Effects of colistin on neurobehavior in mice

Objective To investigate the neurotoxic effect of intravenous colistin on mice motor and sensory functions.Methods Forty female Kunming mice were randomly divided into high-dose group(15 mg/kg),moderate-dose group(7.5 mg/mg),low-dose group(5 mg/kg),and control group(0.9% saline)(10 in in each group).Colistin sulfate was administered intravenously for 7 days and neurobehavioral test were conducted in the mice on 1,3,7,and 15 day after treatment.Results Compared with the control group,the body weight decreased in the mice treated by high-dose colistin.On the day 3,7,and 15,the thermal withdrawal thresholds were 56.5±7.32,72.5±16.3,and 54.75±4.11 s in high-dose group,which were higher than that of the control group(P0.01 for all).On the day 7 and 15,the balance time were 162.66±11.01 and 180.43±10.12 s in high-dose group,which were lower than that of the control group(P0.01).On the day 7,the hind limb landing foot splay was increased to 3.71±0.075 cm in high-dose group,which was significantly higher than that of the control group(P0.05).Conclusion The results confirm that colistin could induce abnormal conduction of heat,motor nerve damage and decreased coorrdination ability of muscles in mice.