Abstract
Crude oil is found in water and soil due to pollution resulting from oil exploration and exploitation. It is used as traditional medicine in some countries, especially among rural dwellers in the south-south and south-eastern Nigeria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Escravos crude oil on serum cholesterol, estradiol and progesterone in the ovary of Chinchilla rabbits. A total of thirty female Chinchilla rabbits of age twelve to fourteen weeks and weighing 1.2 to 1.45 kg were used. Crude oil was orally given at the dose of 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg/kg body weight, corresponding to groups B, C, D and E, respectively for 28 days while group A was the Control. The results showed a significant increase in serum levels of estradiol, cholesterol and ovary weight (p < 0.05) while a significant decrease in serum level of progesterone (p < 0.05) was observed. The histological findings include: ovarian cysts, fibrosis, marked lymphocytic infiltrations and hydropic cells. Therefore, Escravos crude oil could be considered as a potential endocrine disruptor which can affect the tissue architecture and the endocrine functions of the ovary. Key words: Chinchilla rabbits, Escravos crude oil, estradiol, fibrosis, hydropic cells, progesterone, ovarian cysts, total cholesterol.
Highlights
Oil spills are a common event in Nigeria and occurs due to a number of causes including: corrosion of pipelines and tankers, sabotage (28%) and oil production operations (21%), with 1% of the spills being accounted for by inadequate or nonfunctional production equipment
After two days of the crude oil administration, the animals in the treated groups D and E became restless. The latter was followed by loss of appetite and decreased locomotion
The significant increase in the weight of the ovary observed in this study could be linked to the enlarged follicles (Figure 2) and the hydropic cells (Figures 3 to 5) seen in the ovary, while the decreased change in body weight (Table 1) in the treated groups could be due to the loss of appetite at the beginning of the study
Summary
Oil spills are a common event in Nigeria and occurs due to a number of causes including: corrosion of pipelines and tankers (accounting for 50% of all spills), sabotage (28%) and oil production operations (21%), with 1% of the spills being accounted for by inadequate or nonfunctional production equipment. The largest contributor to the oil spill in total, besides corrosion of pipes and tanks, is the rupturing or leaking of production infrastructures that are described as “very old and lack regular inspection and maintenance” (Nwilo and Badejo, 2001). Within some Nigerian rural population, crude oil is orally ingested for medicinal purposes. According to Dede et al (2002), cases of misuse of this substance by individuals have been reported, as it is known to be used liberally by some of the indigenes who believe that it can repel witches when applied topically or given orally to afflicted individuals, while other countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Tunisia depend on crude oil for unorthodox treatment of ailments such as stomach ache, diarrhoea, respiratory distress
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