Antioxidant enzymes activities and bilirubin level in adult rat treated with lead

Lead toxicity is closely related to its accumulation in several tissues and its interference with bioelements, whose role is critical for several biological processes. Recently, oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in lead toxicity. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of dose-dependent lead exposure on haematological and oxidative stress parameters. Adult male 'Wistar' rats (150-200 g) were divided into three groups: group [Pb 5] and group [Ph 15] received respectively 5 mg Pb2+ (n = 16) and 15 mg Pb2+/kg b.w. (n = 16) as lead acetate solution i.p. for a period of seven days. Group [T] (n = 16) served as control and received 15 mg Na+/kg b.w. as sodium acetate solution i.p. for the same period. All animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last injection. Blood superoxide dismutase (SOD) and blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and plasma bilirubin level were measured. Liver was quickly excised for the estimation of alteration in lipid peroxidation indices (MDA). Lead exposure induces, in both treated groups, a marked decline in haematocrit and haemoglobin levels (p < 0.01) when compared to control. The results show also a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in SOD activity, but only in group [Pb 15]. SOD activity did not decrease in group [Pb 5] in comparison with control (p > 0.05). However, lead exposure caused a light increase in GPx activity in group [Pb 15], which remains non-significant (p > 0.05) compared to control. Group [Pb 5] did not record significant changes in the activity of GPx. Lead exposure for a period of seven days resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in bilirubin level in group [Pb 15] compared to control. The bilirubin level from rats of group [Pb 5] did not reach a statistical significance. Changes in liver MDA content in lead-exposed rats from [Pb 5] and [Pb 15] groups did not reach a statistical (p < 0.05) significance. It is concluded that lead induces oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. No dose-dependent response was observed in blood GPx activity and liver MDA content. These results could be due to the short duration of the treatment.