Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
Cisplatin-induced pica behaviour in rats is prevented by antioxidants with antiemetic activity
S S Sharma1, S K Gupta, V Kochupillai
1Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110 029, India.
Abstract:
Pica, eating of non-nutritive substances such as kaolin in rats has been suggested as an illness response behaviour, analogous to vomiting in species that have developed emetic reflex. We have recently demonstrated that antioxidants-glutathione, N-(2- mercaptopropionyl)glycine (tiopronin), vitamin C and vitamin E-exert antiemetic effect against cisplatin-induced emesis in dogs. In the present study, the effect of these antioxidants was investigated against pica model in rats. Pretreatment with these agents significantly inhibited the cisplatin induced enhanced kaolin intake. However, these agents failed to exert any significant improvement in the decreased food intake by cisplatin. The findings confirm the potential of these antioxidants as antiemetics against cancer chemotherapy induced vomiting, though they may not improve the anorexia. The experiments further support that pica in rats can be used as a good alternative rodent model to dogs and cats particularly for preliminary and rapid screening of antiemetic agents.
Related Concept Videos
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Dopamine Receptor Antagonists
Phenothiazines, such as prochlorperazine...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Cannabinoids
Two synthetic agonists of THC,...
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Treatment Strategies