Chloroquine Induced Hepatotoxicity in Developing Albino Rats

Abstract

Despite the introduction of many new antimalarial drugs, chloroquine is still most widely prescribed drug for prophylaxis and treatment of malaria. It is considered to be the safe antimalarial in pregnant women. This study was carried out to seen the effect of chloroquine on developing liver of albino rats. In this study, 24 pregnant female albino rats were used divided in 4 groups.  Total gestational period in rats ganges from 20-22 days, which in this study was divided into three trimesters, each of seven days. Using oral dose of chloroquine 700mg/kg body weight in first, second and third weeks of pregnancy, it was found that chloroquine induced hepatic damage in rats exposed to chloroquine during third intrauterine life. Light microscopic examination of liver revealed that hepatic architecture was distorted in all experimental groups.  Hepatocytes were enlarged due to degenerative changes in cytoplasm and nuclei. Degenerative changes included microvesicular fatty change progressing to vacuolar degeneration, ultimately leading to necrosis. Parenchyma was infilterated with lymphocytes. These changes were maximum in those animals which were exposed to drug during third trimester of gestation. These observations lead to conclusion that chloroquine produces hepatic damage especially when given during last trimester.