1PhD Research Scholar, Institute of Forensic Science & Criminology, Panjab University, Chandigarh
2Professor, Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering & Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh , India160 014
3Assistant Professor, Institute of Forensic Science & Criminology, Panjab University, Chandigarh
*Corresponding Author : Dr. Shweta Sharma, Assistant Professor (Chemistry), Institute of Forensic Science & Criminology, Punjab University, Chandigarh, INDIA160 014 Contact : +91-172-2534121(O)+91-9872688577 (M) Email : 25shweta@pu.ac.in
Hepatotoxicity of cypermethrin (CYP) has been widely studied. However, the adverse outcomes of sub-chronic exposure have not been adequately estimated. This study was performed on Balb/c mice to investigate the changes in liver function enzymes and liver structure after exposure to low dose CYP in mice.
Male Balb/c mice were segregated into two groups with Group I serving as the normal control. Group II mice were given 2.5 mg/kg CYP dose orally once in a week for 56 days. Liver damage was assessed by performing liver function tests i.e. AST, ALT and ALP along with histological analysis of liver by H&E staining followed by visualization under the microscope.
The changes in liver enzyme activities and histo-architecture of liver cells show that exposure to CYP leads to time-dependent changes in the liver. The study reveals that low exposure to cypermethrin for longer periods of time results in liver injury damaging the normal organization of the tissue. It also induces noteworthy elevation in hepatic markers enzymes viz. ALT, AST, ALP along with necrosis, extensive vacuolar degeneration and decrease in number of hepatocytes. We found that CYP was able to generate elevation in the expression of p53 (0.036) and p21 (0.0076) and decrease in CDK4 (p=0.0224) CDK2 (p=0.0458) thus suggesting a role of cell cycle regulatory genes in the CYP caused liver toxicity.
These findings yield the evidence of sub-chronic CYP-induced toxicity in liver cells by showing changes in liver enzyme activity, histology and cell cycle regulatory genes in the liver of Balb/c mice.
Cypermethrin, Pyrethroid toxicity, Domestic exposure, Liver damage, Forensic cases, Liver enzyme activity
