title: Efficacy of Common Analgesics for Postsurgical Pain in Rats.
abstract: Each year, millions of rats undergo surgery for research purposes and receive analgesics to alleviate pain. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of common analgesics in tests of hot-plate nociception and postsurgical pain by using the Rat Grimace Scale. Rats received a single dose of one of several drug-dose combinations and were tested by using the hot-plate test (acute pain) or after laparotomy (with either prophylactic or intraoperative analgesic). The efficacy of analgesics for hot-plate pain was generally not predictive of efficacy for surgical pain. Carprofen and ketoprofen were rarely effective in any of the conditions tested. With the exception of the opioid buprenorphine, several of the drugs we tested required higher-than-recommended doses to alleviate pain. Taken together, our data suggest that current analgesic use frequently is insufficient, and many rats may experience significant postsurgical pain even when analgesics are used in commonly recommended doses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Waite
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Ashleigh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomkovich
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Tammie L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Alan P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Schumann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: L Savannah
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Dewberry
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Stacie K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Totsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. rsorge@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sorge
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics