Acute pulmonary toxicity of acrolein in rats-underlying mechanism

• Published in: Toxicology letters Vol. 104; no. 3; pp. 189 - 194
• Main Authors: Arumugam, N., Sivakumar, V., Thanislass, J., Sadasivan Pillai, K., Niranjali Devaraj, S., Devaraj, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 22.02.1999; Amsterdam Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acrolein; Acrolein - toxicity; Acute Disease; Animals; Antioxidant enzymes; Ascorbic Acid - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Glutathione - metabolism; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Lung; Lung - drug effects; Lung - metabolism; Lung Diseases - chemically induced; Lung Diseases - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Oxidation-Reduction; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sulfhydryl Compounds - metabolism; Toxicology; Various organic compounds; Vitamin E - metabolism; Lipid peroxidation; Acrolein; Antioxidant enzymes; Lung; Ascorbic acid; Rat; Toxicity; Lipids; Superoxide dismutase; α-Tocopherol; Enaldehyde; Enzymatic activity; Catalase; Oxidation; Mechanism of action; Glutathione; Peroxidation; Glutathione peroxidase; Respiratory disease; Enzyme; Acute; Rodentia; Antioxidant; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Peroxidases; Animal; Oxidoreductases
• ISSN: 0378-4274; 1879-3169
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-4274(98)00370-1

Acute exposure of rats to acrolein (1 or 2 ppm) resulted in reduced levels of glutathione, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol. The activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase were reduced whereas an increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase was observed. This led to enhanced lipid peroxidation, which produced extensive lung damage as indicated by the elevated levels of the biochemical markers—angiotensin converting enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, protein and lactate in the bronchoalveolar lavage.