Evaluation of hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects of hexachlorobenzene, DDT and p,p-DDE in rats

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) pose a threat to the human health because of their long-lasting presence in the environment and bio-accumulative properties in organisms. There have been numerous reports on neurotoxic, carcinogenic, immunotoxin, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, cytotoxic, and endocrine disruptor effects of several persistent compounds. In the present study, three OCPs have been selected to be examined for their hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects in male rats. While the current literature reports on some indicators, no empirical findings were found for the effects of DDT and DDE on liver enzymes: ALT, AST and ALP. In the experiment, four groups of 8 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were researched: Control, HCB (5 mg/ kg), p,p-DDE (5mg/ kg), and DDT (5 mg/ kg). Each of the experimental group rats received daily dosages for 18 days. Concentrations of liver and kidney indicators in serum were analyzed. The findings of the experiment shows that the majority of liver indicators: bilirubin (TBIL), cholesterol (CHOL), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), triglycerides (TRIG), glucose (GLU), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were not significantly affected by the administration of OCP dosages among the DDE, DDT, and HCB groups based on the one-way ANOVA analysis at the 0.05 level. However, results from alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) indicated that its levels were significantly lower for the DDE and DDT group in comparison with the control group at the same significance level. The kidney indicators in the experiment: creatinine (CREA) and urea, were not significantly affected by the administration of OCP dosages among the DDE, DDT, and HCB groups based on the one-way ANOVA analysis at the 0.05 level. It is concluded that OCP dosage and length of exposure play major roles in toxicity levels. Keywords: Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); Liver, Kidney