Biochemical and histopathological changes in liver due to chlorpyrifos toxicity in albino rats.

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to examine the biochemical and histopathological changes in liver of albino rats with oral sub-lethal (20 mg/kg) administration of chlorpyrifos as single, double and multiple doses with 48 hr intervals. Protease and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme activities increased in a dose and time dependent manner. Chlorpyrifos-induced histopathological changes included central venous congestion, sinusoidal haemorrhages, and focal necrotic areas in liver. Diffuse haemorrhagic areas were observed in the heart. Degenerative changes in the muscle layer, hypertrophy of goblet cells, and infiltration and hyperaemic changes in blood vessels were observed in the intestine. These results suggest that structural integrity of certain organ systems can be disrupted to a great extent from chlorpyrifos exposure.