Introduction

Name

• Minocycline.

Class of drug

• Tetracycline antibiotic.

Description

Chemical name

• 7-dimethylamino-6-dimethyl-6-deoxytetracycline.
• (4S,4aS,5aR,12aR)-4,7-bis(dimethylamino)-1,10,11,12a-tetrahydroxy-3,12-dioxo-4a,5,5a,6-tetrahydro-4H-tetracene-2-carboxamide.

Molecular formula

• C₂₃H₂₇N₃O₇.

Molecular weight

• 457.5 g/mol.

Physical properties

• Yellow-orange amorphous solid.

Uses

Indications

• Bacterial infections and tick-borne diseases, eg potomac horse fever Potomac horse fever, anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis, borreliosis Borreliosis.
• Research suggests oral minocycline may have better bioavailability than doxycycline.
• Research indicates minocycline may be more effective than doxycycline for the treatment of osteoarthritis Musculoskeletal: osteoarthritis (joint disease).

Administration

Pharmacokinetics

Precautions

Interactions

With other drugs

Anticonvulsants

• Phenobarbital, phenytoin and primidone increase metabolism and decrease plasma concentrations.

Antacids, calcium, magnesium and iron salts and sucralfate

• Reduce absorption of minocycline.

Adverse Reactions

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed Papers

• Recent references from and PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Erol E, Shaffer C L & Lubbers B V (2022) Synergistic combinations of clarithromycin with doxycycline or minocycline reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Rhodococcus equi. Equine Vet J 54 (4), 799-806 PubMed.
• Erol E, Scortti M, Fortner J, Patel M & Vázquez-Boland J A (2021) Antimicrobial resistance spectrum conferred by prerm46 of emerging macrolide (multidrug)-resistant Rhodococcus equi. J Clin Microbiol 59 (10), e0114921 PubMed Full article.
• Echeverria K O, Lascola K M, Giguère S & Foreman J H (2018) Effect of feeding on the pharmacokinetics of oral minocycline in healthy adult horses. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 41 (1), e53-e56 PubMed Full article.
• Monk C S, Jeong S Y, Gibson D J & Plummer C E (2018) The presence of minocycline in the tear film of normal horses following oral administration and its anticollagenase activity. Vet Ophthalmol 21 (1), 58-65 PubMed Full article.
• Caol S, Divers T, Crisman M & Chang Y F (2017) In vitro susceptibility of Borrelia burgdorferi isolates to three antibiotics commonly used for treating equine  Lyme disease. BMC Vet Res 13 (1), 293 PubMed Full article.
• Echeverria K O, Lascola K M, Giguère S et al (2017) Pulmonary disposition and pharmacokinetics of minocycline in adult horses. Am J Vet Res 78 (11), 1319-1328 PubMed.
• Giguère S, Burton A J, Berghaus L J & Haspel A D (2017) Comparative pharmacokinetics of minocycline in foals and adult horses. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 40 (4), 335-341 PubMed Full article.
• Schnabel L V, Papich M G, Divers T J et al (2012) Pharmacokinetics and distribution of minocycline in mature horses after oral administration of multiple doses and comparison with minimum inhibitory concentrations. Equine Vet J 44 (4), 453-458 PubMed Full article.
• Nagata S, Yamashita S, Kurosawa M et al (2010) Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of minocycline hydrochloride in horses. Am J Vet Res 71 (9), 1062-1066 PubMed.

Other sources of information

• European Medicine Agency (2022) Antimicrobial Resistance in Veterinary Medicine. Website: www.ema.europa.eu.

Organisation(s)

• National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) Compendium of Data Sheets for Animal Medicines. Website: www.noahcompendium.co.uk.