Impacts of Acute Toxicity of Heavy Metals (Hg And Pb) On Liver Enzymes of Normal Albino Wistar Rats
Keywords:
Acute Toicity, Mercury Chloride, lead nitrate, liver enzymes, Albino Wistar ratAbstract
Communication in Physical Sciences, 2024, 11(4): 881-886
Authors: Dorathy Edet Etim and Aniebiet Mmekuwem Essien
Received: 12 March 2024/Accepted: 14 September 2024
This study investigates the effects of acute toxicity from heavy metals (mercury chloride and lead nitrate) on the liver enzymes of normal albino Wistar rats. Sixteen male albino rats (292-297 g) were divided into four groups, with four rats in each group. Groups 1, 2, and 3 were exposed to 40% of the lethal dose (LD50) of lead nitrate, mercury chloride, and a combination of both metals, respectively. Group 4 served as the control group. All animals had access to commercial rat mash and water during the one-week experimental period. Animals in groups 2 and 3, treated with mercury chloride and the combination of the two metals, died within a day after exposure. The results showed no significant decrease (P > 0.05) in mean serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in group 1 when compared to the control. The mean serum alanine transaminase (ALT) in group 1 also showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) compared to the control. The findings indicate that the toxicity of mercury chloride and the combination of mercury chloride and lead nitrate was lethal, leading to the death of the rats. Although lead nitrate alone altered liver enzyme levels, it did not cause fatality. Therefore, human exposure to these heavy metals should be avoided to prevent deleterious effects.
Downloads
References
Afify, G. and and El-Beltagi, S. (2011). A Review on Laboratory Live Function Tests. The Pan African Medical Journal 3, 17, pp. 17-21.
Bose-O’Reilly, S., McCarty, K. M., Steckling, N., & Lettmeier, B. (2010). Mercury exposure and children’s health. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 40(, 8, pp. 186-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2010.07.002
Duruibe, J. O., Ogwuegbu, O. and Egwurugwu, J. N. (2007). Heavy Metal Pollution and Human Biotic Effects. International Journal of Physical Science. 2, 5, pp. 112-118.
El-Tantawy, W. H., Soliman, N. A., & El-Nekeety, A. A. (2016). Protective role of plant extracts against liver damage induced by heavy metals: A review. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 46, pp. 367-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2016.08.017
Flora, G., Gupta, D., & Tiwari, A. (2012). Toxicity of lead: A review with recent updates. Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 5, 2, pp. 47-58. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10102-012-0009-2
Gaskill, C. L., Miller, L. M., Mattoon, J. S., & Hoffmann, W. E. (2005). Liver enzyme interpretation: Assessment of liver function tests. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 19, 1, pp. 231-241. https://doi.org/10.1892/0891-6640(2005)19[231:LEIALF]2.0.CO;2
Gupta, R., Dubey, A., Kannan, G. M., & Flora, S. J. (2015). Concomitant exposure to arsenic and fluoride on cardiovascular risk in rats. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 40, 1, pp. 142-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2015.04.017
Gurer-Orhan, H., Sabir, H. U., & Ozgunes, H. (2020). Correlation between clinical liver tests and liver function in lead and mercury toxicity. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, 34, 9, e22571. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbt.22571
Ibrahim, E., Martin, S. and Griswold, W. (2012). Human Health Effects of Heavy Metals. Environmental Science and Technology Briefs for Citizens, 15, pp,. 1 - 6.
Jaishankar, M., Tseten, T., Anbalagan, N., Mathew, B. B., & Beeregowda, K. N. (2014). Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals. Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 7, 2, pp. 60-72. https://doi.org/10.2478/intox-2014-0009
Maleka, A., Jarmuszkiewicz, W. and Tomaszewska, B. (2001). Antioxidative Defense to Lead Stress in subcellular Compartments of pea root. Cells. 48, pp.687 - 698.
Nabil, M., Selim, Y., & El-Dahshan, A. (2013). Hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of lead nitrate in rats. International Journal of Toxicology and Pharmacology Research, 5, 4, pp. 56-63. https://doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2013.2.19-23
Offor, S. S., Mbagwu, H. C. and Orisakwe, O. E. (2017). Lead induced hepatotenal Damage in Male Albino Rats and Effect of Activated Charcoal. Journal of Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, 19, 8, pp. 107-109.
Sanders, T., Liu, Y., Buchner, V., & Tchounwou, P. B. (2009). Neurotoxic effects and biomarkers of lead exposure: A review. Reviews on Environmental Health, 24, 1, pp. 15-45. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh.2009.24.1.15
Soilivaj, A. (1996). Heavy Metals, Occurrence and toxicity for plants. Journal of Environmental Chemistry, 8, 3, pp. 199-216.
Tchounwou, P. B., Yedjou, C. G., Patlolla, A. K., & Sutton, D. J. (2012). Heavy metal toxicity and the environment. EXS, 101, pp. 133-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8340-4_6
Tchounwou, P. B., Yedjou, C. G., Patlolla, A. K., & Sutton, D. J. (2012). Heavy metal toxicity and the environment. EXS, 101, pp. 133-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8340-4_6
Wuana, R. A., & Okieimen, F. E. (2011). Heavy metals in contaminated soils: A review of sources, chemistry, risks and best available strategies for remediation. ISRN Ecology, 2011, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.5402/2011/402647.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal and Author
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
