HEPATOTOXIC CHANGES INDUCED BY PRENATAL ADMINISTRATION OF ZIDOVUDINE IN SWISS ALBINO MICE

Zidovudine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTIs) which is widely used in the treatment of patients infected with Human Immuno deficiency Virus (HIV). It is a prodrug which must be phosphorylated to Zidovudine triphosphate by thymidilate kinase which is its active constituent. Zidovudine is also used as a constituent in combination chemotherapy to prevent maternal to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. 1, 2 In mammalian embryo the entire gestational period is divided into two parts, embryonic period and fetal period. The embryonic period is further subdivided into pre-organogenesis period and organogenesis period. The pre-organogenesis period coincides with first two weeks of embryonic life and any toxic insult at this stage might lead t