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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cytarabine drug levels in dogs treated for unknown brain inflammation

By Early, P J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics·2017·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Plasma and serum concentrations of cytarabine administered via continuous intravenous infusion to dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A group of 19 dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown cause (MUE) were treated with a medication called cytarabine given through a continuous intravenous infusion for 8 hours. The treatment aimed to help manage their symptoms, and blood tests showed that the medication reached effective levels in their system. The results indicated that cytarabine maintained consistent levels in the blood, which is important for treating conditions affecting the brain and spinal cord. This treatment did not seem to be affected by other medications the dogs were taking for MUE.

People also search for: dog meningoencephalitis treatment · cytarabine for dogs · dog brain inflammation symptoms

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the plasma and serum concentrations of cytarabine (CA) administered via constant rate infusion (CRI) in dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE). Nineteen client-owned dogs received a CRI of CA at a dose of 25 mg/m/h for 8 h as treatment for MUE. Dogs were divided into four groups, those receiving CA alone and those receiving CA in conjunction with other drugs. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 8, and 12 h after initiating the CRI. Plasma (n = 13) and serum (n = 11) cytarabine concentrations were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The mean peak concentration (C) and area under the curve (AUC) after CRI administration were 1.70 ± 0.66 μg/mL and 11.39 ± 3.37 h·μg/mL, respectively, for dogs receiving cytarabine alone, 2.36 ± 0.35 μg/mL and 16.91 + 3.60 h·μg/mL for dogs administered cytarabine and concurrently on other drugs. Mean concentrations for all dogs were above 1.0 μg/mL at both the 1- and 8-h time points. The steady-state achieved with cytarabine CRI produces a consistent and prolonged exposure in plasma and serum, which is likely to produce equilibrium between blood and the central nervous system in dogs with a clinical diagnosis of MUE. Other medications commonly used to treat MUE do not appear to alter CA concentrations in serum and plasma.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27641693/