Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology, São Paulo State University, UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.
Equine Reproduction Service, Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
Theriogenology. 2019 Oct 15;138:24-30. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.06.045. Epub 2019 Jun 29.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a therapeutic option for the treatment of inflammation. However, negative effects of non-selective NSAIDs for treatment of mares with endometritis have been described, including delayed uterine clearance and impairment of ovulations. Firocoxib is a specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor and has the ability to act in the uterus of mares. We investigated the effects of firocoxib on ovulation rate, numbers of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), and COX-2 protein levels in the endometrial tissue of susceptible mares after insemination. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, twenty mares were evaluated in two consecutive estrous cycles broken into the following groups: Control - no pharmacological interference; Treatment - mares were treated with 0.2 mg/kg of firocoxib orally. The treatment began on the day of ovulation induction, and firocoxib was administered until one day after artificial insemination (AI). Ovulation was induced with 1 mg of deslorelin acetate and the mares were inseminated 24 h after the injection. Ovulation was confirmed 48 h after induction, and embryos were collected eight days after ovulation. Experiment 2: Nine mares susceptible to persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE) were artificially inseminated. The mares were examined with ultrasound and inseminated with fresh semen in two consecutive cycles, control and treated, in a cross-over study design. The amount of intrauterine fluid was measured, and endometrial samples were collected 24 h after AI. The number of PMNs was determined by endometrial cytology and biopsy, and COX-2 labeling in endometrial samples was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Firocoxib treatment did not induce ovulatory failure or affect embryo recovery rate in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, firocoxib treatment reduced inflammation after AI in mares as evidenced with results regarding PMN numbers/percentage and endometrial COX-2 staining. In conclusion, the proposed treatment with firocoxib reduced endometrial inflammation in mares susceptible to PMIE after breeding, with no adverse effects.
非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）是治疗炎症的一种治疗选择。然而，已描述了非选择性 NSAIDs 治疗子宫内膜炎母马的负面效应，包括子宫清除延迟和排卵受损。非诺昔康是一种特异性环氧化酶-2（COX-2）抑制剂，并且能够在母马的子宫中发挥作用。我们研究了非诺昔康对发情周期连续两次的易感母马发情后排卵率、多形核白细胞（PMN）数量和子宫内膜组织中 COX-2 蛋白水平的影响。进行了两项实验。在实验 1 中，20 匹母马在连续两个发情周期中分为以下两组进行评估：对照组-无药物干扰；治疗组-母马口服 0.2mg/kg 的非诺昔康。治疗从排卵诱导日开始，在人工授精（AI）后一天给予非诺昔康。用 1mg 的去势促性腺激素释放激素（deslorelin acetate）诱导排卵，在注射后 24 小时进行 AI。排卵诱导后 48 小时确认排卵，并在排卵后 8 天收集胚胎。实验 2：9 匹易感持续性配种诱导的子宫内膜炎（PMIE）的母马进行了人工授精。在交叉研究设计中，连续两个周期（对照和治疗），通过超声检查对母马进行检查，并使用新鲜精液进行授精。测量子宫内液量，并在 AI 后 24 小时收集子宫内膜样本。通过子宫内膜细胞学和活组织检查确定PMN 数量/百分比，并通过免疫组织化学评估 COX-2 在内膜样本中的标记。在实验 1 中，非诺昔康治疗并未引起排卵失败或影响胚胎回收率。在实验 2 中，非诺昔康治疗减少了发情后 AI 后母马的炎症，PMN 数量/百分比和子宫内膜 COX-2 染色的结果证明了这一点。总之，在配种后易感 PMIE 的母马中，建议使用非诺昔康治疗可减少子宫内膜炎，且无不良反应。
