Esomeprazole's Antifibrotic Effects on Rats With Epidural Fibrosis.

Study Design: Rat subjects were randomly assigned to control, local, and systemic esomeprazole groups (n = 4-6 per group).

Objective: Excessive scar formation after laminectomy can cause nerve entrapment and postoperative pain and discomfort. A rat laminectomy model determined whether topical application and systemic administration of esomeprazole can prevent epidural fibrosis.

Methods: Laminectomy alone was performed in the control group. Topical esomeprazole was introduced to the laminectomy area in the local esomeprazole group. Intraperitoneal esomeprazole was introduced in the systemic esomeprazole group following laminectomy. Macroscopic and histopathologic examinations were performed four weeks after laminectomy.

Results: In the systemic esomeprazole group, the macroscopic epidural fibrosis score was less than the control group ( < 0.001). Microscopic epidural fibrosis score and fibroblast cell density classification scores in local and systemic esomeprazole groups did not significantly differ. Fibrosis thickness was significantly lower in the local and systemic esomeprazole groups compared to the control group ( < 0.01, < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions: Esomeprazole reduced the formation of epidural fibrosis in the rat laminectomy model.