Toxic Interactions Between Amitriptyline and Fluconazole in Chick Embryos

Abstract

The toxic interaction between amitriptyline and fluconazole was studied in chick embryos. Chick embryos have been widely used in pharmacologic and toxicologic experiments for evaluating drug action. Fertilized eggs of White Leghorns were incubated and investigated. Amitriptyline with and without fluconazole was injected into the air sac of a fertilized egg on the 16 th day of incubation. Electrocardiograms were recorded 0 to 60 min after the injection. Changes in heart rate were expressed as mean-percent changes of the drug-treated groups to the matched control. After each drug injection alone, the heart rate was not different compared with control. However, the heart rate was significantly decreased by combination with amitriptyline and fluconazole. In addition, arrhythmia was produced by amitriptyline with fluconazole. These findings indicate that the interaction between amitriptyline and fluconazole has a marked influence on the heart rate in chick embryos.