Dyslipidemia facilitates the progression of kidney function impairment in frequent administration of artemether-lumefantrine: An in vivo study

The study investigated the effect of frequent administration of artemether-lumefantrine on biochemical parameters of kidney functions and the role of dyslipidemia in the progression of kidney disease. Male Wistar rats, weighing between 230 and 330 grams, were divided into five subgroups (n=7) of Group (I), control and received no medication, (2) 8 mg/kg bodyweight (bw) of artemether-lumefantrine for three days, (3) 12 mg/kg bw for three days, (4) 8 mg/kg bw three days a week for three weeks with a two-week recovery interval, (5)12 mg/kg bw three days a week for three weeks with a two-week recovery interval. Biochemical parameters investigated include serum lipid profile and kidney function biomarkers. A significant (p<0.05) decrease in high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration across treatment groups compared to the control was observed. Triglyceride levels significantly (p<0.05) increased in Group 5, while total cholesterol levels significantly (p<0.05) decreased in Group V. No significant (p>0.05) changes were observed in low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol levels. Kidney function tests revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in urea and creatinine concentrations in the treatment groups compared to the control. Serum electrolytes showed increases and decreases that were not significant. These findings highlight the nephrotoxic effect of repeated exposure to artemether-lumefantrine, suggesting caution in its indiscriminate use.