Ionic imbalance and lack of effect of adjuvant
treatment with methylene blue in the hamster model of
leptospirosis |
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Authors: | Cleiton Silva Santos Everton Cruz de Azevedo Luciane Marieta Soares Magda Oliveira Seixas Carvalho Andréia Carvalho dos Santos Adenizar Delgado das Chagas Júnior Caroline Luane Rabelo da Silva Ursula Maira Russo Chagas Mitermayer Galv?o dos Reis Daniel Abensur Athanazio |
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Institution: | 1.Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz-Fiocruz, Salvador, BA, Brasil;2.Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil |
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Abstract: | Leptospirosis in humans usually involves hypokalaemia and
hypomagnesaemia and the putative mechanism underlying such ionic imbalances may
be related to nitric oxide (NO) production. We previously demonstrated the
correlation between serum levels of NO and the severity of renal disease in
patients with severe leptospirosis. Methylene blue inhibits soluble guanylyl
cyclase (downstream of the action of any NO synthase isoforms) and was recently
reported to have beneficial effects on clinical and experimental sepsis. We
investigated the occurrence of serum ionic changes in experimental leptospirosis
at various time points (4, 8, 16 and 28 days) in a hamster model. We also
determined the effect of methylene blue treatment when administered as an
adjuvant therapy, combined with late initiation of standard antibiotic
(ampicillin) treatment. Hypokalaemia was not reproduced in this model: all of
the groups developed increased levels of serum potassium (K). Furthermore,
hypermagnesaemia, rather than magnesium (Mg) depletion, was observed in this
hamster model of acute infection. These findings may be associated with an
accelerated progression to acute renal failure. Adjuvant treatment with
methylene blue had no effect on survival or serum Mg and K levels during
acute-phase leptospirosis in hamsters. |
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Keywords: | leptospirosis methylene blue models animal |
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