test programme. Monitoring and surveillance/enforcement testing programmes are routinely implemented by 17 Provincial Veterinary Services for domestic products and regional offices of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (QIA) for imported products. The exploratory project conducted at QIA headquarters is designed to test substances that are not included in monitoring and enforcement testing programmes. Here, we carried out exploratory testing for determining the presence of 42 veterinary drugs that have no established Korean maximum residue limits and analysed their levels simultaneously, in a total of 3108 samples of domestic and imported animal-origin foods. Of the tested drugs, acetylsalicylic, paracetamol, clopidol, diclazuril, amprolium, toltrazuril and its metabolites (toltrazuril sulphone and toltrazuril sulphoxide) and phenylbutazone and its metabolites (oxyphenylbutazone) were detected.

Dosage assessment of valnemulin in pigs based on population pharmacokinetic and Monte Carlo simulation

To estimate the valnemulin pharmacokinetic profile in a swine population and to assess a dosage regimen for increasing the likelihood of optimization. This study was, respectively, performed in 22 sows culled by p.o. administration and in 80 growing-finishing pigs by i.v. administration at a single dose of 10 mg/kg to develop a population pharmacokinetic model and Monte Carlo simulation. The relationships among the plasma concentration, dose, and time of valnemulin in pigs were illustrated as C(i,v) = X(0 )(8.4191 × 10(-4) × e(-0.2371t) + 1.2788 × 10(-5) × e(-0.0069t)) after i.v. and C(p.o) = X(0) (-8.4964 × 10(-4) × e(-0.5840t) + 8.4195 × e(-0.2371t) + 7.6869 × 10(-6) × e(-0.0069t)) after p.o. Monte Carlo simulation showed that T(>MIC) was more than 24 h when a single daily dosage at 13.5 mg/kg BW in pigs was administrated by p.o., and MIC was 0.031 mg/L. It was concluded that the current dosage regimen at 10-12 mg/kg BW led to valnemulin underexposure if the MIC was more than 0.031 mg/L and could increase the risk of treatment failure and/or drug resistance.

In vitro and in vivo metabolite profiling of valnemulin using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight hybrid mass spectrometry

Valnemulin, a semisynthetic pleuromutilin derivative related to tiamulin, is broadly used to treat bacterial diseases of animals. Despite its widespread use, metabolism in animals has not yet been fully investigated. To better understand valnemulin biotransformation, in this study, metabolites of valnemulinin in in vitro and in vivo rats, chickens, swines, goats, and cows were identified and elucidated using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/time-of-flight hybrid mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS). As a result, there were totally 7 metabolites of valnemulin identified in vitro and 75, 61, and 74 metabolites detected in in vivo rats, chickens, and swines, respectively, and the majority of metabolites were reported for the first time. The main metabolic pathways of valnemulin were found to be hydroxylation in the mutilin part (the ring system) and the side chain, oxidization on the sulfur of the side chain to form S-oxides, hydrolysis of the amido bond, and acetylization in the amido of the side chain. In addition, hydroxylation in the mutilin part was proposed to be the primary metabolic route. Furthermore, the results revealed that 2β-hydroxyvalnemulin (V1) and 8α-hydroxyvalnemulin (V2) were the major metabolites for rats and swines and S-oxides (V6) in chickens.

Population pharmacokinetics of valnemulin in swine

This study was carried out in 121 pigs to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model by oral (p.o.) administration of valnemulin at a single dose of 10 mg/kg. Serum biochemistry parameters of each pig were determined prior to drug administration. Three to five blood samples were collected at random time points, but uniformly distributed in the absorption, distribution, and elimination phases of drug disposition. Plasma concentrations of valnemulin were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The concentration-time data were fitted to PPK models using nonlinear mixed effect modeling (NONMEM) with G77 FORTRAN compiler. NONMEM runs were executed using Wings for NONMEM. Fixed effects of weight, age, sex as well as biochemistry parameters, which may influence the PK of valnemulin, were investigated. The drug concentration-time data were adequately described by a one-compartmental model with first-order absorption. A random effect model of valnemulin revealed a pattern of log-normal distribution, and it satisfactorily characterized the observed interindividual variability. The distribution of random residual errors, however, suggested an additive model for the initial phase (<12 h) followed by a combined model that consists of both proportional and additive features (≥ 12 h), so that the intra-individual variability could be sufficiently characterized. Covariate analysis indicated that body weight had a conspicuous effect on valnemulin clearance (CL/F). The featured population PK values of Ka , V/F and CL/F were 0.292/h, 63.0 L and 41.3 L/h, respectively.

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for valnemulin in rats and extrapolation to pigs

A flow-limited, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for predicting the plasma and tissue concentrations of valnemulin after a single oral administration to rats was developed, and then the data were extrapolated to pigs so as to predict withdrawal interval in edible tissues. Blood/tissue pharmacokinetic data and blood/tissue partition coefficients for valnemulin in rats and pigs were collected experimentally. Absorption, distribution and elimination of the drug were characterized by a set of mass-balance equations. Model simulations were achieved using a commercially available software program. The rat PBPK model better predicted plasma and tissue concentrations. The correlation coefficients of the predicted and experimentally determined values for plasma, liver, kidney, lung and muscle were 0.96, 0.94, 0.96, 0.91 and 0.91, respectively. The rat model parameters were extrapolated to pigs to estimate valnemulin residue withdrawal interval in edible tissues. Correlation (R(2) ) between predicted and observed liver, kidney and muscle were 0.95, 0.97 and 0.99, respectively. Based on liver tissue residue profiles, the pig model estimated a withdrawal interval of 10 h under a multiple oral dosing schedule (5.0 mg/kg, twice daily for 7.5 days). PBPK models, such as this one, provide evidence of the usefulness in interspecies PK data extrapolation over a range of dosing scenarios and can be used to predict withdrawal interval in pigs.