SYMPATHINF. Efficacy evaluation of non-selective beta-blocker prophylaxis in eradicating bacteremia in pigs

The dataset includes data on biochemical, hematological and physiological parameters, alongside flow cytometric analyses, resulting from an in vivo study aimed at testing in a pig model the efficacy of a pharmacological prophylaxis targeting sympathetic reflex control of immunity to mitigate systemic infection.
The trial was conducted in pigs subjected to porcine intravenous bacteremia and was performed at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences of the University of Bologna, within SYMPATHINF project. Briefly, all animals underwent surgical procedures for the insertion of a venous catheter and a telemetric disposable for the measurement of core body temperature. These surgical procedures were conducted five days before the bacterial challenge (in the files appointed as Day -5). Pigs were then randomly divided in two experimental groups (n=4 each): a control group (appointed as “Control”) and a group orally administered with propranolol (3 mg/Kg; 3x/day; appointed as “Propranolol-treated”), a non-selective beta-blocker which interrupts the communication between the sympathetic nerves and immune cells, limiting the anti-inflammatory action of sympathetic nervous system. The pharmacological treatment started two days before the bacterial challenge (appointed as Day -2) and was continued for the following 14 days (from Day2 to Day14, as appointed in the files). On the challenge day, each pig was intravenous injected with a bolus of 1.4x104 CFU/Kg of Escherichia coli. Throughout the study, blood samples were collected for various analyses, such as blood bacterial count, complete blood count, clinical chemistry analysis, flow cytometric assays on leukocytes harvested from pigs, to test their phagocytic capacity, in order to verify the efficacy of the pharmacological prophylaxis in eradicating the infection.