Diazinon (DZN) is one of the most widely used organophosphates in agriculture. The objective of this study was to investigate the propensity of subacute exposure of diazinon to induce oxidative stress, changes in biochemical parameters and enzyme activities in the liver and kidney of male rats and to explore its possible attenuation by taurine. The protective effects of taurine (50 mg/kg body weight, B.W.) given 30 min before and after administration of diazinon were investigated. The results demonstrated that the oral administration of 10 mg/kg diazinon significantly caused elevation in lipid peroxidation (LPO) level in liver and kidney when compared to control groups. Levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were found to be decreased, while glutathione reductase (GSH-Rd) remained unchanged in rats liver and kidney treated with diazinon. Taurine treatment to diazinon intoxicated rats decreased LPO level and normalized GSH, SOD, CAT, GST and GSH-Px activities. Also pre-treatment with taurine ameliorated the increase in enzymatic activities of aminotransferases (AST and ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine and urea levels in plasma caused by diazinon intoxication. In conclusion, taurine significantly reduces diazinon-induced oxidative stress in rats liver and kidney and the protective effect of the pre-treatment with taurine is better than the post-treatment, suggested a significant contribution of its antioxidant property to these beneficial effects.
Key words: Taurine, diazinon, liver, kidney, oxidative stress
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