N-acetylcysteine as an adjunct therapy ameliorates oxidative stress and attenuates anaemia, acute phase response and hepatic injury in clinical Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs-a pilot study.

BACKGROUND

A prospective, case-controlled and randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation as an adjunct therapy on haemogram, serum biochemical profile, acute phase response, oxidative stress and clinical score in dogs infected with Babesia gibsoni.

METHODS

Outpatient dogs showing the clinical manifestations of B. gibsoni infection were randomized to one of the two treatment groups: standard treatment (ST) (n = 12) consisting triple drug therapy of doxycycline, clindamycin and metronidazole along with supportive therapy, and ST with NAC (ST + NAC) (n = 12) at the dose 70 mg/kg, PO, OD for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was reduction of clinical score. Secondary outcome measures were improvement of haemato-biochemical profile, acute phase response, and oxidative stress indices from day 0 to day 28. Haemogram and serum biochemical profile including C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined by automated blood cell counter and biochemical analyser, respectively. Oxidative stress indices like lipid peroxide (LPO), reduced glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were measured using commercially available kits.

RESULTS

The supplementation of NAC along with ST resulted in early improvement from anaemia, acute phase response, and hepatic injury on day 14 as compared to ST alone. Additionally, NAC supplementation noticeably reduced LPO, and improved GSH and T-AOC on day 14 as compared to ST alone.

CONCLUSION

From the present study findings, it is concluded that NAC as an adjunct therapy ameliorates oxidative stress and attenuates anaemia, acute phase response and hepatic injury associated with B. gibsoni infection in dogs. Given the small sample size, further large-scale clinical trials are recommended to validate the therapeutic potential of NAC as an adjunct therapy for clinical B. gibsoni infection in dogs.