ACUTE ORAL GALLIUM-ARSENIDE EXPOSURE AND CHANGES IN CERTAIN HEMATOLOGICAL, HEPATIC, RENAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL INDEXES AT DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS IN MALE WISTAR RATS
Sjs. Flora et al., ACUTE ORAL GALLIUM-ARSENIDE EXPOSURE AND CHANGES IN CERTAIN HEMATOLOGICAL, HEPATIC, RENAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL INDEXES AT DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS IN MALE WISTAR RATS, Toxicology letters, 94(2), 1998, pp. 103-113
Male albino rats were given a single oral dose of gallium arsenide (Ga
As) (100, 200 or 500 mg/kg). Erythrocyte delta-aminolevulinic acid deh
ydratase (ALAD) activity was inhibited in all the three GaAs-exposed g
roups accompanied by elevated urinary excretion of ALA. A significant
increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, and gamma
-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT) was observed. A significant increas
e in hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and a decrease in hepatic glutathio
ne contents were also noted. Renal alkaline phosphatase activity, urin
ary ALA and protein excretion increased significantly on GaAs exposure
. These changes were accompanied by significant alterations in almost
all the immunological variables, with an increase in gallium and arsen
ic concentration in blood and soft tissues. While most of the above bi
ochemical alterations were prominent at day 7 following single exposur
e to 200 and 500 mg/kg GaAs. most of the immunological indices altered
with all the three doses and remained high even at day 21. The result
s suggest only a moderate effect of GaAs on renal and hepatic tissues.
By contrast, immunological and haematological systems are the most vu
lnerable to the toxic effects of GaAs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Irela
nd Ltd. All rights reserved.