Obesity continues to be an increasing health problem in worldwide and
antiobesity drugs have commonly been used by obese patients. During the use of
anorectic drugs, the
antioxidant defense may be affected, especially by
reactive oxygen species. It was decided to investigate the effects of
dexfenfluramine on
body weight, daily food intake, brain
thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (
TBARS),
glutathione (GSH) and
nitric oxide (NO) levels, and
5-HT immunoreactivity. Mice were divided into two groups each containing 8 Swiss Albino adult (6 months) mice. Group 1, untreated, was used as a control; group 2 was treated with
dexfenfluramine 0.4 mg/kg per day intraperitoneally for 7 days. Brain
TBARS and GSH levels were assayed spectrophotometrically. The stable end-products of NO,
nitrite and
nitrate, were analyzed spectrophotometrically. Brain tissue
5-HT immunoreactivity was observed using an immunohistochemical method. There were significant decreases in
body weight in the
dexfenfluramine group (p < 0.05). Although brain GSH and NO(x) levels decreased significantly, brain
TBARS levels increased in the
dexfenfluramine group (p < 0.05). Brain
5-HT immunoreactivity also increased in the
dexfenfluramine-treated group compared to control. In conclusion, our findings show that
dexfenfluramine is effective in achieving
weight loss and also increases lipid peroxidation in mouse brain.