2001 Volume 194 Issue 2 Pages 91-98
The present study reports the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status and hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation in chloramphenicol treated rats. Chloramphenicol at a dose of 28 mg/kg body weight orally administered to rats increased the activity of cytosolic superoxide dismutase by 63% while the activities of glutathione peroxidase and catalase were decreased by 57% and 44%, respectively. In vitro, chloramphenicol altered the activities of these enzymes though not as pronounced as the effect of the drug on the enzymes in vivo. The levels of serum vitamins A, C and β-carotene were significantly decreased following chloramphenicol treatment. Microsomal lipid peroxidation was markedly and significantly increased by chloramphenicol treatment. The drug elicited 69% and 71% increases in the levels of malondialdehyde and lipid hydroperoxide, respectively. Glutathione level and glutathione S-transferase activity were decreased by 42% and 58%, respectively, compared to untreated controls. Overall, the results of the present investigation indicate alteration of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status and induction of lipid peroxidation by chloramphenicol. The clinical implications in the detoxification of toxic metabolites of lipid peroxidation caused by chloramphenicol warrant co-administration with antioxidant vitamins in chloramphenicol treatment regimen.
