Clarithromycin attenuates the inflammatory response induced by surgical trauma in a guinea pig model.
The effect of clarithromycin on the systemic and local inflammatory responses after surgical trauma was investigated using a guinea pig model. There was no statistically significant difference in the body temperature and respiratory rate of the guinea pigs between the clarithromycin and control groups, although there was a trend towards a lower temperature in the first 36 h after the operation, and a trend towards a lower respiratory rate on day 1 and day 2 (P=0.07 and 0.18, respectively) in the clarithromycin group. The total leukocyte count of both groups of animals increased from day -1 to day 4, and the increase was more marked in the control group (P=0.06 on day 1). The neutrophil and monocyte counts of the two groups of animals also increased after the operation. The neutrophil count of the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1 and 2 (P<0.05 and 0.01, respectively), and the monocyte count of the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1 (P<0.005). Moreover, the platelet count of the animals also increased after the operation, and the count in the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1, 2 and 4 (P<0.05, 0.005 and 0.005, respectively). There was no difference between the haemoglobin concentration, lymphocyte count, eosinophil count and basophil count between the two groups of animals. The number of animals with wound discharge was lower in the clarithromycin group than the control group throughout the post-operative period, but the difference was not statistically significant. None of the animals developed signs of wound infection. The present observation suggests that clarithromycin suppressed both the systemic and local inflammatory response after surgical trauma, and it prompts further animal experiments for delineation of the mechanism of action, as well as clinical trials in major surgical procedures.
Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
P C
PC
Woo
L W
LW
Chow
E S
ES
Ma
K Y
KY
Yuen
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000187:drug effects; D007249:Inflammation / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D011897:Random Allocation; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D012773:Shock, Surgical / Q000150:complications*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000473:pathology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D006454:Hemoglobins; D017291:Clarithromycin