Effect of Buscopan compositum on the motility of the duodenum, cecum and left ventral colon in healthy conscious horses.

The research article investigates the effect of a drug called Buscopan compositum on the movement of certain parts of the digestive system in horses. It finds the drug has an immediate but short-lived diminishing effect on the activity of parts of the horse’s gut, with potential applications in treating digestive spasms and impactions, but advises against frequent administration.

Study Method

• The study used seven healthy adult, warmblood horses. These horses were maintained on a regular diet of twice daily feeding consisting of a measurement of hay and concentrates based on their body weight, as well as unrestricted access to water.
• An hour after feeding, the researchers used a 5MHz transcutaneus ultrasonographic transducer – a device that uses ultrasound waves to image the interior of the body – to measure contractive motility (movement due to muscle contractions) in three specific parts of the horse’s digestive system: the descending duodenum (part of the small intestine immediately after the stomach), cecal body (part of the large intestine), and the left ventral colon (another part of the large intestine).

Test Procedure

• In a control trial, each horse was given a saline solution (0.9% NaCl), while in the experimental trial, the horses received a dose of Buscopan compositum (BC) at its therapeutic dosage. BC’s active ingredients include metamizol-sodium and N-butylscopolammonium bromide.
• The researchers observed and recorded the contractive motility of the examined digestive sections in a 3-minute period immediately after administering the saline solution or BC and at multiple time intervals up to 240 minutes afterward.

Results

• The study found a significant reduction in the contraction rate in the duodenal, cecal, and left ventral colon regions of the horses immediately following BC administration. This effect was most rapid and marked in the cecum and left ventral colon, where normal contractive motility was restored after 30 minutes. The duodenal contractions returned to their typical level more slowly, taking 120 minutes to normalise after BC dosage.

Conclusion

• Buscopan compositum had a prompt, powerful but short-lasting effect on the movement of the horse’s cecum and left ventral colon, while the impact on the duodenal movement was less marked and lasted longer.
• The study concludes that BC could be an effective treatment for spasmodic colic and spasms linked to acute simple impaction in horses, but does not recommend its use for repeated short-interval administration due to its long-lasting effect on duodenal movements.