Abstract

Abdullah R. P *, Mubarak G. L , Faisal Dione al-Duwaish and Ibrahim Abdul El Hakami

Indomethacin is the most widely used drugs in the recent years for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and gout. Overdose of indomethacin releases the highly toxic free radical inducing oxidative tissue damage and systemic toxicity. Gum arabic has anticarcinogenic effect and anti-oxidant effect with a protective role against hepatic and cardiac toxicities. This study investigates the protective role of gum arabic on modulation of indomethacin systemic toxicity. Eighty albino rats were used in this study, and were divided into four groups, with each group consisting of twenty rats. The Control group received water, the second group received indomethacin, the third group received gum arabic, whereas the fourth group received indomethacin with gum arabic for seven days. Evaluation of indomethacin systemic toxicity and protective role of gum arabic were done by assessment of the liver and renal function tests, coagulation profile, complete blood picture, oxidants and antioxidants parameters, and morphological changes of liver, kidney and retina. Overdose of indomethacin induced systemic toxicity was manifested by hepatic, renal and retinal histopathological changes. It led to statistical significant abnormalities of liver and renal function tests, complete blood picture and coagulation profile associated with significant disturbance of antioxidant mechanism. Administration of gum arabic with high dose of indomethacin induced significant improvement of its systemic toxicity manifestations in the rats.