Influence of Arsenic Toxicity on the Pharmacodynamic Profile of Ketoprofen

The purpose of the present study was to assess whether arsenic can modulate the pharmacodynamic profile of ketoprofen in male rats. In order to test this hypothesis, we selected ketoprofen as a model of the non-selective COX-inhibiting NSAID and designed the present study to evaluate the modulatory role of subacute exposure to sodium arsenite on the antinociceptive response mediated by ketoprofen in rats. The concentration selected for arsenic was based on the maximum arsenic level (3.7 ppm) reported in the contaminated groundwater in West Bengal, India. Considering this as 4 ppm, we used this concentration. Based on this maximum concentration, we selected two more concentrations of arsenic: one 10 times lesser (0.4 ppm) and another 10 times higher (40 ppm) than the 4ppm concentration. The lowest concentration (0.4 ppm) selected is very close to the average concentration of arsenic (~0.2 ppm) reported in the contaminated waters in West Bengal. The dose of ketoprofen (5 mg/kg b.w.) was selected from the exploratory studies conducted in rats. Arsenic was given as pre-exposure through drinking water for 28 days, while a single dose of ketoprofen was administered by oral gavage after arsenic exposure.