ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The present study investigated the protective role of Hyparrhenia hirta (H. hirta) against sodium nitrate (NaNO3)-induced hepatoxicity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: a control group and two treated groups during 50 d with NaNO3 administered either alone in drinking water or co-administered with H. hirta.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>NaNO3 treatment induced a significant increase in serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride while serum total protein level decreased significantly. Transaminases and lactate deshydrogenase activities in serum were elevated indicating hepatic cells' damage after treatment with NaNO3. The hyperbilirubinemia and the increased serum gamma glutamyl transferase activities suggested the presence of cholestasis in NaNO3 exposed rats. In parallel, a significant increase in malondialdehyde level along with a concomitant decrease in total glutathione content and superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were observed in the liver after NaNO3 treatment. Furthermore, nitrate caused a significant induction of DNA fragmentation. These modifications in NaNO3-treated rats corresponded histologically with hepatocellular necrosis and mononuclear cells infiltration. H. hirta supplementation showed a remarkable amelioration of the abnormalities cited above.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results concluded that the treatment with H. hirta had a significant role in protecting the animals from nitrate-induced liver dysfunction.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , DNA Fragmentation , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Eating , Flavonoids , Glutathione , Lipid Peroxidation , Lipids , Blood , Liver , Metabolism , Pathology , Nitrates , Organ Size , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Therapeutic Uses , Poaceae , Chemistry , Random Allocation , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
Deltamethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. It is known for its wide toxic manifestations. The present experiment pertains to the protective role of vitamin C against haematological and biochemical toxicity induced by deltamethrin during 4 weeks. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of eight each: Group I served as control rats; Group II received deltamethrin (1.28 mg/kg BW) in drinking water. Group III received both deltamethrin and vitamin C (200mg/kg BW; by i.p. injection); Group IV received vitamin C (200mg/kg BW). Exposure of rats to deltamethrin caused significant changes of some haematological parameters (red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Ht), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), platelet (Plt) and white blood cells (WBC)) in treated rats compared to controls. Significant increases in the levels of hepatic markers enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT)). Furthermore, renal markers such as urea and creatinine were increased in deltamethrin treated rats. Additionally, serum cholesterol and lipid peroxidation were significantly enhanced. Co-administration of vitamin C to the group III restored all the parameters cited above to near-normal values. Therefore, our investigation revealed that vitamin C appeared to be a promising agent for protection against deltamethrin-induced toxicity.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Ascorbic Acid/pharmacology , Insecticides/toxicity , Nitriles/toxicity , Pyrethrins/toxicity , Alanine Transaminase/metabolism , Alkaline Phosphatase/metabolism , Animals , Aspartate Aminotransferases/metabolism , Body Weight/drug effects , Eating/drug effects , Erythrocyte Indices , Hematologic Tests , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Male , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Weight Gain/drug effects , gamma-Glutamyltransferase/metabolismABSTRACT
Scorpion envenoming is less studied during gestation; however, it may induce various biological disturbances in maternal organism and hypothetical ones on their fetuses. The scope of this report was to elucidate some biological effects of such poisoning in late pregnant rats. Hence, TBARS levels in maternal lung, placental and fetal pulmonary and hepatic tissues and dam's biochemical blood parameters (glucose, creatinine, 17-beta estradiol, progesterone, blood nitrogen urea, sodium and potassium maternal plasma concentrations) had been evaluated after saline (G1), and scorpion venom (G2: 30 min and G3: 60 min) injections in 22nd day pregnant rats. Histological microscopic examination of these tissues was also carried out in HE-stained paraffin sections. In addition, the mean arterial blood pressure following the envenomation variations was measured in three rats from the same pool. Our results showed that Buthus occitanus tunetanus crude venom induced significant increase in maternal, placental and fetal tissues lipid peroxidation, concomitant with blood pressure elevation. Maternal plasma creatinine, estradiol and progesterone concentrations levelled up significantly after 30 min or later (60 min) after the venom injection. Except for a probable pronounced oedema and few congestions in maternal lungs and degenerative aspects of trophoblast cells, all examined tissues showed a conserved structure. These results suggest that scorpion envenomation may induce gestation process disturbances and threatens both mother's and fetus' well-being.
