EFFECT OF PARAQUAT INTOXICATION AND AMBROXOL TREATMENT ON HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE PRODUCTION AND LIPID-PEROXIDATION IN SELECTED ORGANS OF RAT

Paraquat (Pq) is a herbicide which is very toxic to all animals and to man, It generates free radicals and leads to acute or chronic lung in jury and usually to death, So far, the role of lipid peroxidation of c ell membranes in the mechanism of its toxicity has not been proved sat isfactorily and therefore in the present study we examined the concent ration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and various lipid peroxidation prod ucts (LPP) such as conjugated dienes (CD), lipid hydroperoxides (LH), malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and Schiff bases in selected organs of the rat given a single intraperitoneal dose 35 mg kg(-1) Pq, We also evaluate d the influence of a mucolytic and probably antioxidant drug, ambroxol , on Pq-induced changes in the concentration of H2O2 and LPP, Paraquat increased the hepatic concentration of H2O2, CD, LH and MDA by approx imately fourfold, Though the dose of Pq was nearly twice the LD(50) do se, we did not notice any changes in the concentration of these substa nces in the critical organ, lung or heart and kidney, Ambroxol allevia ted the increase of H2O2 in the liver but did not reduce the concentra tion of LPP, Moreover, the drug administered alone induced lipid perox idation in the liver, Our results indicate that Pq does not induce H2O 2 production and lipid peroxidation in the lung but it increases the c oncentration of H2O2 and LPP in the liver, Ambroxol inhibits the Pq-in duced increase in the concentration of H2O2 in the liver without prote cting it against lipid peroxidation, Moreover, the drug alone may act as a pro-oxidant.