Pretreatment with lornoxicam, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, relieves postoperative immuno-suppression after total abdominal hysterectomy.

Total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) is most commonly performed for benign lesions and malignant diseases of the uterus. Postoperative immuno-suppression caused by TAH has become a serious clinical problem, due to the high incidence of infectious complications after this operation. Lornoxicam (LOR) is a member of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In this study, 45 patients undergoing TAH for uterine myoma were enrolled and given intravenous injection of normal saline (untreated patients) or LOR (8 or 16 mg) preoperatively (15 patients/group). We studied the effects of LOR on postoperative immuno-suppression by determining the serum levels of three cytokines, RANTES, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha (SDF-1alpha). MCP-1 and RANTES are involved in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic inflammatory processes, and SDF-1alpha is considered as an inflammatory chemoattractant. Following TAH, the serum levels of RANTES were reduced in the untreated patients, but were significantly higher in the patients treated with LOR. In addition, the levels of MCP-1 and SDF-1alpha were significantly elevated in the untreated patients, but were significantly lower in the patients treated with LOR. Furthermore, preoperative treatment with LOR 16 mg could regulate the serum levels of these three chemokines more effectively, compared to that with LOR 8 mg. In conclusion, preoperatively intravenous injection of LOR may effectively restrain the decreased serum levels of RANTES and the increased expression of MCP-1 and SDF-1alpha in TAH patients. LOR may help to maintain the stability of immune function of TAH patients.