Ethephon, an organophosphorous, a Fruit and Vegetable Ripener: Has potential hepatotoxic effects?

INTRODUCTION: In the recent years, ethephon, 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid, is one of the most commonly used plant growth regulators. At present, it is being used on fruits, vegetables, and cereals for promoting pre- and post-harvest ripening. The effect of artificial ripening has become questionable because of various health-related issues. This study was conducted to note the morphology of liver after ethephon administration as it is the site where chemicals undergo first pass metabolism and probably will be affected by ethephon. Materials and. METHODS: Adult Wistar albino rats were divided into experimental and control groups (10 each). Ethephon was administered at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day by a gavage tube in the experimental rats for 14 days. The animals were sacrificed within 24 h of the last dose; liver was dissected and processed for light microscopy. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were studied using an image-pro express analyzer. The data obtained from control and experimental groups were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In the experimental rats, the body weight was found to be significantly decreased. The orderly arrangement of hepatocytes was disrupted and was replaced by blood-filled sinusoids. At sites, hepatocytes appeared to be degenerated. Councilman bodies with pyknotic nuclei and inflammatory infiltrations were seen. The population per unit area of the hepatocytes and Kupffer cells was 29.53 ± 10.65 versus 44.18 ± 10.31 and 25.12 ± 4.41versus 13.05 ± 6.5 in experimental and control groups, respectively. The decrease of hepatocytes and increase of Kupffer cells were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The observations in the liver are probably indicative of degenerative changes associated with ethephon. Hence, we can conclude that this plant growth regulator, Fruit and Vegetable Ripener, has hepatotoxic potential. General awareness and regarding the use of such plant growth regulators is must to reduce the intake.

Assessment of the geometry of proximal femur for short cephalomedullary nail placement: An observational study in dry femora and living subjects.

BACKGROUND: Intramedullary devices have increasingly become popular and are widely used for fixation of unstable intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures. These implants have been designed taking into consideration of the anthropometry of the western population which varies from those of other ethnic groups. This study was carried out to assess the geometry of proximal femur for the placement of short cephalomedullary nails in our subset of patients and suggest suitable design modifications based on these parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the following three groups: (1) Anthropometric study of 101 adult human dry femora, (2) radiographs of the same femora, and (3) radiographs of the contralateral uninjured limb of 102 patients with intertrochanteric or subtrochanteric fractures. In Group 1, standard anthropometric techniques were used to measure neck shaft angle (NSA), minimal neck width (NW), trochanteric offset, and distance from the tip of greater trochanter (GT) to the lower border of lesser trochanter on the femoral shaft axis (distance X). In Group 2 and 3, the NSA, minimal NW, NW at 130° and 135°, trochanteric shaft angle (TSA), trochanteric offset, distance X, distance between the tip of GT and the point where the neck axis crosses the line joining the tip of the GT to the lower border of the lesser trochanter on the femoral shaft axis (distance Y), and canal width at 10, 15, and 20 cm from tip of GT were measured on standard radiographs. The values obtained in these three groups were pooled to obtain mean values. Various parameters of commonly used short cephalomedullary nails available for fixation of pertrochanteric fractures were obtained. These were compared to the results obtained to suggest suitable modifications in the nail designs for our subset of patients. RESULTS: The mean parameters observed were as follows: NSA 128.07° ± 4.97 (range 107°-141°), minimum NW 29.0 ± 2.8 mm (range 22-42 mm), NW at 130° 30.12 ± 2.86 mm (range 22.2-42.5 mm), NW at 135° 30.66 ± 3.02 mm (range 22.8-40.3 mm), TSA 10.45° ± 2.34° (range 3°-15.5°), distance X 65.73 ± 6.45 mm (range 28.6-88.4 mm), distance Y 38 ± 4.91 mm (range 16.6-55.3 mm), and canal width at 10, 15, and 20 cm from the tip of GT 13.46 ± 2.34 mm, 11.40 ± 2.27 mm, and 11.64 ± 2.04 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: The measurements of the proximal femur are not significantly different from other ethnic groups and are adequate to accept the current commonly available short cephalomedullary nails. However, certain modifications in the presently available short cephalomedullary nail designs are recommended for them to better fit the anatomy of our subset of population (a) two nails of 125° and 135°, (b) the medio-lateral angle at the level of 65 mm from the tip of the nail, (c) two femoral neck screw placements (35 and 45 mm from the tip of the nail), and (d) five different sizes of distal width for better fit in canal (9-13 mm).

Effect of ethephon on the liver in albino rats: A histomorphometric study.

BACKGROUND: Chemicals that are commonly used for artificial ripening and to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables are ethylene, ethane, calcium carbide, and ethephon. The present study was conducted to study the effect of ethephon on the morphometry of rat liver. METHODS: Ethephon was administered by oral gavage tube to 10 adult Wistar albino rats at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight/day for 14 days. Ten controls were maintained. The animals were sacrificed within 24 h of administering the last dose by perfusion with formal saline under anesthesia. Liver was dissected and processed for paraffin embedding. Histomorphometric studies were done on randomly selected sections of the liver and the data obtained were tabulated and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In the experimental rats, the hepatocytes had a mean long and short diameter of 15.02 ± 4.20 and 12.08 ± 3.02 µm, respectively. In the control animals, the mean long and short diameters were found to be 16.5 ± 3.59 and 13.9 ± 3.59 µm, respectively. The nucleus of the hepatocytes had a mean long and short diameter of 5.08 ± 1.93 and 5.08 ± 1.93 µm, respectively, in the ethephon-treated rats and 6.15 ± 1.72 and 6.05 ± 1.68 µm, respectively, in the control animals. The decrease in diameters of the hepatocytes and their nuclei was statistically significant. At some sites, the parenchyma showed pyknotic nucleus and inflammatory infiltrations. There was a statistically significant increase in the diameters of the central vein and sinusoids. Dilatation of the bile canaliculi was seen in between the hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: The plant growth regulator, insecticide, and fruit ripener, ethephon, caused inflammatory and degenerative changes in the liver with associated cholestasis, probably suggestive of toxic hepatitis.

Histomorphometric study of testis in deltamethrin treated albino rats.

Deltamethrin, a type II synthetic pyrethroid, has lead to a widespread concern over the potential adverse effects on human health. Adult Wistar albino rats, weighing 150-200 g, were divided into two groups of ten animals each. The group II rats were injected with deltamethrin (1 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally, for five days/week for a month. The group I were controls. Animals were sacrificed within 24 h of the last injection by perfusion under anesthesia. Paraffin sections (8 µm) were cut, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Histomorphometry was done. There was a decrease in the body weight but increase in the weight of the testis of rat. The mean vertical, antero-posterior and transverse diameter of the testis is reduced. The basement membrane enclosing the seminiferous tubules appeared thickened at sites. The number of seminiferous tubules per unit area is statistically significantly reduced. There was a generalized significant decrease in the diameter and the epithelium thickness (height) of the seminiferous tubules, associated collapse and distortion at sites of the tubules predominantly in the central region. The data obtained in the present work suggest that gonadal (testis) changes could seriously affect the reproductive potential of the rat.

Short-term effects of zoledronate on the histomorphology of osteoclast in young albino rats.

The present study was conducted to histomorphometrically evaluate the effects of short-term administration of zoledronate, a third generation bisphosphonate, on the metaphysis of the proximal end of tibia in twenty day old male albino rats. Zoledronate (2.8 µg/kg body weight), was daily given subcutaneously for eleven days. The animals were sacrificed; tibiae were dissected out and decalcified in EDTA. Seven micron thick, serial longitudinal paraffin sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined under a Zeiss light microscope and Image Pro-Express Analyzer. In zoledronate treated rats, a significant increase (p<0.05) in the number of osteoclasts was observed both in the regions of primary spongiosa (zoledronate treated: 6.41 ± 0.30/mm(2), control: 2.90 ± 0.28/mm(2)) and secondary spongiosa (zoledronate treated: 49.58 ± 0.84/mm(2), control: 31.81 ± 2.02/mm(2)) along with a significant increase (p<0.05) in the length of the metaphyseal region as compared to the control group. The number of nuclei per osteoclast and area of the osteoclast also showed a significant increase (p<0.001; p<0.05 respectively) following the uptake of zoledronate. The findings in the present study, suggest that the osteoclasts are the primary sites of action of zoledronate resulting in decreased osteoclastic activity, which would account for the great increase in the number and size of inactive osteoclasts resulting in marked cancellous bone formation.