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Abstract SUMMARY The present work was designed to evaluate the protective and therapeutic effects of Aloe vera on various haematological and biochemical aspects in young male rabbits intoxicated with malathion pesticide. After oral administration of Aloe vera juice and malathion to rabbits, alterations in some haematological and biochemical indices were studied. The haematological parameters included RBCs, WBCs, Hb, Hct, MCV, MCH and MCHC, and the biochemical parameters included LDH, AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin, creatinine, uric acid, urea, total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, triglycerides, total cholesterol, total lipids, glucose, T3, T4, and growth hormone. Rabbits were allocated into two sets of experiments included rabbits treated for short (7days) and long (21 days) terms (periods). The number of animals used for each term was fifty six rabbits. Animals of the first set of experiments (treated for a short period; 7 days) were divided into eight groups (7 rabbits each). The eight groups consisted of four treated groups (treated groups 1-4) and four control groups (control groups 1-4); where each treated group had its own control group. - Group (1): Each rabbit in this group was orally given 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. Aloe vera juice for seven days. - Control (1): Each rabbit in this group was orally administrated 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. distilled water for seven days. - Group (2): Each rabbit in this group was orally Summary160 supplemented with 5 mg/kg b.wt. malathion for seven days. - Control (2): Each rabbit in this group was orally received 0.52 ml/kg b.wt. absolute ethyl alcohol for seven days. - Group (3): Each rabbit in this group was given 5 mg/kg b.wt. malathion in concomitant with 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. Aloe vera juice orally for seven days. This group served as a protective group. - Control (3): Each rabbit in this group was orally supplied with 0.52 ml/kg b.wt. absolute ethyl alcohol in concomitant with 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. of distilled water for seven days. - Group (4): Each rabbit in this group was orally taken 5 mg/kg b.wt. malathion for seven days followed by 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. Aloe vera juice for the same period. This group served as a therapeutic group. - Control (4): Each rabbit in this group was orally delivered 0.52 ml/kg b.wt. absolute ethyl alcohol for seven days followed by 0.84 ml/kg b.wt. distilled water for the same period. Rabbits of the second set of experiments (treated for a long period; 21 days) were divided into eight groups (7 rabbits each). The eight groups consisted of four treated groups (treated groups 1-4) and four control groups (control groups 1-4); each treated group had its own control group. The design of the long-term experiments was exactly similar to that of the short term experiments except the duration of treatment which extended to 21 days. Animals in both treated and control groups were sacrificed at the end of the specified period. Different analyses were took place following the sacrifice on the blood and sera. Summary 161 The results of the present study can be summarized as follows: There was a highly significant decline in the erythrocyte (RBCs) count, haemoglobin (Hb) content and haematocrit (Hct) value in the malathion treated rabbits (group 2). Malathion also caused a marked elevation in the total leukocyte (WBCs) count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) in the experimental animals of this group. However, the rabbits of Aloe vera treated group (group 1) showed a marked elevation in RBCs, Hb and Hct values after the short and long periods of treatment. A significant decrease in MCV was recorded following the long period of administration. Most of the haematological parameters were returned to near the values of their corresponding controls after received Aloe vera juice in the therapeutic group (group 4). This was specifically evident after the long term of treatment. A highly significant increase was observed in the activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after malathion administration in animals of group 2. Administration of Aloe vera juice was found to be effective in lowering the elevated (AST) and (ALT) in rabbits of the protective (group3) and therapeutic (group 4) groups for both the short and long periods of treatment. The serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and the serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity exhibited a marked increase in the treated rabbits of groups 2 and 3 (malathion-treated and protective groups, respectively). With regard to the role Summary 162 of the Aloe vera juice in the protection against the toxicity of the malathion, the values of LDH and ALP were lowered to near normal values of their corresponding controls in animals of the therapeutic group treated for the long term only. The serum total bilirubin level was virtually unaffected in rabbits of all the treated groups in both periods of treatment. The serum creatinine concentration in the treated rabbits showed insignificant changes except in rabbits of group 3 (treated for a short period) and group 2 (treated for a long period), in which the creatinine level exhibited a highly significant decrease and a significant increase, respectively. The serum uric acid concentration seemed to be unaffected in animals of all of the experimental groups except those of group 2 treated for the long term, in which malathion treatment caused a highly significant increase. The present investigation showed a highly significant and significant increase in the serum urea content of rabbits treated for both the short and long periods in group 2 and for the short period in group 3, respectively. The therapeutic effect of Aloe vera appeared in both the short and long periods of treatment as observed by the regression in uric acid and urea concentrations to near their control values. The protective effect of Aloe vera (group 3) appeared in animals treated for the long period only. Serum total protein, albumin, globulin levels and A/G ratio exhibited insignificant changes in the treated animals of all groups except those of group 2 in the long period of treatment. Serum total protein and albumin levels, and A/G ratio showed a highly significant decrease in this malathion Summary 163 treated group. On the other hand, the animals of this group exhibited a significant increase in serum globulin level. The protective and the therapeutic effects of the Aloe vera juice on malathion treated rabbits (groups 3& 4, respectively) were recorded in the values of total protein, albumin, globulin and A/G ratio which returned to near the values of their corresponding controls. The serum triglycerides and serum total lipids in the treated rabbits of all experimental groups seemed to be unaffected except in those of malathion treated group (group 2). In this group malathion caused a highly significant increase in the levels of triglycerides and total lipids for both the short and long periods of treatment. With regard to the serum total cholesterol level, it was observed that the rabbits of group 2 exhibited a highly significant decrease in cholesterol levels after the short period of treatment. In contrast, the rabbits of this group (group2) exhibited a highly significant increase in the cholesterol level over the long period of treatment. The total serum cholesterol level in the treated animals of group 3 (the protective group) showed a significant decrease for both periods. Administration of Aloe vera to the treated rabbits showed its therapeutic potency by returning the serum triglycerides, total lipids and cholesterol levels to almost their corresponding control levels. Malathion administration resulted in a highly significant increase in the glucose concentration in the treated rabbits of group 2 over both the short and long periods of treatment. Glucose concentration in rabbits of the protective and the therapeutic groups showed insignificant Summary164 changes for both the short and long periods of treatment as compared to their control groups. This suggested that Aloe vera juice has a hypoglycemic effect in malathion intoxicated rabbits. T3(triiodothyronine) levels appeared to be unaffected in all treated animals of the experimental groups except those of group 2. The treated rabbits in group 2 (malathion treatment) exhibited a highly significant decrease after the long period of treatment. The T4 (thyroxine) and growth hormone levels were unaffected in all treated animals for both the short and long periods of treatment. |