Curative effect of methionine on certain enzymes of chick kidney cortex under lanthanum toxicity situation.

Acute single dose administration of lanthanum chloride (250 mg/kg body wt, ip) to chicks have been found to alter the levels of enzymes of the antioxidant defence system of chick renal cortex fractions. Such changes involved significant decrease in activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase of kidney epithelial cells. However glutathione-S-transferase activity was not altered. Glutathione and total thiol contents were decreased while lipoperoxidative reactions in kidney-cortex was significantly enhanced. The data indicate that amelioration of lanthanum toxicity condition by methionine supplementation may be due to the methionine serving as a precursor of glutathione.

Chicken erythrocyte membrane: lipid profile and enzymatic activity under lanthanum chloride and neodymium chloride administration.

Acute single dose (ip) administration of two rare earth elements like lanthanum chloride (250 mg/kg body wt) and neodymium chloride (200 mg/kg body wt) to chicks have been found to reduce the activity of certain erythrocyte membrane bound enzymes, viz. acetylcholinesterase, NADH dehydrogenase, Mg(2+)-ATPase, p-nitrophenyl phosphatase. Erythrocyte membrane bound glycosidases e.g. beta-D-glucosidase, beta-D-galactosidase and beta-D-glucuronidase were also reduced. Other components such as cholesterol and phospholipid residues were reduced but their ratio (cholesterol/phospholipid) remaining unchanged. Membrane sulfhydryl groups were also significantly inhibited by these rare earth elements.