Effect of Diminazene aceturate treatment on some cardiovascular parameters and antioxidant status of apparently healthy horses

IntroductionApart from being a widely used antiprotozoal drug in many parts of Africa, Diminazene aceturate (DIZE), has been shown to have beneficial effects in experimental murine models of hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, atherosclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and eye disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of diminazene aceturate treatment after a single intramuscular administration on some cardiovascular parameters and antioxidant status in apparently healthy Nigerian horses.Materials and methodsTen male horses were divided into two groups comprising 5 horses each. Group A was the control group with no drug administered. Group B was treated with DIZE at 3.5 mg/kg, single dose. Baseline data were collected before the commencement of the experiment and thereafter, post‐administration at 0hrs, 24hrs, 48hrs and 96hrs. Base apex electrocardiogram was recorded using a computer ECG machine while oscillometric blood pressure measurement was recorded using a veterinary blood pressure monitor. Markers of oxidative stress were determined in the serumResultSingle intramuscular treatment caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in the systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure values when compared with the controls. From the electrocardiogram, sinus rhythm was recorded in both groups however, significant (p<0.05) increase in heart rate, p‐wave duration, QRS complex duration and QTc were observed in the treated group when compared with the control. Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide) significantly (p<0.05) increased while antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione) were decreased when compared to the control.ConclusionThis study indicates that the use of DIZE in horses should be with great caution because of the associated cardiovascular physiological alterations, reduction in activities of antioxidant enzymes and increase in markers of oxidative stress.Support or Funding InformationNoneThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.