Prevention of CCL[4]-induced oxidative damage in adrenal gland by digera murica ta extract in rat

Digera muricata [L.] Mart, is a weed and commonly found in waste places, road sides and in maize fields during the summer season. It possesses antioxidant capacity and is locally used for various disorders such as inflammation, urination, as refrigerant, aperient and in sexual anomalies. In this study antioxidant potential of Digera muricata methanol extract [DMME] and n-hexane extract [DMHE] was evaluated against CCl[4]-induced oxidative stress in adrenal gland of Sprague-Dawley male rats. 42 rats were equally divided into 7 groups of 6 rats in each. Group I remained untreated, while Group II treated with vehicles. Group III received only CC1[4] [1 ml/kg b.w., 10% in olive oil] once a week for 16 weeks. Group IV and VI received DMME and DMHE at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. along with CC1[4]. Animals of Group V and VII administered with DMME and DMHE alone at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. once a week for 16 weeks. Lipid peroxidation significantly increased while activities of antioxidant enzymes [CAT, SOD, GST, GSR and GSH-Px] were reduced in adrenal gland samples by the administration of CC14. Glutathione [GSH] concentration was significantly decreased whereas DNA fragmentation% and AgNORs count was increased in adrenal gland by CC1[4] administration. Treatment of rat by both the extracts [DMME, DMHE] and CC1[4] increased the glutathione level and activities of antioxidant enzymes while reduced the lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation percent and AgNORs count in adrenal gland. These results indicate that Digera muricata extract is able to ameliorate oxidative stress in adrenal gland induced by CC1[4] in rat

Cytoarchitectural organization and histochemical pattern of paraquat injection on some parenchymatous organs of Albino rat

Paraquat is one of the bipyridinium herbicides that proved to be remarkably safe in use in different weed control situations. However, several hundred persons died as a result of paraquat poisoning. The present study was undertaken to follow up the effect of injections of variable doses of paraquat on liver, kidney and adrenal gland of male albino rats. Thirty animals were injected intraperitoneally with two different doses of paraquat [80 and 150 mg/ Kg body weight]. The results showed that paraquat affects the histological architecture of all target organs in a dose dependent fashion. It produced haemorrhage and necrosis. In the liver, the cells in the peripheral regions of the hepatic lobules were more affected than the central ones. In the kidney, the epithelial cells of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules were mainly affected, while in the adrenal gland the haemorrhage and necrosis were detected in the cortex. Mucopolysaccharides and nucleic acids content together with alkaline phosphatase activity were decreased when compared with the control. The mechanism of paraquat toxicity may be related to the production of H[2]O[2]and O[2] which, in turn, are toxic to cellular activities. At the same time, the possibility that paraquat competes with cellular organoids for NADPH is another aspect of the toxic mechanism