Parvaquone and buparvaquone: HPLC analysis and comparative pharmacokinetics in cattle.

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of the antitheilerial drugs parvaquone and buparvaquone in plasma was developed. Both compounds were extracted from plasma with ether. After evaporating the extracts to dryness the residue was dissolved in methanol and an aliquot was injected onto a column (10 cm X 5 mm, i.d.) of ODS-Hypersil (5 mu) with a mobile phase of 0.05 M-Na acetate buffer (pH 3.6)-methanol (15:85, v/v). Detection was at 252 nm. The mean recovery for both compounds was about 92%. This method was used to elucidate their pharmacokinetics in 6 calves after intramuscular administration. The maximum plasma concentration for parvaquone was 6.36 +/- 0.58 micrograms/ml after 0.84 +/- 0.08 h. The corresponding values for buparvaquone were 0.102 +/- 0.030 microgram/ml and 3.17 +/- 0.39 h, respectively. The decay in plasma concentrations for the two drugs was biexponential and the terminal elimination half lives were 11.12 +/- 1.63 h and 26.44 +/- 2.81 h for parvaquone and buparvaquone, respectively.