Thiacetarsamide in dogs: disposition kinetics and correlations with selected indocyanine green kinetic values.

The pharmacokinetic values of thiacetarsamide (2.2 mg/kg) were determined in 6 healthy dogs after IV injection. A semilogarithmic plot of serum concentration vs time indicated that the 2-compartment open model best described thiacetarsamide disposition. A least-squares log linear regression microcomputer program was used to calculate the pharmacokinetic values. The mean elimination-phase half-life and clearance rate were 43 minutes and 200 ml/kg/min, respectively. Wide ranges in values were seen for the half-life (20.5 to 83.4 minutes) and the clearance rate (80.0 to 350.0 ml/kg/min). Before thiacetarsamide was given to the dogs, indocyanine green (ICG), an anionic dye that is eliminated almost entirely by hepatobiliary excretion, was administered IV at a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight. The half-life of ICG was 7.4 minutes, and the clearance rate was 8.43 ml/kg/min. There was a significant (P less than 0.01) correlation between the half-lives of thiacetarsamide and ICG, but not between the clearance rates. The variations in ICG half-lives and clearance rates were less than those seen for thiacetarsamide.