Drug Safety and Analgesic Interaction of Nefopam and Xylazine in Chicks Model

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the drug safety besides the analgesic interaction of nefopam (NFM) and xylazine (XZN) in chicks model. The median lethal and effective (analgesic) doses (LD50 and ED50) of NFM were 47.89 and 9.75 mg/kg, IM, while for XZN were 64.93 and 1.65 mg/kg, IM, respectively. XZN was the safer drug than NFM in chicks as represented by the therapeutic index of 39 and 5, respectively. Subsequently, the values of NFM and XZN were estimated together in combination as 2.88 and 0.44 mg/kg, IM after administration at the ratio of 0.5:0.5 of their ED50s which reveals a pharmacodynamic interaction between them as synergism through the interaction index 0.56. NFM and XZN, alone or together, increases the analgesic efficiency of ketamine (KTN) anesthesia. The administration of NFM and XZN have no significantly deleterious effects on the liver (AST and ALT) and kidney (creatinine and uric acid) functions. The results suggested a drug safety and synergism between NFM and XZN in addition to their benefits of using these drugs as preanesthetics to enhance KTN anesthesia in chicks model.