Chronic diazinon exposure: pathologies of spleen, thymus, blood cells, and lymph nodes are modulated by dietary protein or lipid in the mouse

Abstract

Little is known about the immunotoxicity of the organophosphate pesticide, diazinon. This study aims at detailing the pathologies in the thymus, spleen, blood cells, and lymph nodes (brachial, mesenteric, and hind quarter gluteal nodes) during chronic oral exposure (300 mg diazinon kg −1 food for 45 days), and explore the combined toxicity with excess dietary protein (40%) or lipid (20% corn oil). Animals were allowed to recover on normal food for 2 weeks. All experimental treatments caused organ pathologies, including necrotic degeneration of the trabeculae (spleen and thymus), hyperplasia of the cortex and medulla (thymus and lymph nodes), hyperplasia of white and red pulp (spleen), and sometimes haemorrhage (all tissues). Blood smears often showed crenated/hypochromic red cells and vacuolated white cells with abnormal nuclei. The severity of lesions during exposure was generally in the following order: lipid<protein<diazinon alone<protein plus diazinon<lipid plus diazinon. Post-exposure recovery was limited, especially in the thymus and for lipid treatments. Quantitative image analysis revealed treatment and organ-specific changes in the proportions of fixed lymphocytes, PAS-positive carbohydrates, DNA, and protein staining. Histochemical changes were greatest after exposure. We conclude that the immunotoxicity of diazinon is exacerbated by excess dietary protein or lipid. The limited recovery and post-exposure histochemical changes imply deleterious effects on metabolism with oxidative stress after exposure.