Abstract
Study aim: More is still to be known about the combinative effect of lead and arsenic compounds on critical organs. In this study, the effect of single and combined exposure to lead and arsenic on some biomarkers associated with liver and kidney functions in healthy Wistar rats was assessed. Method: The rats were divided into four groups (n = 5) and were treated with sodium arsenite or lead acetate individually or in combination for 14 days. Results: The results revealed that single exposure to either compound caused significant increase in the hepatic transaminases and alkaline phosphatase. Significant decrease in serum proteins and glucose concentration were also observed with morphological changes in the liver of treated rats as discovered by the photomicrographs from light microscopy indicating hepatotoxicity. Similarly, significant increase in the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine concentration with simultaneous rise in the concentrations of serum potassium and sodium were observed. The photomicrographs of the kidney from light microscopy showed congestion in the interstitial spaces indicating compromised function of the kidney. The combination of the two metals demonstrated the enhanced effect on these parameters when likened with their individual treatments. Conclusion: This study therefore proves the enhanced toxicity induced by co-exposure to lead acetate and sodium arsenite among biomarkers of liver and kidney functions in Wistar rats.
Highlights
Lead is a very important toxic heavy metal in the environment, it is abundantly distributed globally
Sodium arsenite groups gained weights significantly when compared with control (P
[37] There was a significant increase in the blood urea concentration (Figure 8) in this study in lead acetate and sodium arsenite groups which was enhanced by both metals, this may be an indication that the function of the kidney has been compromised, since overproduction of urea has been associated with non-renal factors, we assessed other biomarkers of renal function to ascertain this inference. [38]
Summary
Lead is a very important toxic heavy metal in the environment, it is abundantly distributed globally. [1] It has important properties like malleability, ductility, poor conductibility and resistance to corrosion which make it highly useful It is nonbiodegradable, this property makes it and its compounds accumulate in the environment thereby causing a lot of hazards. The toxic effects induced by individual exposure to arsenic and lead on hepatic and renal tissues have been reported [9] but humans get exposed simultaneously to more than one toxicant in the atmosphere. [10] reports exist on occupational and environmental co-exposure to many other heavy metals including As and Pb, [11,12,13,14] there is dearth of detailed information as regards the extent of the induced toxicities in organs critical for their metabolism and detoxification. Due to continuous exposure to various combined toxicants, it may not be a misguided research priority to assess the toxicological effects induced by mixture of these toxicants on these crucial organs, we carried out this work
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