Morphine Sulphate Toxicity on Liver Function Tests in Fructose-Induced Insulin Resistant Male Rats

Background: Since liver is a gland which has an important role in drug metabolism, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a single dose and repeated administration of morphine on LFT, blood sugar and fasting insulin resistance index in fructose- fed male rats.

Materials and Methods: The experiment was performed on 36 Wistar-Albino male rats, which were divided into a control (A) and three tests groups (B, C and D). The control group consumed tap water, but the test groups consumed fructose-enriched water (10%, w/v) and received null, single, and repeated doses of morphine, respectively. At the end, animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected. Liver enzymes, insulin and insulin resistance were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS-11, using ANOVA and Tukey tests as post hoc test. Results were expressed as mean±SD and Statistical differences were recognized significant by p<0.05.

Results: The results showed that all test groups were insulin resistant; alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and asparatate aminotransferase (AST) activity values in group D significantly increased compared to other groups while its plasma glucose and insulin values showed a significant decrease in comparison to other test groups.

Conclusion: It seems that repeated morphine administration can affect liver function test (LFT) and fasting Insulin resistance index (FIRI) in fructose- fed male rats.