Chronic administration of the antiretroviral nevirapine increases body weight, food, and water intake in albino Wistar rats

Abstract Background: Nevirapine (NVP) is an antiretroviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in the blood. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of chronic administration of NVP on body weight, food, and water intake using apparently healthy albino Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty adult albino Wistar rats (50-125 g body weight) were used for the study. Rats in the control group (n=10) were fed normal rodent chow, whereas the NVP group (n=10) were fed by gavage NVP (0.4 mg/kg body weight) two times daily (07.00 h and 18.00 h) in addition to normal rodent chow for 12 weeks. All animals were allowed free access to clean drinking water. Results: Results showed that the mean daily food and water intake in the NVP group were significantly higher (p<0.001) when compared with the control group, respectively. The mean change in body weight in the NVP group was significantly higher (p<0.001) than the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that chronic administration of NVP may increase body weight in rats, probably due to its stimulatory effects on food and water intake.