RESUMO
Adult male albino rats, maintained on normal or protein deficient diets from weanling, were exposed to repeated doses of MIC vapour (0.32 mg/L for 8 min for 5 consecutive days) under static conditions. Histopathology and the activities of alkaline and acid phosphatases and GSH content of lung were studied upto day 14 after exposure. Mild but repeated exposures of MIC vapour caused severe pulmonary lesions like denudation of bronchiolar epithelial lining tissue, cellular infiltration, edema, emphysema followed by hyperplasia, hypertrophy, fibrosis and intraluminal fibroplasia. The activities of alkaline and acid phosphatases were increased at earlier intervals while GSH content decreased significantly and remained low throughout the experimental duration. Protein deficiency was found to aggravate the toxic potentials of MIC in present condition.