AN INVESTIGATION ON THE HEPATOTOXIC EFFECTS OF GASOLINE ON MALE WISTER RATS

*Seriki A. Samuel, Adebayo O. Francis, Ike C. Emmanuel, Nnanna J. Uche

ABSTRACT

The present study investigates the hepatotoxic effects of inhaled gasoline and gasoline contaminated diets on male wistar albino rats after four weeks of chronic exposure. Twelve (12) wistar albino rats were divided into three groups of four rats per group. Group One was established as the control group and was given normal rat feed and water, Group Two was subjected to gasoline inhalation, and Group Three was treated with gasoline contaminated feed. The LD50 value of gasoline was obtained as 128 mL kg-1body weight of rats. The animals exhibited changes in behavioural pattern such as respiratory distress and sedation. The animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation 24 hours after the final day of administration. Serum alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphate (ALP) levels, four weeks after feeding the rats with gasoline contaminated diets increased significantly (p≤0.05). Also, these parameters (ALT, AST, and ALP) increased significantly, four weeks after subjecting the rats to gasoline inhalation (p≤0.05). Feeding the rats with gasoline contaminated feed for four weeks also resulted in remarkable decrease in final body weights and percentage weight increase of test animals compared to control group. This significant decrease was also seen in the group subjected to gasoline inhalation for four weeks. Histological examination of the liver indicated that gasoline contaminated diets induced significant degenerative changes in the structural integrity of the hepatic cells. These degenerative changes were also observed in the rats subjected to gasoline inhalation. The results obtained in this study suggest that long term inhalation and ingestion of gasoline induced stress which impaired liver structural integrity and functions.

Keywords: Gasoline, Hepatotoxicity, Liver, Structural Integrity, Liver Functions, cytolethality, Aspartateaminotransferase (AST), Alanineaminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP.