Depletion of protein‐bound furazolidone metabolites containing the 3‐amino‐2‐oxazolidinone side‐chain from liver, kidney and muscle tissues from pigs

Abstract

Ten 3‐month‐old pigs were treated with feed containing 300 mg furazolidone per kg for a period of 7 days, followed by withdrawal periods of 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks (two per group). The treatment resulted in the formation of protein‐bound metabolites containing an intact 3‐amino‐2‐oxazolidinone (AOZ) side‐chain that could be chemically released and then detected in liver, kidney and rump muscle tissues even 4 weeks after dosing. In tissues from animals killed at the end of the medication period, 993, 600 and 124 ng of AOZ were released from 1 g of liver, kidney and muscle respectively. In the tissues of the animals killed after a further 4 weeks the corresponding levels were 41, 7 and 10 ng/g respectively. It may be concluded that long withdrawal periods prior to slaughter for human consumption are required for pigs treated with furazolidone, because of the long residence time of protein‐bound AOZ and the possibility that it might be released from its protein‐bound form in the stomach and subsequently be transformed into a hydrazine.