Effects of acepromazine, butorphanol and buprenorphine on thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds in horses.
Abstract: To investigate the antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine administered in combination with acepromazine in horses and to establish an effective dose for use in a clinical environment. Objective: To evaluate the responses to thermal and mechanical stimulation following administration of 3 doses of buprenorphine compared to positive (butorphanol) and negative (glucose) controls. Methods: Observer blinded, randomised, crossover design using 6 Thoroughbred geldings (3-10 years, 500-560 kg). Thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds were measured 3 times at 15 min intervals. Horses then received acepromazine 0.05 mg/kg bwt with one of 5 treatments i.v.: 5% glucose (Glu), butorphanol 100 µg/kg bwt (But) buprenorphine 5 µg/kg bwt (Bup5), buprenorphine 7.5 µg/kg bwt (Bup7.5) and buprenorphine 10 µg/kg bwt (Bup10). Thresholds were measured 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 230 min, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 24 h post treatment administration. The 95% confidence intervals for threshold temperature (ΔT) for each horse were calculated and an antinociceptive effect defined as ΔT, which was higher than the upper limit of the confidence interval. Duration of thermal antinociception was analysed using a within-subjects ANOVA and peak mechanical thresholds with a general linear model with post hoc Tukey tests. Significance was set at P<0.05. Results: Mean (± s.d.) durations of thermal antinociception following treatment administration were: Glu 0.5 (1.1), But 2.9 (2.0), Bup5 7.4 (2.3), Bup7.5 7.8 (2.7) and Bup10 9.4 (1.1) h. B5, B7.5 and B10 were significantly different from Glu and But. No serious adverse effects occurred, although determination of mechanical thresholds was confounded by locomotor stimulation. Conclusions: Administration of acepromazine and all doses of buprenorphine produced antinociception to a thermal stimulus for significantly longer than acepromazine and either butorphanol or glucose. Conclusions: This study suggests that buprenorphine has considerable potential as an analgesic in horses and should be examined further under clinical conditions and by investigation of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile.
© 2011 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2011-06-23 PubMed ID: 21696438DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00412.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article focuses on studying the pain relief (antinociceptive) effects of buprenorphine, in combination with acepromazine, in horses and finding an effective dose for clinical uses. They compared the responses to heat and physical pressure post-administration of three doses of buprenorphine to the responses post-administration of a positive control (butorphanol) and a negative control (glucose).
Research Methodology
- The study followed an observer blinded, randomised, and crossover design which involved 6 Thoroughbred geldings of the age 3-10 years and weight between 500-560 kg.
- First, the thermal and mechanical nociceptive (pain response) thresholds were measured three times at 15-minute intervals in each horse.
- The horses were then given acepromazine along with one of the treatments: glucose, butorphanol, or three doses of buprenorphine, all administered intravenously.
- After administering the treatments, the thermal and mechanical thresholds were measured at different intervals ranging from 15 minutes to 24 hours.
- The 95% confidence intervals for threshold temperature that characterizes an antinociceptive effect was calculated.
- The duration of thermal antinociception was analysed using within-subjects ANOVA, and peak mechanical thresholds using a general linear model with post hoc Tukey tests.
Findings of the Study
- Results showed the durations of thermal antinociception following different treatments, with buprenorphine demonstrating longer effects than butorphanol or glucose.
- In terms of safety, no severe adverse effects were observed, although there appears to be locomotor stimulation which confounded the measurements of mechanical thresholds.
- The study concludes that administering acepromazine with buprenorphine showed significantly longer antinociception to a thermal stimulus compared to acepromazine with either butorphanol or glucose.
- This indicates that buprenorphine in combination with acepromazine holds promising potential as an analgesic in equine clinical conditions.
Implications of the Research
- The study emphasizes the potential application of buprenorphine as a viable analgesic or pain reliever in horses when used clinically.
- Further research is recommended to confirm these findings under real-world clinical conditions and to investigate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile of buprenorphine in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Murrell J, Whay HR.
(2011).
Effects of acepromazine, butorphanol and buprenorphine on thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds in horses.
Equine Vet J, 44(2), 221-225.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00412.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford House Taylor Monroe, Little Downham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK. Emma.Love@bristol.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Acepromazine / therapeutic use
- Animals
- Buprenorphine / administration & dosage
- Buprenorphine / therapeutic use
- Butorphanol / therapeutic use
- Cross-Over Studies
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Hot Temperature / adverse effects
- Male
- Pain / drug therapy
- Pain / veterinary
- Pain Measurement / veterinary
- Time Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 17 times.- Rettore Andreis F, Mørch CD, Jensen W, Meijs S. On determining the mechanical nociceptive threshold in pigs: a reliability study. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2023;4:1191786.
- López-Sanromán FJ, Montes Freilich G, Gómez-Cisneros D, Izquierdo-Moreno J, Varela Del Arco M, Manso-Díaz G. Morphine with or without Acepromazine in Horses: A Kinematic Evaluation. Animals (Basel) 2022 May 6;12(9).
- Emanuel D, Kästner SBR, Delarocque J, Grob AJ, Bienert-Zeit A. Influence of Butorphanol, Buprenorphine and Levomethadone on Sedation Quality and Postoperative Analgesia in Horses Undergoing Cheek Tooth Extraction. Vet Sci 2022 Apr 6;9(4).
- de Oliveira AR, Gozalo-Marcilla M, Ringer SK, Schauvliege S, Fonseca MW, Trindade PHE, Puoli Filho JNP, Luna SPL. Development, Validation, and Reliability of a Sedation Scale in Horses (EquiSed). Front Vet Sci 2021;8:611729.
- Haussler KK. Pressure Algometry for the Detection of Mechanical Nociceptive Thresholds in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 24;10(12).
- Sahebjam F, Kongara K, Chambers JP, Walker RE, Naffa R, Lopez-Villalobos N, Singh PM. Pressure Algometry Validation and Determination of Efficacy of Articaine Hydrochloride Ring Block in Antler Removal in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus). Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 3;10(11).
- Taylor P. Remote Controlled Nociceptive Threshold Testing Systems in Large Animals. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 2;10(9).
- Lin L, Liu S, Chen Z, Lin S. Effect of ketamine combined with butorphanol on emergence agitation of postoperative patients with gastric cancer. Ther Clin Risk Manag 2016;12:713-7.
- Taylor PM, Hoare HR, de Vries A, Love EJ, Coumbe KM, White KL, Murrell JC. A multicentre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical trial to compare some perioperative effects of buprenorphine or butorphanol premedication before equine elective general anaesthesia and surgery. Equine Vet J 2016 Jul;48(4):442-50.
- Elfenbein JR, Robertson SA, MacKay RJ, KuKanich B, Sanchez L. Systemic and anti-nociceptive effects of prolonged lidocaine, ketamine, and butorphanol infusions alone and in combination in healthy horses. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S6.
- Poller C, Hopster K, Rohn K, Kästner SB. Nociceptive thermal threshold testing in horses - effect of neuroleptic sedation and neuroleptanalgesia at different stimulation sites. BMC Vet Res 2013 Jul 9;9:135.
- Poller C, Hopster K, Rohn K, Kästner SB. Evaluation of contact heat thermal threshold testing for standardized assessment of cutaneous nociception in horses - comparison of different locations and environmental conditions. BMC Vet Res 2013 Jan 8;9:4.
- Hoffmann MV, Kästner SB, Kietzmann M, Kramer S. Contact heat thermal threshold testing in beagle dogs: baseline reproducibility and the effect of acepromazine, levomethadone and fenpipramide. BMC Vet Res 2012 Oct 30;8:206.
- Blum S, Gisler J, Dalla Costa E, Montavon S, Spadavecchia C. Investigating conditioned pain modulation in horses: can the lip-twitch be used as a conditioning stimulus?. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1463688.
- Paranjape VV, Knych HK, Berghaus LJ, Giancola S, Cathcart J, Reed RA. Plasma concentrations of buprenorphine administered via matrix-type transdermal patches applied at three different anatomical locations in healthy adult horses. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1390322.
- Vullo C, Gugliandolo E, Biondi V, Biffarella M, Catone G, Tambella AM. Comparison of Detomidine or Romifidine in Combination with Morphine for Standing Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Horses. Vet Sci 2024 Mar 8;11(3).
- Paranjape VV, Knych HK, Berghaus LJ, Cathcart J, Giancola S, Craig H, James C, Saksena S, Reed RA. Evaluation of physical variables, thermal nociceptive threshold testing and pharmacokinetics during placement of transdermal buprenorphine matrix-type patch in healthy adult horses. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2024;5:1373555.
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