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Published on: May 18, 2018
Preconditioning with lidocaine and xylazine in experimental equine jejunal ischaemia
Nicole Verhaar1, Christiane Pfarrer2, Stephan Neudeck1
1Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Background:
Pharmacological preconditioning of dexmedetomidine on small intestinal ischaemia/reperfusion injury has been reported in different animal models including horses.
Objectives:
The objective was to assess if xylazine and lidocaine have a preconditioning effect in an experimental model of equine jejunal ischaemia.
Study Design:
Terminal in vivo experiment.
Methods:
Ten horses under general anaesthesia were either preconditioned with xylazine (group X; n = 5) or lidocaine (group L; n = 5). A historical untreated control group (group C; n = 5) was used for comparison. An established experimental model of equine jejunal ischaemia was applied, and intestinal samples were taken pre-ischaemia, after ischaemia and following reperfusion. Histomorphological examination was performed based on a modified Chiu score. Immunohistochemical staining for cleaved caspase-3, TUNEL and calprotectin was performed, and positive cell counts were expressed in cells/mm2 .
Results:
There was no progression of histomorphological mucosal injury from ischaemia to reperfusion, and there were no differences in histomorphology between the groups. After ischaemia, group X had significantly less caspase-positive cells compared to the control group with a median difference of 227% (P = .01). After reperfusion, group X exhibited significantly lower calprotectin-positive cell counts compared to the control group, with a median difference of 6.8 cells/mm2 in the mucosa and 44 cells in the serosa (P = .02 and .05 respectively). All groups showed an increase in caspase- and calprotectin-positive cells during reperfusion (P < .05). TUNEL-positive cells increased during ischaemia, followed by a decrease after reperfusion (P < .05).
Main Limitations:
The small sample size and the use of a historical control group. Preconditioning effects of the tested drugs may be masked by the protective effects of isoflurane in the anaesthetic protocol.
Conclusions:
Preconditioning with lidocaine did not have any effect on the tested variables. The lower cell counts of caspase- and calprotectin-positive cells in group X may indicate a beneficial effect of xylazine on ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Due to the absence of a concurrent reduction of histomorphological injury, the clinical significance remains uncertain.
