HISTOLOGICAL EFFECT OF PEFLOXACIN ON THE HEART OF MALE ALBINO RAT

Pefloxacin is a fluorinated quinolone that is structurally related to nalidixic acid. It Can be administered both orally and intravenously, and has a broad spectrum of in vitro Activity against Gram-negative organisms and staphylococci. The pharmacokinetic profile Of pefloxacin is characterised by high bioavailability after oral administration, a long half Life and good penetration of tissue and body fluids. This study evaluates the effects of pefloxacin on the Heart of a male albino rat. Twenty-four male albino rats were divided randomly into four groups of six rats per cage and were labelled into groups; I (control) II, III and IV. Group I (control group) received water and feed only, Group II were treated with 25% of the LD50 of pefloxacin, Group III were treated with 50% of the LD50 of pefloxacin and Group IV were treated with 75% of the LD50 of pefloxacin daily for seven days. At the end of drug administration period, the body weight of the animals were determined and recorded. The animals were sacrificed and the Heart was harvested and fixed immediately in 10% formal saline for histological studies. The tissue sections were routinely processed, 5micrometer sections were sectioned using a rotary microtome. Sections of each tissue were stained with H&E staining technique. Photomicrograph of the slides were captured and results recorded. Results obtained revealed Group I (control) had a mean weight of 130+3.47g before the experiment whereas 138+4.12g was the weight after the experiment. Group II had a mean weight of 128+3.83g before the experiment whereas 133+3.21g was the weight after the experiment. Group III had a mean weight of 130+3.37g before the experiment whereas 134+3.12g was the weight after the experiment. Group IV had a mean weight of 129+3.19g before the experiment whereas 135+3.19g was the weight after the experiment. The result of the histological examination revealed that the control rats showed the normal architecture of the Heart and the treated rats (group II, III, and IV), showed The myocyte density is up to 240 per High Power Field and the myocytes are mildly plump on average.This study also shows that the effect of test drugs is not dose dependent because the low, mild and high therapeutic doses present the same histological results.