Analysis of the Decrement of Renal Weights in Adult Male Rats after Long Term Lithium Carbonate Ingestion

Abstract

Objective: This analysis was aimed at evaluation of the effects of prolonged ingestion of Lithium carbonate on renal weights in rat models. Methods: In our experimental analysis, twenty healthy male rats of age sixty-five days were randomly divided in two groups. Group A (n =10) and Group B (n=10) was given Lithium carbonate. Group A, which was the control group, was further divided into two subgroups according to time duration Group A1 (n=5) and Group A2 (n=5). The control group rodents were fed a lab diet consisting of vegetables, flour pellets and water for a period of 2 and 6 weeks, whereas Group B (n=10) was the Lithium- treated group which also contained five animals in each group. In the treated Group B the animals were divided according to time duration in B1 (2 weeks), Group B2 (6 weeks). Group B rodents along with the lab diet were given Lithium. At the end of the period, animals were sacrificed, and the skin, fascia, and intestines were separated and removed. The red oval kidney was weighed on Digital Weighing Balance at 2 and 6 weeks in all the Groups and recorded. Statistical Analysis was per- formed on SPSS version–16. Results: The renal weights in grams of both groups were documented and it was found that Groups B1 and B2 treated with Lithium carbonate showed statistically highly significantly decreased p-value <0.001 of renal weights as compared to the Control Groups A1 and A2 which were on Lab diet. There were statistically highly significantly decreased renal weights at 6 weeks in group B2 than in Group B1, A1, and A2. Conclusion: This analytical research has proved that renal damage occurs due to decreased renal weights in rat models due to prolonged intake of Lithium carbonate.

Keywords

• Lithium
• Bipolar disorder
• Psychosis
• hepatorenal disorder