Abstract
We read with interest the paper by Shamkhani et al. on phospholipids, bile salt concentration, and prostaglandins, the effects of metronidazole on hyperlipidaemia [1]. We had performed a study to investigate the effect of metronidazole on the lithogenic potential of rabbit bile [2]. Twenty-five rabbits in the test group were administered metronidazole orally for 21 days whereas 25 rabbits in the control group were administered normal saline. After 21 days, we found a significant increase in the bile cholesterol and bile calcium levels in the test group while the bile bilirubin levels were no different in the two groups. This was accompanied by a significant reduction in the serum lipids in the test group. We concluded that this action might be similar to the drug clofibrate. Hence we suggest that when looking at the hypolipidaemic action of the imidazole derivatives, one should also keep in mind their lithogenic potential and study it fully. A limitation of our study was the lack of estimation of biliary
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