Objectives: The present study ascertained levels of blood indices disarrangement and alterations in organ weights of Wistar rats following short-term feeding with flavour enhancer- and contraceptive-containing diets. Materials and Methods: The rats were categorized based on hourly feeding duration and type of diet received for 33 days. At the end of the experimental feeding period, the rat groups were weighed, after which blood samples were drawn for measurement of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities as well as plasma total protein concentration (PTPC), serum total bilirubin concentration (STBC) and serum lipid profile (SLP) using standard methods. The weights of the heart, kidney, liver and spleen were measured. Results: Enzyme assay showed mild adjustments in serum ALT and AST activities. PTPCs of the experimental rat groups were within relatively narrow range: Generally, STBCs of the experimental rat groups were less than 1.0 mg/dL and SLP patterns were altered. Alterations in organ-to-body weight ratios of the experimental rat groups were within narrow ranges, except that of liver-to-body weight ratio. Conclusions: Serum ALT and AST activities were diagnostic of moderately compromised hepatocellular integrity, which did not affect hepatic functionality and devoid of hyperbilirubinemia. Alterations in SLP patterns portrayed incidences of atherogenicity in majority of the experimental rat groups. Also, the test diets neither provoked hypertrophy nor atrophy of the heart, kidneys and spleen in the experimental rat groups. However, comparative evaluation of liver-to-body weight ratios of rats fed with contraceptive-containing diets showed evidence of hepatic hypertrophy, whereas those fed with flavour enhancer-containing diets showed evidence of hepatic atrophy.
Key words: Organ weight; blood; contraceptive; flavour enhancer; Wistar rats.
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