Biochemical and histomorphological changes in liver and kidney of Rattus norvegicus domestica rats following tetracycline administration

This study was aimed on assessing the biochemical and histomorphological changes in liver and kidney of Rattus norvegicus domestica rats following tetracycline administration. Five ml blood specimen was collected from twenty one rats weighing 0.2072-0.3062 kg into lithium heparin bottles with seven of them each administered with 0.12 mg/0.2072 kg of tetracycline for two weeks (short term toxicity study) and four weeks (long term toxicity study) respectively, while the remaining seven which served as control group were not administered with tetracycline. The following biochemical parameters: alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea and creatinine were measured quantitatively. The mean values of all the measured biochemical parameters in the short term toxicity study were not statistically significant (p≥0.05) as compared to the control group and these values were also in conformity to the histomorphological study of the liver and kidney organs while that of the long term toxicity study showed statistically significant differences (p≤0.05) in all the measured biochemical parameters as compared to the control group and also in conformity to the histomorphological study of the liver and kidney organs. In conclusion, administration of 0.12 mg/0.2072 kg of tetracycline for four weeks may induce changes in the biochemical and histomorphological study of liver and kidney of Rattus norvegicus domestica rats, while that of two weeks may not. It is therefore recommended that tetracycline capsule should not be used indiscriminately for a long period. Besides, routine estimation of these biochemical parameters should be carried out in long term administration of tetracycline in humans.