Adding Dexmedetomidine to Articaine Increases the Latency of Thermal Antinociception in Rats.

Adding Dexmedetomidine to Articaine Increases the Latency of Thermal Antinociception in Rats. Anesth Prog. 2020 Jun 01;67(2):72-78 Authors: Tsutsui Y, Sunada K Abstract Articaine is a low-toxicity local anesthetic that is widely used in dentistry. Typically, epinephrine is added to prolong the duration of articaine local anesthesia; however, epinephrine exhibits adverse effects. Low-dose dexmedetomidine (DEX), an α2-adrenoreceptor agonist, reportedly prolongs local anesthesia without notable adverse cardiovascular effects. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a combination of low-dose DEX and articaine would provide a low-toxicity local anesthetic option for dental procedures without adverse cardiovascular effects. Thus, this study investigated whether DEX could prolong the local anesthetic effect of articaine using a rat model of pain. Adult male Wistar rats (N = 44; 11 per group) received a 50-μL subcutaneous injection into the plantar surface of the hind paws; injections were composed of either normal saline, 4% articaine (2 mg articaine), combined 5 μg/kg DEX and 4% articaine (1.25 μg DEX + 2 mg articaine), or combined epinephrine (1:100,000) and 4% articaine (0.9 μg epinephrine + 2 mg articaine). Subsequent acute pain perception was determined by paw withdrawal movement in response to infrared radiant heat stimulation of the plantar region. Paw withdrawal latency was tested at 5-minute intervals. Paw withdrawal l...
Source: Anesthesia Progress - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Anesth Prog Source Type: research