Background: Remdesivir has recently been used more widely as an antiviral medication, possibly due to its potency against coronavirus.Aim: This study was aimed at detecting the toxicity of remdesivir on the liver and kidneys of albino rats at various doses, as well as the possibility of recovering to the normal structure of these tissues two weeks after drug discontinuation.Methods: Forty adult albino rats were divided into five groups (8 rats per group). The first group was the control group; the second group received 5 mg/kg remdesivir; the third group received 10 mg/kg for five days; and the fourth and fifth groups were withdrawal groups (treated as 2nd and 3rd groups then left for two weeks). After five days of treatment, the animals of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd groups were sacrificed, while the animals of the withdrawal groups were killed after two weeks of drug discontinuation. Both the liver and kidneys were removed and prepared for histological examination.Results: Remdesivir-treated liver and kidneys showed histological alterations such as blood vessel congestion, mononuclear cell infiltration, and localized hepatocyte degeneration. Meanwhile, kidney sections revealed localized vacuolation of the tubular epithelium, focal glomerular tuft shrinkage with Bowman's space dilatation.Conclusion: Remdesivir is hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic mainly, at high doses. Even after drug withdrawal, structural alterations persist, particularly at high dosages, confirming that remdesivir toxicity is dose-dependent.

Department of Anatomy College of Medicine University of Mosul Mosul Iraq

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