Pulmonary, Hepatic, and Renal Fibrosis due to Nitrofurantoin in Rat Pups

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nitrofurantoin is a commonly used antimicrobial drug for treating and prophylaxis of uncomplicated urinary tract infections in both children and adults.Mild and severe adverse reactions to nitrofurantoin may occur with its acute and chronic use.We aimed to investigate nitrofurantoin-induced fibrosis in lung, kidney, and liver tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We investigated the fibrosis-causing effect of nitrofurantoin in a rat pup experiment designed as 3 groups taking water, 60 mg/kg nitrofurantoin and 120 mg/kg nitrofurantoin for 60, 90, and 120 days.Histopathological evaluation was performed to detect fibrosis in lung, liver, and kidney tissues. RESULTS:Fibrosis was detected in lung, liver, and kidney tissues and increased with increasing drug dose and duration.The degree of fibrosis ranged from none to abundant in lung and kidney tissues, whereas there were none to mild fibrosis in liver tissues.Surviving rat pups were asymptomatic, but fibrosis was continuously increasing. CONCLUSION:Pediatric patients receiving nitrofurantoin should be regularly monitored for systemic side effects, particularly pulmonary, renal, and hepatic fibrosis.