effect of phenobarbital on chloramphonicol-induced toxicity in rat liver and small intestine

objective(s): the aim of the present study is to determine the effect of chloramphenicol (cap) on rat liver and small intestine. effect of phenobarbital (pb) on cap toxicity was also investigated.   materials and methods:   rats were received cap at doses of 0, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg. another group was pretreated with 80 mg/kg pb 30 min prior to administration of various doses of cap. the experiment was repeated for seven consecutive days. blood was collected for determination of serum aspartate aminotransferase (ast) alanine aminotransferase (alt). the liver and small intestine tissues were processed for light microscopy.   results:   cap induced a dose dependent elevation of ast and alt and produced injury in the liver and small intestine when compared to control animals. pb markedly decreased ast and alt levels and protected liver and small intestine against cap-induced toxicity.   conclusion   : this study suggested rat liver and small intestine have potential to bioactivate cap.