Uptake and pharmacokinetics of cefuroxime in rabbits after intravitreal, intracameral, and topical dosing: relevance to human ocular injection of cefuroxime

1. Cefuroxime is one of the widely used antibiotics. The objective of this study was to determine pharmacokinetics and disposition in various ocular tissues following topical (TOP), intracameral (IC) and intravitreal (IVT) administration of cefuroxime to rabbits. 2. Following TOP, IC and IVT dosing plasma and various ocular tissues (aqueous humor (AH), vitreous humor (VH), conjunctiva, trabecular mesh (TM), lens and retina-choroid (RC)) were collected and analyzed to understand the disposition of cefuroxime. Postintravenous administration plasma samples were collected to determine the systemic pharmacokinetics. 3. Post-TOP dosing cefuroxime concentrations were observed only in conjunctiva up to 48 h. IC administration showed cefuroxime concentrations in AH up to 8 h; in conjunctiva, TM and plasma, the concentration lasted up to 4 h and in RC and VH till 1 h. IVT administration of cefuroxime showed concentrations in all ocular tissues (up to 8 h) and lasted up to 48 h except in conjunctiva and RC. 4. There was evidence that the mechanism(s) of cefuroxime entry into the eye by via IVT, IC and TOP routes is clearly different. The present ocular tissue data may aid clinicians for considering appropriate choice in the treatment of post-operative ocular complications due to bacterial infections including endophthalmitis.