Effect of zidovudine on the liver function of adult albino wistar rats

Zidovudine is a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study investigated its effect on liver enzymes in adult male albino rats. Fifteen male albino rats weighing between 180-250g were used for the study. The rats were subdivided into a control (A) and two test groups (B and C) (n=5 each). For 25 days, the test groups (B and C) received a daily dosage of 6mg/kg and 12mg/kg of the drug solutions (in sterile water) via an oral cannula, while the control group (A) received normal feed and water only. The results showed that Zidovudine caused significant increase in the level of alanine transaminase (ALT) in the highdose treated rats, but no significant change in aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in both the high and low-dose treated rats; and alanine transaminase (ALT) in the low-dose treated rats. Our findings suggest that high dose of Zidovudine can induce increase in the level of ALT in the treated animals. It also demonstrates that the use of antiretroviral drugs could have adverse effects on the liver that could lead to hepatic damage in normal subjects as the experimental rats used were HIV free.Key Words: Liver, Enzymes, HIV/AIDS, Zidovudin

Zidovudine therapy: Effect(s) on histology of the kidney of wister rats

This study investigated the histo-morphological effect(s) of Zidovudine therapy on the kidney of Wister rats. Fifteen Wistar rats obtained from the Animal house of the College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, were used for this study. A three week period of  acclimatisation was allowed. They were subsequently weighed and randomly stratified into a control (A; n=5) and two treatment groups - B (low dose; n=5) and C (high dose; n=5). Groups B and C received varied doses of Zidovudine (6mg/kg and 12mg/kg respectively). After the completion of a 21 day treatment exercise, renal tissues were harvested from each of thegroups and taken for histo-morphologic analysis The results showed significant body weight reduction in the treatment groups as compared to the control (p<0.05) with mild to moderate derangement in the kidney sections of group B (high dose). It can be concluded therefore, thatwhile low doses of zidovudine can reduce body weight of the animals with no obvious deleterious effects, higher dose however, has capacity to induce histomorphologic alterations in renal tissues of rats.Key words: ARV drug, Renal parameters, Body weight, Kidney, Zidovudin