Terbutaline increases survival after endotoxin shock. A comparative study of methyl prednisolone, isoprenaline and terbutaline in rats.
Since beta 2-receptor agonists and corticosteroids can counteract inflammatory mediator induced protein leakage and corticosteroids have been proposed as effective in treatment of experimental septic shock, we compared the effects of these agents on rats in endotoxin shock. Sixty adult wistar rats were anaesthetised with thiopentone sodium intra-peritoneally (i.p.), before shock was induced by E coli endotoxin (3 mg/kg bwt i.v.). Ten minutes later the rats were divided into four groups (n = 15 in each) and received either normal saline (controls) 4 ml/kg i.p., methyl prednisolone (MP) 40 mg/kg i.p., isoprenaline (ISO) 200 micrograms/kg i.p. or terbutaline (TER) 200 micrograms/kg i.p. 25% of the initial dose was repeated after 15, 60 and 120 minutes. After 2 hours observation 3-5 animals had died in each group (n.s.), but at the end of the observation period (96 hrs), 87% of the controls, 73% of the MP-group, 53% of the ISO-group and 20% of the TER-group had died. At this time all the surviving animals were looking well and behaving normally. It was concluded that terbutaline significantly increased the survival of rats exposed to a lethal dose of endotoxin compared with controls (p less than 0.001) and compared with methyl prednisolon (p less than 0.05). The mechanism may be that of decreased pulmonary capillary leakage with terbutaline. However, the survival rate was not significantly improved with methyl prednisolon or isoprenaline.
Department of Anaesthesia and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat.
G H
GH
Sigurdsson
J T
JT
Christenson
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013726:Terbutaline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects
D007545:Isoproterenol; D013726:Terbutaline; D008775:Methylprednisolone