A porridge-like hydrogel promoted the oral bioavailability of veterinary medicines
Abstract
The administration of veterinary medicines via drinking water or feed ingredients is a widely adopted method in intensive livestock and poultry farming due to its convenience and cost-effectiveness. Among these drugs, antimicrobials are extensively used, with over 70% of global antimicrobial consumption attributed to veterinary applications. However, the misuse of antimicrobials in livestock has been identified as a significant driver of drug resistance, as well as contributing to other adverse health and environmental impacts. Moreover, certain antimicrobials, such as florfenicol, exhibit limited oral bioavailability due to their low water solubility and permeability, which can compromise their therapeutic efficacy.
To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel porridge-like hydrogel designed to enhance the oral absorption of antimicrobials, thereby improving their therapeutic effectiveness. Sodium alginate (SA), a natural polysaccharide polymer, was employed as a protective barrier to shield the antimicrobials from degradation by gastric juices, ensuring drug integrity until release in the intestine. This formulation facilitates excellent mixing with feed, resulting in significantly increased oral bioavailability of the antimicrobials. In a Salmonella-infected chicken model, the orally administered florfenicol-loaded SA hydrogel significantly reduced mortality rates compared to conventional delivery methods.
Furthermore, this SA hydrogel can enhance the oral bioavailability of a range of poorly absorbed medications, demonstrating its potential as a versatile oral delivery system. These findings suggest that the porridge-like hydrogel represents a novel promising approach for the oral delivery of veterinary medicines, offering a more effective alternative to traditional formulations.
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Materials
Sodium Alginate with viscosities of 150, 180, 230, and 280 mPa·s was procured from Jiayi Sunway Chemical Co., Ltd. (Nanjing, China). Calcium hydrogen phosphate was obtained from Ruiduo Biological Engineering Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu, China). Starch was purchased from Sunhere Pharmaceutical Excipients Co., Ltd. (Anhui, China). FF and menbutone were obtained from Longxiang Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (Hubei, China). Cloxacillin sodium, ampicillin sodium, and lincomycin were purchased from Macklingrodt.
Yinglan Yu, Zhiqian Liao, Xiaohong Luo, Tengli Zhang, Zehui Yu, Xinrui Liu, Hong Yao, Xiwang Liu, Lei Luo, A porridge-like hydrogel promoted the oral bioavailability of veterinary medicines, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 677, 2025, 125648, ISSN 0378-5173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125648.
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