Background: Azithromycin is one of the most common drugs used in the protocol of treatment of pneumonia caused by COVID-19. But many researchers approved its toxicity on heart tissue. VIT C is an available and strong antioxidant that has a protective effect against many toxins and drugs. This study aimed to study the cardiotoxic effect of Azithromycin and the possible protective effect of VIT.C against it.
Materials: Thirty adult male rats were used in this study and were divided into 3 groups, the control group with no treatment. Azithromycin group; the rats were treated with Azithromycin (30mg/kg) orally. VIT C group rats were orally treated with the same dose of Azithromycin +VITC (20mg/kg), and drugs were administered for 2 weeks. The results were examined with a light microscope (H & E, Masson, caspase-3, and TNF-α).
Results: Azithromycin exerted significant deleterious effects on heat tissues in the form of distortion of the normal shape, fragmentation of myocardial fibers, and destruction of the cells. Additionally, collagen fibers increased in the azithromycin group, and with immunohistochemistry, the tissues showed a positive reaction to the antigens of caspase-3 and TNF-α. VIT.C ameliorated these detrimental effects.
Conclusion: Azithromycin drug-induced cardiotoxicity should be used in limited cases. The toxic effects of azithromycin on the heart can be potentially reduced by treatment with VIT.C.