Dose dependent bladder toxicity effects of favipiravir in rats. Biochemical and histopathological evaluation

Aim: This study is to investigate the effect of favipiravir on dose-dependent bladder toxicity in rats biochemically and histopathologically. Materials and Methods: Experimental animals were divided into four groups as healthy (HG), 100 mg/kg favipiravir (FAV-100), 200 mg/kg favipiravir (FAV-200), and 400 mg/kg favipiravir (FAV-400). Favipiravir was administered orally by gavage to the animal groups at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. In the SG group, it was administered by gavage only distilled water (1 ml). This procedure was repeated twice daily for a week. Results: Our biochemical results showed that Favipiravir dose-dependently increased endogenous oxidant parameters such as Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Total Oxidant Status (TOS), Total glutathione (tGSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Total Antioxidant Status (TAS) , Catalase (CAT) demonstrated that antioxidants decreased in rat bladder tissue. When evaluated histopathologically, the severity of inflammation was at the highest level in the FAV 400 group compared to the other groups, while the severity of inflammation increased as the dose increased. Conclusion: As the dose of favipiravir increased, the oxidant levels increased and the antioxidant level decreased in the bladder tissues of the rats. In line with these results, it was observed that favipiravir caused a dose-dependent bladder toxicity effect in rats. 2025, 85 Pages Keywords: Antioxidant, Bladder Toxicity, Favipiravir, Oxidan