THE EFFECT OF FURAZOLIDONE AND FURALTADONE ON DRUG-METABOLISM IN RATS

This work examines the effect of oral treatment of rats with the nitro furan drugs furazolidone (FZ) and furaltadone (F) at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg for 4 days, or F in the drinking water at concentration s of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% w/v for 14 days, on drug metabolism in vivo. FZ at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg, and F at a dose of 400 mg/kg or at a c oncentration of 0.4% w/v in water depressed growth and prolonged pento barbitone-induced sleeping time. Treatment also significantly increase d the blood concentration of metronidazole when measured 30 and 40 min after metronidazole administration. Administration of tremorine (25 m g/kg, i.p.) to control vehicle-treated rats produced within 2-3 min tr emors, piloerection, profuse salivation, defecation urination and chro modacryorrhesis (red tears). The onset of appearance of these signs wa s delayed to 7-12 min in rats pretreated with FZ or F (100 mg/kg, 4 da ys) or cimetidine (50 mg/kg, i.p.) given 45 min earlier. Taken togethe r, these results suggest that FZ and F inhibit drug metabolism in rats . Treatment with these nitrofuran drugs may alter the disposition of c ertain drugs which may be given concomitantly with them.