Evaluation of chronic oral toxicity and carcinogenic potential of lornoxicam in rats

Update of carcinogenicity studies in animals and humans of 535 marketed pharmaceuticals

This survey is a compendium of information retrieved on carcinogenicity in animals and humans of 535 marketed pharmaceuticals whose expected clinical use is continuous for at least 6 months or intermittent over an extended period of time. Of the 535 drugs, 530 have the result of at least one carcinogenicity assay in animals, and 279 (52.1%) of them gave a positive response in at least one assay. Only 186 drugs (34.8%) have retrievable information on carcinogenicity in humans, and 104 of them gave to a variable extent evidence of a potential carcinogenic activity. Concerning the correlation between results obtained in animals and epidemiological findings, 58 drugs gave at least one positive result in carcinogenicity assays performed in animals and to a variable extent displayed evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, but 97 drugs tested positive in animals and were noncarcinogenic in humans or vice versa. Our findings, which are in agreement with previous studies, indicate that the evaluation of the benefit/carcinogenic risk ratio should be always made in prescribing a drug.

The protective effect of nitroglycerin on gastrointestinal and renal side effects of lornoxicam in rats

The aim of this study is firstly, to determine the preventive effect of chronic usage of combination of nitroglycerin and lornoxicam on gastrointestinal and renal side effects and secondly, to investigate the oxidative and antioxidative effects of this combination in rats.

METHODS

Thirty-seven Wistar male rats were divided into five groups for 15 days; isotonic group (n = 8, sodium chloride 0.09, Group ISO), lornoxicam group (n = 8, lornoxicam 1.3 mg/kg, Group L), nitroglycerin group (n = 6, nitroglycerin 1 mg/kg, Group NTG), lornoxicam-nitroglycerin combination group (n = 8, 1.3 mg/kg lornoxicam + 1 mg/kg nitroglycerin, Group L-NTG), and control group (n = 7, no drug was administered, Group C). Nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase, interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentrations were measured before drug injection and on fifteenth day in all blood samples. Gastrointestinal and renal biopsies were performed on fifteenth day.

RESULTS

Two rats died on tenth and twelfth days in Group L. There were significant differences in Group L compared to the other groups for the lesions of stomach and kidney (p = 0.01, p = 0.028 respectively). Gastric ulceration was occurred in a rat in Group L. Malondialdehyde, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels decreased in NTG and L-NTG groups, whereas catalase and glutathion levels increased in NTG, L and L-NTG groups compared to control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Lornoxicam may cause gastrointestinal and renal side effects without oxidative stress. Adding nitroglycerin to lornoxicam for chronic treatment may prevent these side effects and enhance antioxidative effect compared to the use of lornoxicam alone in rats.