The effect of toluene on oxidative processes in rat blood

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effects of toluene treatment on oxidative stress in rat blood. Since toluene metabolism produces reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, it was hypothesized that the toluene treatment would: 1) provoke changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, 2) impair the integrity of the cell membrane and 3) induce structural changes in the plasma proteins. Female Wistar rats were treated with toluene intraperitonally, at a daily dose of 0.38 mmol/kg body weight for 12 days, and 5 mmol/kg body weight for 6 days, respectively, with propylene glycol as the carrier. Toluene significantly increased superoxide dismutase activity at low doses, catalase activity at high doses and the level of erythrocytes malondialdehyde in both treated groups when compared to the control group. The nitrite ( ? 2 NO ) level in both treated groups was not different from that in the control animals. Toluene caused oxidative modification of plasma proteins and, consequently, changes in the concentration of glycoproteins and lipoproteins when compared to the control group. The observed alterations indicate that toluene treatment might be involved in free radical processes.

U ovom radu je ispitivan uticaj toluena na oksidativni stres u krvi pacova. S obzirom na to da metabolizam toluena dovodi do stvaranja reaktivnih kiseoničnih i azotovih vrsta, pretpostavljeno je da tretiranje pacova različitim koncentracijama toluena dovodi do 1) promene u aktivnosti enzima antioksidativne odbrane, 2) narušavanja integriteta ćelijske membrane i 3) strukturnih promena kod plazma proteina. Ženke pacova soja Wistar su podeljene u tri grupe: I grupa - kontrolna, II i III grupa - pacovi tretirani i.p. toluenom svakodnevno 12 i 6 dana, dozom od 0,38 mmol/kg telesne mase i 5,0 mmol/kg telesne mese. Toluen je statistički značajno povećavao aktivnost SOD u II grupi i aktivnost CAT u III grupi, dok je sadržaj MDA bio značajno povećan u obe grupe u poređenju sa kontrolnom grupom. Sniženje? 2 NO u obe tretirane grupe nije bilo statistički značajno u odnosu na kontrolnu grupu. Toluen je doveo do oksidativnih promena plazma proteina, a samim tim i do promene koncentracije gliko- i lipoproteina u odnosu na kontrolnu grupu. Dokazane promene ukazuju na to da tretiranje toluenom izaziva slobodno-radikalske procese.