Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Bikaner (Rajasthan)
Online published on 19 December, 2013.
Immunotoxicants are factors of the external environment, which cause significant changes in the immune mechanisms in humans and animals. Present study was planned to know the toxic effect of acephate on immune organs. Mice were divided into four different groups each comprising of eight mice. The group C1 was administered normal saline and served as pesticide vehicle control. Group T1, T2 and T3 were given as 1/40th (low dose), 1/30th (medium dose) and 1/20th of LD50 (high dose) of acephate suspended in normal saline respectively. Spleen and thymus weight were recorded and collected for histopathological examinations after 28 days study. Live animal weight was also recorded for calculation of immune organ to body weight ratio. There was significant decrease in spleen to b.wt ratio in only high dose acephate treated group (T3) in comparison to pesticide vehicle control. Acephate treated animals had nonsignificant decrease in thymus to body weight ratio.Congestion was observed in spleen of medium and high dose acephate treated groups. Microscopic examination of spleen revealed lymphoid depletion in medium and high dose of acephate treated groups. No gross and microscopic changes were observed in thymus of all groups treated with acephate.
