Abstract
The observations of liver slices when treated with different concentrations of carbofuran were as follows:-
1.
increased LPO
2.
decreased SOD, CAT, & protein content in all the treatments
The observations of liver slices when treated with different concentrations of carbofuran along with vitamin C were as follows:-
1.
the levels of LPO, SOD, CAT & total protein content reinstated towards normal level only in liver slices treated with low concentration
2.
at higher concentration of carbofuran treatment Vitamin C does not ameliorate the hepatic toxicity induced by carbofuran
The
in vitro
liver slice culture may prove to be a useful model for hepatotoxicological studies and Vitamin C, as a hepatoprotectant in mammalian system.
Carbamates, most commonly used pesticides in agricultural practices, have been reported to produce free radicals causing deleterious effects in animals. The present study was designed to assess the carbofuran induced oxidative stress in rat liver slices
in vitro
and also to evaluate protective role of vitamin C by incubating them in Krebs-Ringer HEPES Buffer (KRHB) containing incubation media (Williams medium E (WME) supplemented with glucose and antibiotics) with different concentrations of carbofuran. The results demonstrated that carbofuran caused significant increase in lipid peroxidation and inhibition in the activity of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) in concentration dependent manner. The data with incubation medium reflected that carbofuran at lowest concentration caused an increase in SOD activity followed by its inhibition at higher concentration. Carbofuran treatment caused inhibition in the activity of catalase in liver slices and WME incubation medium. Pre-incubation of liver slices and the WME media with vitamin C restored the values of biochemical indices tested. The results indicated that carbofuran might induce oxidative stress in hepatocytes. The pretreatment with vitamin C may offer hepatoprotection from toxicity of pesticide at low concentration only.