Lithium Carbonate Therapy Causes Nephrotoxicity and its Alleviation with Ascorbic Acid in Wistar Albino Rats

Backgrounds: Lithium carbonate is drug has been used for prolonged treatment of psychiatric disorders. But was known to be accompanied by side effects and highly toxicity especially to renal tissue. Objectives: this study aimed to investigate the influence of lithium carbonate and ascorbic acid on the kidney tissue in Wistar albino rats. Methodology: Ninety rats were used in two experiments. The experiment was performed in three months and blood samples were collected monthly, then specimen of the kidney, was used for histopathological examination. In experiment 1, forty rats were used and divided to four groups, three groups were subjected to different oral doses of drug (9, 17 and 34 mg/kg/BW) daily and the fourth was kept as control group. In experiment 2, fifty rats were used and divided to five groups, ascorbic acid, (7mg/kg BW) as antioxidant was added to the different doses of drug during the experimental period. Results: Urea and creatinine showed significantly (P≤0.005) higher levels in the groups used different doses of the lithium therapy compared to the control group. Only the uric acid showed significantly (P≤0.003) lower level compared to the control group. Tubular necrosis, congestion and infiltration of inflammatory cells were the common pathological lesions observed in the kidney and congestion of capillaries was the common pathological lesion at different doses of lithium carbonate. The serum levels of urea and uric acid were significantly (p≤0.004) increased in all groups of the treated rats compared to the control group. The serum creatinine was significantly (P≤0.000) higher in rats treated with 9mg/kg BW, and ascorbic acid but other groups treated with higher doses and ascorbic acid showed significantly (p≤0.000) lower levels compared to the control group. For histopatholgical changes, when drug was accompanied by Lascorbic acid, the infiltration of inflammatory cells was less in kidney compared to the groups treated with lithium carbonate alone. Conclusions: The use of L-ascorbic acid alone also reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. The study recommended that patients on drug should be periodically evaluated for renal dysfunction and also advised to be supplied with ascorbic acid, to reduce the toxicity of lithium therapy. Future studies should investigate the effect of different doses of the ascorbic acid on responses to lithium therapy. Also the effects of other antioxidants on drug responses should be tested.