Abstract
Indiscriminate application of fenitrothion has led to environmental pollution and severe health problems. Accordingly, this study was conducted to evaluate the hepatotoxic and histopathological changes induced by the pesticide fenitrothion (FNT) in the liver of adult Wistar rats. The study consisted of three different treatment groups. Each group was divided into two sub-groups containing an equal number of animals that received a daily treatment for two different experimental periods, of 14 and 28 days, as follows: G1, control group; G2, low-dose administration of FNT (1/60 of the LD50); and G3, high-dose administration of FNT (1/20 of the LD50). Results: Significant alterations in the histology of the liver were observed. Transmission electron microscopy examinations revealed histopathological damage to different organelles of the liver. Damage to the liver samples was confirmed by morphological and histological measures. FNT caused significant alterations in measures of the nucleus, mitochondria, and Kupffer cell nuclei compared with the control samples. Conclusion: FNT caused cytological changes in the liver of Wistar rats and the damage intensity was correlated with an increase in FNT dose and the duration of administration.