Clarithromycin attenuates the inflammatory response induced by surgical trauma in a guinea pig model

The effect of clarithromycin on the systemic and local inflammatory respons es after surgical trauma was investigated using a guinea pig model. There w as no statistically significant difference in the body temperature and resp iratory rate of the guinea pigs between the clarithromycin and control grou ps, although there was a trend towards a lower temperature in the first 36 h after the operation, and a trend towards a lower respiratory rate on day 1 and day 2 (P = 0.07 and 0.18, respectively) in the clarithromycin group. The total leukocyte count of both groups of animals increased from day -1 t o day 4, and the increase was more marked in the control group (P = 0.06 on day 1). The neutrophil and monocyte counts of the two groups of animals al so increased after the operation. The neutrophil count of the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1 and 2 (P < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively), and the monocyte count of the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1 (P < 0.005) . Moreover, the platelet count of the animals also increased after the oper ation, and the count in the control group was significantly higher than the clarithromycin group on day 1, 2 and 4 (P < 0.05, 0.005 and 0.005, respect ively). There was no difference between the haemoglobin concentration, lymp hocyte count, eosinophil count and basophil count between the two groups of animals. The number of animals with wound discharge was lower in the clari thromycin group than the control group throughout the post-operative period , but the difference was not statistically significant. None of the animals developed signs of wound infection. The present observation suggests that clarithromycin suppressed both the systemic and local inflammatory response after surgical trauma, and it prompts further animal experiments for delin eation of the mechanism of action, as well as clinical trials in major surg ical procedures. (C) 1999 The Italian Pharmacological Society.