| Popis: |
Objective. Little is known about lead toxic effects on lung tissue. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to estimate the values of selected parameters related to oxidative stress in the lung of rats exposed to lead acetate. Material and methods. Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (n=10) and lead-treated (n=10). The lead-treated group was fed with regular rat chow and distilled water supplemented with lead acetate (1200 ppm) for 7 days. In lung homogenates, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD, CuZn-SOD, Mn-SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were determined. Results. The activity of catalase was significantly higher in the lung of lead-treated rats than in controls by 98%. Similarly, the activities of GPx and GR were higher by 57% and 45%, respectively. The level of MDA was also higher in lead-exposed rats than in the control group by 52%. The remaining parameters did not differ between the studied groups. Conclusions. Lead exposure stimulates antioxidant defense mechanisms in rat lung; however, these mechanisms are insufficient to prevent lead-induced oxidative stress development. |
