Abstract
Objective: To study the effect of levobupivacaine and bupivacaine on the contractility of isolated uterine muscle strips from pregnant and non-pregnant female rats. Methods: Full-thick myometrial strips were prepared from 18-to 21-day pregnant (n=8) and non-pregnant rats (n=7). After contractions became regular, strips were exposed to cumulative concentrations of the two drugs from 10−8 to 10−4 mol/L, amplitude and frequency of the uterine contraction was recorded. Results: Two local anesthetics caused a concentration dependent inhibition on contractility of myometrial strips from pregnant and non-pregnant rats. In the myometrium from non-pregnant rats,-logIC 50 of levobupivacaine and bupivacaine were 4.85 and 4.25 respectively. In the myometrium from pregnant rats, similar concentrations of levobupivacaine and bupivacaine were observed,-logIC 50 were 2.7 and 2.9 respectively. Levobupivacaine produced an increase in amplitude of contractions, while bupivacaine showed an increased trend in frequency. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that levobupivacaine and bupivacaine may inhibit myometrium contractility. The inhibitory effect of levobupivacaine or bupivacaine is not enhanced by gestation in rat. Levobupivacaine may have more positive influence than bupivacaine in pregnant myometrium.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alley, E.A., Kopacz, D.J., McDonald, S.B., Liu, S.S., 2002. Hyperbaric spinal levobupivacaine: a comparison to racemic bupivacaine in volunteers. Anesth. Analg., 94(1):188–193. [doi:10.1097/00000539-200201000-00036]
Arici, G., Karsli, B., Kayacan, N., Akar, M., 2004. The effects of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and mepivacaine on the contractility of rat myometrium. Int. J. Obstet. Anesth., 13(2):95–98. [doi:10.1016/j.ijoa.2003.10.007]
Bardsley, H., Gristwood, R., Watson, N., Nimmo, W., 1997. The local anaesthetic activity of levobupivacaine does not differ from racemic bupivacaine (Marcain): first clinical evidence. Expert Opin. Investig. Drugs, 6(12):1883–1885. [doi:10.1517/13543784.6.12.1883]
Branco, F.P., Ranali, J., Ambrosano, G.M., Volpato, M.C., 2006. A double-blind comparison of 0.5% bupivacaine with 1:200000 epinephrine and 0.5% levobupivacaine with 1:200000 epinephrine for the inferior alveolar nerve block. Oral Surg. Oral Med. Oral Pathol. Oral Radiol. Endod., 101(4):442–447. [doi:10.1016/j.tripleo.2005.06.005]
Bremerich, D.H., Zwissler, B., 2004. Levobupivacaine in obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia. Where is its place? Der Anaesthesist, 53(7):637–644. [doi:10.1007/s00101-004-0706-0]
Capogna, G., Celleno, D., Lyons, G., Columb, M., Fusco, P., 1998. Minimum local analgesic concentration of extradural bupivacaine increases with progression of labour. Br. J. Anaesth., 80(1):11–13.
Cheng, C.R., Su, T.H., Hung, Y.C., Wang, P.T., 2002. A comparative study of the safety and efficacy of 0.5% levobupivacaine and 0.5% bupivacaine for epidural anesthesia in subjects undergoing elective caesarean section. Acta Anaesthesiol. Sin., 40(1):13–20.
Faccenda, K.A., Simpson, A.M., Henderson, D.J., Smith, D., McGrady, E.M., Morrison, L.M., 2003. A comparison of levobupivacaine 0.5% and racemic bupivacaine 0.5% for extradural anesthesia for caesarean section. Reg. Anesth. Pain Med., 28(5):394–400. [doi:10.1016/S1098-7339(03)00223-2]
Gautier, P., de Kock, M., Huberty, L., Demir, T., Izydorczic, M., Vanderick, B., 2003. Comparison of the effects of intrathecal ropivacaine, levobupivacaine, and bupivacaine for Caesarean section. Br. J. Anaesth., 91(5):684–689. [doi:10.1093/bja/aeg251]
Glaser, C., Marhofer, P., Zimpfer, G., Heinz, M.T., Sitzwohl, C., Kapral, S., Schindler, I., 2002. Levobupivacaine versus racemic bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia. Anesth. Analg., 94(1):194–198. [doi:10.1097/00000539-200201000-00037]
Groen, K., Mantel, M., Zeijlmans, P.W., Zeppenfeldt, B., Olieman, W., Stienstra, R., van Kleef, J.W., Burm, A.G., 1998. Pharmacokinetics of the enantiomers of bupivacaine and mepivacaine after epidural administration of the racemates. Anesth. Analg., 86(2):361–366. [doi:10.1097/00000539-199802000-00027]
Ivani, G., Borghi, B., van Oven, H., 2001. Levobupivacaine. Minerva. Anestesiol., 67(9 Suppl. 1):20–23.
Karsli, B., Kayacan, N., Kucukyavuz, Z., Mimaroglu, C., 2003. Effects of local anesthetics on pregnant uterine muscles. Pol. J. Pharmacol., 55(1):51–56.
Muguruma, T., Sakura, S., Kirihara, Y., Saito, Y., 2006. Comparative somatic and visceral antinociception and neurotoxicity of intrathecal bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, and dextrobupivacaine in rats. Anesthesiology, 104(6):1249–1256. [doi:10.1097/00000542-200606000-00021]
Nielsen, P.E., Abouleish, E., Meyer, B.A., Parisi, V.M., 1996. Effect of epidural analgesia on fundal dominance during spontaneous active-phase nulliparous labor. Anesthesiology, 84(3):540–544. [doi:10.1097/00000542-199603000-00008]
Oh, S.J., Paick, S.H., Lim, D.J., Lee, E., Lee, S.E., 2005. Effects of local anesthetics on human bladder contractility. Neurourol. Urodyn., 24(3):288–294. [doi:10.1002/nau.20113]
Palomaki, O., Huhtala, H., Kirkinen, P., 2005. A comparative study of the safety of 0.25% levobupivacaine and 0.25% racemic bupivacaine for paracervical block in the first stage of labor. Acta Obstet. Gynecol. Scand., 84(10):956–961. [doi:10.1111/j.0001-6349.2005.00709.x]
Santos, A.C., Arthur, G.R., Pedersen, H., Morishima, H.O., Finster, M., Covino, B.G., 1991. Systemic toxicity of ropivacaine during ovine pregnancy. Anesthesiology, 75(1):137–141.
Santos, A.C., Arthur, G.R., Wlody, D., de Armas, P., Morishima, H.O., Finster, M., 1995. Comparative systemic toxicity of ropivacaine and bupivacaine in nonpregnant and pregnant ewes. Anesthesiology, 82(3):734–740. [doi:10.1097/00000542-199503000-00015]
Scull, T.J., Hemmings, G.T., Carli, F., Weeks, S.K., Mazza, L., Zingg, H.H., 1998. Epidural analgesia in early labour blocks the stress response but uterine contractions remain unchanged. Can. J. Anesth., 45(7):626–630.
Shibuya, N., Momose, Y., Ito, Y., 1993. Effects of bupivacaine on contraction and membrane potential in isolated canine papillary muscles. Pharmacology, 47(3):158–166.
Strümper, D., Louwen, F., Durieux, M.E., Gramke, H.F., Stuessel, J., Marcus-Soekarman, D., van Aken, H., Marcus, M.A.E., 2005. Epidural local anesthetics: a novel treatment for fetal growth retardation? Fetal Diagn. Ther., 20(3):208–213. [doi:10.1159/000083907]
Vercauteren, M.P., Hans, G., de Decker, K., Adriaensen, H.A., 2001. Levobupivacaine combined with sufentanil and epinephrine for intrathecal labor analgesia: a comparison with racemic bupivacaine. Anesth. Analg., 93(4):996–1000. [doi:10.1097/00000539-200110000-00040]
Wali, F.A., 1987. Local anaesthetics inhibit cholinergic and non-cholinergic neural and muscular contractions in avian tracheal smooth muscle. Acta Anaesthesiol. Scand., 31(2):148–153.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Project (No. 2005038281) supported by the Postdoctor Foundation of China
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Zg., Zhou, L. & Tang, Hf. Effects of levobupivacaine and bupivacaine on rat myometrium. J. Zhejiang Univ. - Sci. B 7, 757–762 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.2006.B0757
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.2006.B0757