The present study aimed to evaluate the analgesic and antipyretic potentials of cefepime at different therapeutic doses in vivo using hot-plate and brewer’s yeast-induced fever models in mice and rats, respectively. Twenty-five mice and/or rats were assigned into five groups, each of five animals. The first group of each was left as control and administered saline i.m. The second group was given ketoprofen (13 mg.) or metamizole sodium (150 mg) per kg BW i.m. as a standard analgesic and antipyretic, respectively. The third, fourth, and fifth groups were given cefepime at the different therapeutic doses, respectively, i.m. in saline. Cefepime induced dose-dependent and significant analgesic effect along the four h of the experiment which was indicated by the longer reaction time in treated than the control group. Cefepime at 45 mg/kg. BW had no antipyretic activity, while at 90 and 180 mg/kg BW had an antipyretic effect after 3.5 h of cefepime administration and at 180 mg/kg BW had a significant antipyretic potential 2.5 h after its injection. These findings indicate that cefepime possesses significant analgesic and antipyretic potentials that would be valuable in symptomatic relief of nociception and fever besides its well-established antibacterial effect. |
