The pharmacokinetics of two erythromycin esters in plasma and in saliva following oral administration in humans.
An improved highly sensitive fluorimetric methods has been employed to measure plasma and saliva levels of erythromycin propionate and stearate in eight healthy volunteers following a single oral dose of 7.5 mg/kg. The plasma curves exhibited a mean half-life of 5.22 +/- s. e. m., 0.86 h-1 for the propionate and 2.97 +/- 0.22 h-1 for the stearate. Peak levels were reached at the 2nd h (4.07 +/- 0.29 microgram/ml for the propionate; 2.15 +/- 0.14 microgram/ml for the stearate). The area under the total plasma concentration curve was about 3-fold higher in the case of propionate. The concentration in saliva was about 20% of the corresponding concentration in plasma for the propionate and about 25% for the stearate. A significant positive correlation was observed between plasma and saliva levels for both macrolides.
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
D004917:Erythromycin; C011807:erythromycin propionate; C011462:erythromycin stearate