Effect of selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the pathomorphology of the mucous membrane of the canine colon

Abstract

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been commonly used for the management of chronic pain caused by inflammatory joint disease in dogs. Although effective at relieving pain and inflammation, NSAIDs are associated with a significant risk of serious gastrointestinal side effects. The present study was therefore designed to investigate the effects of carprofen as a poorly-selective COX (cyclooxygenase) inhibitor and robenacoxib as a selective COX-2 inhibitor on the colon mucosa. A biopsy of the gastrointestinal tract was performed before treatment and on the last day of treatment with orally-administered carprofen (Group I), robenacoxib (Group II) and empty gelatine capsule (Group III) for twenty-one days in a randomised study. The most evident microscopic lesions in the colonic mucosa in young beagles were caused by a 21-day treatment with robenacoxib. The infiltration with inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of the colonic mucosa was the most commonly-found histopathological lesion.

Keywords

• carprofen
• robenacoxib
• cyclooxygenase
• beagle
• gastrointestinal tract
• inflammatory cells