Evaluating The Protective Effects Of Lovastatin Against Doxorubicin Induced Cardiotoxicity In Balb-C Mice.

BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin is one of the most commonly used anti-cancer drugs that treat a large number of haematological and solid malignancies. Its usage in dose and duration is nevertheless restricted by dose related organ damage, particularly cardiotoxicity. Lovastatin is a commonly prescribed drug for hypercholesterolemia and possesses remarkable antioxidant potential. Our study was aimed at evaluating and comparing its cardioprotective effect in two pre-treatment schedules against doxorubicin-induced cardiac damage. METHODS: In this lab-based randomized controlled experiment, 40 BALB/c mice were randomly grouped into five groups (n=8). Group 1 served as control whereas Group 2 was given doxorubicin intraperitoneally at a dose of 10mg/kg. Group 3 received 10mg/kg of oral lovastatin for five days. Groups 4 and 5 were administered lovastatin for five and ten consecutive days correspondingly and doxorubicin was given on 3rd and 8th experimental days of these groups. RESULTS: Doxorubicin caused a significant rise in cardiac enzymes; Creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) (p value ≤0.0001) whereas cardiac histological alterations were ranked as moderate. The damage was significantly attenuated by lovastatin in the ten-day study design with a p-value of ≤0.001 for both LDH and CK-MB whereas a slightly less efficient restoration was observed in the five-day design with a p value of ≤0.001 for LDH and 0.012 for CK-MB. Histological preservation in both pre-treatment schedules was in accordance with the biological markers. CONCLUSIONS: In doxorubicin-based regimens, pretreatment for at least seven days with an easily available and safe statin can effectively prevent its potentially life threatening cardiotoxicity.

Intra-Articular Piroxicam And Triamcinolone In A Ratmodel Of Osteoarthritis; Elevation And Comparison Of Chondroprotective Efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease. Definite treatment of osteoarthritis is still undiscovered. This study was designed to evaluate and compare the chondroprotective efficacy of piroxicam and triamcinolone in rat model of osteoarthritis. Methods: This laboratory based experimental study was conducted in Pharmacology Department, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from April-June 2019. Osteoarthritis was induced by medial meniscectomy and anterior cruciate ligament resection in knee joints of twenty-four rats. They were divided in three groups with eight rats in each. Group I, II and III were control, piroxicam and triamcinolone groups that were treated by intra articular saline, piroxicam and triamcinolone once weekly for four weeks respectively and then gait pattern was scored. Animals were euthanized thereafter and samples were taken for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: Comparison of gait score of control, piroxicam and triamcinolone groups exhibited a p-value of <0.01. Intergroup comparison of gait of group I and II, group I and III and group II and IV depicted pvalue of <0.001,0.013 and 0.013 respectively. Likewise histopathological comparison of control, piroxicam and triamcinolone groups showed p-value of <0.01. While Intergroup histopathological comparison of group I and II, group I and III and group II and IV showed p-value of <0.001, <0.001 and 0.008 respectively. Conclusion: Comparison of control group with treatment group proved chondroprotective efficacy of piroxicam and triamcinolone. On comparison of treatment groups, it was concluded that piroxicam has better chondroprotective efficacy as compared to triamcinolone.