Correlation between macrolide lung pharmacokinetics and therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia

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Abstract
The correlation between the pharmacokinetics of erythromycin, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, spiramycin and azithromycin and their efficacy was investigated in two pneumococcal pneumonia models. Female Swiss and C57B1/6 mice were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae strain P4241 by the intratracheal per oral route. This virulent strain produces acute pneumonia with death within 3–4 days (Swiss mice), or subacute pneumonia with death within 10 days (C57BI/6 mice) in untreated mice and the outcome of the disease is closely related to progressive weight loss. Swiss mice received three doses of each macrolide 50 mg/kg bd beginning 18 h post-infection. C57B1/6 mice received three doses of each macrolide 25 mg/kg, bd (except azithromycin was 12·5 mg/kg bd) beginning 48 h post-infection. Cure rates were evaluated on the basis of body weight variations recorded daily after the end of treatment. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined in infected and non-infected mice after a single dose of each macrolide 50 mg/kg sc. The pharmacokinetics of azithromycin was also determined in leucopenic Swiss mice. We observed a hierarchy of in-vivo efficacy as follows: azithromycin > spiramycin = clarithromycin > roxithromycin = erythromycin which did not correlate with in-vitro MIC or MBC. The same hierarchy was found in terms of the lung T1/2 Lung T1/2s of macrolides could thus be predictive of their efficacy in respiratory tract infections. A reduced tissue AUC of azithromycin was seen in leucopenic mice suggesting leucocytes may help transport macrolides to sites of infection.

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