Norton Terry M, Clauss Tonya, Overmeyer Rachel, Stowell Stephanie, Kaylor Michelle, Cox Sherry
Department of Rehabilitation and Veterinary Services, Georgia Sea Turtle Center/Jekyll Island Authority, 214 Stable Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527, USA.
Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Dec 10;11(12):3522. doi: 10.3390/ani11123522.
The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of multiple injections of meloxicam (MLX) administered subcutaneously (SQ) in Kemp's ridley () and green () sea turtles. Based on results from a previously published single-injection study, a multiple-injection regimen was derived for the Kemp's ridleys, which consisted of administering MLX at a dose of 1 mg/kg SQ every 12 h for 5 days, and for green turtles at a dose of 1 mg/kg SQ every 48 h for three treatments. Six turtles of each species were used for the study, and blood samples were taken at multiple time intervals. The terminal half-life after the last dose for the Kemp's ridley sea turtles was calculated at 7.18 h, and for the green sea turtles at 23.71 h. Throughout the multiple injections, MLX concentrations remained above 0.57 µg/mL, a concentration targeted in humans for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. No negative side effects or changes to blood parameters evaluated were observed during the study in either species. The results of this study suggest MLX should be administered SQ to Kemp's ridley sea turtles at a dosage of 1 mg/kg every 12 h and in green sea turtles at a dose of 1 mg/kg every 48 h. The novelty of this work is that it is a multiple-injection study. Multiple injections were administered and produced concentrations that were considered therapeutic in humans, and the turtles did not have any adverse side effects. Furthermore, there were large differences in the pharmacokinetic values between green and Kemp's ridley sea turtles.
本研究的目的是确定在肯氏丽龟（Kemp's ridley）和绿海龟（green）皮下（SQ）多次注射美洛昔康（MLX）的药代动力学和安全性。基于先前发表的单次注射研究结果，为肯氏丽龟制定了多次注射方案，即每12小时皮下注射1 mg/kg的MLX，持续5天；为绿海龟制定的方案是每48小时皮下注射1 mg/kg，共进行三次治疗。每种海龟各6只用于该研究，并在多个时间间隔采集血样。肯氏丽龟最后一剂后的末端半衰期计算为7.18小时，绿海龟为23.71小时。在多次注射过程中，MLX浓度保持在0.57 µg/mL以上，这是人类镇痛和抗炎作用的目标浓度。在研究过程中，两种海龟均未观察到负面副作用或所评估血液参数的变化。本研究结果表明，应每12小时以1 mg/kg的剂量对肯氏丽龟皮下注射MLX，每48小时以1 mg/kg的剂量对绿海龟皮下注射。这项工作的新颖之处在于它是一项多次注射研究。进行了多次注射并产生了在人类中被认为具有治疗作用的浓度，并且海龟没有任何不良副作用。此外，绿海龟和肯氏丽龟的药代动力学值存在很大差异。
