Histological effects of oral administration of artesunate on the liver in wistar rats

This experiment was designed to study the histological effects of oral administration of normal and double normal doses of artesunate on the histology of the liver in wistar rats. The rats were divided into three groups (A, B and C) of five rats each. A and B served as the treatment groups, while C served as the control group. Group A rats were given 4 mg/kg b.w of artesunate daily for 3 days followed by 2 mg/kg b.w daily for next for 4 days. Group B rats were given 8 mg/kg2 b.w of artesunate daily for 3 days followed by 4 mg/kg b.w daily for next 4 days, while group C rats were given only distilled water. The rats were fed with grower's mash purchased from Edo feeds and Flour Mill Ltd, Ewu, Edo state and were given water ad libitum. On day eight of the experiment, the rats were weighed and sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The livers were carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histological studies. The histological findings after H and E method show ed sinusoidal congestion with cytoplasmic vacuolation (hepatocyte oedema) and mild inflammation of the portal tracts. Our study suggests that artesunate at normal dose has a toxic effect on the liver cells and could be a potential hepatotoxic drug. It is therefore recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out and self-medication with artesunate should be discouraged. © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2010.