Pharmacokinetics of cefotiam in plasma, parotid saliva and mixed saliva in healthy adults

Cefotiam (Spizef; CAS 61622-34-2) at a dose of 2 g was administered intravenously to 10 young, healthy, male volunteers. Multiple simultaneous blood, parotid saliva, and mixed saliva samples were collected for 7 h. The antibiotic assay was carried out by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Significant salivary cefotiam concentrations were found for 2 to 4 h, potentially inhibitory to a wide array of pathogens commonly isolated from the upper aerodigestive tract. Salivary cefotiam concentrations were correlated to plasma levels (p less than 0.01), but saliva/plasma ratios varied considerably. It is unlikely that passive diffusion is the applicable transfer mechanism for cefotiam secretion into saliva.