BIOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF FLUOXETINE ON THE VITAL ORGANS OF DEPRESSION INDUCED FEMALE RATS

Fluoxetine is beneficial in the treatment of depression. In the current study, its biochemical ill-effects at a dose of 20mg /kg body weight/day on the vital organs of depression induced female rats are evident. Female Wistar rats injected with reserpine to induce conditions of depression were subjected to treatment with fluoxetine at 10 mg/kg body weight /day and 20mg/kg body weight /day for a period of 21 days. At the end of the treatment period, blood, liver, kidney and ovary were collected and processed for biochemical assays. Serum samples and liver extracts were used for detection of acid phosphatase (ACP) by Hillman method and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by Kind and King’s method. Creatinine levels were detected in serum samples and kidney extracts by method involving Jaffe’s reaction. Estradiol hormone levels in the serum samples and ovary extracts were analyzed by Radioimmunoassay.

Results of the experiment were treated statistically with Student's t-test. A significant increase in ACP, ALP, creatinine and a significant decrease in estradiol at P<0.05 is observed in treated groups. The animals treated with 20mg /kg body weight/day of fluoxetine shows a fivefold increase in serum ACP, a fiftyfold increase in serum ALP, a twofold increase of creatinine in kidney extracts and a significant decrease in estradiol in serum and ovary extracts. These results are indicative of damage to the vital organs namely liver, kidney and ovary due to fluoxetine treatment.