Pharmacodynamic Drug Interaction of Ethionamide with Glibenclamide in Normal and Diabetic Rats

The present study was aimed to find out the effect of treatment of ethionamide, an antitubercular drug on hypoglycaemic activity of glibenclamide in normal and diabetic rats. The study was intended to determine the pharmacodynamic parameters of drug interaction between glibenclamide and ethionamide in normal and diabetic rats. The studies were conducted using six group of normal adult rats of either sex. They were treated with half therapeutic dose of ethionamide (0.18 mg/200 g), therapeutic dose of ethionamide (0.36 mg/200 g), double therapeutic dose of ethionamide (0.72 mg/200 g), therapeutic dose of glibenclamide (0.18 mg/200 g) and combination of therapeutic dose of ethionamide and glibenclamide (0.36 mg/200 g + 0.18 mg/200 g).

Another group of six rats were taken and diabetes was induced by administering alloxan at a dose of 100 mg/ kg body weight intraperitoneally. Rats with glucose levels more than 200 mg/dL were considered for studied.

The blood samples were collected from tail vein at predetermined time intervals and blood glucose level was estimated using GOD/POD method with the aid of ARTOS semi auto analyser. Ethionamide produced hypoglycaemia when administered alone. The results indicated that in both normal as well as in diabetic rats ethionamide treatment altered the hypoglycaemic activity when administerd along with glibenclamide. This may be due to the synergistic effect of ethionamide with glibenclamide. The preliminary study indicate the combination may be unsafe in diabetes associated with tuberculosis.