Study the toxicity of digoxin on liver and their transaminase enzymes level in rat

Abstract EN

The current study was conducted at the college of veterinary medicine, university of basrah in the periods extended from 22/10/2016 to 22/1/2017.

Digoxin is an important cause of poisoning.

It is prescribed and widely used to patients with heart failure.

Digoxin toxicity can emerge during long-term therapy as well as after an overdose and because it is metabolized and eliminated by liver.

Therefore, the study is designed to determine the toxic effects of digoxin on liver histologically and biochemically by measuring liver transaminase enzymes level in the serum.

Maximum toxic dose determined by using 2 rats dosed orally until clinical signs of toxicity became prominent at 30mg for each rat and considered as MTD.

The chronic toxicity study was carried out on 48 adult rats divided into 4 groups.

Control (G1) receive distilled water, Low dose (G2) dosed with (1.5mg/kg), Intermediate dose (G3) dosed with (3mg/kg) and High dose (G4) dosed with (6mg/kg) of digoxin by oral gavage for 90 days.

At the end of experiments all animals were sacrificed and blood sample were collected for estimation of biochemical parameter of rat.

Result reveals histopathological changes as sever periportal fibrosis, bile duct proliferation and aggregation of mononuclear cells specially with high (G4) group.

There is a significant (P≤0.05) increase in serum AST & ALT level in high (G4) group when compared with other study groups.

We conclude that high dose digoxin has a toxic effect on liver tissue.