Therapeutic effects of meropenem on renal histological changes of laboratory rats induced by Proteus mirabilis

Hameed, Tayseer R.; Ali, Loay H.; Al-Rawi, Dhafer F.

doi:10.37652/juaps.2025.164086.1620

	Therapeutic effects of meropenem on renal histological changes of laboratory rats induced by Proteus mirabilis
Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science
Volume 20, Issue 2, August 2026, Pages 73-82 PDF (9.45 M)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164086.1620
Authors
Tayseer R. Hameed^* ; Loay H. Ali; Dhafer F. Al-Rawi
Department of Biology- College of Education for Pure Science- University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq
Abstract
Antibiotics are essential agents for controlling bacterial infections and play a central role in reducing infection-related mortality. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Proteus mirabilis infection on kidney tissue in rats and to evaluate the biochemical and histological effects of different doses of meropenem. Twenty laboratory rats were used and divided into four groups: a control group that received PBS only (group 1), an infected untreated group that received a P. mirabilis inoculum without treatment (group 2), and two infected groups treated with meropenem at 10 mg/kg (group 3) and 30 mg/kg (group 4). The results showed that the infected untreated group had a clear increase in renal injury markers, including urea and creatinine, as well as the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA), accompanied by a decrease in glutathione (GSH), compared with the control group. Treatment with 10 mg/kg meropenem produced only partial improvement in these changes. In contrast, the 30 mg/kg dose produced broader improvement and restored most measured biochemical markers closer to normal levels. The histological findings were consistent with the biochemical results. Kidney sections from the infected untreated group showed obvious structural damage, whereas the treated groups showed recovery of renal architecture. The improvement was most pronounced in the 30 mg/kg meropenem group, in which renal tissue appeared close to normal. These findings indicate that meropenem limited the harmful effects of P. mirabilis infection and helped preserve kidney structure and function, with greater renal protection observed at the higher dose.
Keywords
Meropenem; Kidney; Laboratory rats; Proteus mirabilis

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