The Effect of Acute Co-administration of Fansidar® with Vitamin C on Some Serum Electrolytes and Body Weight Changes in Male and Female Wistar Albino Rats.

Aims: To investigate the effect of fansidar® and vitamin C co-administration on serum electrolyte and body weight indices of Wistar albino rats. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku Campus, between August 2013 and June 2014. Methodology: Sixty (60) Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups I, II, III (n=20; 10 male, 10 female) weighing between 180-200 g. Group I was designated as the control and received distilled water, groups II and III were treated with 14.29 mg/kg body weight of fansidar® and 14.29 mg/kg body weight each of fansidar® + vitamin C respectively for 14 days. The animals were then sacrificed and blood collected for serum electrolyte analysis. Results: The results obtained showed that the serum [Na+] was significantly (P<0.05) increased in group II females only compared with control. There was a significant (P<0.05) increase in the serum [K+] of groups II and III males and group III females compared with control. There was also a significant (P<0.05) elevation of [CO2] in group II rats (irrespective of sex) compared with the control. The [Cl-] of only the males in groups II and III was significantly (P<0.05) reduced compared with the control. The results of body weight indices investigated showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease in mean weight increase (MWI) and growth rate (GR) of all the test groups compared with the control, however, group III compared with group II was significantly (P<0.05) increased. Conclusion: The alterations in serum electrolyte on fansidar® administration were pronounced in males than females except in the sodium electrolyte levels. The co-administration of vitamin C may reverse the adverse alterations in serum electrolyte and body weight changes caused by fansidar® administration.

Cytogenetic evaluation of Fansidar on human lymphocyte chromosomes in vitro.

Fansidar is a fixed combination of two antimalarial agents a diaminopyrimidine (Pyrimethamine) and a sulphonamide (Sulphadoxine) in the ratio 1:20- that have been used extensively worldwide for the treatment of Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria, toxoplasmosis and pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study examined the effect of Fansidar on chromosomes in human lymphocyte culture. Fansidar was added to peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures in vitro at four different concentrations: 5, 15, 25 and 50 @l in the ratio 1:20, 3:60, 5:100 and 10:200 @g ml-1. Result shows that this drug induces moderate increase in the frequency of gaps, breaks and rearrangements. Therefore it can be concluded that Fansidar has moderate clastogenic effect on human chromosomes in vitro.