Effects of dexmedetomidine and midazolam on immunity in sepsis rats

Background: Sepsis is one of the serious health problems whose management is very difficult and it has high mortality rates around the world for many years. Sepsis and septic shock is a clinical picture which needs to be treated urgently because of having high mortality and morbidity rates. Its mortality rate is over 40%. Many previous studies showed that sepsis syndrome is a series of response reactions of host against infectious agent. It was found that release of cytokines is largely responsible for occurrence of clinical signs and symptoms. Positive effects of dexmedetomidine and midazolam on immunity have been showed by many studies. These drugs have been used with the aim of sedation in both preoperative and postoperative period.In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of dexmedetomidine and midazolam on immunity in experimental rat model in which sepsis will be induced. Materials and Methods: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of two anesthetic drugs on immunity by sepsis in 40 mice without any sepsis. Forty male mice without renal or hepatic dysfunction were randomly divided into four groups. The control group underwent simple laparotomy and a sham operation. Only cecal ligation and puncture was performed in septic group. Eight hours after CLP, dexmedetomidine groups was given at a dose of 0.01 mg / kg dexmedetomidine. Eight hours after CLP, 0.01 mg / kg midazolam was given for midazolam groups. Twenty four hour after CLP, blood samples were collected from all groups to measure IL-1,IL-6 and TNF-α. Additionally liver and kidney tissues were examined for histopathologic changes. Results: Compared with the control group, TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 levels were found to be high in sepsis group. In the group receiving dexmedetomidine, these parameters showed a significant decrease in both serum and tissues. TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 levels were also significantly decreased in the serum and the tissue in the midazolam group. Conclusions: The CLP model is a successful method for creating sepsis. Dexmedetomidine and midazolam have been shown to be effective in lowering the 52 proinflammatory cytokines produced by sepsis. These curative effects of dexmedetomidine and midazolam could be explained by immunomodulatory effects. Keywords: Sepsis, dexmedetomidine, midazolam, immünity