title: Sibutramine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, causes fibrosis in rats.
abstract: Sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate is a weight loss agent indicated for the treatment of obesity. Although it has been banned from most markets, studies are still relevant as it is often a hidden ingredient in herbal and over the counter slimming products. Sibutramine induces liver fibrosis with steatosis in female Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-energy diet without significant weight gain. In this study, using the same animal model, the effect of Sibutramine on lung morphology was investigated using histological evaluation of the terminal bronchiole and transmission electron microscopy evaluation of the respiratory tissue. From these results Sibutramine was found to induce lung fibrosis in Sprague-Dawley rats as increased collagen synthesis, mast cell accumulation and aggregates of Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue (BALT) in the terminal bronchiole as well as increased collagen deposition in the respiratory tissue was seen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. Electronic address: nanette.oberholzer@up.ac.za.
authors.forename: Hester Magdalena
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Oberholzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ciska
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van der Schoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Megan Jean
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bester
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001067:Appetite Depressants / Q000633:toxicity*; D003503:Cyclobutanes / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001067:Appetite Depressants; D003503:Cyclobutanes; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; C058254:sibutramine
keywords: Collagen; Fibrosis; Mast cells; Sibutramine; iBALT