While it is known that some counterfeit drugs contain either sub-optimal or abnormally high level of active ingredients, heavy metal contamination of fake drugs has also been recognized. The aim of the study to determine the levels of select heavy metals in serum of male Wistar rats dosed with counterfeit sildenafil citrate. Twenty-one male Wistar rats (250 g) were divided into 3 groups of 7 rats each. The route of administration was by gastric gavage. Groups 1, 2, and 3 (control) were dosed with 25 mg/kg BW of fake sildenafil, genuine drug (Vega®), and distilled water respectively. Serum levels of mercury, lead, nickel, aluminum, silicon, cadmium, and arsenic, were determined by the atomic absorption spectrometric method. Data were subjected to analysis of variance. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results revealed that there were no significant differences in the serum levels of the metals estimated except cadmium. From the results of this study, it is evident that exposure to fake drugs may provoke a number of pathological conditions as cadmium is capable of inducing tissue damage.
