Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective To test whether sugammadex, a reversal agent for steroid neuromuscular blocking drugs, could encapsulate the neurosteroid alfaxalone and accelerate anesthetic recovery. Study Design Prospective, blinded, randomized, crossover study. Animals Thirty-six male and female adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods Six male and six female adult Sprague-Dawley rats were intravenously administered 3 mg kg -1 alfaxalone followed 1 minute later by either 0.9% saline or 96 mg kg -1 sugammadex, with a one-week washout period between repeat anesthetics. A separate cohort of 12 rats was studied using an identical experimental design, but with a 6 mg kg -1 alfaxalone dose. A third cohort of 12 rats was given 12 mg kg -1 alfaxalone followed by saline or sugammadex (96 mg kg -1 dose or 192 mg kg -1 dose) using a Latin-square crossover design with one week between repeated anesthetics. Physiological and behavioral recovery responses were assessed every minute by an observer who was blinded to treatment. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVAs with Šidák post hoc comparisons ( p < 0.05). Results Compared to saline controls, sugammadex shortened recovery times by 40%–60% following anesthesia induction with the 3 or 6 mg kg -1 alfaxalone doses ( p ≤ 0.002). For the 12 mg kg -1 alfaxalone dose, the low and the high sugammadex doses shortened recovery times by 25%–50% and 50%–61%, respectively, compared to saline controls with all differences being significant ( p ≤ 0.003) except for movement following tail clamp ( p = 0.112–0.419). This higher sugammadex dose also shortened these same significant recovery endpoints compared to the lower sugammadex dose ( p = 0.007–0.050). At higher alfaxalone doses, female rats exhibited significantly slower recoveries than male rats. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Sugammadex can be used to reverse anesthetic effects from alfaxalone in rats. Recovery speed from alfaxalone anesthesia is dependent upon sugammadex dose and sex.
Language: English
Subfield: Small Animals
Field: Veterinary
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,000
OpenAlex ID: W4416703459