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Effect of dehydration in the presence and absence of the angiotensin receptor blocker losartan on blood constituents in the camel
M AlHaj1, E Kazzam2, NJ Nagelkerke3, F Nyberg4, MG Nicholls5, A Adem6
1 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, UAE University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, UAE; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala, Sweden
2 Department of Internal Medicine, University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, UAE
3 Department of Community Medicine, University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, UAE
4 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala, Sweden
5 Department of Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand
6 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, UAE
Correspondence Address:
A Adem
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University P.O. Box 17666 Al Ain
UAE
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
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Aim: Dromedary camels are extremely well adapted to periods of water deprivation. The physiological mechanisms underlying this adaptation, however, are imperfectly understood. It is likely that the renin-angiotensin system plays an important role although few studies have addressed this possibility in the camel. Accordingly, the effects of long term dehydration alone and with angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, losartan, on whole blood and serum constituents were studied in camels. Methods: Twenty eight male camels 3-4 years old were studied while under shade during summer in the Gulf-region, where the ambient temperature was above 40 degree Celsius. The camels were divided into three groups: a control group (n=6) was allowed free access to feed and water, a dehydration group (n=16) was given food ad-lib during 20 days of total water deprivation, and a dehydration plus losartan (losartan) group (n=6) which received losartan 5 mg/Kg daily by intravenous injection during 20 days of dehydration. Results: The body weight of the losartan group decreased by nearly 39.1% across dehydration whereas the reduction in body weight for the dehydration group was nearly 34.5% compared to controls. There was a significant increase in the packed cell volume (p<0.05) and leucocytes count (p<0.01) in the losartan group compared to controls. However, the mean corpuscular volume was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the dehydration group compared to controls. We observed major, statistically significant increases in serum urea (p<0.01) and creatinine (p<0.05) levels in the dehydration and losartan groups compared to controls. By the end of the period of water restriction, serum levels of gamma glutamyl transferase were significantly (p<0.01) lower in the losartan group compared to controls. Conclusion: The results of our experiment show that dehydration alone or in combination with Angiotensin II receptor blocker has major effects on the biochemical and hematological parameters of the camel blood.
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