Effects of a mixture of medetomidine, midazolam and butorphanol on anesthesia and blood biochemistry and the antagonizing action of atipamezole in hamsters

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 2017, Vol.79(7), pp.1230-1235
• Main Authors: NAKAMURA, Teppei, KARAKIDA, Naoya, DANTSUKA, Ai, ICHII, Osamu, ELEWA, Yaser Hosny Ali, KON, Yasuhiro, NAGASAKI, Ken-ichi, HATTORI, Hideki, YOSHIYASU, Tomoji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists - pharmacology; Anesthesia; Anesthesia - methods; Anesthesia - veterinary; Anesthetics, Combined - administration & dosage; Animals; atipamezole; Biochemistry; Blood; Butorphanol; Butorphanol - administration & dosage; Calcium; Calcium - blood; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; hamster; Hamsters; Imidazoles - pharmacology; Infectious diseases; Injection; Injections, Intramuscular - veterinary; Insulin; Laboratory Animal Science; Male; medetomidine; Medetomidine - administration & dosage; Mesocricetus; Metabolic disorders; Metabolism; Midazolam; Midazolam - administration & dosage; Phosphorus; Phosphorus - blood; Rodents; Sodium; Sodium - blood
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.17-0210

Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) are useful laboratory rodents for studying human infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and cancer. In other rodents, such as mice and rats, a mixture of medetomidine, midazolam and butorphanol functions as a useful anesthetic, although it alters some blood biochemical parameters. In this study, we examined the effects of this mixture on anesthesia and blood biochemical parameters, and the action of atipamezole, a medetomidine antagonist, in hamsters. Intramuscular injection of a mixture of medetomidine, midazolam and butorphanol at doses of 0.15, 2.0 and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively, had a short induction time (within 5 min) and produced an anesthetic duration of approximately 100 min in hamsters. We also demonstrated that 0.15 mg/kg of atipamezole, corresponding to the same dose as medetomidine, made hamsters recover quickly from anesthesia. The anesthetic agent markedly altered metabolic parameters, such as plasma glucose and insulin; however, 0.15 mg/kg of atipamezole returned these levels to normal range within approximately 10 min after the injection. The anesthetic also slightly altered mineral levels, such as plasma inorganic phosphorus, calcium and sodium; the latter two were also improved by atipamezole. Our results indicated that the mixture of medetomidine, midazolam, and butorphanol at doses of 0.15, 2.0 and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively, functioned as an effective anesthetic, and atipamezole was useful for antagonizing both anesthesia and biochemical alteration in hamsters.