JOURNAL SCAN
Maropitant as s a Novel Treatment for Chronic
Bronchitis in Dogs
Investigation of Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonism as a Novel Treatment for Chronic Bronchitis in Dogs
M Grobman, and C Reinero
JVIM 2016; 30: 847-852. Summarised by Mirinda van Schoor
Why they did it:
Canine Chronic Bronchitis(CCB) is defined as a selfperpetuating inflammatory disease of the airways in
dogs. It is characterized by the presence of a cough
of more than 2 month’s duration in patients for
which cardiac disease and other respiratory causes of
coughing were excluded.
prior to enrolment, after 1 week of therapy and after 2
weeks of therapy. Airway samples for cytology were
collected via bronchoalveolar lavage prior to treatment and again after 2 weeks of treatment. None of
the dogs were given corticosteroids, antibiotics or antitussives during the study period.
The only effective therapy in CCB cases is the lifelong
administration of corticosteroids. Substance P and its
receptor, neurokinin-1 (NK1-R), have been implicated
in peripheral and central sensitization of the cough
reflex, as well as in the exacerbation of airway inflammation via their role in the recruitment of airway leukocytes.
What they found:
Maropitant (Cerenia®, Zoetis) is an NK-1 receptor antagonist which has been anecdotally reported to decrease the frequency of coughing in dogs with CCB. It
was hypothesized that maropitant will decrease both
coughing and airway inflammation in dogs with CCB,
making it the perfect alternative to corticosteroid therapy.
What they did:
Eight client-owned dogs were treated with maropitant
at the recommended dose of 2mg/kg once daily. This
dose was given on alternate days in order to decrease
any side effects that may be associated with chronic
treatment. The drug was administered for a period of
2 weeks to ensure that a steady state concentration
was reached. Steady state is achieved after 4 doses.
The owners were given surveys to complete, together
with visual analogue scales to measure clinical signs
All owners reported significant clinical improvement in
their pets’ condition and agreed that maropitant was
an acceptable long term treatment for CCB. Clients
reported 75% decrease in cough frequency and 88%
decrease in cough severity. Only one owner reported
adverse effects (decreased appetite and activity), but
these were not severe enough for the owner to consider discontinuation of the drug.
Airway cytology revealed no significant difference in
the percentage of inflammatory cells (neutrophils or
eosinophils) between the time of enrolment and after
2 weeks of treatment. This finding renders maropitant
unsuitable as a monotherapy drug in the management
of CCB.
Take home message:
Although maropitant decreased frequency and severity of coughing in CCB, it did not have a significant
effect on airway inflammation. Because the control of
airway inflammation is paramount in the management
of CCB, maropitant cannot be recommended in the
treatment of CCB. However, it’s role as an antitussive
in other diseases such as tracheal collapse warrants
further investigation.
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2016/05/24 11:39 AM