Comparative effects of acute and chronic carbofuran exposure on oxidative stress and drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver.

The current study has been designed to examine the comparative effects of acute and chronic carbofuran exposure on lipid peroxidation, glutathione levels, and drug-metabolizing enzymes in rat liver. Activity of acetylcholinesterase, a bona fide marker of carbofuran exposure, was markedly inhibited after acute carbofuran exposure, whereas the extent of inhibition was much less after chronic exposure. Lipid peroxidation was accentuated after chronic carbofuran exposure. However, acute exposure resulted in relatively less increase in lipid peroxidation levels than with chronic exposure. Glutathione levels were significantly increased in liver of animals chronically exposed to carbofuran; on the contrary, there was a drastic reduction in glutathione levels after acute exposure. Cytochrome P450 was significantly induced in liver of animals treated with acute as well as chronic carbofuran. The activity of glutathione-S-transferase was induced after both acute and chronic carbofuran exposure; the increase was much higher in chronically exposed animals as compared with animals exposed acutely. Based on the results, it is clear that acute and chronic carbofuran exposure have differential effects on oxidative stress and drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver.