Mutagenicity and teratogenicity studies of vitacoxib in rats and mice

Vitacoxib is a new drug candidate for treatment of inflammation, pain and fever as selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. In the current study, the mice sperm abnormality, mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus and in vivo chromosome aberration, and teratogenicity in SD rats were evaluated. Vitacoxib did not cause an increase in the frequency of structural chromosome aberrations, nor did it produce an increase in the number of micro nucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at dose of 1250–5000 mg/kg body weight (BW). There were no toxicological signs observed in teratogenicity test in female SD rats at dose of 200–5000 mg/kg BW. Based on these results of these studies, vitacoxib does not appear to be observed mutagenicity and teratogenicity.