Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How cytosine arabinoside injections work in dogs with brain
By Levitin, Hilary A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics·2021·The Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Pharmacokinetics of a cytosine arabinoside subcutaneous protocol in dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown cause (MUE) received a new treatment method using cytosine arabinoside (CA) injections under the skin every two hours for eight hours. This approach resulted in higher and more sustained levels of the medication in their blood compared to the traditional method of continuous intravenous infusion. The dogs were monitored closely, and the new subcutaneous protocol showed promising results in maintaining effective drug levels for longer periods. This could mean less frequent vet visits for treatment while still effectively managing their condition.
People also search for: dog meningoencephalomyelitis treatment · cytosine arabinoside for dogs · dog injection treatment for brain disease
Abstract
Cytosine arabinoside (CA) is a commonly used treatment for dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology (MUE) with various proposed protocols, many requiring 24 hours (h) of hospitalization or two visits within 24 h. This is a unidirectional study evaluating the pharmacokinetics of a CA subcutaneous (SC) protocol and a standard constant rate infusion (CRI) protocol in 8 dogs with MUE. Dogs received the CRI (200 mg/mIV over 24 h), followed by a SC protocol (50 mg/mevery 2 h for 4 treatments) four weeks later. Plasma CA concentrations were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Median peak CA concentration for the SC protocol (3.40 µg/ml, range 1.60-9.70 µg/ml) was significantly higher than the CRI (1.09 µg/ml, range 0.77-1.67 µg/ml; p = .02). Median concentration at 1h and 8h following initiation of treatment was significantly higher for the SC protocol (CA2.28 µg/ml, range 0.97-2.67; CA1.83 µg/ml, range 0.77-2.84) compared to the CRI (CA1 0.01 µg/ml, range 0-0.45; CA0.74 µg/ml, range 0.67-1.11; p = .01). While the PK properties of CA when administered as a CRI has been previously investigated, this study demonstrated that CA when administered via repeated 50 mg/minjections every 2 h over an 8-h period, provided sustained plasma levels above its therapeutic target and for a significantly longer duration of time than did a standard CRI protocol.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34080695/