Pharmacokinetics of the gastroprokinetic agent mosapride citrate after single oral administration in horses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and dose proportionality of mosapride citrate, a selective 5-HT4 agonist, after oral administration in horses. Seven healthy Thoroughbreds were dosed with distilled water and 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/kg mosapride citrate through a nasogastric tube. Serum mosapride concentrations were measured by a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method. Mosapride showed the Cmaxs of 31, 60, and 104 ng/g and AUCs of 178, 357, and 566 ng·hr/ g at doses of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg, respectively. The Cmaxs and AUCs increased in proportion to the dose, indicating linear pharmacokinetics of mosapride up to 1.5 mg/kg. The pharmacokinetic profiles of mosapride in horses are quite different from that in humans. The average t1/2 in horses was almost 2 fold longer than that reported in healthy adult humans. Therefore, it is thought that it is suitable to reduce the number of doses a day in horses compared to humans.