Effects of repeated oral administration of pazufloxacin mesylate and meloxicam on the antioxidant status in rabbits.

Prolonged antibiotic and antiinflammatory therapy for complicated infections exposes the body to xenobiotics that can produce several adverse effects for which oxidative damage is the proposed underlying mechanism. In this context, we evaluated the effect of pazufloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial, and meloxicam, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, on antioxidant parameters and lipid peroxidation in rabbits after oral administration for 21 d. Reduced glutathione levels were significantly decreased in rabbits (n = 4 per group) given pazufloxacin, meloxicam, or their combination. In addition, glutathione peroxidase activity was induced in the rabbits treated with pazufloxacin only. Administration of pazufloxacin and meloxicam, as single agents as well as in combination, produced significant lipid peroxidation compared with levels in untreated controls. In conclusion, both pazufloxacin and meloxicam potentially can induce oxidative damage in rabbits.