Effect of gervital in attenuating hepatotoxicity caused by methotrexate or azathioprine in adult albino rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Methotrexate (MTX) and azathioprine (AZA) are chemotherapeutic, antimetabolic, and immunosuppressive agents with substantial risks such as oxidative...     

Protective effect of aged garlic extracts against hepatotoxicity induced by ethephon in Wistar albino rat

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current study was designed to demonstrate the hepatoprotective effect of aged garlic extract (AGE) against ethephon-induced liver toxicity in...     

Anti-apoptotic role of spermine against lead and/or gamma irradiation-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats

Exposure to either lead (Pb) or γ-irradiation (IR) results in oxidative stress in biological systems. Herein, we explored the potential anti-apoptotic effect of spermine (Spm) against lead and/or γ-irradiation-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats. Rats were divided into eight experimental groups of ten rats each: groups including negative control, whole body γ-irradiated (6 Gray (Gy)), lead acetate (PbAct) trihydrate orally administered (75 mg/kg bw ≡ 40 mg/kg bw Pb for 14 consecutive days), and Spm intraperitoneally dosed (10 mg/kg bw for 14 consecutive days) rats and groups subjected to combinations of Pb + IR, Spm + IR, Spm + Pb, and Spm + Pb followed by IR on day 14 (Spm + Pb + IR). A significant decrease in arginase activity as well as mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and p21 was observed in rats intoxicated with Pb and/or γ-irradiation compared to controls, whereas Bax mRNA and protein levels were significantly increased. Also, an increased level of nitric oxide (NO) with a reduced arginase activity was observed in liver tissues of intoxicated rats. Spm co-treatment with lead and/or γ-irradiation attenuated the increase in Bax mRNA and protein expression, while it restored those of Bcl-2 and p21 together with NO levels and arginase activity to control values. Altogether, we suggest that Spm may be useful in combating free radical-induced apoptosis in Pb-intoxicated and/or γ-irradiated rats.     

Biochemical changes produced by beta- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane isomers in albino rats

Administration of beta- and gamma-isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) at 800 ppm dietary level for 2 weeks to albino rats produced noticeable hepatocellular damage as indicated by elevations in serum aminotransferases and decreases in hepatic soluble enzymes. Although serum total LDH activity was not altered, the LD5 isoenzyme was proportionately higher in the HCH isomers treated animals. Treatment of rats with beta- and gamma-isomers of HCH increased the hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and aldolase activities suggesting a higher rate of glucose oxidation. Liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity was decreased in these animals indicating inactivation of gluconeogenesis in liver. Dietary beta- and gamma-HCH decreased the liver mitochondrial DNP/Mg++/Ca++-activated ATPases thus affecting the energy metabolism. An unaltered ratio of DNP/Mg++-ATPase, a study of swelling pattern of hepatic mitochondria, and NAD+ permeability test suggested the maintenance of structural integrity of mitochondrial membrane in these pesticide fed animals. Liver microsomal Na+,K+-ATPases were lower in these animals.     

Effect of maternal dietary hexachlorocyclohexane exposure on pup survival and growth in albino rats

Abstract

In adult albino rats, maternal dietary. ß‐ and ?‐hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) intake during gestation upto 400 ppm level did not affect the number of litters produced. But about 50 and 100% pup mortality was found in 200 and 400 ppm ß ‐HCH group within 5 days of birth. Maternal mortality was observed in 800 ppm ß ‐HCH group during third week of gestation. The effect of maternal dietary intake of HCH isomers at 50 and 250 ppm level during gestation and/or lactation on perinatal development was also studied. The body weights and sizes of the newborn litters of mother rats exposed to dietary HCH isomers did not. differ from controls. Similarly, the growth and development of the litters of HCH exposed mother rats that survived 28 day lactation period were found to be comparable to controls as evidenced by the body weight and weight of vital organs. However, liver weight increases were found in the 28 day weaned litters wherever the mothers had been exposed to HCH isomers during lactation. Lowered kidney weight was seen in litters of mother rats fed 250 ppm ?‐HCH during gestation and lactation. The brain and testis weights were not affected in the litters of any experimental groups.     

Toxicity of pirimiphos-methyl: II. Effect of dietary feeding on blood and urine constituents in albino rats

Growing male rats were fed dietary Pirimiphos-methyl at 0, 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm for 28 days and selected blood and urine constituents were measured at weekly intervals. Dietary intake of Pirimiphos-methyl induced an initial, transient hypoglycemia and a marked elevation in blood urea at all dosages. Though it did not produce any significant change in the urine output initially, marked oliguria was observed after 12 days of feeding. The alterations observed in urine constituents were: increased urea, proteinuria, transient increase in creatinine and significant increase in the excretion of glucuronic acid and ethereal sulfate at all intervals. However, since no pathological alterations were evident in the kidney, the anomalous urinary excretion of various body constituents might be due to the anticholinesterase action of the insecticide at the central nervous system.     

Effect of maternal dietary hexachlorocyclohexane exposure on pup survival and growth in albino rats.

In adult albino rats, maternal dietary beta- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) intake during gestation upto 400 ppm level did not affect the number of litters produced. But about 50 and 100% pup mortality was found in 200 and 400 ppm beta-HCH group within 5 days of birth. Maternal mortality was observed in 800 ppm beta-HCH group during third week of gestation. The effect of maternal dietary intake of HCH isomers at 50 and 250 ppm level during gestation and/or lactation on perinatal development was also studied. The body weights and sizes of the newborn litters of mother rats exposed to dietary HCH isomers did not differ from controls. Similarly, the growth and development of the litters of HCH exposed mother rats that survived 28 day lactation period were found to be comparable to controls as evidenced by the body weight and weight of vital organs. However, liver weight increases were found in the 28 days weaned litters wherever the mothers had been exposed to HCH isomers during lactation. Lowered kidney weight was seen in litters of mother rats fed 250 ppm gamma-HCH during gestation and lactation. The brain and testis weights were not affected in the litters of any experimental groups.     

Toxicity of pirimiphos-methyl: I. The acute and subacute oral toxicity in albino rats

In an acute study, albino rats of both sexes were orally administered graded doses of Pirimiphosmethyl, and the statistically computed median lethal dose (LD-50) were 1861 and 1667 mg/kg body weight for male and female rats respectively. No treatment related changes were discernible with regard to food intake, growth, gross or histopathology of the organs. In a time-course study, the correlation between symptoms and degree of esterase inhibition was examined in rats administered the minimum lethal dose (MLD: 1000 mg/kg b.w.) of the insecticide. Time-course inhibition pattern of both cholinesterase (ChE) and non-specific carboxylesterase (NSE) activities in brain and plasma revealed maximum inhibition at 24 h post-treatment which correlated well with the intensity of symptoms. In a subacute study, groups of male rats were fed dietary Pirimiphos-methyl at 0, 10, 250, 500 and 1000 ppm for 28 days. Food consumption and growth rate were not affected throughout the experimental period. At necropsy after 28 days, no gross pathological changes were seen in any of the organs except a slight increase in liver weight at 1000 ppm. Though no statistical differences were observed in the levels of hepatic transaminases, a significant increase in serum transaminase was evident. Significant increase in the activities of hepatic ALP, beta-GLR and serum ALP were evident at 500 and 1000 ppm. Further, significant inhibition of plasma PChE was evident at 250, 500 and 1000 ppm while the degree of inhibition of brain AChE was significant only at the higher dosages. No histopathological alterations were observed in any of the organs.     

Therapeutic effect of dithiophenolato chitosan nanocomposites against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Our previous study showed that dithiophenolate (DTP) and its chitosan nanoparticles (DTP-CSNPs) have abilities to bind with DNA helixes. So in this...     

Protective effects of seaweeds against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in rats

Three species of seaweeds collected from Tung Ping Chau, Hong Kong, were screened for their hepatoprotective activity using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in the rat as a model of chemical hepatitis. A single oral dose of 1.25 ml/kg of CCl4 was able to produce significantly elevated levels of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transminase (GOT). Administration of 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg of aqueous extracts from Myagropsis myagroides, Sargassum henslowianum and S. siliquastrum, respectively, significantly reduced the CCl4-induced acute elevation in the levels of GPT and GOT in rats. The same result was also seen in the histopathological study of liver tissue. The seaweed crude extracts probably acted to protect against CCl4-induced liver injury through their antioxidant properties.     

Constant light exposure and/or pinealectomy increases susceptibility to trichloroethylene-induced hepatotoxicity and liver cancer in male mice

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Exposure to light at night, pineal gland impairment, and the environmental pollutant trichloroethylene (TCE) have serious implications for health and...     

Ameliorative effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles against potassium bromate-mediated toxicity in Swiss albino rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Potassium bromate (PB) is a commonly used food additive, a prominent water disinfection by-product, and a class IIB carcinogen. It exerts a various...     

Correction to: Effect of brominated flame retardant on the pyrolysis products of polymers originating in WEEE

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15862-7     

Correction to: Water and soil contaminated by arsenic: the use of microorganisms and plants in bioremediation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Ginkgo biloba mitigates silver nanoparticles-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats via improvement of mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant status

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are noble metal nanoparticles, due to their good physicochemical properties, which have been exploited in biological...     

Correction to: Environmental factors in debromination activity of polybrominated diphenyl ethers by hepatic microsomes of freshwater fish

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The corrected Electronic Supplementary Material is presented in this paper.     

Plasma PBDE and thyroxine levels in rats exposed to Bromkal or BDE-47

In experimental models, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of brominated flame retardants, have caused effects in a number of biological end-points, including neurobehavioural effects, disturbances in thyroid and steroid hormone homeostasis, and other steroid-related effects. Almost exclusively, only external dose metrics (dose per body weight basis) have been studied in connection to the observed effects. In this study we report on new analyses of plasma PBDE levels in surplus samples from earlier studies on thyroid hormones (TH) in exposed rodents. Female, 7-week old Sprague-Dawley rats were given either Bromkal 70-5 DE (Study I; 18 or 36 mg/kg bw/day) or BDE-47 (Study II; 1, 6 or 18 mg/kg bw/day) daily by gavage for two weeks. At an external dose of 18 mg/kg bw/day significant TH effects (decreased plasma free thyroxin levels) were observed in both studies, corresponding to an internal (plasma) dose of 463 microg sumPBDE/g lipid (Study I) or 421 microg BDE-47/g lipid (Study II). If we compare the contribution of different BDE congeners to the total BDE level in rat plasma after Bromkal exposure (Study II), and in the Bromkal mixture itself, the most important congener in the Bromkal mixture were also found in plasma. However, the relative concentration of BDE-99 was lower, and that of BDE-153 was higher, than that of the mixture, indicating selectivity in uptake, metabolism and/or excretion of the individual BDE congeners. Explicitly, the possible in vivo conversion of BDE-99 to BDE-47, and of BDE-154 to BDE-153 could not be excluded. The internal dose in the present rat study could be compared to reported human serum doses of PBDE. Human serum/blood levels have a wide range, from 3 to 6 ng sumPBDE/g lipid in background samples from Europe, about 10 times higher in US sample, and up to 100 times higher (300-600 ng/g lipid) in upper-end levels in collected samples from USA. As a consequence, the margin between effects levels in the rat and exposure levels in man varies widely, with a quotient roughly from 1000 to 100,000. Generally, it could be expected that this margin is lower than if external dose metrics would be used. An even lower margin could be expected as recent studies have shown effects in offspring at lower doses than those giving effects in our studies. Lastly, it should be noted that humans are already exposed to a mixture of chemicals in daily life, a fact that complicates this kind of comparison.     

Effect of lindane on antibody response to typhoid vaccine in weanling rats

The immunosuppressive effect of lindane was assessed in weanling rats over a period of 5 weeks. Agglutinin titres against S. typhi 'O' and 'H', S. paratyphi 'AH' and 'BR' antigens were determined following TAB vaccination in control and lindane-fed animals. The titres attained in non-treated controls were higher significantly than those in treated animals indicating a suppressive effect of lindane on humoral immune responses.     

Effect of lindane on antibody response to typhoid vaccine in weanling rats

Abstract

The immunosuppressive effect of lindane was assessed in weanling rats over a period of 5 weeks. Agglutinin titres against S. typhi ‘O’ and ‘H’, S. paratyphi ‘AH’ and ‘BR’ antigens were determined following TAB vaccination in control and lindane‐fed animals. The titres attained in non‐treated controls were higher significantly than those in treated animals indicating a suppressive effect of lindane on humoral immune responses.