HISTOPATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ARTEMISININ DERIVATIVES ON LIVER OF MALE ALBINO MICE
A. A. Latif*1, M. Mansha2, K. Saif1 and S. Fatima1
1Department of Zoology, Lahore College for women university, Lahore; 2Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore
*Corresponding Author’s Email: asma5latif@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Malaria is a common disease of humans caused by different species of plasmodium. Artemisinin derivatives like artemether and coartem are being used to treat malaria. The objective of the current study was to investigate the toxic and histopathological effects of artemisinin derivatives on the liver of male albino mice. To this end, 68 mice were randomly allocated into seven groups denoted as A-G. Group A with 8 mice served as the control, while experimental groups B, C and D each with 10 mice were given artemether intramuscularly in three doses (0.4mg/kg b.w., 0.8mg/kg b.w., 1.2mg/kg b.w.) and groups E, F and G of 10 mice each were administered coartem orally at three doses, (0.9mg/kg b.w., 1.8 mg/kg b.w., 2.7 mg/kg b.w.) for two weeks. Our findings revealed that there was a substantial decrease in the weight of the body and liver with treatment with artemether and coartem. Both drugs induced structural alterations, necrosis, deposition of fats and widening of central canalinliver. A rise in the levels of AST and ALT showed the toxic effects of artemther and coartem on the liver. We conclude that the prolonged use of artemether and coartem, even in low doses, is toxic to the body and liver of mice.
Key words: artemisinin, artemether and coartem, toxic effect, histological changes, ALT, AST. |
