To the best of our knowledge, limited pharmacokinetic information to establish suitable therapeutic plans is available for Hawksbill turtles. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the pharmacokinetic features of tolfenamic acid (TA) in Hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, after single intravenous (i.v.) and intramuscular (i.m.) administration at dosage 4 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). The study (parallel design) used 10 Hawksbill turtles randomly divided into equal groups. Blood samples were collected at assigned times up to 144 hr. The concentrations of TA in plasma were quantified by a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐ESI‐MS/MS). The concentration of TA in the experimental turtles with respect to time was pharmacokinetically analyzed using a noncompartment model. The Cmax values of TA were 89.33 ± 6.99 µg/ml following i.m. administration. The elimination half‐life values were 38.92 ± 6.31 hr and 41.09 ± 9.32 hr after i.v. and i.m. administration, respectively. The absolute i.m. bioavailability was 94.46%, and the average binding percentage of TA to plasma protein was 31.39%. TA demonstrated a long half‐life and high bioavailability following i.m. administration. Therefore, the i.m. administration is recommended for use in clinical practice because it is both easier to perform and provides similar plasma concentrations to the i.v. administration. However, further studies are needed to determine the clinical efficacy of TA for treatment of inflammatory disease after single and multiple dosages.

The present study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic features of tolfenamic acid (TA) in green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas. Green sea turtles were administered single either intravenous (i.v.) or intramuscular (i.m.) injection of TA, at a dose of 4 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). Blood samples were collected at preassigned times up to 168 hr. The plasma concentrations of TA were measured using a validated liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. Tolfenamic acid plasma concentrations were quantifiable for up to 168 hr after i.v. and i.m. administration. The concentration of TA in the experimental green sea turtles with respect to time was pharmacokinetically analyzed using a noncompartment model. The Cmax values of TA were 55.01 ± 8.34 µg/ml following i.m. administration. The elimination half‐life values were 32.76 ± 4.68 hr and 53.69 ± 3.38 hr after i.v. and i.m. administration, respectively. The absolute i.m. bioavailability was 72.02 ± 10.23%, and the average binding percentage of TA to plasma protein was 19.43 ± 6.75%. Based on the pharmacokinetic data, the i.m. administration of TA at a dosage of 4 mg/kg b.w. might be sufficient to produce a long‐lasting anti‐inflammatory effect (7 days) for green sea turtles. However, further studies are needed to determine the clinical efficacy of TA for treatment of inflammatory disease after single and multiple dosages.