Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How molidustat affects red blood cell production in healthy cats
By Boegel, Annette et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Elanco Animal Health, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pharmacodynamic effects of molidustat on erythropoiesis in healthy cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy adult cats was given a new medication called molidustat to see if it could help increase their red blood cell production. Over the course of the study, the cats showed a significant rise in their hematocrit levels, which measures the proportion of blood made up of red blood cells, starting from Day 14. The treatment was well tolerated, and the cats' red blood cell levels returned to normal after stopping the medication. This suggests that molidustat could be beneficial for cats with anemia, but more research is needed to confirm its effects in those cases.
People also search for: cat anemia treatment · molidustat for cats · healthy cat red blood cell count
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) stimulates erythropoiesis in rats, dogs, monkeys, and humans. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: Determine if molidustat, a novel HIF-PH inhibitor, stimulates erythropoiesis in healthy cats. ANIMALS: Seventeen healthy adult laboratory cats. METHODS: Randomized, placebo-controlled study. Cats were treated PO once daily with suspensions of 0 (Group 1; n = 6), 5 (Group 2; n = 6), or 10 (Group 3; n = 5) mg/kg of molidustat. Effects on red blood cell parameters, reticulocyte indices and plasma erythropoietin (EPO) concentrations were evaluated. Molidustat treatment was stopped when hematocrit (HCT) exceeded 60%. RESULTS: Compared to placebo, a significant increase in mean HCT was evident starting on Day 14 (Group 2:54.4% vs 40.3%, P < .001, 95% confidence interval [CI] for the difference [8.95-19.28]; Group 3:61.2% vs 40.3%, P < .001, 95% CI [15.48-26.43]) and remained significantly higher for the entire treatment period. In molidustat-treated groups, HCT exceeded 60% on Day 21 (Group 2) and Day 14 (Group 3). Mean HCT in molidustat-treated cats returned to within the reference range (29%-45%) after Day 56 and was numerically comparable to placebo from Day 70 onwards. Red blood cell count and hemoglobin concentrations followed a similar pattern as HCT. Mean EPO concentrations significantly increased after molidustat administration on all assessment days. Molidustat treatments were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Marked erythropoietic effects were identified after daily administration of molidustat to healthy cats and additional studies are warranted to evaluate the effects in anemic cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37994487/