Effect of cisapride on gastric emptying in horses following endotoxin treatment.

This research investigates the effect of cisapride on gastric emptying in horses, especially following the treatment with endotoxin. The study confirmed that while cisapride does not affect gastric emptying in normal horses, it significantly reduces the delay in gastric emptying caused by endotoxin, suggesting its potential use as a protective measure against endotoxaemia.

Research Purpose and Methodology

• The primary incentive of this research was to understand the effect of cisapride on gastric emptying in horses, both under normal conditions and after exposure to endotoxins.
• Gastric emptying in this study refers to how quickly the stomach can pass its content to the small intestine.
• Acetaminophen, a drug which is quickly absorbed by the small intestine but not in the stomach, was used as a measure to determine gastric emptying. The research pinpointed serum concentrations of acetaminophen, maximum serum concentrations, and acetaminophen absorption rate over time as primary measurements.
• Treatment groups were established to compare the effect of cisapride at different dosage — 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg body weight (bwt) — on gastric emptying in six healthy, fasting horses. This delineated the first part of the study.
• In the second part, horses administered with endotoxin intravenously (n = 6), those administered orally with cisapride before receiving endotoxin (n = 6), and a control group that received neither cisapride nor endotoxin (n = 6) were compared for gastric emptying.

Results and Conclusion

• The study concluded that in normal conditions, cisapride does not affect gastric emptying in horses.
• Endotoxin treatments led to significant delays in gastric emptying, introducing an adverse effect on the digestive health of the horses.
• Administering cisapride before endotoxin significantly mitigated the delay in gastric emptying which suggests that cisapride reduces negative effects of endotoxin on gastric emptying.
• Finally, the study proposes possible prophylactic application of cisapride — that is, using cisapride as a preventive measure before the onset of endotoxaemia, a harmful condition characterized by the presence of endotoxins in the blood.