Deltamethrin is α-cyano pyrethroid insecticide used extensively in pest control. Although initially thought to be least toxic, a number of recent reports showed its toxicity in mammalian and non-mammalian laboratory and wildlife animal species. Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes their red color and is one of four main carotenoids normally found in human blood and tissue. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of lycopene on deltamethrin-induced toxicity in the kidney of rats. In experimental rats, oral administration of deltamethrin (1.28 mg/kg/day) for 30 days significantly induced the renal damage which was evident from the increased levels of serum urea, uric acid and creatinine. A markedly increased levels of lipid peroxidation markers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and lipid hydroperoxides) and protein carbonyl contents with significant (p < 0.01) decrease in non-enzymatic antioxidants (total sulfhydryl groups, reduced glutathione, vitamin C and vitamin E) and enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) as well as elevation in the enzymatic activity of caspase-3 in the renal tissue were also observed in deltamethrin-treated rats. Co-administration of lycopene (1 mg/kg/day) along with deltamethrin resulted in a reversal of deltamethrin-induced biochemical changes in kidney accompanied by a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation and an increase in the level of renal antioxidant defense system. The histopathological studies in the kidney of rats also showed that lycopene administration markedly reduced the toxicity of deltamethrin and preserved the normal histological architecture of the renal tissue. The present study suggest that the nephroprotective potential of lycopene in deltamethrin toxicity might be due to its antioxidant properties which could be useful for achieving optimum effects in deltamethrin-induced renal damage.
Key words: Deltamethrin, lycopene, kidney, oxidative stress
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