Abstract:
Background/Purpose. It has been reported that ceftriaxone
may induce the formation of gallstones. Changes
of gallbladder motility may play a role in this phenomenon.
The present study was designed to analyze the gallbladder
contractility of ceftriaxone sodium-treated
guinea pigs in response to different agonists.
Materials and methods. Twenty adult guinea pigs
were randomly divided into two groups. Ten guinea
pigs were treated with ceftriaxone sodium (100 mg/kg/
day) for 10 days, whereas the remaining 10 served as
the control group, receiving 1 ml of distilled water
during 10 days as placebo. By the end of the experimental
period the animals were sacrificed and the
gallbladders were removed. The responses to KCl, papaverine,
sodium nitroprusside, carbachol, and histamine
on gallbladder strips from control and experimental
groups were recorded and analyzed.
Results. There was no significant difference between
the responsiveness to KCl, papaverine, and sodium nitroprusside
on tissues isolated from experimental and
control groups. Comparison of the two groups revealed
that the maximum responses (Emax) to carbachol and
histamine were significantly reduced in the experimental
group, without any change in the pD2 values.
Conclusion. These data indicate that, after ceftriaxone
sodium therapy, the decreased maximum contractile
response to carbachol and histamine may contribute
to the formation of gallstones.
