IRANIAN JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY
Year:2017 | Volume:11 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

Background: Stress may cause damages to DNA or/and change the ability of the cells to overcome these damages. It may also cause irregularities in the cell cycle and induce abnormal cell divisions through glucocorticoid-dependent functions. The abnormal cell divisions, in turn, lead to chromosomal mal-segregation and aneuploidy. In this study, the effects of the stress hormone, hydrocortisone (HYD), were investigated on the induced chromosomal abnormalities by vinblastine (VIN) during cell cycle in L929 cells.Methods: This work was performed in winter 2013 at Department of Biology, University of Ferdowsi, Mashhad, Iran. Cultured cells were divided into different groups including control, VINtreated, HYD treated and VIN+HYD co-treated cells. The induced chromosomal damages were investigated by micronucleus assay in cytokinesis-blocked binucleated cells.Results: Although HYD by itself did not increase the micronuclei (Mn) frequency, co-treatment of cells with VIN and HYD led to significant increase (P<0.05) in the frequency of Mn in comparison to control and VIN treated groups.Conclusion: Cells treated with stress hormone are more sensitive to damages induced by VIN.Therefore, stress may not directly result in genetic instability, it can increase the harmful effects associated with other genotoxic agents.

Background: Sodium hypochlorite is found in bleaching agents used to cleaning dishes and bleach laundry. The ingestion of sodium hypochlorite causes acute corrosive esophagitis and gastritis. In establishing the diagnosis and therapeutic approach of acute corrosive poisonings, the upper endoscopy has great importance. The aim of this study was to determine predictive factors of gastrointestinal injuries that mandate early endoscopy.Methods: This study consisted of 65 patients presented to Loghman Hakim Toxicology Center, Tehran, Iran with history of sodium hypochlorite bleach exposure from 2010 to 2014. The postcorrosive damage classified according to Kikendal’s grading.Results: There were a total of 19 males and 46 females with a mean age of 34.21 yr old. In upper GI endoscopy, 20% of poisoned patients had abnormal findings. Male gender (P=0.029), presence of hoarseness (P=0.044), nausea and vomiting (P=0.007), sialorrhea (P=0.044) and higher age (P=0.05) were associated with the occurrence of gastrointestinal injuries, but only male gender (OR=5.04), nausea and vomiting (OR=8.97) were independent predictors of gastrointestinal injuries (P=0.03 and P=0.03, respectively).Conclusion: We proposed five factors associated with gastrointestinal injuries, which could be important factors that mandate urgent endoscopy.

Background: This study was performed to investigate the adverse effects of acute lead intoxication on hemogram, erythrocyte osmotic fragility and oxidant/antioxidant status and the probable ameliorating effect of silymarin in comparison to d-penicillamine.Methods: Forty-eight albino rats were divided in 8 groups and received the following treatments in a 10 day experiment in Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, southwest Iran in 2015. Group 1: Normal saline as control; Group 2: 25 mg/kg lead acetate, intraperitoneally (IP) for the last 5 days; Group 3: 100 mg/kg D-penicillamine, IP for the last 5 days; Group 4: 200 mg/kg silymarin, orally for 10 days; Group 5, 6, 7 and 8: In addition to lead, they received D-penicillamine, for the last 5 days, silymarin for 10 days, a combination of silymarin for 10 days and D-penicillamine for the last 5 days, and silymarin for the last 5 days, respectively.Results: Lead exposure induced a significant microcytic anemia accompanied by a significant elevation in total leukocyte, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathion peroxidase (Gpx) activities were significantly increased along with a significant elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in lead treated rats. Activities of SOD and Gpx were significantly alleviated by silymarin administration for 10 days while both Dpenicillamine and silymarin could significantly reduce MDA concentration.Conclusion: Acute lead exposure induced significant leukocytosis and anemia that was associated with increased activity of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation.Silymarin in contrast to D-penicillamine treatment was more effective in preventing lead-induced oxidative stress in erythrocytes.

Background: The aim of the present study was to find the effects of cadmium (Cd) on Japanese quail on the role of an animal model in order to understand the toxicity of Cd in creatures presented, within the environment.Methods: One hundred 30-day-old male Japanese quails were equally divided into the control group and Cd group. The control group received no Cd while the Cd group was given formula feed comprised of 100 ppm of Cd (CdCl2, Merck, Germany) for sixty days. The histological and functional alteration in the liver and kidneys and the response of antioxidants were determined.Results: Histological changes in the liver increased the number of kuppfer cells, vacuolar degeneration, and hepatocytes single cell necrosis in the Cd group. The renal histopathological changes were hyaline cast in renal tubules and necrosis and swelling of tubular epithelial cells.The level of aminotransferases (ALT and AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine rose significantly in the Cd group toward the control group (P<0.05). The antioxidants (SOD, CAT and GSH) levels considerably diminished, while lipid peroxidation proliferated substantially in the hepatic and renal tissues of Japanese quails in the CD group (P<0.05).Conclusion: Presentation to dietary Cd (100mg/kg diet) for 60 reduces the body weights gain and induces the histological and functional alteration in the liver and kidneys of Japanese quail as well as cellular antioxidant alterations.

Background: We aimed to evaluate effect of Euphorbia royleana exposure on histocytology of corpuscles of Stannius in fish, Heteropneustes fossilis.Methods: Fish were subjected to 2.47 mg/L and 0.618 mg/L of E. royleana for short-term and long-term exposure, respectively. Blood samples were collected on 24, 48, 72 and 96 h in shortterm and after 7, 14, 21, and 28 d in long-term experiment and analyzed for serum calcium levels.Corpuscles of Stannius were fixed on these intervals.Results: Serum calcium levels of H. fossilis decline progressively from 48 h until 96 h following theE. royleana exposures. Serum calcium levels decreased on 7 d. This decrease continued until close of the experiment. After 96 h treatment, AF–positive cells of CS exhibit increased granulation. Nuclear volume of these cells exhibited no change throughout short-term treatment.Increased nuclear volume of AF– negative cells of CS is noticed at 96 h. Nuclear volume of AFpositive cells decreases after 14 d and onwards. The AF–positive cells exhibit increased granulation following 21 d exposure. After 28 d these changes are intensified and few degenerating cells have been encountered. AF–negative cells of CS increase in their nuclear volume 21 d onwards.Conclusion: The botanical pesticide induced severe changes in the corpuscles of Stannius of catfish. This gland controls the calcium level in fish and thus the use ofE. royleana should not be done near water reservoirs.

Background: Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) products. Several pharmaceutical products have been stored in PET containers, and due to serious health effects of phthalates, migration levels of them into pharmaceutical products must be determined. In the present study, leaching levels of four common phthalate esters including di-nbutyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and Di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into various types of infusion fluids form four different commercial brand were investigated.Methods: Trace levels of phthalate esters were successfully extracted by a dispersive liquidliquid microextraction (DLLME) method using acetonitrile as dispersive and CCL4 as an extraction solvent and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Results: Different levels DEHP were detected in all samples (mean=10.55±6.88 and maximum=19.7 ppb). While no levels of other phthalates were detected in some samples, some other contained up to 25.1±17.7, 15.4±8.3, 8.1 ppb DEP, DBP, and BBP respectively. Mean total phthalate ester (TPE) levels in infusion fluids were 7.92±5.68 ppb. Phthalate leaching into normal saline was significantly lower than other types of serums and brand ID#3’ products contain minimum phthalate levels compared to other brands.Conclusions: Hospitalized patient particularly those who regularly take serum-therapy and children are at significant risk of phthalate exposure via intravenous fluids receiving.

Background: The area of contaminated lands exposed to the health risk of environmental pollutants is a matter of argument. In this study, a new method was developed to estimate the amount of area that is exposed to higher than normal levels of Cr, Mn, and V.Methods: Overall, 170 soil samples were collected from the upper 10 cm of soil in an arid area in central part of Iran in Semnan Province. The values of Cr, Mn, and V were detected by ICP-OES technique. A geostatistical method known as sequential Gaussian co-simulation was applied to consider the spatial risk of these toxic elements.Results: The moderate spatial dependence of Cr indicates the contribution of both intrinsic and extrinsic factor to the levels of this heavy metal in the study area, whereas, Mn and V can be attributed to intrinsic factors (such as lithology). There has not been any significant influence due to agricultural practices on the Cr values in the region. The surface of contaminated area for manganese, produced by risk curve on surface method, was higher than chromium and vanadium.Conclusion: The produced risk curves as rendered in this study can be adopted in similar studies to help managers to estimate the total area that requires cleanup action.

Background: Arsenic as an environmental toxicant is able to induced oxidative stress. The present study aimed to evaluate of vitamin C supplementation on the paraoxonase1 (PON1) arylesterase activity (responsible for hydrolysing lipid-peroxides) in rat exposed to arsenic.Methods: The study was conducted in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tabriz Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran in 20015. Thirty-two adult male rats weighing 200-350 g were randomly divided into 4 groups: group I (Normal healthy rat), group II [treated with sodium arsenite (100 ppm in drinking water)], group III [treated with vitamin C supplementation (200 mg/kg via gavage)] group IV (treated with sodium arsenite and vitamin c 100 ppm and 200 mg/kg respectively).Results: Vitamin C supplementation increased paraoxonase1 (PON1) arylesterase activity (P<0.05) but had no significant effect on serum levels of HDL, triglyceride and cholesterol.Conclusion: PON1 arylesterase activity is independent of changes in HDL and lipid profile, and vitamin C with different mechanisms such as radical scavenging activity and reduction of oxidative stress leads to increased activity of paraoxonase.